Customer CAD Approval

Before you commit a custom piece to casting, get the customer’s sign-off on the design. The Customer Approval card on a custom work order sends them a private link where they can approve, request changes, or decline — and every response is timestamped on the job, so you have a clear record of what was agreed and when.

The card appears on a custom job that belongs to a customer. On an in-house job — your own design, built for stock — it’s hidden: the design is yours to approve.

It’s two approval gates, both optional:

• CAD design — approve the render before casting.
• Wax / model — approve the physical proof before production.

Sending an approval request

On a custom work order, find the Customer Approval card and click + Request approval:

1. Pick the gate — CAD design or Wax / model.
2. Add an optional label (e.g. “Round 1”) and a note to the customer.
3. Optionally tick Send the link now and choose Email or Text. The recipient fills in from the customer’s email or phone on file, and you can change it. If the box is empty it asks for an address before anything is created. Text is only offered when the customer has agreed to receive texts. Otherwise it says so, with a link to record their consent on their contact record. Or leave Send the link now off and copy the link to send however you like.
4. Click Create link.

You get a unique, private link (e.g. …/approve/abc123). It requires no login — the customer just opens it. When it was sent, the card says where it went. If you didn’t auto-send, or the send failed, use Copy to paste it into your own email/text.

What the customer sees

A clean, branded page with your shop name, the piece, the design images, and your note — then three buttons: Approve, Request changes (a comment is required), or Decline. The moment they respond:

• The response + their note are recorded on the work order.
• You get an email letting you know.
• The activity timeline shows “Customer approved the design” (or requested changes / declined).

The link shows design images (renders, sketches, vendor drawings). Heavy 3D files (STL/STEP) aren’t rendered on the public page — share a render image for approval.

Tracking rounds

Each request is one round, listed on the card with its status:

• Awaiting customer — sent, no response yet. You can re-copy the link or Cancel request.
• Approved / Changes requested / Declined — with the customer’s note.

Need a revision? Make the changes, then send a new request — that’s a new round, so the full back-and-forth is preserved as a record.

Why it matters

Getting written design approval before casting prevents the most expensive custom-job disputes (“that’s not what I asked for”). The timestamped log is your proof of what the customer signed off on.

See also

• Custom Jobs — the bespoke workflow this fits into
• Quote a Custom Job — versioned quotes + customer signature
• Photos, CAD Files & Attachments — where the design images live