How to create a Read only DWG file or watermark it to prevent theft ?

[turboCAD]

Hello !

I have an Autocad drawing that I would like to take to a CNC machine to have it physically built out of extruded polystyrene.

I do not want my drawing to be used without my permission or modified.

Is there a way to watermark it or to transform it to a read only file allowing the cnc machine to extract its parameters but not allowing any action upon the file (copy,modify et c.) ?

Thank you !

 

 

PS: I have started building my own DIY polystyrene cutting tool out of an old soldering pistol, piano wire,vice, clamps... but it will take some time before I finish building it and there is a chance I might mess up the first few shapes; I need the shapes as soon as possible.

[MSasu]

May check if the CNC software is able to process information from DWF files.

[turboCAD]

is there metadata associated with a DWG file where you can insert the author?

that's it, this is what I would like .

Does it exist?

[turboCAD]

The man said it was ok; the only problem was that his autocad is an older version (from that I deducted that he can use the autocad file to instruct the CNC machine).

[MSasu]

is there metadata associated with a DWG file where you can insert the author?

Check the Drawing Properties (DWGPROPS command) under Custom tab.

[turboCAD]

THANK YOU, MSasu, THANK YOU !

That is lovely !

 

Can I lock that so it can not be modified by someone else (I mean somebody changing the author)?

[turboCAD]

yes I can: I made it "read only" by ticking the read only box

Now, I don't know if someone can undo/untick the read only box from the other computer.

[BIGAL]

Pass word protect ? It is a dwg function

[ReMark]

Anyone of the mind to "steal" your drawing can either unlock the read only attribute or (even easier) do a "save as" of your drawing under a different name.

 

Now how secure is your drawing?

 

There is only one program that I am aware of that can lock an AutoCAD drawing but it costs money.

[MSasu]

Up to my knowledge, the DWG password is applied at drawing level and prevents other openning the file; there are no password to be set to protect certain items inside the file as in other formats/applications. So, you are forced to provide the password to the third-part that need to process the file and this enable full access to content.

[turboCAD]

Can you use a .dwf (not .dwg) file to command a cnc machine ?

probably not, from what I've searched

 

I will settle for what MSasu wrote: insert author and

the metadata will give me time priority.

[turboCAD]

Thank you for taking the time and for sharing your knowledge.

[ReMark]

If you are going to do more of this in the future then look into CADVault by a company called CADLock.

 

http://www.cadlock.com/

[turboCAD]

thank you, ReMark !