Guides on browser-based CAD, design for 3D printing, and AI manufacturability review.
How to get a part reviewed before you send it to a manufacturer
Sending a bare STL to a print farm or machine shop is a lossy handoff — they get geometry, not the checks you did. Here's how to review a part before you send it, and how to send the review itself, not just the file.
Grounded AI design review: how Cadre measures geometry so the AI can't guess
Cadre's AI design review is grounded in geometry the Rust kernel measures — watertightness and enclosed voids topologically, surface radii exactly from the parametric descriptor, wall thickness and overhang at sampling resolution — and any AI flag the measurement doesn't back is dropped before you see it. Here's the architecture, and why it makes the review trustworthy.
Why Cadre is free (and what an email unlocks)
Cadre is free to use in your browser. Model, edit STL and OBJ, and watch the AI review a sample, no account needed. An email (magic link, no password) unlocks the review on your own designs, cloud projects, and sharing.
Tinkercad alternative for 3D printing (an honest comparison)
Looking for a Tinkercad alternative? An honest comparison for makers — where Tinkercad's block model wins, when you've outgrown it, parametric modeling vs combining primitives, and built-in AI print-failure review.
Convert STL to STEP: what you actually get (and what you don't)
STL to STEP is the most over-promised conversion in CAD. Here's the honest version — why a mesh can't become an editable solid, what a faceted STEP is actually good for, and how to do it without uploading your file.
Convert STL to GLB: the scale gotcha nobody warns you about
Your STL turns into a GLB just fine — and then shows up a thousand times too big in three.js or AR. Here's why that happens, why most converters cause it, and how to convert STL to GLB at the right scale without uploading your file.
Onshape Free alternative for makers (an honest comparison)
Looking for an Onshape Free alternative? An honest comparison for makers — the public-documents catch, learning curve, privacy, and built-in AI review.
Fusion 360 alternative for 3D printing in the browser
A browser-based Fusion 360 alternative for makers — no install, runs on any OS including Linux, with built-in AI manufacturability review for 3D printing.
Design for 3D printing: rules that prevent failed prints
A practical design-for-3D-printing checklist — wall thickness, overhangs, internal corners, clearances, and orientation — to catch failed prints in CAD.
Browser-based CAD for 3D printing: when it's enough
Browser-based CAD for 3D printing won't replace Fusion or SolidWorks. An honest look at the parts it models faster — and when you want the heavy tool.
AI manufacturability review: catch 3D print failures before you slice
An AI manufacturability review reads your parametric model and flags thin walls, overhangs, sharp corners, and tiny features before you slice or print.