CAD files where your sales team actually works.
Engineering lives in CAD; sales and service live in CRM. RenderDraw CAD Tools brings CAD file integration into Salesforce so reps and service teams can work with product geometry without leaving the record. Confirm supported formats for your files with RenderDraw.
See configuration, pricing and quoting on one of your own products.
- CAD in Salesforce
- Sales and service use
- Supported formats on request
Why CAD belongs in CRM.
Quote accuracy
Reps confirm the configured geometry before quoting.
Service
Technicians see the installed product's model.
Fewer handoffs
Fewer emails to engineering for "which version?" questions.
What we checked (November 2026)
- STEP is an ISO standard. STEP files (.stp, .step, .p21) use the clear-text exchange structure of ISO 10303-21. Most modern 3D exports follow application protocol AP242 (ISO 10303-242, "managed model-based 3D engineering"; the 2025 edition replaced 2022 in August 2025), which can carry product manufacturing information (PMI). AP203 and AP214 files are still common from older CAD.
- Viewer vs. editor: a CRM-side viewer is for inspecting geometry, measuring and sharing views. Design changes still happen in the CAD system. Agree on who owns the master file before reps start attaching exports to records.
- Gotchas:
- Assemblies exported as one STEP file can be large.
- Native formats (SLDPRT, IPT, PRT) depend on the vendor's translators.
- Exported STEP files lose parametric history.
If your quotes don't depend on geometry (catalog parts with fixed SKUs), an image or a PDF cut sheet on the product record may be enough. A CAD viewer pays off when reps or service teams need to inspect fit, dimensions or variants.
Checklist before rolling out a CAD viewer in Salesforce
- Formats. List the formats your engineering team actually exports (STEP AP242, AP214, native, mesh formats such as STL or glTF) and test the largest assembly you have.
- Master record. Decide which record holds the file: product, asset, quote line or case. Only one should be the master.
- Revisions. Agree how revisions are named and superseded so a rep never quotes from an old model.
- Access. Set who can download geometry versus only view it. Geometry can be sensitive IP, especially in partner portals.
- Performance. Check load times on the devices your field and service teams use, not only on engineering workstations.
- Measurement. Check whether users need to measure on the model, and that the units carried in the file display correctly.
Common gotcha: a STEP export made with the wrong unit setting comes in 25.4 times too large or too small. Check one known dimension after import.
Rule of thumb: pilot with one product family and one team (for example, service technicians looking up replacement parts) before attaching models across the catalog. Measure whether case handling or quote revisions actually go down.
Questions estimators ask
Is there a CAD viewer for Salesforce?
RenderDraw CAD Tools provides CAD file integration for Salesforce.
Can I view STEP files?
Free desktop viewers exist; for Salesforce, ask RenderDraw which formats CAD Tools supports for your use.
Can I view CAD as PDF?
Many CAD tools export PDF; a CAD viewer preserves geometry for inspection.
Does it need CAD licenses?
Ask RenderDraw about requirements for your environment.
What's the difference between STEP AP203, AP214 and AP242?
They are application protocols of ISO 10303. AP203 and AP214 are older protocols for 3D geometry and assembly structure; AP242 (current edition ISO 10303-242:2025) merges and extends them, including product manufacturing information such as dimensions and tolerances. Ask your CAD team which one they export, because older viewers may not read AP242 PMI.
Can sales reps edit CAD files in Salesforce?
A viewer is for inspecting, measuring and sharing geometry, not for design changes. Edits happen in the CAD system, and the revised export replaces the file on the record.
Should every product record get a 3D model?
Usually not. Start with configurable or high-value products where fit, dimensions or variants drive questions, and use images or cut sheets for simple catalog items.
See visual CPQ on your own products.
Book a demo to walk through configuring, pricing and quoting one of your products with rules enforced and every price explained.
- Pick one product line with real rules and pricing.
- Walk through configuration, pricing and the quote with RenderDraw.
- Decide with your own product, not a canned demo.
Related tools and guides
Keep reading on renderdraw.com
Sources and further reading
Vendor pages, standards and references checked for this page. Product features and prices change; confirm current details with each vendor.
- Library of Congress: STEP-file, ISO 10303-21 — File structure, extensions and versions
- ISO 10303-242:2025 Managed model-based 3D engineering — Current AP242 edition (replaced 2022 edition)
Last reviewed November 2026.