How do you manage large design files within industrial design software?

I usually go for a format like this: 20240530_ClientName_ProjectName_Rev0.1. Year first, then month, then day. This way, everything is chronological. It's also easily searched. Any major client vetting/milestones would bring it to Rev1.0. The next milestone would be 2.0. Minor changes would become 2.1, 2.2 and onwards. Even more minor changes would hit 2.11, 2.12 and so forth. The final file will look like this: 20240530_ClientName_ProjectName_Rev3.2_FINAL This way, you don't get monstrosities like 31May2024DumbCrap_FML_Change4_FINAL_FINALFINAL_FINALFINALFINAL.pdf Looks bad when you accidentally send this out to client.

Incremental saving is paramount when working on larger projects for multiple reasons. I also like to save all previous renderings and renditions to ensure that I have something in case the client wants to revert back to an earlier iteration.

Keep in mind the fastest desktop or laptop, more than likely has to have company data travel through a VPN, which can be the bottleneck to downloading large files. Plan your downloads when the bulk of employees are not on the system yet. That, or convince upper management to get you a T1 line. Or store locally on a mobile 5 TB drive, and upload your work by end of day daily.

Divide large models into smaller, more manageable sections. While working on a detailed architectural design in Revit, I split the model into multiple linked files corresponding to different building sections. This division made it easier to work on specific parts of the project without loading the entire model, improving performance and manageability. Create lightweight representations of complex parts for use in assemblies. In a mechanical design project with SolidWorks, I generated simplified configurations of intricate components to use in the main assembly. These lightweight versions reduced the overall file size and improved system responsiveness during the design process.