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3D CAD Services

3D CAD Migration

Professional 3D CAD Migrations and Translations

Unlock the power of 3D modeling with our professional CAD services. We offer top-notch 3D modeling solutions for various industries, utilizing leading software such as CATIA, Solidworks, PTC Creo, and Siemens NX. Whether you need conceptual designs, precision engineering models, or production-ready files, we have you covered.

That reason alone is why 3D CAD migrations and translations are so popular. At CAD/CAM Services, our team can help you transfer from one CAD program to a completely different one.

We offer 3D CAD translation and migration support for:

  • Siemens NX
  • CATIA
  • Autodesk AutoCAD or Inventor
  • SolidWorks
  • CREO (formerly called Pro/Engineer)
  • Many more
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What Is 3D CAD Migration? 

3D CAD migration is the process of taking a native file from one CAD program and translating it into a native file for another CAD program. Each CAD program has its own list of preferred files, and an even longer list of files that it can’t work with. A 3D CAD migration will allow you to open and use your CREO file within Siemens NX, for instance.

Without a CAD translation service, your team will need to spend hours doing the conversion by hand. Yes, this is a very tedious and manual process. While there are some programs that claim to automate the migration process, our team at CAD/CAM Services tends to manually convert files in an effort to preserve the quality of your parts, protect your intellectual property, and achieve better reliability.

Why 3D CAD Migration Matters

Some companies might take a shortcut by exporting their initial CAD file into a universal file, like a STEP file. While this might be fine in some scenarios, the exported file is going to fall short. Properties such as material, mass, and color will not convert. In addition, dimensional data could be wrong, and assembly constraints will not hold up during the conversion.

You might not realize how useless the final file is until it’s too late. All the while, you’re tying up your engineering resources to tackle this project.

With professional outsourced 3D CAD migration, all of these problems go away. Instead of wasting precious time and engineering resources trying to do the conversion yourself, you can trust our migration experts.

We’ll hand-draw the file in your new CAD software of choice, ensuring that we keep all of the data native. This translates to a final part that is native to your new CAD program and has all of the functionality you need.

Plus, you don’t have to worry about any headaches or pitfalls that are common in the 3D CAD migration process. Allow our team to worry about these nuisances, while your engineers focus on other, project-critical tasks.

A low-quality 3D CAD migration team will cut corners and rely heavily on software that’s not reliable or trustworthy. However, our high-quality staff never does that. It’s one way we keep your drawings safe and high-quality.

Benefits of 3D CAD Migration from CAD/CAM Services

Transferring your 3D CAD files from one platform to another is an unavoidable problem for anyone changing their licensing agreements. Some companies might swap to another CAD program for better pricing, more functionality, or due to an incentive. But, why do people choose CAD/CAM Services for their 3D CAD migration projects?

  • Higher quality with each model. We spend a lot of time doing quality checks and focusing on the details of your 3D CAD models during any migration. The result? Higher-quality models that will lead to fewer problems in the future. 
  • Fast turnarounds and reasonable pricing. With our massive team, we can commit to tight turnarounds, expediting your project and getting you results even sooner. Plus, our projects are typically based on an hourly rate, which will keep your costs low.
  • Free up your engineers. Allow your engineers to focus on other tasks while our team at CAD/CAM Services handles your full 3D CAD migration project.
  • The best way to start using a new CAD platform. If you want to use a newer CAD program with more functionality, it starts with a 3D CAD migration. Allowing our experts to help out is the best way to start using your new platform.
  • Update your legacy models. We’ve helped companies take their drawings from 1992 directly into the newest version of Siemens NX without any issues. If you have old files, you probably can’t do anything to the design until you convert to a new 3D CAD model.

What Goes Into 3D CAD Migration from CAD/CAM Services?

When you choose CAD/CAM Services for your next 3D CAD migration, the process is very streamlined. We’ll start with a free consultation. During this conversation, we’ll learn what native CAD program you’re using and which software you want to move your files into. After you tell us how many drawings you need to convert, the complexity of each part, and a rough timeline, we will generate a free quote for you.

Once the work starts, our team will open your native CAD file on one screen, and the new CAD platform on another screen. If you’re translating a Siemens NX file to CATIA, we’ll open the legacy NX drawing on one screen with a blank CATIA file on the other.

scratch in the new platform. This is the most reliable way to retain your part’s quality while protecting your IP.

Plus, drawing the model from scratch in the native CAD platform will give you a lot more functionality in the future. Our process allows for parametric modeling, native CAD data, and the ability to write scripts to expedite the process.

The only reason we can offer this tedious service is due to the size and experience of our team. With over 100 engineers and draftsmen on staff, we can deliver exceptional 3D CAD migration and translation services — it doesn’t matter if you need one or one thousand drawings converted.

