We made Arcad, a parametric CAD in the browser, free and no signup
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My friend and I have been working on Arcad for some months now. It's a free browser-based parametric CAD tool aimed at hobbyists and makers.It has editable feature history, solid modeling powered by OpenCascade, STEP export and touch controls for tablets, although it's primarily made for PC use. Everything runs in the browser and you can try it without creating an account or installing anything.Currently in beta although we feel like it's ready for a full launch. Any feedback is appreciated!Link: https://app.arcad.studio Docs: https://www.arcad.studio/docs
HN · launched Aug 2, 2026 · 6 upvotes (top 69%) · 0 views
Niche: computer-aided design software · 169 launches, 12 in the last 7 days ▼ -57% · Explore this niche →
Category and tags
- Manufacturing
- Vertical SaaS
- Prosumer
- Not AI
- Commercial product
Visit website ↗ Source listing ↗
More like this: all 169 launches in computer-aided design software →
Could you build this?
No Building an in-browser parametric solid CAD tool with feature history, STEP export, and OpenCascade integration requires specialized computational geometry and WebAssembly integration knowledge.
What it would actually take: The architecture requires compiling OpenCascade Technology (OCCT) to WebAssembly using Emscripten, coupled with a WebGL/WebGPU rendering pipeline (e.g., Three.js) and a reactive parametric history DAG. The hardest parts are managing memory across WASM boundaries, topological naming issues during parametric rebuilds, and robust B-Rep boolean operations. It demands specialized expertise in 3D CAD kernels and geometric modeling.
Discussion
4 comments analyzed.
Concerns raised: Browser-based architecture reduces local control and data ownership, Concerns about internet dependency for using offline-capable software, Preference for native applications over web-based tools
Competitors
Other products that read as similar to this one : 154 launches clear the similarity bar, closest 8 shown.
Attention rank: #127 of 155 (itself plus its competitors, highest first, normalized so YC and Product Hunt are compared fairly).
Launched 275 days after the earliest competitor.
- FluidCAD · hn · 2026-04-10 · 160 upvotes · similarity 0.57
- Open-source CAD in the browser (DXF-native, no install) · hn · 2026-04-19 · 5 upvotes · similarity 0.53
- FreeCAD 1.1 · ph · 2026-03-30 · 218 upvotes · similarity 0.53
- LuaCAD · hn · 2026-08-14 · 106 upvotes · similarity 0.52
- CADara · hn · 2026-05-08 · 37 upvotes · similarity 0.52
- Aircad · hn · 2026-11-10 · 95 upvotes · similarity 0.52
- FreeShape · github · 2026-10-22 · 23 upvotes · similarity 0.49
- SindriCAD · hn · 2026-08-04 · 5 upvotes · similarity 0.49
The niche, labels, vibe code rating and competitor comparison on this page are analysis by Nicheloom. If you use them, please credit nicheloom.com. How you may use our data.