Documentation

Download the latest NodeBOM installer for Windows from the home page.

1. Run the NodeBOM.exe installer.
2. Follow the setup wizard — the default install location is fine for most users.
3. Launch NodeBOM from your Start Menu or desktop shortcut.

System requirements: Windows 10/11, 4 GB RAM minimum. No internet connection required for core extraction.

* Windows SmartScreen notice: NodeBOM does not yet have an EV code signing certificate or enough users for an OV certificate to build reputation. On first launch, Windows Defender SmartScreen may display a warning. Click More info → Run anyway to proceed.

NodeBOM connects directly to your active CAD session via a lightweight bridge process.

1. Open your CAD software and load an assembly.
2. In NodeBOM, click Connect — the bridge will auto-detect the running CAD application.
3. A green status indicator confirms a live connection.

The bridge runs entirely on your machine. No data leaves your local environment during connection or extraction.

Once connected, extraction is a single click.

1. Click Extract BOM from the main toolbar.
2. NodeBOM traverses the assembly tree and pulls part names, quantities, materials, custom properties, and hierarchy metadata.
3. Results appear in the BOM table view, stored locally in your SQLite database.

The BOM table is fully editable with bidirectional sync — changes persist to your local SQLite database in real time and can be written back to your CAD files.

• Click any cell to edit values inline — part names, quantities, materials, costs, and custom properties.
• Use column filters and sorting to organize your data.
• Sync edited properties back to your CAD files with one click.
• Remove rows you don't need, or flag items for further review.

BOM Management Individual plan

Switch to the BOM Management view for detailed part identification, physicals, supply chain sourcing, and economics columns.

Inventory Tracker Individual plan

Track stock levels, on-hand quantities, min stock thresholds, and order status with color-coded status indicators.

Let AI identify and merge duplicate components across your BOM.

1. Click AI Deduplicate in the toolbar.
2. NodeBOM groups similar parts — matching fasteners, brackets, and standard hardware even when names vary.
3. Review suggested merges and accept or reject each grouping.

Deduplication is a single action that applies to the entire current workspace/assembly and costs 1 AI credit.

Use AI to cross-reference your BOM against commercial off-the-shelf supplier catalogs. Best for custom or unnamed parts where you don't have a manufacturer part number yet — the AI analyzes part names, descriptions, and materials to suggest COTS equivalents.

1. Select the rows you want to match, or run it on the full BOM.
2. Click AI COTS — the AI cross-references part metadata with known supplier databases.
3. Results include suggested manufacturer part numbers, supplier names, and estimated unit pricing.
4. Accept matches to populate your BOM with orderable part data.

Each AI COTS reference costs 1 AI credit per part matched. If you already have a manufacturer part number, use Nexar Part Lookup instead for free live distributor data.

Look up real-world pricing, availability, and manufacturer data from 1,000+ distributors using the Nexar (Octopart) API — no AI credits required.

Setup

1. Create a free account at nexar.com/api.
2. In the Nexar portal, click Apps → create a new application and select the Supply scope.
3. Go to the app's Authorization tab — copy your Client ID and Client Secret.
4. In NodeBOM, click Settings (gear icon) → scroll to Integrations → paste your credentials and click Save.
5. Click Validate to confirm the connection.

Usage

1. Switch to the Management view on any workspace.
2. Enter a manufacturer part number (MPN) in the Part Number column for parts you want to look up.
3. Select parts using the checkboxes.
4. Click Nexar Lookup in the action bar at the bottom.
5. Results appear inline in the Supply Chain column — showing MPN, manufacturer, median pricing, and category.
6. Click Apply to populate the Vendor, VPN, and Unit Cost fields automatically.

The free Nexar tier allows 100 matched parts per month. NodeBOM tracks your approximate usage in Settings. Nexar tokens are cached for 24 hours so repeated sessions don't require re-authentication.

Track costs across your BOM with a dedicated pricing view.

• Enter unit costs per part and see extended costs calculated automatically.
• Set a budget and monitor total spend with a live progress bar.
• View a pie chart breakdown by individual item or by category.
• Export cost reports as CSV or Excel (.xlsx).

AI Cost Optimizer

While viewing the Price Tracker, click the AI floating action button to run the AI Cost Optimizer. It analyzes your entire price list for bulk pricing opportunities, overpriced items, vendor consolidation, and missing costs. Findings are displayed both in a summary modal and as inline flags on each affected row in the tracker table. Each flag includes a type badge, savings estimate, and a dismiss button.

The Price Tracker is available on all plans. AI Cost Optimizer costs 4 credits per run and uses a reasoning model for higher-quality analysis. Data is stored locally alongside your BOM.

