Here’s a list of terms that are used by the Cad Crowd community. Less commonly used terms are shown in (parentheses).
Table of contents
General terms
- Client (service buyer/customer): A client is an individual or company that wants help with design services like CAD design, 3D rendering, or engineering services.
- Designers (participants): Freelance CAD designers and engineers that are available for hire on the Cad Crowd platform.
- Users (community/members): A user is a registered member of the Cad Crowd community and applies to both designers and clients.
- Visitor: A new web visitor that is not registered and will have viewing restrictions for member only pages (i.e., private contests).
- Private project (confidential services/concierge service): When we confidentially connect a client with a vetted designer based on the scope of a client’s project. You can request a private project with the confidential quote form.
- Forum admin: A forum admin is a badge given to any Cad Crowd team member and shows as a badge on the forum.
- Forum moderator (admin): A community member that’s responsible for moderating the community forum.
- Badge: Badges are awarded to designers that have certain accomplishments and includes the top designer badge, which is awarded for winning a contest (or being ranked as a finalist).
- 1-to-1 projects (ongoing project/hire direct/exclusive/invitation only): Clients use 1-to-1 projects when they want to confidentially hire a specific designer on the Cad Crowd platform.
- Hourly service: Our hourly service is a type of private project which is billed in 10-hour time blocks using the screenshot tracking app to log activity.
- Leaderboard: The leaderboard is a list that tracks the best designers on the Cad Crowd platform measured by contest wins, community participation, and portfolios.
- Leaderboard (past-12 months): The 12-month leaderboard is a list of the top designers and engineers on Cad Crowd over the past year based on total accumulated points.
- Leaderboard all-time (all-time score): The all-time leaderboard is a showcase of the top rated designers based on total accumulated points since the launch of the community.
- Top Designer: The top designer badge is awarded to users that have won or been chosen as a semi-finalist in one of our design contests.
- Global rank (worldwide rank/designer ranking): The overall global ranking of a designer based on total accumulated user points.
- NDA (non-disclosure agreement): A printed or electronic legal agreement that protects the confidentiality of a client’s design ideas and IP. This is covered when designers agree on the terms of service during registration. Also, we offer NDA agreements to Clients using Adobe Sign electronic signature software or via old-fashioned PDF.
- IP (intellectual property): The person that has legal ownership of a project’s design and the right to manufacture, sell, or license the design to 3rd parties.
- Vetted designer (pre-qualified): Vetted designers are pre-qualified for client work based on a strong track record with past clients for confidential design projects.
- Community (platform/marketplace/system): The community is the term used to define the Crowd Crowd ecosystem and the collective group of users.
- Services (Categories): The services page is a list of the CAD design/engineering services offered by the vetted designers on Cad Crowd.
- Skills: The skills page has a complete list of skills and software offered by freelance designers on Cad Crowd.
- CAD software (software package): The software used by designers for CAD design services, 3D modeling, engineering, industrial design, etc.
- Quote form: The quote form is used to confidentially submit private projects to Cad Crowd for an estimate.
- Blog: The blog has helpful design advice for Clients and Designers as well as the latest community news.
- Accuracy guarantee: The accuracy guarantee is the guaranteed project deliverables for clients to be eligible for a refund.
- Support team: Cad Crowd team members that handle quotes from submissions by clients and user support.
- Terms of Service (Terms of Use): The Terms of Service are legal terms that Users agree to when they join the Cad Crowd community.
- Privacy policy: A privacy policy is an explanation of your privacy and use of personal information when visiting the site and using the Cad Crowd platform.
- Cookie policy: The cookie policy explains user tracking for website visitors and members of the Cad Crowd community.
Contest terms and definitions
- Contest holder: What a client is called when they decide to launch a design contest.
- Participant (participate/join): When a designer participates in design contests.
- Design contest (challenges/competitions/crowdsourcing/open innovation): Design contests are posted to crowdsource your project to our community of 20,000+ designers. Invite-only contests can be used to invite particular designers.
- Launch a contest (post/host/start/activate): When you start your design contest on the Cad Crowd community.
- Created (launch date/start date): The created day is when a client contest was launched.
- Remains (remaining): The time left until a contest closes. Expired means a contest will no longer accept entries from new designers.
- Extension (extended): When a client extends the end date for a contest to give designers additional time to submit designs or evaluate design entries.
- Report contest: When a user reports a contest that violates the community terms of service.
- Invited designers: Any designers a client invites to participate in a design contest (shows for public, private, and invite-only contests).
