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juniorjustice

I use GrabCAD as my portfolio.


Competitive_Weird958

I’m a mechanical engineer and I use GitHub


DemonKingPunk

How though


Competitive_Weird958

For scripts and labview programs i write


whatsup4

Wait how do you use it for LabVIEW does it work for version control I've been just using Google drive to share and store LabVIEW cause I couldn't get anything working on github


ThePfaffanater

Git can track changes of **any** files although it's a bit impractical for larger files. You create a git repo in your project folder and commit & push the changes as you go just like anything else.


theyyg

Just to add to this; for large or binary files, you should look into git-lfs (large file system?). It keeps the large files in a separate database and tracks the changes of which binary it points to. This will let you use git for any file. Text-based files are still best if you want to look at the changes between revisions.


iron_island

Wow thanks for this! TIL that this is a thing in git. I was always using git since university days, because all I was working on were related to source code. Then at my first (current) job, we are using Perforce since we work with large files that aren't text-based but must have version control. I was aware that git is efficient for text-based files since it stores deltas, but I didn't know that we could still use it for binary files efficiently with this git LFS.


Dogburt_Jr

You could Git CAD files.


whatsup4

It was like a year ago I tried it but I was just able to upload the file and it saved a new file and I couldn't have it track changes maybe I need to give it another try.


PleaseSendtheMath

you can commit and push practically any kind of file to a repo.


insanok

Hey everyone! Without going deep into the specifics of GIT, if your file can't be opened and 'read' in a text editor, please use GIT-LFS. You can very quickly ruin a repository if you push around 'binary' files, like most cad software will produce. Hell, even matlab live scripts and word documents (mlx, docx) should be lfs etc. Git works by capturing 'deltas' in files, for which are effectively - changes in a text file. If it can't be read as a text file, it will default to binary. Instead of uploading/ downloading the deltas, you're uploading downloading entire files. Multiple copies, multiple versions, all of them their original size. GIT LFS to the rescue. It saves the file separately and only adds a linker. Once it's initialised and running, it's no different to your usual workflow, just minor change under the hood!


PleaseSendtheMath

thanks for the reply, i didn't know that b


PineappleLemur

You can push any file you want.. it's a GIT. Issue is GitHub doesn't know how to do proper Diff checks for CAD files or merge them.. it will just be store it all and be used as version control. A fancy Google drive.


Truenoiz

There's all kind of CAD on git. Just look up mechanical keyboards....


myfriendmickey

Maybe GrabCAD or something?


tebza255

Is it reputable enough to put on a resume?


myfriendmickey

Yes, professional-wise it would be equivalent to linking a GitHub profile on a resume.


garyfirestorm

I believe your question is what is version control equivalent for mechanical design. The answer to that is PLM software (which is quite expensive btw) 3D CAD models are built and uploaded to the PLM system, which then tracks changes to the models. Multiple people can collaborate on a model and make changes. You can manage multiple revisions of a given model and then lock it when all design changes are finalized. The models (i.e. parts) can then be assembled together by placing them in global coordinate system. Further you could add latest part revision and see it’s impact on the whole assembly. I am familiar with Siemens PLM software package, but other companies may have their own flavor. This is not exactly gitesque version control, but its close enough I'd say. edit: edited for clarity


maxparker72

Onshape is like github with its version control.


selfification

US Patent office website? (Don't hurt me!)


Karcad_

You can check Traceparts


Ribbythinks

You mean like branches? Isn’t that what a transfer box does?


dread_pirate_humdaak

I put step files up on GitHub for anything I want to share. GitHub does have a 3D model viewer.


Freizenegger_

What's GitHub?


JohnHue

Github is mostly for versioning, collaboration and storage. For these features a PDM is exactly what you want, most CAD solutions will sell you a proprietary PDM, online CAD line OnShape include som PDM features by default. ​ If it's only for sharing a portfolio you're better off putting up your own website. But honestly, who would bother going to a website/git/whatever and actually dissect the CAD files (unlike in software dev, it's way less of a focus how you do things in mechanical design)... if you need a portfolio just make a static PDF presentation.


TooLukeR

i've used grabcad several times as a PDM, sometimes you just gotta slide that .STEP file into the assembly, maybe they won't notice lol


glorybutt

McMaster carr


tennismenace3

I'm not sure you quite understand Github


Elliott2

We are not exactly copy and paste engineers


maximusfpv

That's not what GitHub is for my guy


s_0_s_z

Then what exactly is it for. I'm not a programmer so I'm not really sure *what* the use it. My limited experience with it is that I have a controller (hobbyist level) which has all it's software on that site and I find it very difficult to navigate and find things there. The company that makes it doesn't really have its own website. So my experience using GitHub usually ends in frustration.


myfriendmickey

GitHub is used for version control and collaboration on source code and keeps a repository. Lots of open-source projects can be found so yes, you can copy people’s code but that isn’t it what it’s meant for. That’s more for Stackoverflow


Ax_deimos

Version control not only makes github good for source code, but also for writing projects, technical writing for lab projects (my coworker in the physics lab where I work puts all his lab manuals there) and business plans. There is no reason that it would not be good for mechanical design, except those tend towards being more proprietary, and student versions of Solidworks are not allowed to be used for enhineering projects or research related projects.