Compare two assembly workspaces side-by-side to catch engineering changes before they hit procurement.

1. Open the BOM Compare tool from the sidebar.
2. Select two workspaces to compare — any combination of your active assemblies.
3. NodeBOM highlights added, removed, and changed parts with per-row cost deltas.

AI Change Impact

After running a comparison, click the AI floating action button to run AI Change Impact. It assesses engineering change risks, cost impact, and material changes between the two revisions, presenting an executive summary, per-part change analysis, risk warnings, and improvement notes.

BOM Compare requires an Individual or Team plan with at least 2 active workspaces. AI Change Impact costs 2 credits per run.

Once your BOM is clean, export it in the format your workflow needs.

• CSV — universal spreadsheet compatibility.
• JSON — structured data for ERP or custom integrations.
• Excel (.xlsx) — ready to share with procurement teams.

Deleting a workspace

To remove a workspace, hover over its tab and click the trash icon, then confirm. This permanently deletes the workspace and its revision history. If you delete the active workspace, NodeBOM switches to the next available one or returns to the empty state.

All exports are generated locally. Your data never passes through external servers.

The Part Library is a reusable catalog of parts that persists across workspaces. Save parts you use repeatedly so you don't have to re-enter metadata every time.

Saving parts

• Single part: In the BOM table, hover over a part row and click the library icon to save that part.
• Selected parts: Select multiple rows with checkboxes, then click Save Selected to Library in the action bar.
• Entire BOM: Click Save All to Library to add every non-assembly row.

Using the library

• Open the Part Library tab from the sidebar to browse and search your saved parts.
• Edit part metadata directly in the library — changes are stored independently from any workspace.
• Parts saved from different workspaces all appear in the same library.

The library is stored locally in your SQLite database, scoped to your account.

Every time you save a workspace, NodeBOM records a snapshot of the BOM state. You can review past versions, add labels, preview changes, and restore to a previous state.

Viewing history

Click the Revision History button on any workspace to see a chronological list of saved versions with timestamps and part counts.

Labels

Click + label on any revision to tag it (e.g. "Pre-review" or "Sent to procurement"). Click an existing label to edit or clear it.

Restoring a revision

Click Restore this version on any past revision. A preview shows what will change — parts added, removed, and fields modified — before you confirm. The current state is saved as a new revision first, so you can always undo a restore.

Revision History is change tracking with restore, not version control. There are no branches or diffs — each revision is a complete snapshot.

Export your workspaces as a portable .nbom file for backup, sharing, or migrating between machines.

Exporting

Click Export Project from the sidebar menu. The file contains all your workspaces and their data as a JSON bundle. You can optionally encrypt the export with a password.

Importing

Click Import Project and select a .nbom file. You'll see a preview of the workspaces inside. Imported workspaces are created as new entries — they do not overwrite existing workspaces.

Project files are self-contained. They work across machines and NodeBOM versions.

Onshape is cloud-based, so NodeBOM connects to it using your Onshape API credentials. You'll need an API key pair and your document URL.

Step 1: Generate API keys

1. Sign in to your Onshape account at cad.onshape.com.
2. Click your profile icon in the top-right corner and select My Account.
3. Navigate to the API keys tab in the left sidebar.
4. Click Create new API key.
5. Give it a descriptive name (e.g., "NodeBOM").
6. Under permissions, ensure at minimum:
   • Read access to documents (required for extraction)
   • Write access to documents (required for syncing changes back)
7. Click Create API key. You will be shown your Access Key and Secret Key.

Step 2: Enter keys in NodeBOM

1. In NodeBOM, click Onshape in the source selector.
2. The Onshape import dialog will appear. Click Configure to expand the API key fields.
3. Paste your Access Key and Secret Key into the respective fields.
4. Click Save Keys. Your keys are stored locally on your machine and are never sent to NodeBOM servers.

Step 3: Get your document URL

1. Open the assembly you want to extract in Onshape.
2. Make sure the Assembly tab is selected (not a Part Studio).
3. Copy the full URL from your browser's address bar. It should look like: https://cad.onshape.com/documents/abc123.../w/def456.../e/ghi789...
4. Paste the URL into the NodeBOM Onshape dialog and click Extract.

Thumbnails

NodeBOM fetches part thumbnails directly from Onshape's API. Thumbnails appear in the Management view alongside your parts.

Troubleshooting

• "Invalid Onshape URL": Ensure you copied the full URL including the /e/... element ID segment. You must be on an Assembly tab, not a Part Studio.
• 401 Unauthorized: Your API keys may be expired or have insufficient permissions. Generate a new pair from My Account → API keys.
• "Element is not an assembly": You selected a Part Studio element. Switch to an Assembly tab in Onshape and copy that URL.

