Frequently Asked Questions


Community Framework

GrabCAD accounts are intended for members to share original engineering models and provide content that enhances those models.

The following Community Framework is here to help you understand what it means to be a member of GrabCAD. Your use of GrabCAD is subject to this Framework and our Terms of Use.

What can I do?

  • Do upload content that you've created.

    Respect the copyright of others. This means don't steal models or photos that other people have shared and pass them off as your own. (That’s what likes are for.)

  • Do play well with others.

    We're an international community of many types of people, who all have the right to feel comfortable and who may not think what you think, believe what you believe or see what you see. So, be polite and respectful in your interactions with other members.

  • Do moderate your content.

    All content on GrabCAD has to be appropriate and related to engineering or CAD. Please keep any sexual, religious, or offensive content private or off GrabCAD. If your judgment proves to be poor, we’ll moderate your account to match our view of appropriate content for safe search and/or content type and send you a warning. Multiple warnings or extreme instances may lead to members being removed from GrabCAD.

  • Do link to GrabCAD when you post your content elsewhere.

    GrabCAD allows you to post content hosted on GrabCAD to other web sites. Please pay it forward and when grabcad.com content is shared to pages on other web sites, provide a link from each model or rendering back to its page on GrabCAD. This provides a way to contact the original producer of the content and is a great way to connect with others in the community.

  • Do enjoy GrabCAD!

    Design, engineer, collaborate! Share the best in CAD with engineers and designers from all around the world. Challenge yourself and others. Learn something new or teach others how to get better.

What can't I do?

We want to be upfront about this: We like to give second chances. But, crossing any of the lines listed below may result in account deletion with or without warning.

  • Don’t upload any content that is not yours.

    This includes other people's models, photos, and/or stuff you've copied or collected from anywhere other than your own mind. Members who consist mostly of such collections may be deleted at any time, with or without warning.

  • Keep it PG.

    If you would hesitate to show your models or photos to a child, your grandmother, or your boss, then do not upload it to GrabCAD. If we find that you do upload inappropriate content, we'll mark your account as “flagged,” you and your content will be pulled from search, and we will send you a warning. If we find you doing it again, we’ll delete your account.

  • Don’t upload content that is illegal or prohibited.

    If you do your account will be removed and we'll take appropriate action, which may include reporting you to the authorities.

  • Don’t vent your frustrations, rant, or bore the brains out of other members.

    GrabCAD is not a venue for you to harass, abuse, impersonate, or intimidate others. If we receive a valid complaint about your conduct, we’ll send you a warning or remove your account.

  • Don’t be creepy.

    Do not be that guy, you know what that means.

  • Don’t take models from GrabCAD to sell on other sites.

    All models on GrabCAD are not for commercial use. You must get permission from the individual who created the content for anything other than personal use. Do not link to commercial sites in your Profile or Projects. This does not mean that members are not open to commercial use possibilities - each individual is different. You must ask before any commercial use. If we find you engaging in commercial activity with other members' models, we will delete your account, with or without warning.

What else should I think about when using GrabCAD?

  • Questionable content and behavior

    You will see all kinds of stuff GrabCAD, some of which may offend you. If you are offended by someone or something you can either click away or you can "flag" it as poorly moderated by clicking on the button with a flag on it on that member's page or on the project page for the model. If you think there's immediate cause for concern, you can report content and/or someone's behavior to info@grabcad.com. Note: Please report from the specific page that the offensive content appears -- leave a comment so we know why it offends you.

  • Wait, I made that....

    If you see content that you created in another member’s profile, don't panic. This is most likely not malicious, it is more likely a misunderstanding. A good first step is to contact them via Private Message and politely ask them to remove it. If that doesn't work, please "flag" the content and send a note to info@grabcad.com. Our team will take it from there. Check out our Terms of Use for more information.

  • You find something wrong or see something GrabCAD needs to do better

    You may be tempted to post an entry in the Q&A or as a project, but that's not the best way to resolve a possible copyright problem. We don't encourage singling out individuals like this on GrabCAD as it could be seen as harassment which is against our guidelines.

If you feel that you cannot use GrabCAD with the Community Framework as your guide, maybe we aren't for you. We take all of these points very seriously and crafted this framework to ensure that everyone within the GrabCAD Community has a quality experience with us. Please see our FAQ and Terms of Use. The GrabCAD Team would love to hear any questions or comments from you. Send us a note via the "I Wish This Page" feature at the bottom of every page or email info@grabcad.com.

Problems signing in?

If you do not receive the account confirmation e-mail within an hour since signing up, check your spam folder first. If you do not find GrabCAD e-mails there, it’s likely the e-mail address is blocked by your service provider. Please contact us for further assistance to confirm your account.
If you have forgotten your password and cannot log in, use the password reminder page. However, receiving the password reset e-mail requires that you have not marked GrabCAD e-mail as spam before.

I can’t upload my model?

Please download the latest Flash player or try different browser like Firefox, Google Chrome

What is the GrabCAD Score and how is it calculated?

