01
Follow the red action chip
The chip at the top always proposes the next useful step. If you are unsure where to go, start there.
Before anything else
Three ideas make the app feel simple.
CADMation is a guided production assistant. It does the repetitive work; you confirm the manufacturing decisions.
02
Rooms are work stages
BOM, Drawings and Balloons are not different files. They are views of the same saved .cadm project.
03
You are the final authority
Automation explains its choices. Ambiguous parts stay unresolved, and unchecked drawings cannot pretend to be released.
Install · about 3 minutes
One setup file. Nothing else to hunt down.
The unified installer carries CADMation, PartLens, .NET, Java, Python and the OCCT geometry engine together.
Install CADMation NXT
- Open CADMation_NXT_v0.1.0-unified_Setup.exe.
- Follow the branded setup screen and choose Install. Administrator access is not required.
- When setup finishes, open CADMation NXT from the desktop shortcut.
Windows may say “Unknown publisher.” This preview installer is not yet code-signed. Confirm the file name and checksum below before continuing. Ask your IT team if company policy blocks unsigned software.
SHA-256 integrity check9FFEBF723E3A790B942EEC28ABACB0DBE5F8E4EA0858A9A275E3AED772494903
Activate and sign in
- Paste the licence key supplied by your administrator.
- Select Activate Workstation. A successful message says the startup was validated.
- Enter your approved email and password, then select Login.
CADMation requires an internet connection for licence and release checks. A running scan or drawing job can finish through a brief network interruption, but release waits until the connection returns.
Stop and contact support if you see “Device proof is invalid” or “not approved for licensed use.” Those messages require an administrator; reinstalling will not fix them.
Your first real job
From model to shop documents.
Use a familiar, non-critical STEP assembly the first time. You can learn the flow without risking released production data.
Step 01
Name the job before drawing
In the Drawings sidebar, enter Work Order No, Customer and Company. These values appear in every generated title block.
You will know it worked when…The three values remain visible when you move to another room.
Step 02
Open the model
Select Open STEP / PartLens, choose a .step or .stp file, then choose ASSISTED. CADMation builds the assembly and parts list while PartLens opens the 3D model.
Success looks like…The BOM room opens with rows filled and the 3D Viewer shows your assembly.
Step 03
Check what is made and what is bought
Read the Notes column in the BOM. Confirm uncertain rows as Manufactured or Standard. You can select several rows and use the bulk actions; assembly folders are skipped.
Focus only on…Rows marked Unresolved and any classification that does not match shop reality.
Step 04
Measure rough stock
Select Scan Rough Stock. CADMation works in batches and saves along the way. If a row needs a body choice, select the correct body in PartLens and bind or choose it in CADMation.
Success looks like…Stock sizes appear beside manufactured rows; remaining choices are named clearly in the status line.
Step 05
Create the detail drawings
Follow the top action chip: Draft all MFG parts or Draft N marked parts. The first geometry calculation can take about a minute. Keep the app open and watch the stage name.
You stay in controlUse Stop after this part, Cancel, or Hide—keep generating. Do not use Windows “End task.”
Step 06
Review, then export
Open the Drawings room. Check views, hidden lines, dimensions, hole tables and title-block details. Export a sheet as DXF or PDF only after reviewing it.
Important_REVIEW_REQUIRED means the sheet needs a human check. It does not mean the file is broken.
Step 07
Balloon the assemblies
Select Generate Balloon Sheets. CADMation creates upper and lower assembly sheets. If a part belongs on the other half, select it and choose Assign To Upper or Assign To Lower.
Success looks like…Numbered leaders identify parts and any item that could not be placed includes a reason.
Step 08
Export the checked BOM
Return to the BOM room and select Export Excel. The workbook separates Summary, Manufactured, Standard and Classification Review information.
Before sharingReconcile quantities and unresolved classifications against your released engineering source.
The room map
Every screen has one job.
Think of the left navigation as a production route card. Move forward when the current room is checked; move back whenever you need context.
The home of the job
Open or create the durable .cadm project, see recent work and keep source-file history together.
Understand structure
Review assemblies and body identity alongside the linked PartLens 3D viewport.
Teach repeatable choices
Resolve part types, body choices and setup decisions that automation should remember.
Check the parts list
Confirm manufactured versus standard parts, quantities, notes and rough-stock results.
Review detail sheets
Inspect generated views and dimensions, edit title-block context, then export DXF or PDF.
Explain the assembly
Review upper/lower balloon placement and fix missing geometry or half assignments.
Prepare the handoff
Make the last release-oriented review with clear evidence of what is complete, unresolved or still marked for human approval.
PartLens inside CADMation
The 3D view is your visual cross-check.
Rotate, fit, isolate and select geometry in PartLens while CADMation owns the production workflow and saved project.
⌁
Select with confidence
Use the 3D view to confirm that a BOM row points to the body you expect before binding a choice.
↻
Updates remain flexible
A separately installed compatible PartLens update is preferred automatically. The installer’s bundled copy remains a known-good fallback.
×
Close deliberately
Closing the CADMation 3D Viewer also closes the PartLens process attached to that viewer. Your saved project remains intact.
Safe ways to work
What to do when processing takes time.
Geometry is real computation. A busy first part is usually working, not frozen.
✓ Do this
- Read the current stage in the progress window.
- Use Hide—keep generating if you need the workspace.
- Use Stop after this part for a clean pause.
- Wait about a minute for the first base-view calculation.
- Save the .cadm project before changing source files.
! Avoid this
- Do not use Windows End task during geometry work.
- Do not treat REVIEW_REQUIRED as a released shop drawing.
- Do not guess an ambiguous body or upper/lower assignment.
- Do not order standard components before quantity reconciliation.
- Do not overwrite the customer’s original STEP file.
Fast help
If you see this, do that.
Most first-day problems fall into a small number of clear categories.
| What you see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Device proof is invalid | The workstation is not approved by the licence service. | Contact your CADMation administrator. Reinstalling will not help. |
| Login succeeds, then returns | The PC clock may be incorrect or the session expired. | Open Windows Date & time, select Sync now, then sign in again. |
| The first drawing seems frozen | The geometry kernel is calculating base views. | Wait about one minute and watch the stage label. Do not End Task. |
| A BOM row has no stock size | CADMation may need the correct solid body. | Select the body in PartLens, then use the offered Bind/Choose action. |
| A balloon is on the wrong sheet | The part needs an explicit upper/lower assignment. | Select it in Balloons and choose Assign To Upper or Assign To Lower. |
| File name says REVIEW_REQUIRED | The drawing has not passed the human release check. | Review it. Keep the marking until your normal engineering approval is complete. |
| You cannot find exports | The output folder may not be where you expected. | Use the CADMation Drawings desktop shortcut or ask your administrator for the configured processing folder. |
Plain-language glossary
The few words worth knowing.
You do not need to become a designer. These definitions are enough to follow the workflow.
STEP / STPA neutral 3D model file exported by systems such as CATIA, NX, Creo or SolidWorks.
BOMBill of materials: the list of assemblies, manufactured parts and purchased standard parts.
ManufacturedA part your organisation makes and normally needs stock information and a detail drawing for.
StandardA bought-out or catalogue item such as a fastener, spring, guide or commercial component.
Rough stockThe starting block, plate or blank size needed before machining the finished part.
BalloonA numbered callout on an assembly drawing that connects visible geometry to a BOM item.
DXFAn editable 2D exchange file commonly opened in AutoCAD and other drafting systems.
.cadm projectCADMation’s saved job package: decisions, BOM, drawings and history kept together.