Real 3D CAD on a Chromebook

Why CAD Is Hard on a Chromebook

SOLIDWORKS and Inventor are Windows programs, and Fusion needs Windows or macOS. The usual Chromebook workarounds — enabling the Linux container to run FreeCAD, or streaming a remote desktop — need admin settings that school-managed devices often block, plus storage and a fast connection. Tinkercad runs in the browser but isn't parametric: you can't go back and change a dimension that drives the rest of the model.

BasicCAD compiles its CAD kernel to WebAssembly and runs it locally in Chrome. That means:

• No Linux, no developer mode, no admin rights — it's a web page.
• Works offline after the first visit, and can be installed as an app from Chrome's address bar.
• Files stay on the device, saved as .cadjson that you can keep in Google Drive or hand in to a teacher.

Tips for the Best Experience

• Use a mouse. A scroll-wheel mouse makes orbit, pan and zoom much easier than a touchpad.
• Give the first load a moment. The first visit downloads the geometry kernel once; after that BasicCAD opens in seconds.
• Install it. Use Chrome's install button so BasicCAD opens in its own window and works without Wi-Fi.
• Keep Chrome up to date. Current versions of Chrome run the multithreaded kernel for faster rebuilds.

What You Can Make

Everything the desktop-style workflow allows: brackets and enclosures for 3D printing, gears and threaded parts, assemblies with mates, 2D drawings, and fixes to downloaded models with the STL editor. Teachers can run a whole class on Chromebooks — see CAD for schools.