Collaboration Provides Platform Viewing Functionality

Orderfox.com has formed a collaboration with Autodesk, making visualization and procurement even easier. Orderfox.com is continuously focused on providing members a more efficient way to conduct daily business. With that always top-of-mind, Orderfox.com community members now have an even greater benefit—the integration of the Autodesk Forge platform viewing functionality.

The Viewer now provides community members the ability to view and process potential business opportunities without additional software installed. In addition, as a benefit for existing and new users of Autodesk Fusion 360, Autodesk Inventor and Autodesk AutoCAD software, they will be able to access all of the features of the Orderfox.com platform within their chosen software.

The Viewer integration into the global Orderfox.com platform brings a variety of benefits. Anyone who uploads computer-aided design (CAD) data to “advertise a job” can now have it converted directly into a 3D model within the Autodesk cloud, and then viewable on Orderfox.com. Metadata regarding the design files can also be securely embedded with the Viewer in more than 60 formats, while the data can be used and retrieved directly within the user’s browser, without having to install any additional software.

For users of the Autodesk programs—Fusion 360, Inventor and AutoCAD—the collaboration with Orderfox.com offers many additional strategic and operational advantages. The Fusion 360, Inventor and AutoCAD applications are supplemented with Orderfox.com plugins, allowing the user to interact, research and advertise CNC jobs directly on Orderfox.com, finding the right resources or production partners.

The plugins are much more than a connection to Orderfox.com. Within these software extensions, all advertised jobs are displayed with the respective status—active, draft or completed, and the user can edit and publish the advertised jobs directly within Fusion 360, Inventor and AutoCAD. In addition, on their company profile, users can access the plugin and customize it to their specific requirements. 

The primary focus of the collaboration between Orderfox.com and Autodesk is geared towards the growth of the industrial sector and establishes better access to sourcing for both existing and future users of Orderfox.com and Autodesk. “Our collaboration with Autodesk provides various industries with much-needed access to resources, is user focused in nature, and provides daily business benefits not currently available to every company,” says Brian J. Smith, president, Orderfox.com America. “Now with the integration of not only the Viewer into the Orderfox.com platform, but also providing direct access to all the platform functions directly through Fusion 360, Inventor and AutoCAD, the ability to benefit from access efficiencies provides for an increase in business potential for small, mid-size and large companies.” 

With Orderfox.com offering community members direct access and use of the Viewer functionality within the platform, the emphasis on the “Internet of the CNC industry” is increasing in relevance. In addition, with the integration of the plugins for Fusion 360, Inventor and AutoCAD, an even greater benefit will be available, and most importantly they are all free for Orderfox.com members and Autodesk customers. “At Autodesk, we want to continue to offer value to our customers by allowing them to go from their designs to a manufactured product,” says Robert Yancey, director, manufacturing and production industry strategy and business development, Autodesk. “We see value in a strategic relationship with Orderfox.com where we can provide our customers with the ability to directly engage with manufacturers who can produce their designs.” 

Orderfox.com makes finding the right production partners, procurement and advertisement of jobs even easier for its community members. Also, having access to the benefits of the Orderfox.com platform directly through Fusion 360, Inventor and AutoCAD, provides significant benefits, functionality, and ease of use that is key to continued efficiencies in business for all users of Orderfox.com and Autodesk.