CAD Automation
Quote approved at 4 pm. Manufacturing still waits for engineering to open the template. Mercura runs parametric CAD jobs from configuration rules when orders confirm and routes exceptions to review.
CAD automation · on order
Approved configuration → parametric CAD job
Approved configuration
Extraction Hood H-440
Q-10482 · CFG-7731
- Hood face width1800 mm
- Duct diameter315 mm
- Duct run length6 m
- Material gauge1.5 mm
- Filter moduleF2
ORDER CONFIRMED
waitingQuote accepted · Q-10482
CAD JOB QUEUED
#CAD-1844CATIA · Hood_Master.CATPart
Parametric master · dimensions
- STEPhood-H440.steppending
- DXFhood-H440.dxfpending
- PDFhood-H440-drawing.pdfpending
Step 1 of 5 · Approved config
What changes
- 01 On approval CAD job starts when quote converts
- 02 Template set One master model per product family
- 03 Exception queue Engineering sees only out-of-bounds configs
The challenge
Quote approved at 4 pm. Manufacturing still waits for engineering to open the template.
A manufacturer of industrial fume extraction hoods and duct runs for metal fabrication shops configures hood face width, capture velocity, filter module, and duct diameter in Mercura CPQ. Inside sales converts approved quotes to orders the same afternoon. Production planning opens the drawing release board and finds fourteen confirmed jobs still waiting because each order needs a design engineer to open the CATIA master template and type dimensions from the quote PDF.
The work is repetitive: every hood variant follows the same parametric pattern with different widths and duct lengths. Transcription from quote to CAD introduces errors anyway. A filter slot dimension copied wrong becomes a rework ticket after panels are cut. Engineering capacity caps order throughput even though product rules already encode valid parameter ranges in CPQ.
CAD integration maps confirmed configuration fields to CAD template variables when an order accepts. 3D parametric visualization reshapes browser geometry as buyers change dimensions. 3D product configuration swaps pre-built meshes during sales configuration. Visual product configurators update marketing images beside option pickers. CAD automation is different: Mercura triggers parametric template jobs from the same configuration rules that priced the quote, generating STEP, DXF, or drawing output when the quote converts, with engineering review reserved for configurations outside template bounds.
Inquiry to config to price to approval to order should not leave manufacturing idle while engineering manually opens files that CPQ already parameterized.
How it works
How Mercura CAD automation works
Engineering links each product family to a parametric CAD master in SolidWorks, Inventor, CATIA, Creo, or NX. Mercura maps configuration attributes to template variables: hood width, duct run length, material gauge, filter module, and mounting options. When a quote converts to an order or passes an approval step you define, Mercura queues a generation job with the parameter set. Valid configurations produce output to a manufacturing folder and attach traceability back to the originating quote. Configurations outside template limits enter an engineering exception queue instead of failing silently on the shop floor. BOM lines from the same configuration session feed production planning. Someone must maintain master templates, test jobs after rule changes, and define which conversion events trigger generation.
Not a sales visual
Files for manufacturing, not pictures for buyers
Sales visualization vs CAD automation
Both start from a valid configuration. They serve different people at different moments.
Sales 3D visualization
3D product configuration and 3D parametric visualization · during configuration · in the browser
Buyer changes options
Browser shows the product
mesh swap or live geometry
Quote continues
Helps the buyer decide. No CAD files are produced.
CAD automation
After a commercial event · in your CAD system · from a parametric master
Order event
quote converts or approval step
CAD job
parametric master
Files
STEP · DXF · IGES · PDF
Helps manufacturing build. Same numbers sales confirmed.
From order to file
A commercial event starts the job
Illustrative configuration: Extraction Hood H-440.
What starts a job
A quote converting to an order, or an approval step you define. Nothing else opens a template.
01
Quote created
Q-10482
02
Quote approved
approval step
03
Customer accepts
quote converts
04
ORDER CONFIRMED
trigger event
05
CAD job queued
#CAD-1844
The trigger point is configurable: choose order confirmation or a specific approval step.
Parameter mapping
Each Mercura attribute is bound to a named variable in the parametric master. Select a row to see where it lands.
Schematic · master geometry
not a production drawingMasters
One parametric master per family, one output set per order
Template library
One parametric master per configurable family. Engineering owns the masters. Example library shown.
