Share SolidWorks, AutoCAD, CATIA — without losing IP control.
A secure data room for sharing CAD files with NDA-gated buyers, dynamic watermarks tied to viewer identity, and no raw download access. Built for hardware fundraising, manufacturing M&A, aerospace diligence, and engineering-firm client delivery. Supports SolidWorks, AutoCAD, CATIA, Inventor, NX, Creo, STEP, IGES, Parasolid. $40 per admin per month on Peony Business — unlimited storage, unlimited rooms, unlimited counterparties.
What is a CAD data room?
A CAD data room is a virtual data room engineered for sharing computer-aided design files — SolidWorks part files (.sldprt) and assemblies (.sldasm), AutoCAD .DWG drawings, CATIA V5/V6 part and product files, Inventor IPT/IAM, NX, Creo, Solid Edge, plus the neutral exchange formats STEP and IGES — with external counterparties under NDA. The same external-review workflow as a traditional VDR (NDA gates, granular permissions, page-level analytics, audit trails, Q&A) but with CAD-aware preview, dynamic watermarks tied to viewer identity, screenshot protection, and no download access for confidential drawings.
Three things break when teams use generic tools to share CAD. First, cloud storage (Dropbox, Box, Google Drive, OneDrive, SharePoint) lacks NDA gates and dynamic watermarks tied to viewer identity — and even where Box has "watermarks," they're static, applied at upload, and don't trace the specific viewer who leaked. Second, file-transfer tools (WeTransfer, MASV) are built for one-shot delivery, not ongoing diligence: no audit trails, no Q&A workflow, no bidder-track permissions. Third, per-page legacy VDRs (Datasite, Intralinks, Firmex) charge $0.60+ per page — a 35GB CAD library renders as 28,000-58,000 pages at $16,800-$34,800 in per-page fees alone, on top of a $20K-$50K base contract. CAD diligence is the worst-case workload for per-page billing.
Peony Business at $40 per admin per month delivers unlimited storage with NDA gates before any folder loads, dynamic watermarks stamping every CAD preview with viewer name, email, IP, and timestamp, screenshot protection across desktop and mobile, and page-level analytics showing which buyer dwelled on which assembly.
Which CAD formats does Peony support?
Native CAD preview supported for STEP, IGES, STL, and most neutral exchange formats. Proprietary formats (SolidWorks assemblies, CATIA, NX) preview as PDF exports or download behind NDA gates with dynamic watermarks. Chunked parallel uploads handle individual files into the multi-GB range without forced splitting.
Who uses a CAD data room?
Hardware & robotics fundraising
Series A-D rounds. VCs preview SolidWorks assemblies and prototype videos in-browser; raw download access stays revoked.
Manufacturing M&A
Sell-side and buy-side rooms with CAD libraries, BOMs, supplier contracts, QA test reports, factory walkthrough videos.
Aerospace & defense diligence
ITAR-aware visitor-group segregation, US-region data residency, dynamic watermarks tied to viewer identity.
Engineering firm client delivery
Architecture, MEP, structural firms sharing AutoCAD plant drawings and BIM coordination with developer clients.
How do I share CAD files with buyers without losing IP control?
- Start with NDA gates. Every buyer must sign your CDA template via integrated e-signatures before any folder, file, or drawing loads. No NDA, no access. Peony's workflow is built around this gate.
- Layer dynamic watermarks. Every CAD preview stamped with viewer name, email, IP, and timestamp. Static watermarks (added at upload) don't trace the specific viewer who leaked; dynamic watermarks do.
- Block downloads on confidential drawings. Configure download permissions per visitor group: bidders see CAD previews in-browser, but raw .sldprt or .CATPart files stay locked behind NDA + admin approval.
- Audit every view. Page-level analytics show which buyer dwelled on which assembly hierarchy — useful for term-sheet timing or sanctions documentation.
- Use visitor groups for IP-sensitive content. Segregate ITAR-flagged assemblies, supplier-IP drawings, or customer-confidential subsystems so only committed buyers see them.
When is Peony NOT the right fit for CAD?
Use PDM/PLM (PTC Windchill, Siemens Teamcenter, Autodesk Vault) instead if your workflow is internal CAD lifecycle management — version control across hundreds of engineers, BOM rollups, ECN/ECO routing, configuration management. Peony is the external-counterparty review layer, not the internal engineering data backbone.
Use Onshape / Fusion 360 / SolidWorks Cloud instead if your workflow is collaborative CAD editing — multiple engineers modifying the same assembly with real-time merge resolution. Peony is for sharing finalized drawings under NDA, not for active design work.