- Contest brief (description/summary): A summary of the project requirements for a design contest.
- Wants (requirements): The area of the contest page where a client writes an overall summary of the function and look of designs.
- Don’t want: The “don’t want” section of a contest is where clients describe what they want to avoid with the design regarding function, aesthetics, materials, file sizes, etc.
- Ask for a sample: This is used if the client has a large work scope and wants to evaluate designs on a high level before asking particular designers to submit more detailed entries.
- Software: A optional field that allows clients to choose specific software requirements for a contest (i.e. AutoCAD, SolidWorks, Revit, etc.).
- Contest attachments: The files that a client has added to a contest description to help designers get a better understanding of the contest.
- Edit project (edit description/edit contest): Allows a client to add additional information to supplement the original description and guide the designers’ entries.
- Manage attachments: Allows a client to add additional attachments to help designers better understand a design contest.
- Public contest: Public contests are visible to search engines and unregistered website visitors. These contests get higher visibility, publicity, and participation. Public contests are used with projects that don’t require a high degree of confidentiality and take advantage of the marketing and publicity of holding a contest.
- Private contest: These Contests are only visible to registered users and are hidden from search engines and unregistered website visitors.
- Invite-only contest: These Contests are only visible to designers that are invited to participate in the challenge.
- Privacy setting: The setting used by the clients to choose whether their contest is public, private, or invite only.
- Buyer’s rating (star rating): The star rating system helps clients quickly shortlist their favorite entries and quickly shortlist them later. The star rating also helps guide the designers on whether their design entries align with what the client is looking for.
- Evaluate (evaluation/review): The evaluation phase involves a client review of design entries after the contest deadline has passed. Designers participating in the contest can continue to submit revised designs, and new designers can no longer participate.
- Award (pick a winner/choose/select/declare): When a client chooses the best design submission for a design contest.
- Winner (1st-5th place): A winner is a designer who receives a prize for winning a design contest. An unlimited number of prizes can be awarded for the best contest submissions.
- Prize (budget): The cash payout awarded to a design contest’s winning designer(s).
- Entry/entries (submission/submit/entered/designs): Entries are the design uploads submitted to a contest by a designer/engineer.
- Submit (submitting/upload/uploading): A designer submitting a specific design to a contest.
- Design image (screenshot/picture): The design image is a desktop picture (screen capture), .jpeg, or .png image file included with a designer entry and gives the client a visual example of a design without the need for a CAD file viewer.
- Evaluation criteria (feedback): This is how a client gauges design entries to choose design finalists and the winning designer for a design contest.
- Contest status (phase): The contest status indicates whether a contest is open for new entries, is selecting a finalist, or if it has ended.
- Pre-paid contest: When a client prepays a contest up front and agrees to choose a winning designer if the evaluation criteria are met.
- Blind contest: A blind contest means only the client can view submissions until the contest ends. All open contests are set to blind by default unless the client manually changes the setting.
- Open contest (active contests): Open contests are live and open for new entries by designers.
- Choosing finalist (evaluation phase/review): The evaluation phase occurs when a contest is closed to entries from new designers, and the client reviews the design submissions to award the prize.
- Closed contest (end date/ended/deadline): Closed contests have ended and are no longer open for new entries from designers. A contest will close as soon as the prize has been awarded if the contest was prepaid or 2-weeks after the “choosing finalist” phase ends.
- Early closure: When a client closes a design contest early or before a scheduled end date.
- Bold listing title: A bold listing increases the visibility of a client’s project on the list of active design contests and appears in bold font on the contest search page.
- Featured contest: A featured contest increases the visibility of a client’s project on the list of active contests and has greater exposure since it’s listed ahead of all non-featured contests.
- Listing highlighted: The “listing highlighted” feature increases the visibility of a client’s project and displays the listing with a highlighted background color.
- Review by Cad Crowd: The Review by Cad Crowd feature is a contest upgrade that offers design/engineering reviews of a client’s favorite design entries by a vetted designer (up to an hour of work)
- Add to watchlist (save contest): The “Add to watchlist” button on the contest page allows users to save a contest and receive notifications of contest description updates, winning designers, early closure, and more.
- Cancellation fee: The cancellation fee is the cost to end a contest before 24 hours have passed.
- Contest Code of Conduct: This is the expected designer behavior when participating in design contests in the Cad Crowd community.
- Placeholder design: A placeholder is a temporary design stock image or 3D model from an online repository (i.e., CAD library) that will not be used in your final design but is used by the designer to show a client what the final product could look like.