Extraction hood
Hood_Master.CATPart
CATIA
Bound to Width_Face · Duct_D · filter stack
Duct run
Duct_Master.SLDPRT
SolidWorks
Bound to Run_L · Duct_D
Filter housing
Filter_Master.ipt
Inventor
Bound to Filter_Mod · Gauge
Mounting frame
Frame_Master.prt
Creo
Bound to Mount_Type · Width_Face
Master vs generated
The master stays a template. Each order gets its own outputs.
Master · maintained by engineering
Hood_Master.CATPart
- Width_Face · default
- Duct_D · default
- Run_L · default
Reused for every hood order
Q-10482
parameters
Generated · Q-10482
- hood-H440.stepSTEP
- hood-H440.dxfDXF
- hood-H440-drawing.pdfPDF
One set per order · linked to the quote
Gate
Valid and in bounds runs. Everything else is reviewed.
Rules first, then CAD automation
Two checks stand between a configuration and a file: is it valid, and can the master take it?
Approved configuration
configuration complete
Rules: invalid
Blocked before generation. Unmanufacturable configs never reach CAD.
Valid · in template bounds
CAD job is queued automatically from the master.
Valid · outside template
Goes to the engineering exception queue.
Standard vs out-of-bounds
Try both. The same check routes each order.
Template bounds check
- Width_Face 1800900 – 2400 mm · ok
- Filter stack 2max 3 in template · ok
Route
CAD JOB QUEUED
Generated from the master. Output goes to the manufacturing folder.
Job console
Jobs you can follow, exceptions you can see
CAD jobs
One job per confirmed order. Illustrative job list.
- #CAD-1844Q-10482Extraction Hood H-440CATIA · Hood_Master.CATPartGENERATING
- #CAD-1843Q-10479Extraction Hood H-440STEP · DXF · PDF drawingCOMPLETE
- #CAD-1842Q-10477Extraction Hood, custom filter stackFilter stack exceeds template limitENGINEERING REVIEW
Engineering review
What an engineer sees when a job lands outside template limits.
ENGINEERING REVIEW
#CAD-1842 · Q-10477
Reason
Filter stack 4, template allows 3
Configuration
Valid in CPQ · approved · ordered
Master
Hood_Master.CATPart
Engineering handles this one order. Standard orders keep flowing without waiting for it.
Output and trace
Files, links back to the quote, and a BOM from the same session
Output formats
STEP, DXF, IGES, and PDF drawings. These are the supported outputs.
STEP
3D model exchange
DXF
2D geometry
IGES
3D model exchange
Drawing for release
Traceability
Every output links back to the quote that produced it.
Quote
Q-10482
Configuration
CFG-7731
CAD job
#CAD-1844
Outputs
STEP · DXF · PDF
BOM and CAD from one configuration
Production planning and drawings read the same approved session.
Approved configuration
Q-10482 · H-440
BOM
Multi-level lines for planning
CAD job
Parametric files for fabrication
PRODUCTION
Same numbers on both sides
Where it fits
Neighbouring capabilities, different jobs
CAD integration vs CAD automation
Integration is the connection. Automation is the workflow that uses it when an order is confirmed.
CAD integration
CPQ
Template variables
connection
CAD
Keeps CPQ and CAD parameters talking to each other.
CAD automation
Order event
Job from master
uses the mapping
Files + review
Decides when a job runs, what it outputs, and who reviews exceptions.
CAD automation vs parametric configuration
Parametric configuration defines valid dimensions in CPQ. CAD automation carries them into the CAD master.
Parametric product configuration
Ranges + rules
Valid dimensions
Price + BOM
Stays inside CPQ.
CAD automation
Valid dimensions
CAD master
STEP · DXF · IGES · PDF
Starts where the approved configuration leaves CPQ.
