GatesFlow's CAD Viewer and Document Control Are Now Free

Today we're making two of GatesFlow's most-used tools free for everyone: the online CAD viewer and the document control system. Create a free account, and both are yours — no trial clock, no credit card, no CAD licenses.

Why we're doing this

GatesFlow was built on the production floor at Trenton Pressing, and the two problems we watched people fight every single day were the most basic ones:

• Someone needs to look at a model — a buyer, an inspector, a supplier — and doesn't have (and shouldn't need) a $10,000 CAD seat.
• Someone needs the current revision of a document — a control plan, a work instruction, a drawing — and can't be sure the copy in their inbox is it.

Neither of those problems should cost money to solve. So now they don't.

What's in the free CAD viewer

The free CAD viewer is a full collaborative viewer, not a stripped demo:

• Upload and view STEP, STP, IGES, STL, OBJ, GLB, and GLTF files directly in the browser. No plugin, no install, no SolidWorks/CATIA/NX license.
• Annotate and comment on the model so feedback is anchored to geometry instead of buried in an email thread.
• Share by link. Send a supplier or colleague a link instead of a zip file. They open it in their browser and see the current version — always.
• Bill of materials in context, extracted from the assembly structure.

Measuring a STEP assembly in the free GatesFlow CAD viewer — dimensions and notes stay attached to the 3D geometry.

Sharing is deliberately conservative by default: recipients get the 3D preview only, and you decide per link whether the original file can be downloaded, when the link expires, and whether it needs a PIN.

Sharing a CAD drawing by link — recipients get the 3D preview only unless you allow downloading the original file.

Here's what the person on the other end of the link sees — the model, your measurements and notes, in their browser, with nothing to install:

What a supplier sees when you share a CAD model by link: the assembly with measurements and annotations, viewable in the browser with no CAD license.

If you've read our guide on how to share CAD files securely, this is that workflow — link-based, access-controlled sharing — available to anyone for free.

What's in the free document control system

Document control is the backbone of any quality system, and it's now free too:

• One current revision of every document, with full revision history.
• Controlled access — decide who can see and edit what.
• An audit trail of who viewed and changed each document, which is exactly what an ISO 9001 or IATF 16949 auditor wants to see.

What's the catch?

There isn't one, really. Free accounts have usage limits that are generous for an individual or a small team, and if you outgrow them — more storage, more programs, more of the platform like quality management or PLM — paid plans start at $20/month. See pricing for the details.

We built the free tier because every person who views a shared model or a controlled document is someone who stopped emailing STEP files. That's a better manufacturing world, whether or not you ever pay us.

Create a free account and upload your first model — it takes about two minutes.