BasicCAD — Parametric CAD

BasicCAD

Browser-Native Parametric CAD

Example projects Click one to open it in the editor

Features & Technology

Everything listed here is implemented and working in the app right now.

2D & 3D sketching

Line, rectangle, center rectangle, circle, arc, ellipse, polygon, spline and midline tools
Editable text, including text that follows a curve for coins and badges
Trim, offset, sketch fillet/chamfer, sketch patterns and construction geometry
SVG, DXF and image import: raster pictures are traced into editable sketch shapes
Constraints: horizontal, vertical, parallel, perpendicular, coincident, tangent, concentric, equal, fixed
Smart dimensions: lengths, point/edge distances, radius, diameter and angles, with live snapping while you draw
Global variables and equations that drive dimensions and feature parameters
3D sketches drawn directly on model faces, edges, points or floating planes

Part features

Extrude boss and cut, with draft, thin walls, both-sides and start conditions
Revolve, sweep along any 3D path, and loft between profiles
Fillet, chamfer, shell, mirror, linear and circular patterns
Real printable threads in ANSI and metric sizes, with print clearance and flat crests for FDM
Involute gear generator: spur, helical and herringbone
Helix curves, wrap (engrave or emboss on round faces) and twist
Move/copy body, reference planes and plane-on-point
Full feature tree: edit, reorder, suppress and roll back; downstream features re-attach when you change something upstream

Color & 3D printing

Per-face paint and section coloring on the model
Multi-color 3MF export that slicers like Bambu, Orca and Prusa read directly
STL and STEP export (STEP keeps your colors); STEP, STL, 3MF and OpenSCAD import
OpenSCAD export for the MakerWorld parametric customizer
Saved .cadjson files embed a built-in guide so AI assistants can read and edit your parts

Assemblies, drawings & workflow

Assemblies with smart mates: concentric, planar, distance and more
2D engineering drawings: orthographic views, dimensions and title blocks
Measure tools, section view and X-ray display modes
Macro recorder and player for repeatable modeling steps
Autosave with visual Load Recent history; installs as an offline app (PWA)

The math & libraries under the hood

OpenCascade (OCCT)An industrial open-source B-rep geometry kernel, compiled to WebAssembly. Parts are exact solids built from planes, cylinders and NURBS surfaces instead of triangle approximations. That exactness is what makes booleans, fillets, shells and clean STEP export work.

PlaneGCSThe 2D constraint solver from FreeCAD, also compiled to WebAssembly. Every constraint and dimension becomes an equation in a nonlinear system, and the solver finds the sketch shape that satisfies all of them on every edit.

three.js (WebGL)Renders the tessellated model in the viewport: shaded faces, edge outlines, section caps and X-ray mode.

ManifoldWatertight mesh boolean engine. Threads and wraps are baked through it on export, so the resulting STL is guaranteed manifold and slices without repairs.

ClipperRobust 2D polygon offsetting, used for sketch offsets and for auto-outlining imported logos into printable plates.

opentype.jsReads real font files and converts text into exact vector outlines, so text stays editable geometry you can extrude, cut and dimension.

Why WebAssembly everywhere? Because it lets the entire CAD kernel run inside your browser. Nothing gets uploaded, the app works offline, and your designs never leave your computer.

Contact

The Driver Behind BasicCAD

I learned CAD in high school. Started with Autodesk Inventor back in 2009. It was fantastic! I learned how to use a dial caliper, made some amazing 3D models, and loved every minute of it. After high school ended, I wanted to keep going, but all the affordable CAD options weren't great. They either have a really hard to understand UI, weird controls, or strange file control policies. I really didn't like the idea of doing all my CAD in the cloud. I want to be anywhere. A plane, a car, wherever!

I've been searching for years for CAD software that met my needs, was inexpensive, and didn't process my data in the cloud. So I eventually made BasicCAD. It's not your enterprise hardcore CAD program, but has all the BASIC features you need to go from idea to 3D print fast. Hence the name :) Over time I'll develop more features, but at its core I can Extrude, Cut, Fillet, Chamfer, Revolve, Offset, Sweep, Move, Mirror, Shell, and generate EDITABLE text on the fly! I have no idea why CAD programs handle text so poorly!

Privacy

We designed BasicCAD to run ALL geometric calculations right in your web browser, so none of your intellectual property ever leaves your computer! If you ever want to verify, hit F12 on your keyboard and go to the Network tab. Watch as NOTHING ever gets POST or PUT via HTTPS anywhere!

Anyway, here's to a future of accessible CAD at a reasonable cost, that's not in the cloud!

— John Teabo

Questions, bug reports or feature ideas? teaboware@gmail.com

Pricing

Professional parametric CAD that runs entirely in your browser

Go from idea to a 3D-printable part fast — no installs, no cloud uploads, no enterprise price tag.

The full parametric toolsetSketch, extrude, revolve, sweep, loft, fillet, chamfer, shell, patterns, assemblies and 2D drawings — all driven by an editable feature tree.

Your designs never leave your PCEvery calculation runs locally in WebAssembly — nothing is uploaded, ever. Open DevTools and watch: zero geometry leaves the page.

Built for 3D printingReal printable threads, multi-color 3MF for Bambu, Orca & Prusa, and editable text you can extrude or cut. Export STL, STEP & 3MF.

Works offline, anywhereInstall it as an app and keep designing on a plane, in a car, wherever — the entire CAD kernel comes with you.

Design for free, forever. Every modeling feature is free to use for as long as you like. A subscription only unlocks exporting your finished parts as STL, STEP and 3MF files for printing and manufacturing.

$5/month

Billed monthly · cancel anytime

Save 25%

$45/year

Just $3.75/month, billed annually

Secure sign-in with Google · 30-day free trial · cancel anytime

BasicCAD for Classrooms

Every student designs for free. One standard license lets the teacher export & 3D-print the whole class's work — no per-seat fees, no school site license.

Students design for freeThe full parametric toolset runs in the browser at $0 — no installs, no accounts, unlimited saves as .cadjson.

Hand in a .cadjsonBasicCAD's native file shares freely over email, a drive, or a link. It's the whole editable design — not a screenshot.

Teacher exports & printsOne standard license opens any student's file and exports STL · STEP · 3MF — straight to the 3D printer.

Students never pay. Exporting to STL, STEP and 3MF is the only locked feature — and it only needs unlocking on the one machine that does the printing. A single $5/month or $45/year license on the teacher's computer covers the entire classroom.