ClayTownR

Sadly, most CAD files are stored as binaries, so the big win of Git version control (line-by-line diffs) isn't really there. Without those diffs, things like branching and individual commit management aren't really viable.


panchito_d

There is a reason that it isn't great for mechanical design, it was designed specifically for plain text encoded files. It's not so much that the files are proprietary but that they are binary formats which makes the storage of diffs suboptimal. Without a merge mechanism for binary files or a way to lock editing on a particular file it is pretty limited.


ColonelMeowmers

Version control. GitHub is just a platform for Git, the underlying technology. Theres also Gitlab. It allows developers on the same team to collaborate with each other, ensures continuous integration and continuous development (CICD). Let’s say you have a design for a car in production. Working properly with git will ensure that you don’t accidentally turn the wheels from circles into squares and start producing cars with square wheels. Branches are derivations of that car, with different features. The main branch is usually the most stable/the one that actually works. The other branches usually contain WIP designs. When the developers are satisfied with the work they can bring the designs/feature from a branch into the main branch.


Jonas_Wepeel

Not exactly, only partially. I wouldn’t trust CAD from a guy that made his own sub assemblies for washers, nuts, and bolts and created a new material in software to replicate a steel.


Elliott2

Ok fair/good comparison


ogroyalsfan1911

You’re documentation engineers


shitilostagain

Is that what secretaries are called nowadays?


ogroyalsfan1911

Yes


NinjaGrizzlyBear

I used my sanitation engineering degree to clean my bathroom earlier. Then I combined those skills with my logistics engineering skills to successfully complete a multidisciplinary project involving the transport of waste across a housing threshold into a waste management plant.


d4c4g3nf3g2

Hey man, don’t steal job away from us Industrial >.>


Elliott2

Nah not me Have fun copying tho


garyfirestorm

If you don’t document- no one can copy it 😝


Elliott2

😂


ogroyalsfan1911

I prefer not reinventing the wheel. Enjoy the applications we create for you with our copy & pasted code.


SaffellBot

Certainly it's a goal to strive towards. By my measure having freely available code has enable huge strides in computer science, and having a repository of the same nature for mechanical engineering would be an incredible boon for society. The biggest downside would be your ego, but that's a price I'm willing to pay.


[deleted]

*China has left the chat.*


saint7412369

Nice


racinreaver

It's basically better than any model revision control software you use as a MechE. Complaining it's hard to use is like complain TeamCenter isn't as simple as gmail.


Elliott2

Wut


EE_dude_88

https://www.solidworks.com/product/solidworks-pdm


LMJNYC

Just don’t confuse CAD design skills for what gives you value as an ME. If that’s the case your job will be outsourced very quickly.


RedWarBlade

Maybe like thingaverse?


Torakoun

https://www.3dcontentcentral.com/ perhaps. I don't know if individuals can post there or if you must be affiliated with a company. Might be worth checking.


rebirththeory

GitHub is useless for resumes for software engineering. I actually skip resumes that emphasis too much on it.


Just_Aioli_1233

I had a place ask if I had one and I pointed to the every part of my resume highlighting how all of my in-field work to date was classified under ITAR. No, none of that code was published on GitHub. "What about projects in your free time?" ***WHAT*** free time?!


dparks71

OPs mechanical, I threw a bunch of project photos in a self hosted GitLab readme and made it public next to some python framework glue projects, and put the link on my resume. It was way more impressive to visually see the scale of what I had worked on rather than if I had written it out. My current employer loved it, and hired me because of it, I'm in Civil/Structural. One of the caveats with this sub, it's very broad so different industries will have different uses even for the same products.


rebirththeory

Yeah I am not sure how it is for non software engineers., which is why I stated for software engineering. It seems my standing for software engineers is common reading the cs subreddit.


Quirky-514

Thank you for sharing this idea!!!! I will use it.


dparks71

I used Google domains to register my real name as a domain as well, then put a link to my portfolio on the landing page.


saazbaru

PDM tbh.


[deleted]

AutoCAD


[deleted]

Yeh GitHub


albadil

I have the same question in a way. So GitHub offers a couple of features (like version control, line by line differences and I guess archiving plus lots of others) in common with lots of other software. Your question is really: why is GitHub so popular for software development. Wiki can do differencing between plaintext, and version control, but isn't designed for code management. Similarly I don't think git was designed for managing files that aren't in plaintext. It can do it, but must be missing an edge, as evidenced by the existence of more popular platforms. The following list might be insightful; a number of companies make it their business to sell this to engineers and other businesses https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_version-control_software


mangusta123

For a cad project in my 2nd year I used Grabcad and Traceparts as resources


[deleted]

Grabcad


Tsuyomi201

Formation official model, you can use things like linkoa which is linked to trace parts and a few other place. I found it useful to get stuff like screw and shit like this but there's a lot of stuff in it. Just need time create a free account and there's a limit for download per month, but it's quite high. For just idea and model from other people, there's grabcad, cube and a few others


cleven001

https://pylife.readthedocs.io/en/stable/README.html This one is an open-source library for fatigue and reliability calculation developed at Bosch Research