Fusion 360 integration requires a one-time add-in activation. NodeBOM installs the add-in automatically — you just need to enable it once inside Fusion.

Requirements

• Autodesk Fusion 360 installed on the same machine as NodeBOM
• A design with at least one component/assembly open and active

Step 1: Automatic installation

When NodeBOM launches, it automatically installs the NodeBOM bridge add-in for Fusion 360. No action needed — this happens in the background.

Step 2: Enable the add-in in Fusion 360 one-time

Fusion 360 requires you to manually enable add-ins once. After the first time, the add-in will auto-run on every Fusion launch.

1. Open Fusion 360.
2. In the top toolbar, click Utilities (or press Shift+S and search "Add-Ins").
3. Click Add-Ins (the puzzle piece icon) to open the Add-Ins and Scripts panel.
4. In the Add-Ins tab, find the NodeBOM add-in in the list.
5. Select it and click Run.
6. Ensure the "Run on Startup" checkbox is checked so it auto-starts every time you open Fusion.

Step 3: Extract a BOM

1. Open a design in Fusion 360 and ensure the active document contains an assembly with components.
2. In NodeBOM, select Fusion 360 from the source selector and click Extract BOM.
3. NodeBOM reads part numbers, descriptions, materials, quantities, and hierarchy data from the active design.
4. Physical properties (mass, volume, bounding box) load in the background after the initial table appears.

Writing changes back to Fusion 360

You can edit part properties in NodeBOM and sync them back to your Fusion design, including part numbers, descriptions, and materials.

Troubleshooting

• "Fusion 360 bridge is not running": The add-in needs to be enabled in Fusion. Go to Utilities → Add-Ins, find the NodeBOM add-in, and click Run. Make sure "Run on Startup" is checked.
• Add-in not visible in Fusion: Restart NodeBOM so it can install the add-in files, then restart Fusion 360.
• Was working but stopped: If Fusion crashed or was updated, the add-in may need to be re-enabled. Open the Add-Ins panel and click Run again.
• Hidden components appearing: By default, hidden/suppressed components are filtered out. If they appear, check your Fusion design's component visibility settings.
• No thumbnail extraction: Fusion 360 does not currently support automatic part image extraction. You can manually upload images using the camera icon on each part row.

NodeBOM connects to Siemens NX through a lightweight .NET bridge that runs inside NX. The bridge is a DLL that you load once per NX session — NX stays fully interactive with no performance impact.

Requirements

• Siemens NX 2406 (or compatible version) installed on the same machine as NodeBOM
• An assembly loaded and active in NX

Loading the bridge

The first time you select Siemens NX in NodeBOM, a setup guide will appear with your DLL file path. Follow these steps:

1. In the NodeBOM setup guide, click Copy Path to copy the bridge DLL file path.
2. In Siemens NX, go to File → Execute → NX Open.
3. Paste the copied path into the File Name field and click OK.
4. Verify that "NX Bridge running on port 5053" appears in the NX Information window.

You only need to load the bridge once per NX session. It stays active until NX is closed.

Extracting a BOM

1. Open an assembly in Siemens NX.
2. In NodeBOM, select Siemens NX from the source selector and click Extract BOM.
3. NodeBOM reads the assembly tree, part attributes, materials, mass, volume, and bounding box dimensions.

Bidirectional editing

Changes made to part properties in NodeBOM (part number, description, material) can be written back to the NX assembly. Edits are saved to the part file automatically.

Thumbnails

Automatic thumbnail extraction is not available for Siemens NX. NX does not provide an API to capture per-part images without visibly disrupting the viewport. You can manually upload a custom image for any part by hovering over the thumbnail cell and clicking the camera icon.

Closing NX

Because the bridge DLL stays loaded in memory, NX may take approximately 10 seconds longer to close than usual. This is normal and allows the bridge to shut down cleanly.

Troubleshooting

• Bridge not running: If NodeBOM shows "bridge is not running," follow the loading steps above to load the DLL in NX. The bridge must be loaded each time NX starts.
• Already running: If you load the DLL when the bridge is already active, NX will display "NX Bridge already running on port 5053" — this is safe to ignore.
• Suppressed components: Suppressed components in the assembly tree are automatically filtered out during extraction.
• Missing mass or dimensions: Some complex parts may require NX to fully load the part data. Try saving the assembly and re-extracting.

NodeBOM connects to PTC Creo Parametric through its VB API (COM interface). The bridge launches automatically when NodeBOM starts — no manual loading is required.