Use Procore / Autodesk Construction Cloud instead if your workflow is active construction project management — RFIs, submittals, daily reports, BIM clash detection during the build. For project handover, claims evidence, or external lender review, a CAD data room is the right shape — but during active execution, use the domain platform.
For very small one-off transfers (single drawing to a single client once), a watermarked PDF over email is fine. Don't pay for a data-room subscription you'll use once.
"Peony has been great for sharing documents with investors, employees, and customers. It's easy to use, good value, and new features are constantly being added. Definitely recommend!"
Ed Harris
Founder & CEO, Ligo Bio (YC S24)
Frequently asked questions
I'm a CTO at a 30-person robotics startup raising a $20M Series B — how do I share 12GB of SolidWorks assemblies and prototype videos with VCs without losing IP control?
For your robotics Series B, Peony Business at $40/admin/month uploads 12GB+ of SolidWorks part files (.sldprt), assemblies (.sldasm), drawings (.slddrw), and STEP/IGES exports inside an NDA-gated data room. Each VC firm signs your CDA template before any folder loads. Dynamic watermarks stamp every CAD preview and every prototype video frame with the investor's name, email, and timestamp; screenshot protection blocks captures across desktop and mobile. VCs preview drawings in-browser; raw download access stays revoked. Page-level analytics show which firms spent real time examining your assembly hierarchy versus skimming the deck — strong signal for term-sheet timing. DocSend has no NDA gates and doesn't preview CAD natively. Dropbox shared folders have no watermarks or audit trails. A 2-admin founder/CTO team pays $960/year on Business — a small fraction of one round's legal fees.
I'm a corp dev VP at a $400M industrial acquirer evaluating a precision-machining target — they have 35GB of AutoCAD .DWG files, Inventor IPT/IAM models, and shop drawings. Can a data room actually handle this?
Yes. For your $400M industrial acquirer's precision-machining diligence, Peony Business at $40/admin/month handles 35GB+ uploads of AutoCAD .DWG drawings, Inventor part/assembly files (.ipt, .iam), and shop drawings without forced file splitting. Chunked parallel uploads handle individual CAD files into the multi-GB range. Visitor groups segment which buyer team sees which subsystem — keeping QA findings, supplier specs, and tooling drawings in their own permission tracks. Dynamic watermarks tied to viewer identity stamp every page; screenshot protection blocks captures. Full audit trail logs every page view with timestamps. Datasite renders 35GB as 28,000-58,000 'pages' at $0.60 each — $16,800-$34,800 in per-page fees alone, on top of a $20K-$50K base contract. Peony's 6-admin corp dev team pays $2,880/year flat across as many concurrent acquisitions as you run.
I'm head of engineering at a 200-person aerospace supplier selling a wing-component division — files include CATIA V5 part assemblies, ITAR-flagged drawings, and stress analysis. How do we segregate ITAR content from foreign-person buyers?
For your aerospace wing-component divestiture with ITAR-flagged content, Peony Business at $40/admin/month delivers SOC 2 Type II security, AES-256 encryption, US-region data residency, and visitor-group permissions that segregate ITAR-restricted CATIA assemblies and stress-analysis files within the same data room. Configure foreign-person buyers' visitor group to never see the ITAR-flagged subset; US-person buyers see the full package. Dynamic watermarks stamp every CAD preview with viewer identity — useful for Technology Control Plan compliance documentation. NDA gates require every buyer to sign your TAA-aligned NDA before any folder loads. Audit trails log every page view with timestamps — exportable for export-control review. Datasite Diligence runs $50K-$150K for a transaction of this size; Peony's 4-admin deal team pays $1,920/year flat. ITAR compliance still requires your TCP and counsel review — Peony is the platform layer, not the compliance program.
I'm a partner at a 5-person mechanical engineering firm sharing 60GB of AutoCAD plant drawings and BIM coordination files with developer clients across 8 active projects — how do I keep client-A's drawings invisible to client-B?
For your 5-person mechanical engineering firm, Peony Business at $40/admin/month covers 60GB+ unlimited uploads across as many client rooms as you run — 8 active projects, 80, doesn't matter. Each client gets a separate data room scoped to their project; workspace permissions ensure team members assigned to client A's room cannot see client B's room unless you explicitly grant access. NDA gates require each developer client to sign your firm's confidentiality agreement before any drawing loads. Dynamic watermarks stamp every drawing with the client's name and timestamp — useful when a developer leaks a competitor's plans and you need to trace which client room it came from. Box Enterprise has no NDA gates or dynamic watermarks; SharePoint has no native CAD preview and no per-room workspace isolation. Peony's flat $40/admin/month for a 5-admin firm is $2,400/year — versus per-project Datasite contracts that would run $10K-$50K per client engagement.
