# Stop Sending STEP Files: Build the Whole Device Together, Live, in Flux

Build the whole device in one live model. Prompt electronics and enclosures into existence, change hardware, mechanics, and firmware in one step, and measure, cut, and review together in the browser.

Written by [Matthias Wagner](https://www.flux.ai/natarius)

Published Oct 2026 - 6 min read

![Stop Sending STEP Files: Build the Whole Device Together, Live, in Flux](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/blogs/3d-view-collaborative-mcad/main.webp)

Most hardware teams still build one device in two worlds. The electrical engineer works in an EDA tool. The mechanical engineer works in a CAD tool. Between them is a pile of exported STEP files, screenshots, and email threads. Every handoff loses time, and every stale file is a chance for the board and the enclosure to stop fitting.

You usually find out at the first prototype: a connector that hits the wall, a capacitor that touches the lid, an LED that misses its light pipe. Each of these costs a spin, and each spin costs weeks.

**The Flux 3D View removes the handoff.** The board, the parts, the enclosure, the brackets, and the wiring are one live model, in the same project as the schematic and the layout. Your whole team works in it at the same time, in a browser. And you can create all of it with a prompt.

## Prompt a device into existence

This is new: you describe the device, and Flux designs the electronics *and* the mechanics. The agent selects parts, captures the schematic, lays out the board, and models the enclosure around it. You watch it appear in the 3D View.

Then you keep going in plain words:

-   "Design a two-part enclosure for this board, with M3 screw bosses and an opening for the USB-C connector."
-   "Move the status LEDs so that they line up with the light pipes in the lid."
-   "Add a mounting bracket that holds the board 5 mm above the base."
-   "Change the board outline so that it clears the battery compartment by 2 mm."

A change that used to take a meeting, two tools, and a file export is now one sentence. The board and the enclosure change together, in the same version.

![A power supply board between the two halves of its enclosure in the Flux 3D View](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/blogs/3d-view-collaborative-mcad/board-enclosure.webp)

## One change, every domain, on the fly

A real design change rarely stays in one discipline. Swap a sensor, and the schematic, the layout, the enclosure opening, and the driver code must all change. In separate tools, that is three engineers, three files, and a week of coordination.

The Flux agent makes the change across electronics, mechanics, and firmware in one step, because all three live in the same project:

-   "Replace the temperature sensor with one that also measures humidity. Update the board, add a vent to the enclosure next to it, and update the firmware to read both values."
-   "Move the USB-C connector to the short side of the board, move the opening in the housing with it, and keep the charging logic in the firmware the same."
-   "Add a second button on the front. Wire it to a free GPIO, cut the hole in the lid, and map it to a long-press reset in the firmware."

You review the result in the 3D View, next to the schematic, the layout, and the code. Nothing gets out of sync, because there is nothing to sync.

## A live model that the whole team shares

Open the project and you are in the same model as everyone else, with a live cursor for each person. When the electrical engineer moves a connector, the mechanical engineer sees right away that the wall opening must move too, not two weeks later in a file drop.

Reviews stop being slide decks. Everyone looks at the same device, from the same angle, at the same time.

## Find fit problems before you order parts

Flux gives you the inspection tools of dedicated mechanical CAD, on the full device:

-   **Measure on the real geometry.** Press **M**. The points snap to the surfaces of the board, the parts, and the enclosure. Flux shows the distance and the height difference. Check the gap from the tallest capacitor to the lid in seconds.
-   **Cut a cross section.** Cut the device along X, Y, or Z at any depth, and cut the layout with it. See exactly where the board, the parts, and the walls meet.
-   **See through the enclosure.** Switch to X-Ray and look at the board inside the closed housing. Switch to Solid, Realistic, or Blueprint for reviews and documentation.
-   **Navigate like a CAD tool.** Orbit, pan, and zoom. Use the view cube for the top, front, and side views. Switch between perspective and orthographic projection.

![A cross section through an enclosure and its board in the Flux 3D View, with the Axis, Depth, and Cut Layout controls](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/blogs/3d-view-collaborative-mcad/cross-section.webp)

## Get the surfaces right, too

A product that fits but looks wrong still fails. Zebra Stripes, a curvature map, and Curvature Combs show dents, breaks, and flat spots in the enclosure surfaces. When you find one, fix it with a prompt and check it again.

![Zebra stripes on an enclosure in the Flux 3D View](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/blogs/3d-view-collaborative-mcad/zebra-stripes.webp)

![Surface curvature map on a sculpted soap dispenser in the Flux 3D view](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/homepage-v2/pcb-3d-analysis-curvature-map-dispenser.webp)

## Every change is recorded. Every idea is safe to try.

Flux records each change to the project, by your team and by the agent. Open the history to see what changed and who changed it. Restore an earlier version, or restore it to a new project and compare the two.

Want to try a thinner housing or a different board stack? Fork the project and experiment freely. The main design stays untouched.

## Share the device, not a file

Share the project with your team, your organization, or a partner, and set who can view and who can edit. A manufacturer, a supplier, or a customer opens a link and sees the live device. No installs, no file conversion, no "which version is this?"

## What this changes for your team

| Before | With the Flux 3D View |
| --- | --- |
| Electronics, mechanics, and firmware in separate tools | One project and one live model of the whole device |
| STEP files exported and emailed | Everyone works in the same project |
| Fit problems found at the prototype | Measure and cut the device before you order parts |
| A design change needs three engineers and a handoff | One prompt changes the board, the enclosure, and the firmware together |
| Reviews with screenshots and slides | Reviewers open a link and inspect the real model |
| Risky experiments on the main design | Fork, try, compare, restore |

## How teams use it

-   **Fit reviews.** The electrical and the mechanical engineer review the board in its enclosure together, with a cross section through the connector area.
-   **Clearance checks before release.** Measure the tallest parts against the lid and the connectors against the wall openings before you order prototypes.
-   **Industrial design reviews.** Check a hand-held enclosure with Zebra Stripes and fix the surface with a prompt.
-   **Late design changes.** A part goes end of life. Ask the agent to swap it and update the board, the enclosure, and the firmware in the same version.
-   **Supplier and customer reviews.** Send a link, not a set of exported files.
-   **New form factors.** Fork the project to try a new size or board stack, then compare it with the main design.

## Try it

Open a Flux project and select **3D View**. Ask the agent to design the enclosure for your board, and invite your team to review the device with you, live.

## About the author

[Matthias Wagner](https://www.flux.ai/natarius)

Founder & CEO at Flux

Matthias is the Founder and CEO of Flux, a hardware design platform that's revolutionizing how teams create and iterate on circuits. Find him on Flux [@natarius](https://www.flux.ai/natarius).

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## Let’s start building.

Let’s build your idea together. All you need to do is describe what you want to make, or what problem you want to solve. Flux will work with you to make it a reality.

[Try it Free](https://www.flux.ai/signup)

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