Requirements

• PTC Creo Parametric installed on the same machine as NodeBOM
• Creo VB API registered (one-time setup — see below)
• An assembly loaded and active in Creo

One-time VB API registration

The Creo VB API must be registered before the bridge can connect. This only needs to be done once:

1. Navigate to your Creo installation's bin folder (e.g. C:\Program Files\PTC\Creo 12.x\Parametric\bin).
2. Right-click vb_api_register.bat and select Run as Administrator.
3. Wait for the registration to complete.

Extracting a BOM

1. Open an assembly in PTC Creo.
2. In NodeBOM, select PTC Creo from the source selector and click Extract BOM.
3. NodeBOM reads the assembly tree, part parameters, materials, and physical properties via the Creo VB API.

Bidirectional editing

Changes made to part properties in NodeBOM can be written back to the Creo assembly. Edits are saved to the part file automatically.

Thumbnails

Automatic thumbnail extraction is not currently available for PTC Creo. You can manually upload a custom image for any part by hovering over the thumbnail cell and clicking the camera icon in the Management view.

Troubleshooting

• Bridge not connecting: Make sure Creo is running with an assembly open before extracting. The bridge auto-launches with NodeBOM, but Creo itself must be started separately.
• VB API not registered: If the bridge cannot connect, re-run vb_api_register.bat as Administrator from the Creo bin folder.
• Suppressed components: Suppressed components are automatically filtered out during extraction.

NodeBOM connects to Autodesk Inventor through its COM API. The bridge launches automatically when NodeBOM starts — no manual loading or add-in installation is required.

Requirements

• Autodesk Inventor 2024 or later installed on the same machine as NodeBOM
• An assembly (.iam) loaded and active in Inventor

Extracting a BOM

1. Open an assembly in Autodesk Inventor.
2. In NodeBOM, select Inventor from the source selector and click Extract BOM.
3. NodeBOM reads the assembly tree, iProperties (part number, description, material), mass properties, and bounding-box dimensions via the Inventor COM API.

Bidirectional editing

Changes made to part properties in NodeBOM can be written back to Inventor. Edits are saved to the part's iProperties (Design Tracking and Custom properties) automatically.

Thumbnails

NodeBOM can extract part thumbnails from Inventor assemblies. Each part is briefly activated, its view is captured as a 256×256 image, then the assembly view is restored. Thumbnails appear in the Management view alongside your parts.

Troubleshooting

• Bridge not connecting: Make sure Inventor is running with an assembly open before extracting. The bridge auto-launches with NodeBOM, but Inventor itself must be started separately.
• "Not an assembly" error: The active document in Inventor must be an assembly (.iam), not a part or drawing file.
• Suppressed components: Suppressed components are automatically filtered out during extraction.
• Beta notice: This integration is still being tested. If you encounter issues, please let us know.

NodeBOM supports multiple export formats to fit into any downstream workflow.

CSV, JSON, and Excel exports are generated locally. Google Sheets export requires an internet connection and a linked Google account (configured in Settings > Integrations).

AI features (Deduplication, COTS Matching, Summarize, Deep Summarize, Cost Optimizer, and Change Impact) consume credits from your monthly allowance.

Unused credits do not roll over. See AI Credit Costs for per-operation pricing.

Each AI operation consumes a fixed number of credits per run.

Credits are deducted when the operation starts. Failed operations are automatically refunded.

Nexar gives you direct access to live distributor pricing and availability data from DigiKey, Mouser, Arrow, Newark, and 1,000+ other distributors. Unlike AI COTS which uses artificial intelligence to suggest matches, Nexar searches by exact manufacturer part number (MPN) and returns real-time data.

1. Create a Nexar account

Go to nexar.com/api and sign up for a free account. No credit card required.

2. Create an application

In the Nexar portal, click Apps in the left sidebar, then create a new application. Select the Supply scope when prompted.

3. Copy your credentials

Click on your app, go to the Authorization tab, and copy the Client ID and Client Secret.

4. Connect in NodeBOM

Click Settings (gear icon in sidebar) → scroll to Integrations → paste your Client ID and Secret → click Save, then Validate to confirm.

By using Nexar lookup, you agree to Nexar's API Terms of Use. NodeBOM does not hold a Nexar license on your behalf — your credentials connect directly to your own Nexar account.

For maximum privacy, you can run AI features entirely on your own hardware using Ollama or Ollama Server. No data ever leaves your network.

