NDEVR OWL
Own. Work. Live.
One encrypted workspace for your files, communication, and work — and you own the data. Write, calculate, present, plan, talk, watch, and build, all in the browser, all over one encrypted store. With provider-held recovery disabled, client-side decryption (CSD) gives resource and chat content a zero-knowledge, end-to-end path; server-side decryption (SSD) and recovery are explicit provider-trust choices. Run it on the NDEVR cloud or on your own hardware — for a company, a team, or a family.
Not just file sharing
One workspace for work and life, with encrypted content at its core
Everything you do in a day — write, calculate, present, design, talk, plan and ship — lives in one encrypted workspace. Every app runs right in the browser and opens straight from a work link. The previews below are real, live OWL links: click any one to open — and edit — the actual file, right in your browser. No install, no login required.
Documents
editing_in_owl.docx
Open the full word processor — ribbons, styles, tables, references and live editing, right in the browser.
Open the document ↗Spreadsheets
spreadsheets_in_owl.xlsx
Open the full spreadsheet editor — cells, live formulas and a chart, edited right in the browser.
Open the spreadsheet ↗Slides
slides_in_owl.pptx
A real PowerPoint deck — open the full slides editor to rewrite text, format and add slides, right in the browser.
Open the deck ↗And the rest of the suite
Voice & video calls
Meet without a third-party conferencing tool.
- Start a call from any chat — one click
- One-to-one or group meetings
- Calls stay connected to the conversation
Calendar
Plan your work next to the work itself.
- Day, week & month views, create events fast
- Import & export standard
.icsfeeds - Feeds surface OWL activity, versions & Kanban
Chat
Talk on the file, not in a separate inbox.
- Direct, group, file & folder conversations
- Live presence, typing & read receipts
- @QUAIL answers questions in the thread
Kanban & workflows
Track work and automate the busywork.
- Boards with cards, columns & comments
- Workflows chain steps across your data
- Built on the same encrypted store
Storefront
Sell software & products, QUAIL does the writing.
- Drafts taglines, descriptions & pricing
- Manage builds, images & a release board
- Perpetual or subscription billing
Why “OWL”
Own
Self-hosted if you want it, zero-knowledge where it counts: with provider-held recovery disabled, CSD content is sealed on your device and the server stores ciphertext without a usable key. Your server, your links, your data.
Work
Documents, spreadsheets, slides, and forms; files with versions and sharing; a calendar, project plans, and Kanban; CAD and point clouds in the browser — all over the same encrypted store.
Live
Chat with voice & video calls, internal mail, groups for your community, and a private media library for your movies and shows — the personal side of the same workspace, with the same protection.
The platform
One secure link for everything you build
NDEVR OWL — Own. Work. Live. — turns complex data into something as accessible as a URL without giving up control of future delivery. Whether you're managing design revisions, reviewing a scan, or sharing a project folder, OWL keeps CSD content unreadable to the provider.
Every resource file is encrypted before upload. With CSD and provider-held recovery disabled, the server stores and delivers ciphertext without a usable Content Key. With SSD, you intentionally send the key so the provider can decrypt that delivery; recovery also trusts the operator with an account-key recovery path. Optionally run the companion OWL Server on your own infrastructure for complete administrative control.
Built for 3D
Hundreds of CAD, scan and mesh formats stream into a fast WebGL viewer with measurement, markup and version tools.
Collaborate live
Comment on a file, loop in your team, and see presence and changes in real time — pinned to the work itself.
Granular control
Per-link permissions, expirations, passwords and versions. Stop later delivery without changing the original resource.
Everything included
Many surfaces. One workspace underneath.
Every OWL app exists for one reason: so something you keep in OWL can be used without moving it to a disconnected service. Same files, same identity, same permissions, same encryption, same version history — whichever surface you open them from. Maturity is labeled honestly: Beta is usable and actively developing, Preview is early access, Specialized is complete but for a narrow audience, and Labs is experimental. Everything else is core.
Communicate
- OWL ChatPrivate end-to-end encrypted messaging, plus voice and video calls.
- OWL MailEncrypted internal mail with revocation — unsend even after delivery.
- OWL CalendarShared calendars with recurring events, invites, and subscribed feeds.
- OWL GroupsCommunity posts, shared chat, and encrypted group resources.
Files & media
Engineering
- OWL-3DCAD models and point clouds — STEP, OBJ, glTF, LAS, E57 and 20+ more — in the browser. NDEVR's home turf.
Create
- Documents BetaWrite with tracked changes and live co-editing, saved to your encrypted drive.
- Spreadsheets BetaFormulas and live co-editing — opens and saves xlsx and csv without leaving OWL.
- Slides BetaSlide decks with transitions and live co-editing.
- Forms BetaFill structured fields in document templates and export completed forms.
Plan & automate
- OWL KanbanBoards for tracking issues and tasks.
- OWL Projects BetaGantt planning — outlines, dependencies, and the critical path.
- OWL Workflows PreviewChain AI models, prompts, and your OWL data into automated pipelines.
Media tools
- Image EditorCrop, rotate, and retouch images in the browser.
- Video Studio BetaRecord camera or screen and edit multi-clip video on a timeline.
View & open
- Openers that meet your files where they are — click a file in OWL and the right one opens.
- PDF & Office Preview Archive Browser Player
Developer tools
- OWL Repositories BetaGit repositories on your OWL server, with inline diff review.