What's included
What CAD automation covers
-
01 Map
- Template library with one master model per configurable family
- Connectors for SolidWorks, Inventor, CATIA, Creo, and NX templates
-
02 Trigger
- Parametric CAD jobs triggered on quote-to-order conversion
-
03 Generate
- BOM from the same session that drives CAD generation
-
04 Validate
- Rules validation before generation blocks unmanufacturable configs
-
05 Output
- Output to STEP, DXF, IGES, and PDF drawing formats
-
06 Escalate
- Engineering exception queue for out-of-template configurations
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07 Trace
- Output linked to originating quote for traceability
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Systems and formats
CAD
SolidWorks · Inventor · CATIA · Creo · NX
Output
STEP · DXF · IGES · PDF drawing
The difference
CPQ to CAD before and after automation jobs
Engineering opens every order
- Confirmed orders wait in a drawing queue behind manual CAD work
- Dimensions retyped from quote PDFs into parametric templates
- Transcription errors between CPQ values and shop drawings
- Throughput limited by design engineer headcount
- Engineers spend most time on repetitive parametric variants
With Mercura
- Template jobs start when quotes convert within rule bounds
- Configuration parameters pass straight to CAD without re-entry
- Manufacturing receives drawings matched to approved CPQ numbers
- Engineering reviews exceptions, not every standard variant
- Order release decoupled from manual template opening
Real-world example
Example workflow: fume hood orders to CATIA without a drawing queue
A fume extraction OEM confirmed hood and duct orders in Mercura every afternoon but released CATIA drawings only after engineers manually opened templates and retyped face width and run length from quote exports. After Mercura CAD automation mapped configuration output to parametric masters, order conversion queued generation jobs for in-bounds configs and pushed STEP output to the fabrication folder for in-bounds jobs. Engineering handled the exception queue when a custom filter stack exceeded template limits. Production planning stopped waiting on the drawing queue for standard hood sizes.
Business impact
Why CAD automation is generation on conversion, not a replacement for template design
CAD automation closes the gap between approved configuration and production-ready geometry for parametric product families. It complements CAD integration connectors, 3D sales visualization, multi-level BOM setup, and rules-based configuration. Mercura does not replace master template authorship, novel product design, or PLM processes outside mapped families. Someone must own template libraries and regression tests when rules change. If the pain is "CPQ approved the order but CAD still waits on engineering to open the file", generation on conversion aligns inquiry, configuration, price, approval, and order with drawings manufacturing can build from the same numbers sales confirmed.
Business impact
01
Remove re-entry
Approved configuration values reach the CAD master without retyping from a quote PDF.
02
Free engineering
Design engineers handle exceptions and template upkeep, not every standard variant.
03
Align sales and manufacturing
Drawings carry the same numbers that were priced, approved, and ordered.
04
Faster order release
Release no longer waits for someone to open the template for an in-bounds order.
Compare
CAD automation next to its neighbours
| 3D product configuration | 3D parametric visualization | CAD integration | CAD automation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| When | During configuration | During configuration | When parameters cross to CAD | After an order or approval event |
| What happens | Pre-built meshes swap | Geometry reshapes in the browser | CPQ fields map to CAD variables | A job builds files from a parametric master |
| Who benefits | Buyer | Buyer and sales engineer | Engineering | Manufacturing |
| Output | On-screen model | On-screen model | Linked parameters | STEP, DXF, IGES, PDF drawings |
Together they cover the path from what the buyer sees to what the shop builds.
Compare
What Mercura owns, what engineering owns
| Mercura | Your engineering team | |
|---|---|---|
| Trigger | Starts the job on order or approval step | Chooses which event triggers generation |
| Parameters | Maps configuration values to template variables | Defines the variables and their bounds |
| Master | Runs the job from the master | Authors and maintains the master templates |
| Exceptions | Routes out-of-bounds orders to review | Handles the review and novel designs |
| Traceability | Links every output to its quote | Tests jobs after rule changes |
Master template authorship and PLM processes stay with your team.
Sales to manufacturing
Where CAD automation sits between a confirmed order and the shop floor
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1
Config
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2
Price
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3
Quote
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4
Approval
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5
Order
trigger
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6
CAD Automation
this page
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7
Manufacturing
Related
Rules-Based Product Configuration
Rules decide what is valid before any job runs
Related
3D Parametric Visualization
Browser geometry while the buyer configures
Related
Multi-Level BOM Configuration for CPQ
BOM lines from the same configuration
Related
CAD Integration for CPQ
The connection between CPQ and CAD templates
Q-10482 → CAD-1844 → GENERATED
Convert an approved hood configuration and watch the parametric CAD job land in the manufacturing folder
Book a demo and walk quote-to-order conversion until template output appears for in-bounds configs and exceptions route to engineering review.
Let’s build together.
We empower manufacturers to master product modeling, streamline quoting process, reduce errors, and ultimately deliver the tailored solutions that customers demand.