More About 3D CAD Migration

Using outsourced CAD translation services is the industry-preferred way to swap over to a new CAD platform. The migration process would ideally happen in whatever your native PLM system is. That’s precisely what we do at CAD/CAM Services. We’ll use whatever PLM system you’re set up with in order to help with the transition.

Plus, our team will also verify, update, and fix files before converting anything. This is one way to ensure errors don’t make their way to the final 3D CAD file in your new CAD program. 

Whatever your reason is for transferring to a new 3D CAD platform, make sure you have a high-quality outsourced engineering team helping with the migration tasks. Since we’ve done this project countless times, we can offer our assistance with fewer mistakes, headaches, and issues.

Get a Quote Today

Our engineers and draftsmen work around the clock to ensure timely delivery on every 3D CAD migration project that we work on. Our staff goes through regular training to ensure we’re up-to-date on the newest time-saves, functionality, and features of every major 3D CAD program on the market. This allows us to offer 3D CAD migration in almost any CAD software.

We’ve helped countless companies just like yours with their massive 3D CAD migrations, and we can help you too. It doesn’t matter how small or how large your stack of 3D CAD files is, we’ll convert all of them into your new CAD software of choice. We’re here to help you start using your new CAD program faster, with fewer headaches. Get a free quote from our team today.

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FAQ’s

CAD Conversion FAQs

There are special CAD translator software packages available on the market, why should I pay you guys?

It is better to ask the following question:

What can you do that a software translator cannot do?

  1. Verify files.
  2. Update files
  3. Fix files
  4. Convert the CAD data to native intelligent CAD data with full feature trees.
  5. Update data to the current CAD standards.
  6. Work in the native PLM systems.
  7. Correctly write scripts for this process as needed.

My company wants to change the focus of our CAD systems, is it possible to do this with your help?

Of course, we offer CAD migration services. If you want all the Cad Perfect™ files to comply with your updated company standard, just send us the guidelines and we will make Cad Perfect™ files which are perfect for you!

I have some exotic files nobody knows even how to open. Can you help me even in this case?

Yes, we performed successful conversions from many local or exotic and ancient CAD systems. You can continue the development of old projects in modern software with our help.


I have some weird CAD files from the previous century, can you help me?

Yes, absolutely. We can perform legacy CAD conversions.  Just send us some example files, and what CAD system we need to wind up in, and let us design the best solution for you.We have worked with old Computer Vision tapes, Anvil, and many other 1980’s systems.

Which CAD systems do you work with?

We support all the modern CAD systems including SolidWorks, Catia, Siemens NX, PTC Creo, Inventor, Revit, AutoCAD, and many others.

Which CAD file formats do you work with?

All the CAD file formats are listed on this page but bear in mind that we also work with exotic and legacy CAD systems.  After 31 years of providing CAD Services, we have run into almost any CAD file format.


What do I get?

You get native Cad Perfect™ files with the full-featured model tree (where applicable, since some file types have no trees), and features can be fully parametric. It all depends on your goals.  We prefer to not translate any files. Our goal is to deliver to you a file that you do not have to touch. Our work is exactly as if you had reproduced that work in-house.

What do you need to provide me with an accurate quote?

We need to know source CAD and target CAD software. Since large quantity orders can be discounted by us you can provide us with the number of parts you need to be converted.

If you tell us the desired purpose of the conversion we can offer you some conversion options. We can also convert your files into vendor-neutral file types (.STEP, .STL, etc,).

Please email us even cell phone photos, and the rough size of what you wish scanned and converted [email protected].

What is a CAD conversion?

A CAD conversion is when our team of engineers takes your sketch, physical drawing, existing CAD file, 2D CAD file, or idea and transforms it into a professional 2D or 3D CAD file. For instance, you can send us a picture of your legacy drawing, and we can create a 3D CAD model from scratch in your favorite CAD program (like NX, CREO, CATIA, SolidWorks, etc.).

A CAD conversion takes many shapes, and our engineers are able to perform most of the CAD conversions that you can think of. As long as you want high-quality 2D or 3D CAD files, then CAD/CAM Services can help.

Can you turn a sketch I have into an engineered CAD file?

Some of our most fun projects are taking someone’s sketch on a napkin, and transforming it into a manufacturable part. Yes, we can turn your sketch, idea, or dream into an engineered CAD file. Our team will go through engineering simulations, Design for Manufacturing (DFM) best practices, and tough calculations to make sure our designed part will work perfectly for you.

Allow our team at CAD/CAM Services to be your on-call engineer. We love going back and forth with inventors and dreamers like you, and our goal is to provide 3D CAD files and 2D manufacturing drawings. With our help, you can start building your dream part, assembly, or product today.

