SmartLock_A4.2.1

SmartLock_A is a security application whose purpose is to help you encrypt your AutoCAD files, add watermarks, set up passwords, and apply read-only attributes to your projects. This way, you can prevent other users from modifying or copying your designs.

User interface

The tool does not impress much in the visual department because some of the configuration settings look crowded. It comes with three main steps for helping you accomplish the encryption process, namely file selection, output destination and locking activation.

DWG copyright options

SmartLock_A gives you the possibility to type the text that is displayed as watermark for both copyright and authorized user information, specify the publication and expiration dates, as well as provide additional data about telephone number, email, and address. The dates can also be shown as watermark.

Encryption settings

Aside from watermarks, the application helps you assign read-only attributes to your DWG files so other users cannot modify them, set up a password, and encrypt your drawing files by binding them to one computer.What’s more, you are allowed to lock curves, text and insertions, impose restrictions upon re-saving, scaling, moving and rotating data, as well as block actions like plotting, pasting, deleting, copying, and mirroring info, changing layers, and modifying colors. In addition, you can forbid line type and weight changes, distance and area measurements, exploding, and appending of new objects.

Bottom line

All things considered, SmartLock_A comes packed with several handy features for helping you protect your intellectual property against unauthorized modification, printing or copying actions. On the downside, the GUI is not particularly intuitive so you may need extra time to decode the application’s features.