- Nominate (finalist): When a client nominates a design entry as a finalist for the final evaluation. Clients need to nominate design finalists so a contest winner can be chosen.
- Winner: When a client chooses a finalist as the design contest winner. You can have multiple winners for a contest if you offer more than one prize.
- Discussion: The discussion area is where clients provide feedback/answers and clarification to designers participating in a design contest.
- Comment: When a client or designer posts a comment in the discussion area of a design contest page.
- Licensed designs: Any non-original components (i.e., textures/patterns) submitted by a designer when entering a contest. Designers must immediately disclose any licensed components when the design entry is submitted.
- Prepaid contest (pre-paid/paid): When the client has prepaid a contest prize.
- Payment pending (unpaid): When a client hasn’t posted a payment upfront and doesn’t own IP for any entries until a prize is awarded to purchase the IP of specific designs.
- Post similar contest: This function helps clients easily copy the details of a design or 1-to-1 project. It doesn’t need to be manually rewritten.
User account terms
- Sign-up (join/register/create an account/new account): When you sign-up for a user account on the Cad Crowd platform.
- Log in (login): The login page is used to access your user account on Cad Crowd securely.
- Points (points system/reputation points/bonus points): Points are awarded to designers and determine global rank on the community leaderboard.
- Dashboard (user dashboard/user homepage): The dashboard is used by clients and designers to manage projects, run contests, navigate the site, and manage account details.
- Activity (feed): The activity is shown on your dashboard homepage and shows community activity for the Forum, blog, 3D models showcase, and Contest participation.
- 3D Model Showcase (3D models/portfolio/CAD library/showcase): The gallery showcases 3D modeling/CAD design work by community members.
- Portfolio upload (3D model upload): When a designer uploads a CAD design or 3D model to the gallery showcase page.
- PayPal/Stripe: These are the primary credit card processing companies used to invoice clients for design services.
- Skill: The skills section is where designers share expertise and CAD software experience.
- Forum: The forum is a resource to get help from other users in the Cad Crowd community, ask questions, and share advice.
- Account settings (account/profile): Your account settings page allows you to edit your public and private user details.
- Public profile (user profile): The public profile is the publicly visible part of your profile (examples).
- Notifications (alerts): Your notifications page shows you any alerts related to your contest participation/management, forum conversions you follow, and updates from users that you follow.
- Private messages (inbox/conversations/mailbox): Your private messages page shows any new conversations and private messages you’ve received from other users.
- Compose (new message): The compose (✉) button allows you to create new private messages.
- Sent: The sent tab shows the messages you’ve previously sent to other users.
- Archived: The archived tab shows messages from other users that are no longer in your inbox.
- Projects tab: The projects page shows all past contests and 1-to-1 projects.
- Receipt (receipts): The receipt icons on the projects page will allow you to download PDF receipts for contests or 1-to-1 projects you’ve posted. Receipts for private projects are available upon request and will be emailed to you.
- My transactions tab: The transactions page shows your financial activity on the Cad Crowd platform.
- Make deposits tab: The deposits page shows any payment you’ve deposited into your account.
- Withdrawal request tab (request payout/designer payment): The withdrawal request allows you to request a payout from your user account dashboard.
- Portfolio: The portfolio page shows any 3D models you’ve uploaded to the public design gallery. Any uploaded portfolio pages are visible on the 3D model page and can be deleted anytime.
- Fees (service fee/budget/cost/pricing): The service fees charged for using the Cad Crowd platform.
- Time-tracker: The time-tracker app tracks designer work time via desktop screenshot activity for private hourly projects (minimum 10-hour blocks).
- Username (nickname): The name chosen by a user to identify themselves in the Cad Crowd community.
- Deactivate account (inactive/disabled): When a user contacts support to disable their account so it no longer shows up.
- Reactivate account: When a user contacts support to request account reactivation, which is required to resume using the site after account deactivation.
- Suspended account (suspension/locked): When a user account is deactivated for violating the terms of service, which typically involves requesting payments outside the Cad Crowd platform, unwanted spam, or unprofessional behavior.
- Follow user (following/saved/favorite): If you follow a user, you can follow their activity on the Cad Crowd community by clicking the Following sub nav on your user dashboard.
- Unfollow: You can Unfollow a user to stop seeing their updates on the Following tab in your user dashboard.
- Follow conversation (subscribe to updates): The follow conversation function can be used to get instant email notifications for updates posted on the Cad Crowd user forum.
- Following list (saved list): A list of all the users, contests, 3D models, and conversations you’re following.
