Protecting my work so it cant be copied

[Anonymous]

Hi

I have to send DWGs to a client, the DWGs all include blocks that I have spent time developing, is there a way that I can share the DWG and the client can read measure and compare, but cannot extract my work and create their own drawings using my blocks.

Thanks

Andrew

[Paul_Gander · Accepted solution]

I think the easiest solution is to explode all instances of blocks you wish to protect and then purge the definitions.

If your blocks have attribute data you will either need to reproduce this information as text/mtext before exploding or make copies of the blocks in the same positions, explode the copies and edit the block definitions to remove all geometry other than the attribute definitions. You will need to erase the exploded attdef objects but the attribute data will be left intact.

Remember to keep a copy of your original drawing though.

[gotphish001]

That is why people send PDFs instead of dwg files. You can measure and compare the pdfs, but changes are irrelevant to me. If the client isn't making any changes to your dwg and then sending it back to you then why do they need it over a pdf?

Now if I'm sending say a floor plan to a structural engineering firm for them to design structural objects then they need the dwg. What I do is make them a base sheet with only the things they need like walls, windows etc. I purge and erase all my blocks that they don't need. I then send them this cut back version of my dwg file and then I also send them the full version in pdf form so if by chance they need to see where something else is they can look at the pdfs and see but they can't change it or steal it. 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your response.

Yes I always send PDFs but occasionally they ask for DWG so their interior
designers can measure off or insert their designs into the structure.

My drawings are always made up of blocks, I don't think you can purge blocks
that are used in a drawing can you?

Andrew

[pendean · Accepted solution]

Friend, there is no ability for you to protect your DWG file from another AutoCAD user, its that simple. Whatever you can do another AutoCAD user can reverse, most likely they will come in here and ask just like you did.

Your choices are to destroy the content (see post #2 above) or you and the client+designer get into a binding legal agreement about protecting your intellectual property. Or not send a DWG file at all: start talking with your client and this designer, you three need to work this one out.

[dgorsman]

If you start providing drawings which are crippled to the point where only you can work on them again, be prepared for the client to start sending their work elsewhere.  If they expect files they can work on internally or take to a different engineering company (e.g. your employer may close it's doors - what then?  The "intelligent" originals are now gone) then they'll be expecting reasonable file content.