General CAD FAQs

I need my project done today or tomorrow. Can you process rush jobs?

Depending upon when you catch us, yes, we can handle rush jobs. We often work over the holidays, Thanksgiving and even Christmas holidays. If you have a deadline – call us.

For years we have run three shifts of about 30 drafting folks per shift – allowing us to deliver work 3x faster, and seven days a week. Yes, we work 24/7, so you do not have to. The fun never stops here.

For 3D scanning, this is a different question. Because of the common setup work required, at best expect a 48-72 hour turn to be scanned. CAD or simulation services are in addition to that.

Who is affected by the PPD-21 directive?

The Department of Homeland Security has identified 16 different infostructures:

  1. Chemical Sector,
  2. Commercial Facilities Sector,
  3. Communications Sector,
  4. Critical Manufacturing Sector,
  5. Dams Sector,
  6. Defense Industrial Base Sector,
  7. Emergency Services Sector,
  8. Energy Sector,
  9. Financial Services Sector,
  10. Food and Agriculture Sector,
  11. Government Facilities Sector,
  12. Healthcare and Public Health Sector,
  13. Information Technology Sector,
  14. Nuclear Reactors Materials and Waste Sector,
  15. Transportation Systems Sector,
  16. Water and Wastewater Systems Sector.

This is both Government and private sectors.

If you are in any of these industries, this directive is important to you for many reasons.  Do you know where your critical sections are? Are they well protected? Are there concerns for Hazmat, security clearance requirements, and other concerns?  Can you quickly rebuild what might be lost?

The important part of this means that critical infrastructure must be secure and able to withstand and rapidly recover from all hazards. Achieving this will require integration with the national preparedness system across prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and recovery.

Further details can be found at:  Government PPD-21

DHS – The National Infrastructure Protection Plan details:  The National Infrastructure Protection Plan

Industry specific plans:  2015 Industry specific PPD-21 plans

CAD / CAM Services provides PPD-21 for the following industries:  DHS – CAD / CAM Services

What is the PPD-21 Protocall?

The Presidential Policy Directive 21 (PPD-21) is a Critical Infrastructure Protection and Resilience United States directive that aims to strengthen and secure the country’s critical infrastructure.The goal of this directive is to reduce vulnerabilities, identify and disrupt threats, minimize consequences and hasten response and recovery efforts related to critical infrastructure.

The directive defines resilience as the ability to prepare for and adapt to ever changing conditions, terrorists, and withstand and recover rapidly from disruptions. Resilience includes the ability to withstand and recover from deliberate attacks, accidents, or naturally occurring threats or incidents.

Do you support the PPD-21 Directive?

Yes we do, and have now for several years. In addition, we also support the industry specific plans as well.

Did you really own the trademark Cad Perfect™, Cad Perfect CAD Conversions™ and Cad / Cam Services™?

Yes, we did back in 2008. We started using Cad Perfect™ back in the early 1990s because all of our customers wanted only real Cad Perfect™ work. Back then the buzz words were terms like machine ready, or DXF Traceover and others.

The problem is, nobody wanted that. They all wanted drawings and models that they did not have to touch. Everybody wanted drawings just as if they hand redrew the work themselves.

Thus, Cad / Cam Services™ was the first company to start offering ONLY Cad Perfect™ work.

What is the estimated delivery time?

It depends on the scope of work:

  • 2D drawings – small quantity, normally 48 hours.  We have several customers where they contract to us, keeping 4-8 drafters busy full time.
  • 3D models – complexity dependent, but smaller jobs in 2-3 days. Some models we have spent months on.  Again, we have several customers where they contract to us, keeping 6-10 3D CAD designers busy full time.

Simple jobs have a lead time of 48 hours. Larger projects are delivered and invoiced weekly.

Will CAD / CAM Services Sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)?

Yes. NDAs are a common part of our business. All data is yours – not ours, and treated as proprietary data and not for public consumption or use. Probably 70% of our work is under NDA agreements. We can generally get these signed within the day.

How do I send a sample, in order to get a quote?

Fill out our quote form, attach your files, or simply send us an email. Tell everything about your project, like the model purpose.

For smaller files < 15 MB you can simply email them to us.  For something larger, just drop them in any number of drop boxes like Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive and others.  Or if you would like, just contact us for a private, hardened link.

It is fine to use most any time of compression such as  *.zip, *.rar, *.tar, *.7z, *.arc, *.LBR, and even *.iso images.

A direct email is [email protected]

We also use a hardened OwnCloud web file sharing platform for unlimited file transfers. We provide unique and very private Web Storage Portals, this also supports file syncing for extreme convenience for you. Because so much of our work is DOD or weapons design work, Security – and confidentiality is very important to us.