Ever tried making a single, clean update to a CAD file - only to get stuck in a loop? Just as you’re wrapping up, someone chimes in with a new requirement: “Can we actually show that a bit differently?” Or they realize the change impacts another part of the assembly, or worse - relies on a long-lead raw material that throws the whole timeline off. And through it all, you're not even sure if you're working on the latest approved version. Sound familiar?
CAD chaos is a very real thing - especially when you’re juggling multiple stakeholders, fast-moving designs, and a folder full of confusing file names.
The truth is, most engineering teams today are doing collaborative work with tools that weren’t built for collaboration. CAD was designed for modeling, not teamwork. PDM systems help a little, but once you're juggling design reviews with product managers, operations, and external partners, things start to get messy fast.
That’s exactly the problem bananaz set out to solve.
Keeping track of changes without losing your mind
One of the biggest challenges in collaborative CAD work is knowing what actually changed. A designer updates a part, someone else tweaks a drawing, and before you know it, people are reviewing the wrong version, trying to explain changes they don’t even remember making—or worse, realizing too late that their tweak affected something that was never supposed to change in the first place.
With bananaz, every design change is automatically tracked. You don’t need to remember to check something in or mark up a spreadsheet. The platform captures each update- whether it’s a small dimension change or a full-blown part redesign and makes it easy to see what’s different between versions.
No detective work. No back-and-forth. Just a clear picture of what’s changed and why.
Side-by-side comparisons that actually help
Anyone who's ever done a design review knows how annoying it is to spot the differences between two versions of a file. You either end up toggling between windows or trying to remember what something looked like yesterday.
bananaz makes this easier by letting you compare 2D drawings and 3D models side by side. You can see exactly what’s been added, removed, or modified without having to zoom in and squint. This makes reviews faster and way more accurate- especially when non-engineers are involved in the process.
Because let’s be honest, not everyone reviewing a design lives inside CAD all day. But they still need to give feedback.
Bringing everyone into the loop (without the noise)
Design reviews aren’t just an engineering thing. Product Leaders want to make sure specs align with the roadmap. Manufacturing cares about DFM. Sometimes even marketing or customer success wants to weigh in. But most design tools weren’t built for that kind of collaboration.
bananaz helps you bring all those voices into the review process without turning it into chaos. You can assign checklist items, track feedback, and keep everything in one place- so people don’t have to dig through email threads or ask for the latest version over emails.
And because it works with the PDM tools you already use (like SolidWorks PDM and Autodesk Vault), you’re not creating more silos. You’re just giving the existing workflow some much-needed structure.
Designed for how teams actually work
This isn’t about replacing your CAD tools. bananaz sits on top of the tools you're already using and makes them more collaborative. Think of it like the glue that connects your engineering work with the rest of your team.
It’s great for:
- Fast-moving product teams working on tight timelines
- Design cycles that involve lots of iterations
- Cross-functional reviews that need to be buttoned-up but flexible
- Products operating under strict compliance frameworks for documentation and design traceability
- Making sure nothing slips through the cracks, especially in late-stage reviews
The result? Faster reviews, fewer mistakes, and a whole lot less frustration.
Wrapping up
Working on hardware is hard enough without playing file version roulette or chasing down feedback. If your team is feeling the pain of scattered reviews, unclear ownership, last-minute surprises, or the relentless grind of how long and tedious everything takes, it might be time to give bananaz a try.
It helps you track changes, compare versions, and bring the right people into the conversation, all without breaking your existing workflow.
Because staying in sync shouldn’t be the hardest part of your job.