- Code Editor ROM Editor Specialized Log Viewer Specialized
- Email Generator Specialized Font Fit Labs
Your encrypted world, now in any browser
Store and share — choose where decryption happens
Underneath OWL's apps is one encrypted resource library. Choose CSD to decrypt resource and chat content on authorized devices, or SSD when you deliberately trust the server to decrypt a browser delivery. Share by link or with named people and keep control of future access.
Encrypted library
Every file, every version — opened right in the browser.
- Grid & table views with instant filtering
- Drag-and-drop folder upload + auto versioning
- One-click open for scans, media & docs
File sharing
By link or with people — choose recovery-disabled CSD for end-to-end delivery.
- Anyone-with-the-link, QR, expiry & password
- Per-recipient re-encrypted keys & roles
- Revoke future server access and key delivery
Email sharing
Share a link that looks like a product, not a raw URL.
- Branded card pastes into Gmail/Outlook/Mail
- Thumbnail, size & an Open-in-OWL button
- Compact, preview or full-details styles
Log viewer
Drop in any log and read it like a pro.
- Millions of lines, virtualized, instant
- Severity filters, Tx/Rx, ± span & charts
- QUAIL AI Insights finds the needle
Security & ownership
Secure by design. Self-hosted by choice.
OWL isn't encrypted file storage with a productivity layer bolted on — encrypted resources are the foundation its apps share. In CSD, resource and chat payloads stay sealed until an authorized device opens them. SSD is an explicit provider-trust mode. Account, routing, sharing and resource metadata remain visible to the service, and public authored Sites are intentionally plaintext.
Zero-knowledge CSD content
With provider-held recovery disabled, CSD resource and chat content is encrypted on authorized devices and the server stores and delivers ciphertext without a usable key. See how the boundary works →
You control every link
Set per-link permissions, expirations, passwords and versions. Revocation stops future server delivery; it cannot erase copies or keys already retained by a recipient.
Run it on your own hardware
Stand up the OWL Server on your own network — air-gapped if you want, so data never leaves the building. No per-user fees, full administrative control.
Host OWL yourself.
The same browser apps and the same encryption, running entirely on infrastructure you own and control.
Three ways in
OWL tools
A free browser viewer for anyone, a desktop client that encodes your data, and a server you can run yourself.
Online viewer
A zero-install, browser-based interface to view, annotate and interact with complex 3D data straight from a work link. WASM-accelerated, free to use.
Learn more →
OWL client
The desktop module that encodes, encrypts and shares 3D data from your existing products — building secure work links with full permission control.
Learn more →
OWL server
A lightweight installer that stands up a secure data server and web viewer on your own network — air-gapped if you want, so your data never leaves.
Learn more →Step by step
An easy linking process
Sharing is a few clicks. Upload sends encrypted content; reading with CSD keeps the usable key on authorized devices, while reading with SSD sends it to the trusted server for that delivery.
0Optional · Choose server
Pick where it lives
OWL servers run from any machine, each with its own behaviors and features. Clients choose which servers to connect to — including your own.
1Select file
Choose any file
Select any file, or share the current project if one is open. For read-only shares the file must be supported by the viewer.
2Manage versions
Own the object
Each object is a unique, linkable OWL dataset owned by you. When you re-share the same object, you decide how to update it.
3Choose share method
Decide who sees it
You have complete control over who can access the data. A secure encrypted link ensures only authorized recipients view or edit it.
4Select permissions
Grant exactly what you mean to
Allow editing or not, set how long access lasts, and toggle capabilities like export or measurement tools — per link.
5Get & share the link
Send it anywhere
Your data is compressed and encrypted before upload. CSD keeps it encrypted through delivery; SSD lets the provider decrypt it. Revoking the link stops later server access, not copies already received.
How it stacks up
How does OWL compare?
Most 3D collaboration tools host your data on their cloud. OWL lets you own it — encrypted, self-hostable, and extensible.
| Feature | NDEVR OWL | Autodesk Viewer / Forge | Trimble Connect / SketchUp | Unity Reflect / Pixyz |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hosting control | Self-hosted or NDEVR cloud | Fully cloud-managed by Autodesk | Cloud-managed only | Hybrid (cloud + local sync) |
| Security model | Recovery-disabled CSD: zero-knowledge; SSD/recovery: provider trust | 3rd-party OAuth 2.0 standard auth | User-based permission only | Project-based access |
| Data ownership | Full ownership, local or user infrastructure | Hosted on Autodesk servers | Hosted on Trimble servers | Mostly cloud-managed |
| Backend / API | Full backend extensibility in C++ / SQL | REST APIs; limited customization | Minimal customization | Unity SDK and scripting |
| 3D format support | Hundreds of options | Strong CAD support (DWG, STEP) | Trimble, SKP | Advanced CAD conversion |
| Office & productivity | Documents, spreadsheets, slides, calendar built in | None (3D viewing only) | None (3D / CAD focus) | None (3D / runtime focus) |
| Communication | Encrypted chat plus voice & video calls | None | Comments only | None |
| Collaboration | Comments, markup, versioning, chat | Comment threads, markup tools | Annotations, access roles | VR previews, Unity scene sharing |
| Offline / edge | Yes | No | No | Partial (Unity runtime) |
| Performance | Streamed, compressed and encrypted | Progressive LOD, cloud tiling | Limited optimization | High with custom pipelines |
| License / cost | Per-server, no per-user fees | Pay-per-usage API pricing | Per-seat licensing | Per-seat + runtime royalties |
Own. Work. Live.
Documents, spreadsheets, slides, 3D, chat, calls, calendar and media — one workspace for work and life, with recovery-disabled CSD resource and chat content protected end to end, right in the browser. Try the free viewer, get the client, or run the whole thing on your own server.