File Release Management

In CAD ROOMS, a Release designates a file revision as the official, stable version — validated and approved for downstream use such as manufacturing, compliance, or external delivery.

File Release is designed as a lightweight alternative to the full ECO Release workflow. Users on the Team Plan can still manually promote file revisions to official releases. This ensures reliable version control and stable handoff, even without formal ECO processes.

What is a File Release?

File Release lets you promote a minor revision into a major revision.

Major revisions (e.g., A.1, B.1) represent official release points.

Minor revisions (e.g., A.2, A.3) capture ongoing edits and contributions.

With Manual Release, you decide when a working revision becomes the official release.

💡 Example:

Current release = B.1.

Ongoing edits = A.2, A.3

You can promote A.3 → B.1 as the next official release.

Key Features

Available in both the Revision History panel and the Viewer.

Promotes any eligible minor revision into the next major revision.

Rules:

The current major version remains until you release a new one.
The minor revision must be greater than .1 (since major.1 is already the current release).

How to Perform a File Release

Once you have uploaded and contributed multiple versions of a file, you can manually promote a minor revision into a major release.

Open the File in the Viewer

Navigate to your project’s Files tab.

Click on the file you want to release to open it in the Viewer.

Locate the Release Label

Next to the file’s version dropdown (e.g., Rev A.2), you will see a green release label icon.

Hover over this icon — it will display “Release this version”.

Click the Release Label

A Release Major Revision dialog will appear.

Earlier revisions will automatically be marked as Obsolete.

Add a Release Message (Optional)

Enter a description such as “Released for client review” or “Final version for manufacturing”.

This message will be stored in the contribution history log for traceability.

Confirm the Release

Click Release to finalize.

The selected minor revision is now promoted to a major revision, and marked as the new official release.

⚠️ Notes:

Earlier revisions are not deleted, but marked as Obsolete for clarity.

Only Project Admins and Collaborators can perform manual releases.

Viewers → Can only view released versions (read-only).

Permissions

Project Admins & Collaborators → Can perform manual releases.

Viewers → Can only view released versions (read-only).

Why Manual Release Matters

Faster Reviews → Promote stable files without going through a full ECO.

Design Integrity → Lock in validated revisions as official releases.

Collaboration Clarity → Ensure your team always knows which version is the official one.

Team Plan Enablement → Provides a release mechanism for users without ECO access.

File Release vs ECO

Feature	File Release	ECO Release
Availability	Team & Business Plans	Business Plan only
Purpose	Lightweight release of file revisions	Formal engineering change control
Process	Directly promote minor → major	Structured workflow with review/approval
Speed	Fast, minimal steps	Standard (requires approvals)
Traceability	Basic (who/when released)	Full audit trail (who, what, why, approvals)
Best For	Quick internal releases, iterations	Official releases requiring compliance & approvals

✅ Best Practice

Team Plan Users → Use File Release to publish official versions.

Business Plan Users →

Use ECO Release for all formal, official releases (with review/approval).
Use File Release only for internal iterations or quick checkpoints, not for compliance-critical handoffs.

✨ With File Release, CAD ROOMS ensures every workspace — whether on Team Plan or Business Plan — has the tools to control version releases, while keeping flexibility and compliance in balance.

How to Release Files