BasicCAD Questions & Answers

BasicCAD is a parametric 3D CAD program that runs in a web browser. It has a SOLIDWORKS/Inventor-style ribbon, a design tree, constrained sketches, solid features (extrude, revolve, sweep, loft, fillet, chamfer, shell, patterns, threads), assemblies with mates and 2D drawings. The OpenCascade geometry kernel runs locally in your browser through WebAssembly.

Yes. Every modeling feature is free to use for as long as you like, and you don't need an account to start designing. A subscription only unlocks exporting finished parts as STL, STEP and 3MF files.

$5 per month, $45 per year ($3.75 a month billed annually), or $193.13 once for a lifetime license. There is a 30-day free trial with no credit card required, and subscriptions can be cancelled anytime. Sign-in uses your Google account.

One payment of $193.13 unlocks exporting on your account for life. You are never billed again: no renewals, no subscription, nothing to cancel. Every future update and new feature is included at no extra cost, with no paid upgrades. The terms you buy under are the terms you keep: we will never shrink what a lifetime license includes, add a fee to it, or move its features behind a new paywall. If you already subscribe, your subscription is cancelled automatically when you switch, so you are never charged twice.

BasicCAD is built by John Teabo, who learned CAD on Autodesk Inventor in 2009 and wanted affordable CAD that doesn't process designs in the cloud. Questions and feedback go to teaboware@gmail.com.

No. BasicCAD runs in the browser. The first visit downloads the geometry kernel once; after that it opens in seconds. You can also install it as an app from the browser's address bar.

Yes. After the first visit the app is cached, so you can keep designing without an internet connection, for example on a plane. Signing in and starting a subscription need a connection.

Yes. BasicCAD runs in a modern desktop browser on Windows, macOS, Linux and ChromeOS. Chrome and Edge run the multithreaded kernel for the fastest rebuilds. A mouse with a scroll wheel is recommended. Phones get a short overview page; the editor is made for larger screens. More: CAD on Chromebook.

No. All geometry is calculated in your browser and designs are saved on your computer as .cadjson files. Sharing doesn't upload either: a share link carries the design inside the link itself, and a Live Session connects browsers directly, peer to peer.

It imports STEP, STL, 3MF, OpenSCAD (.scad), SVG, DXF and raster images (traced into sketches). It exports STL, STEP (with colors), multi-color 3MF, OpenSCAD for the MakerWorld customizer, and DXF/SVG of faces and sections. The native format is .cadjson, which keeps the full editable history.

Yes. BasicCAD can rebuild many STL and 3MF meshes as editable sketches and features, showing a match percentage against the original. Meshes that can't be converted, like organic sculpts, become a solid body you can still cut, extend and combine with normal CAD features. More: online STL editor.

Yes. STEP is the standard exchange format all of them export. BasicCAD imports STEP parts and assemblies, and can rebuild many parts as editable features instead of a fixed solid. More: STEP files.

Yes. The Thread feature and Hole Wizard model real ANSI and metric threads with adjustable print clearance and flat crests for FDM printing, and exported STLs are watertight. More: 3D printing.

Yes. Students design for free on any device with a browser, including school Chromebooks, with no installs or student accounts. They hand in .cadjson files, and one $5/month or $45/year license on the teacher's computer exports and prints the whole class's work. More: CAD for schools.

Yes. You own your designs and may use them commercially. The terms of use only ask that you don't use BasicCAD for illegal activity or to harm others.

Yes. A Live Session lets people co-edit one part or assembly in real time over a direct peer-to-peer connection, joined with a code. Share links send a complete design to someone else.

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