How to Send Large CAD Files Like STEP and STL files, 3D Scans and Drawing Packages Easily

Here at JCAD Inc. we do a lot of work with large files. In fact, we’d say that large file sizes are the norm in our line of work, rather than the exception.

We regularly work with AutoCAD DWG files, large PDFs, Sketchup files, STEP files, STL files, files from 3D scans and drawing packages that can include sets of blueprints or have many files or pages that combine files from different software suites.

Regularly these files can be 40mb, 50mb, 100mb or more – way too big for the 10 – 25mb attachment limit that comes with most email software.

Because it’s not common for most people to need to send large files, we find many of our clients are a bit stumped when it comes to knowing how to accomplish it. It’s one of those things though that is incredibly easy once you know how!

In this article we wanted to share our preferred way of sending and receiving large file sizes, and a couple of back up options for good measure.

WeTransfer – Our Favorite Method For Sending Large CAD files

Our very favorite method of sending large files for CAD design, 3D printing, prototyping and manufacturing, and the one our clients tend to prefer is WeTransfer. WeTransfer allows you to quickly and easily send large files, without signing up for an account (unless you want to).

How to send large files with WeTransfer

First, go to WeTransfer.com

Depending on where you are viewing the site from, you may reach one of a few different home screens.

If you see this prompt, you can choose to either sign up for a free account or to select “I just want to send files”, the latter of which is the quickest option.

You may also be asked to accept cookies and the WeTransfer terms of use:

Once you’re ready to send files, you will see this screen. You’ll likely get a full screen advert, but this panel is the important part:

Click the blue + icon to select the file/s you want to send from your computer. You can upload a single file or multiple files.

If you want to keep the files organised and make sure you don’t miss sending any, you may want to add all the files to be sent into a zip file first, and then just add the zip file to WeTransfer.

Once you’ve filled in everything and selected your file, hit the “Transfer” button and that’s it! Your file is on its way to us.

When is it worth creating a free WeTransfer account?

If you’re not going to need to send large files very often, or your files are under 2GB, you probably don’t need a WeTransfer account.

Creating a free account is worthwhile if you will be sending a lot of files regularly like we do, as it means you won’t have to verify your email every time you send a file.

Creating an account also comes with some other benefits like sending files over 2GB in size, and other features you can find out more about in the WeTransfer plan comparison table here.

You can sign up for a free WeTransfer account with your standard email, a Google email, or a couple of other options.

Prefer not to use WeTransfer? Well then…

Our recommended backup options for sending large files – Dropbox and Mega.io

Files sent through WeTransfer expire after 7 days on the free plan. So if you want your files to be online longer, or to have them backed up somewhere in the cloud, Dropbox or Mega might be a better option.

The reason we don’t typically recommend Dropbox or Mega when sending files is that there are a few extra steps involved in the process, namely setting up an account.

Another potential reason for using Mega is that it may give you more of a feeling of control over your file if it is sensitive than WeTransfer. WeTransfer uses strong encryption so your files and data should be safe, but because of the way it works, it doesn’t quite give you the same feeling of “owning” the file that Mega does.

Or maybe for some reason you just don’t like the WeTransfer name, or would prefer not to see advertisements when sharing files.

If, for whatever reason, you would prefer to use a different option, Dropbox and Mega are both similar in their functionality.

What is the difference between Dropbox and Mega?

We have used both Dropbox and Mega for sending files in the past and honestly they’re both quite similar. Both have free plans you can sign up for, and both will need an account to be used.

Dropbox is more well-known and has more collaboration and file sharing options, but the free account is limited to uploading files up to 100mb only. It’s free plan offers 2GB of storage. It may be a bit faster than using Mega.

Mega has a focus on privacy and security if that’s important to you. In fact, it’s so secure due to its end-to-end encryption that they have a warning on sign up that if you lose or forget your password you may lose access to any files you’ve uploaded there. It also offers up to 20GB of free storage, and has no limits on the file sizes you can upload.

If you’d like to use one of these options to send us your files, here’s how you go about it:

Dropbox

Go to Dropbox.com.

Enter your email to sign up for free:

Alternatively you can use a Google or Apple account to create a Dropbox account by clicking “Sign up” in the top right corner of your screen.

Once you have an account and are logged in, click on “Upload or drop” and select the file or folder you want to add to your Dropbox cloud.

Once the file or folder has been uploaded, either click on it to open it’s details, or hover over its line entry in your files and look for the link icon that looks like two chain links:

Clicking on the link icon will show you the sharing link for the folder or file:

Once you have that link, simply copy and paste it into an email and send it to us!

Alternatively, click on the “Share” option in the image two above. That will let you input an email and message and send a download link to the file to us directly from Dropbox:

Put in the details of the recipient, choose any of the other options on that screen that you’d like around security and click “Share file”. That’s it!

Sending large CAD files with Mega.io

To start sharing files go to Mega.io

Click the red “Try Mega for Free” button to create a free account:

Fill in your details to create a free account on the next page. Once you’ve created your account you will need to click a verification link in your email before the account becomes active.

Once you’ve verified your email, you will be asked to choose a plan. Scroll past the paid options to find the free plan at the bottom and click “Get started for free”.

At this point you will be offered a recovery key you can back up somewhere safe in case you ever lose access to your password (don’t keep them in the same place!).

Now your account is created you can begin sharing files.

From the main Mega interface, select “Upload” and choose whether you want to upload a folder or files:

If you choose the “file” option you can upload more than one file at a time.

Once your file/s have uploaded, hover over the file and click on the icon with three dots, then click on “Share link”:

Mega will then present you with a sharing link:

Copy the link, send it to us, and we’re ready to get going with your project!

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So there you have it, our favorite options for sending large CAD files explained. If you’re still unsure about how to send your large project files to us however, feel free to reach out at info@jcadusa.com or on 1-888-202-2052 and we’ll help you through the process.

We look forward to getting started on your project!