As a civil engineering designer with nearly ten years of experience, I have started using EverCraft for file management in recent months, and it feels incredibly "refreshing."
Many people might mistakenly assume that we spend most of our time sitting at a desk drawing, but in reality, our daily work is far more complex.
First, as designers, we need to conduct site investigations. This involves analyzing survey reports and other topographical or geographical data. In recent years, I rarely do it myself; most of the time, my colleagues collect and summarize the information for me.
Next, we use various design software to create detailed engineering designs and participate in the review of construction drawings. During this process, to ensure the depth and accuracy of the design, while considering factors such as cost savings, we need to constantly optimize the drawing plan.
Subsequently, we also need to closely monitor the construction process, collecting issues that arise during construction and providing practical solutions.
As the project progresses, various files such as design drawings, model files, and calculations are constantly being modified and updated. Therefore, effectively managing these files to ensure their accuracy and traceability has become a crucial part of our work.
In the past, to ensure that I could easily find files later, I would save each version of the file and label it with the modification date and modifier. At the same time, I would regularly create copies of large folders for backup. However, this approach led to bloated folders with numerous layers and subdirectories. When it came to commit, I had to spend a lot of time comparing and screening the versions to keep, and I was afraid to delete any files for fear of missing important information.
A few months ago, while browsing a professional forum, I stumbled upon EverCraft. Out of curiosity, I decided to install it and try it.
At first, I was attracted by EverCraft's clean and straightforward interface. It was incredibly easy to use, and I was able to get started without even reading the feature descriptions. This saved me the time and effort of learning a new tool during my busy work schedule.
Then, I imported my project folders into EverCraft and easily created an initial commit. As the project progressed, I gradually realized the power of this software. After each modification to the design drawings, I only needed to click a button to create a new commit. This allowed me to quickly revert to any historical point in time and view the file status at that moment.
Once, while reviewing a design plan, I discovered a serious issue with the design of a key component. I quickly used EverCraft to revert to a previous version, identify the root cause of the problem, and make timely modifications. The entire process was fast and efficient, giving me a clearer understanding of the overall project progress.
Apart from the rollback feature, EverCraft's diff comparison function is also quite useful. When my supervisor asked me about the changes made by the supplier between two time points, I was able to clearly see the differences between different versions and quickly summarize the details of the modified files in just a few minutes. This significantly improved my work efficiency.
Moreover, EverCraft's Mini mode makes me feel relaxed during meetings or presentations. I can quickly demonstrate the history and changes of files, enabling efficient communication and collaboration with my team members. This not only improves the team's collaboration efficiency, but also gains me more recognition and praise in my work.
I noticed that a new relationship view has been added recently, and I feel it could enable us to manage multiple schemes with my team members. I'm looking forward to using it.
Now, I can't imagine working without EverCraft. As I mentioned at the beginning, its minimalist design and the changes it has brought to my computer folders make me feel refreshed and significantly improve my work efficiency and quality. It allows me to focus more on the design work itself.
I will continue to recommend this software to my colleagues, and I believe it will also bring convenience to their work. At the same time, I look forward to EverCraft continuously updating and optimizing, providing us designers with even more perfect version management tools.