Use Case · Engineering Intelligence
Engineering Repository Intelligence
Most engineering repositories contain decades of accumulated decisions — parts designed multiple times, drawings revised and never reconciled, components duplicated across programs and systems. ShapeSense builds a structured intelligence layer across that data, making it visible, searchable, and actionable — before, during, and after any PLM or data initiative.
What Makes Engineering Repositories Hard to Work With
Hidden duplication
The same component designed multiple times across programs, business units, or acquired companies — under different part numbers, in different systems, with no visible connection between them.
Invisible data patterns
Part families, geometric clusters, and design patterns that repeat across the repository — but are invisible to metadata-based search and PLM governance tools.
Data quality anomalies
Missing attributes, broken CAD references, inconsistent revision records, and incomplete drawings — quality issues embedded in the data itself, not in the design intent.
No structured baseline
Without a structured view of what exists, decisions about migration scope, reuse opportunity, or consolidation are made on estimates rather than evidence.
What ShapeSense Surfaces Across Your Engineering Repository
Duplicate and near-duplicate parts
Geometrically similar components across programs, business units, legacy systems, and CAD environments — identified by shape, not by part number or naming convention.
Data patterns and geometric families
How parts cluster by form and function across the repository — revealing the true structure of the engineering estate and where standardization opportunities exist.
Data quality flags
Parts with missing metadata, broken assembly references, revision gaps, and drawing inconsistencies — surfaced before they cause problems downstream.
Repository-level overlap
For organizations managing multiple CAD repositories or consolidating after an acquisition, ShapeSense identifies structural overlap between repositories and quantifies the rationalization opportunity.
Where Engineering Repository Intelligence Gets Applied
ShapeSense is not a PLM system and does not replace one. It operates as an intelligence layer across your engineering data — applicable at any stage of a programme or initiative.
PLM Migration and Consolidation
Acquisition and Repository Merge
Ongoing Engineering Governance
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Engineering Repository Intelligence?
Engineering Repository Intelligence is the structured understanding of what exists across your CAD repositories, engineering drawings, and legacy engineering records — including duplicates, design patterns, data quality issues, and reuse opportunities. ShapeSense builds this intelligence layer automatically, without requiring manual tagging, classification, or data restructuring.
Can ShapeSense help before a PLM migration?
Yes. Before migrating engineering data into a PLM platform, organizations need to understand what exists across CAD repositories, shared drives, legacy systems, and engineering documents. ShapeSense uncovers duplicate designs, overlapping engineering assets, reusable components, and data quality anomalies — enabling more informed decisions about what should be migrated, archived, consolidated, or reused.
What data sources does ShapeSense work with?
ShapeSense works with CAD geometry in neutral formats (STEP, IGES), engineering drawings (PDF and 2D formats), and associated engineering records. It is CAD-system-agnostic — it does not require access to a specific PLM or CAD platform, and works across heterogeneous environments including CATIA, SolidWorks, NX, Creo, and others.
Can ShapeSense compare two engineering repositories?
Yes. ShapeSense can analyze engineering data across multiple CAD repositories and identify similarities, overlaps, reusable assets, and consolidation opportunities. This is particularly relevant during mergers and acquisitions, engineering consolidations, and PLM transformation programmes where multiple source systems need to be rationalized.
How is ShapeSense different from a PLM system?
PLM systems govern engineering information through workflows, revisions, configurations, and lifecycle processes — they are systems of record. ShapeSense discovers relationships, patterns, and anomalies across engineering data — it is a system of intelligence. The two are complementary: PLM manages what is known and governed; ShapeSense surfaces what is hidden and unstructured.
Can ShapeSense support engineering data rationalization?
Yes. ShapeSense identifies duplicate designs, overlapping part families, reusable assets, and data quality anomalies across large engineering repositories — enabling engineering teams to rationalize their data estate and make more informed decisions during transformation programmes, consolidations, or ongoing governance initiatives.
Does ShapeSense replace our migration partner or system integrator?
No. ShapeSense works alongside migration partners and system integrators — providing the engineering intelligence layer that migration tools and PLM deployment partners are not designed to provide. It answers questions about what exists and what is worth migrating; the migration partner handles the technical movement and platform configuration.
Working With a Complex Engineering Repository?
Most conversations start with a 30-minute look at a sample of your engineering data. No commitment required.
No commitment · Works across CAD environments · On-premise available