GrabCAD Score helps you get to know our site as a freshly joined member. We encourage you to try out all the features in GrabCAD, it makes getting your first points is easy:

  • Your first download of a model will give you +3 points.
  • Your first like of someone’s model is another +5 points.
  • Follow your first engineer to receive +10 points.
  • Leave your first comment to a model, question, tutorial or anything to add another +15 points.
  • Your first upload of a model gives a big jump of +40 points!
  • Your first question you ask gives you +5 points.
  • Your first answer on anyone’s question give you another +10 points.
  • Your first tutorial is a great way to give back to the community and gives you +20 points!

Then it gets more challenging. To continue increasing your GrabCAD Score, you need to add quality contributions to the community and get positive feedback from your peers. This part of the GrabCAD Score is currently in transition. In the next few days, our developers will implement changes in the GrabCAD Score that promote quality. We will update the FAQ once the final changes have been made. Below, please find a link to our GrabCAD Score Improvements Are Coming blog post and a quick summary of the upcoming changes.

GrabCAD Score Improvements Are Coming

Your past and current actions will be automatically converted to the new system. Nothing is required on your part and no actions will be lost. Your score will not go down.

  • Members will no longer receive points for uploads (models, formats, or renderings.)
  • Members will receive one-time points for their first actions on the site (see above.)
  • Members will receive points for model likes.
  • Members will receive points when ‘It worked’ in Q&A and Tutorials.
  • Members will soon receive points for model downloads.
  • We are adding the functionality to like renderings, and members will soon receive points for this.

Most changes will happen in the next few days. Any added functions such as the ability to like renderings will happen over the next few weeks. With our new focus, we believe your score will be a more valuable asset to your career. It will better reflect your reputation as you interact on GrabCAD and share your profile on and off the site. You can improve your GrabCAD score by producing fun, educational, or masterful content and by helping other engineers in the Q&A and Tutorial sections.

If you are reported with our new engineer flag button, we will notify you via private message. Each reported case undergoes close inspection and includes a dialog with concerned members. We take reports very seriously and will remove any content or users that do not comply with our Terms of Service.

I cannot comment or upload any more?

In case you come across that you cannot upload models nor comment on GrabCAD site any more, it is because other users have reported your comments as inappropriate or abusive, your private messages spam or your models stolen from other sites.
GrabCAD reviews periodically the blocked users list and is entitled to leave the block on or clear the user, depending on the content of the comments and models being reported.

If you think that your comments or messages have been misunderstood and you would still like to continue contributing to the Community, GrabCAD staff can revoke the decision about the functionality block upon request.

How much money will I make when participating in Challenges?

With each challenge we will announce the prize money at the start of the challenge. This might make you to take part in the project or give some indication how complicated the Company organizing the challenge thinks the project to be.

How do I get paid for Challenges?

Payment is made with PayPal. Currently we cannot make the payment with different methods. When you have been selected as a winner, we will contact you about the payment details.

What software do I have to use?

You are free to choose your own preferred software unless client has specified it in the challenge. In such case you must use the specified software. Generally STEP/IGES formats are required to be included with your Challenge model.

3D Viewer not working in Mozilla Firefox?

The 3D Viewer runs on WebGL. You can check if your browser supports WebGL by default here.

If that does not work, try the following in Mozilla Firefox:

  1. Type about:config in address bar.
  2. Type webgl in the search box.
  3. To enable WebGL, set webgl.force-enabled to true.

Still not working? If you’re on Windows, try this:

  1. Set layers.acceleration.force-enabled to true.
  2. Set gfx.direct2d.force-enabled to true.

For further support, visit Firefox Help.

3D Viewer not working in Google Chrome?

The 3D Viewer runs on WebGL. You can check if your browser supports WebGL by default here.

If that does not work, ensure you have the latest version of Google Chrome. Download it here.

For further support, visit Google Chrome Help.

3D Viewer not working in Safari?

The 3D Viewer runs on WebGL. You can check if your browser supports WebGL by default here.

For now, the 3D Viewer is not supported in Safari for Windows or Macbook Pro with Retina Display.

To enable WebGL and view files in 3D:

  1. Open the Safari menu and select Preferences.
  2. Open the Advanced tab, check Show Develop menu in menu bar.
  3. Open the Develop menu in the menu bar and select Enable WebGL.

3D Viewer not working in Internet Explorer?

For versions of Internet Explorer IE6 through IE9, please install the Google Chrome Frame for Internet Explorer and restart your browser. It only takes 15 seconds.

Internet Explorer 10 is not supported at this time.  We recommend using another browser such as Google Chrome.

Does my graphics card support the 3D Viewer?

We use the latest technology to the benefit of our users. Unfortunately, these older graphics cards do not support our 3D Viewer:

All operating systems

  • NVIDIA GeForce FX Go5200

Windows

  • Intel GMA 945
  • ATI FireMV 2400

Mac

  • ATI Radeon HD4200
  • ATI Radeon 2600 series
  • ATI Radeon X1900
  • ATI Radeon HD 6490M on OS X 106
  • GeForce 7300 GT

Linux

  • AMD/ATI cards
  • Nvidia QuadroFX1500
  • Nvidia cards with Nouveau drivers
  • Nvidia cards with Nvidia drivers older than 295
  • Optimus dual-GPU configurations
  • Intel Mesa drivers earlier than 7.9

How does GrabCAD Workbench keep my files secure?

GrabCAD implements standard industry security practices. Read more here.

Have further questions?

Email us: info@grabcad.com

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