Single machine (Ollama)

1. Install Ollama from ollama.com and verify it's running with ollama list.
2. Pull a supported model, e.g. ollama pull llama3.
3. In NodeBOM, open Settings > AI Provider and select Ollama (Local).
4. Choose your model from the dropdown — NodeBOM auto-detects installed models.

Team network (Ollama Server)

1. Set up Ollama Server on a machine accessible to your team's network.
2. In NodeBOM, select Ollama Server (Remote) as the provider.
3. Enter the server address, e.g. http://192.168.1.50:11434.
4. All AI traffic stays within your LAN — nothing reaches the public internet.

Local LLMs do not consume AI credits. Performance depends on your hardware and the model you choose.

Individual plan users can connect their own API keys from supported providers to power AI features directly — bypassing NodeBOM's built-in credit system.

NodeBOM Premium AI

When using NodeBOM's built-in AI credits, requests are powered by a paid Gemini API. Most AI operations (Deduplication, Summarize, COTS Matching, Change Impact) use Gemini-3-flash-preview for fast results. Deep Summarize and AI Cost Optimizer use Gemini-3.1-Pro-Preview for higher-quality reasoning analysis.

Supported BYOK providers

• Google Gemini
• OpenAI (GPT-4o, GPT-4, etc.)
• Anthropic (Claude)
• OpenRouter
• Any OpenAI-compatible endpoint

Setup

1. Open Settings > AI Provider and select your provider.
2. Paste your API key into the key field. Keys are stored locally in your encrypted settings file — never transmitted to NodeBOM servers.
3. Optionally select a specific model if your provider offers multiple.
4. Click Test Connection to verify.

When using your own API key, AI operations do not consume NodeBOM credits. You are billed directly by your provider at their standard rates. Requires an internet connection.

NodeBOM is local-first by design. Your CAD geometry never leaves your machine.

• CAD extraction and BOM storage happen entirely on your local file system (SQLite).
• AI features send only extracted metadata (part names, properties, quantities) — never geometry or model files.
• All AI requests are encrypted in transit.
• Per-user data isolation — all workspaces, AI settings, inventory, and price tracker data are scoped to your signed-in account. If multiple users share the same machine, each user's data is completely invisible to others.

The Team Plan ($79/mo) lets your team collaborate on BOMs in real time over your local network. A Docker server runs on any machine on your LAN, and team members connect from their NodeBOM desktop apps.

How it works

• Docker server on your LAN — deploy on any Linux box, NAS, or VM. Your data stays on your network.
• Pessimistic locking — one editor at a time per workspace. No merge conflicts, no overwrites. Other team members see a read-only view until the lock is released.
• Audit log — every save, lock, rename, and delete is recorded with the team member's name and timestamp.
• Backup snapshots — create and download database backups from the admin panel. Old backups are automatically rotated. Restore is a server-side operation (see the operator runbook).
• Workspace export — export all team workspaces as a JSON bundle for migration or archival.

Seats & pricing

• 6 seats included (1 owner + 5 members). Additional seats are $10/mo each.
• Annual billing: $790/yr (saves $158).
• The owner has admin access (audit log, backups, workspace export). Members can view and edit workspaces.

Cloud dependencies

The Team Server requires internet access to validate seats and proxy AI requests. If the cloud is unreachable, already-connected clients continue working for up to 1 hour. Local AI (Ollama) works regardless of cloud status.

Getting started

Download NodeBOM, subscribe to the Team Plan from within the app, then deploy the Docker server on your LAN. Full setup instructions are included with your subscription. Requirements: Docker and Docker Compose on a machine your team can reach over the network.

The Offline Deployment option (starting at $3,000, one-time purchase for a 12-month license) is for environments where outbound internet access is prohibited — air-gapped workstations, CUI-sensitive facilities, or networks with strict egress policies.

What you get

• Zero outbound network connections — verified by automated tests. No telemetry, no cloud calls, no update checks.
• Signed offline license — a .nodebom license file with optional machine fingerprint binding. No internet needed to validate.
• All premium features — BOM Management, Part Library, Revision History, Inventory Tracker, BOM Compare, and export.
• Local AI via Ollama — run AI deduplication and COTS matching entirely on-machine. Cloud AI is disabled.
• Deployment support — onboarding assistance included. Updates delivered directly as they ship.

What is disabled

• Cloud AI (NodeBOM Premium AI credits)
• Nexar/Octopart part lookup
• Onshape extraction (cloud CAD)
• Google Sheets export
• Automatic updates and telemetry

How to get it

Contact us to discuss your deployment requirements. Offline licenses are issued manually and include onboarding support.

NodeBOM is an engineering tool, not a compliance certification. Your organization is responsible for its own compliance posture.