I'm CFO at a 80-person hardware company prepping a sell-side process — buyers will want CAD assemblies, BOMs, supplier contracts, QA test reports, and factory walkthrough videos in one place. What's the workflow?
For your 80-person hardware company sell-side, Peony Business at $40/admin/month consolidates the full diligence package — CAD assemblies (SolidWorks, STEP, IGES), bills of materials, supplier contracts, QA test reports, ISO 9001 documentation, and factory walkthrough videos — in one NDA-gated room with visitor groups per bidder. Each strategic and PE bidder signs your sell-side NDA before any folder loads. Dynamic watermarks stamp every page (CAD previews and video frames) with the bidder's identity. AI auto-indexing on Business classifies uploads into the right diligence section automatically — useful when 80% of your incoming files are CAD and video. Smart Q&A handles bidder questions: bidder submits a question, AI drafts a response from your uploaded documents, your team reviews and approves before publish. Datasite charges per-page on raw CAD and per-deal on video; Peony's flat $40/admin/month covers your 4-admin deal team for $1,920/year across all bidders.
We're a 12-person automotive supplier under LOI with a strategic acquirer — they want our complete CAD library (45GB across SolidWorks, NX, and CATIA) plus supplier audits. How long does setup take?
For your automotive supplier sell-side, Peony Business at $40/admin/month sets up in under 5 minutes (median: 4 minutes 19 seconds from account creation to first live counterparty access). Drag-and-drop your 45GB CAD library across SolidWorks (.sldprt, .sldasm), NX (.prt), and CATIA (.CATPart, .CATProduct) — chunked parallel uploads handle individual files into the multi-GB range without splitting. AI auto-indexing classifies the uploads. Your strategic acquirer signs the NDA via integrated e-signatures, and the room is live. Dynamic watermarks stamp every CAD preview with the acquirer's deal-team identity. Firmex's per-project model takes 1-4 weeks to set up with onboarding calls; Datasite Diligence requires a sales call before contract. Peony's self-serve speed is the practical edge for sell-side teams who learned about the acquirer's interest yesterday and need a room live by end of day.
I'm GC at a 60-attorney firm running a construction defect case with 35GB of CAD as-builts, shop drawings, and BIM clash detection reports — should we use a data room or eDiscovery for distribution to expert witnesses?
For your 60-attorney firm's construction defect case, the answer is both. eDiscovery (Relativity, Everlaw) is built for early-stage review — collection, processing, privilege coding, and TAR/CAL across millions of documents. A CAD-capable data room like Peony Business at $40/admin/month is built for late-stage distribution — share curated CAD subsets with expert witnesses, opposing counsel, mediators, and clients with watermarks and audit trails. Upload 35GB of as-builts (.dwg), shop drawings, and BIM clash reports; configure visitor groups so each expert sees only the subset relevant to their opinion. Watermarks stamp every drawing with the expert's name, firm, and timestamp; screenshot protection blocks captures of confidential as-builts. Audit trails log every page view with timestamps — exportable for sanctions motions or work-product disputes. eDiscovery tools are not designed for external CAD distribution; using them as one creates privilege risk.
I'm a partner at a 6-person industrial PE fund evaluating a $50M precision-tooling target — what should I look for in a CAD data room beyond just file support?
For your 6-person industrial PE fund's $50M precision-tooling acquisition, look for five capabilities beyond CAD file support. (1) NDA gates that require buyers to sign before any folder loads — most cloud storage tools and DocSend have none. (2) Dynamic watermarks tied to viewer identity — static watermarks added at upload don't trace specific viewers; dynamic watermarks stamp every page with the viewer's name, email, IP, and timestamp. (3) Screenshot protection that blocks desktop and mobile captures and logs blocked attempts into the per-viewer audit trail. (4) Page-level analytics showing dwell time per drawing — useful for identifying which subsystem the buyer's CTO actually examined versus skimmed. (5) Visitor-group permissions to segregate sensitive content (supplier contracts, QA findings, customer concentration) so only committed buyers see the full picture. Peony Business at $40/admin/month delivers all five; Datasite charges per-page; Firmex's per-project model resets pricing for every concurrent target your fund evaluates.
Related resources
Large-file data room
Built for 30GB+ deal data combining CAD with video, BIM, drone, and PDF documents.
BIM data room
Revit RVT, Navisworks NWD/NWF, IFC. Federated coordination files with NDA gates.
Architecture firms
Sharing AutoCAD plant drawings and BIM models with developer clients.
Construction
Project handover, claims evidence, lender review of as-built drawings.
Dynamic watermarks
Every CAD preview stamped with viewer name, email, IP, and timestamp.
NDA gating
Require every buyer to sign your NDA template before any drawing loads.