Nicheloom visitors: 12,692 all-time · 7,854 in the last 7 days

The opportunity tracker for new startups.

Today: 970 launchs · Niche of the day: Windows desktop utilities and tools · See full report →

CAD and 3D engineering software

Recent window: last 5.4 months (2026-04-30 → 2026-10-10), compared with the prior 5.4 months.

manufacturing · 80 members · Data as of 2026-10-13

These products provide computer-aided design, 3D modeling, and AI-powered copilot utilities for creating physical hardware and mechanical components. They are primarily used by mechanical, manufacturing, and hardware engineers. The cluster is distinguished by its focus on precision engineering and industrial manufacturing workflows rather than digital UI/UX design or artistic 3D rendering.

Metrics

Stage
heating
Recent count
65
Prior count
5
Total count
80
Momentum
300.00
Momentum (normalized)
1.00
Attention
0.52
Crowding
0.26
Low crowding
0.74
Concentration
0.81
Low concentration
0.19
Opportunity
0.61

Source split

github
20 (0.31)
hn
3 (0.05)
ph
40 (0.62)
yc
2 (0.03)

Dominant source: ph · Divergence: 0.58

Similar niches

Monthly trajectory

Pulled from real Hacker News comment threads on this niche's launches.

Most asked for

Concerns raised

Compared to

Members

Name Source Upvotes ▼ Launched
AutoCad GITHUB 414 2026-10-04
SolidWorks-CAD GITHUB 409 2026-10-02
SolidWorks-CAD GITHUB 381 2026-10-12
PostHog Desktop PH 351 2026-08-26
SolidWorks-CAD GITHUB 310 2026-10-09
Catia-Cad GITHUB 204 2026-10-02
Adam CAD Copilot PH 204 2026-07-01
Microsoft-Visio GITHUB 202 2026-10-09
Autonomyware PH 200 2026-09-30
Catia-Cad GITHUB 199 2026-10-09
AI in SolidWorks HN 191 2026-01-12
Catia-Cad GITHUB 182 2026-10-01
AutoCad GITHUB 176 2026-10-12
Catia-Cad GITHUB 175 2026-10-12
SolidWorks-CAD GITHUB 145 2026-10-01
HERA: catches thousand-dollar drawing mistakes before the shop floor. YC 138 2026-07-24
Prox: digital co-workers for logistics operations YC 130 2025-11-11
LuaCAD HN 106 2026-08-14
FabFilter-Total GITHUB 98 2026-10-09
Autodesk-Inventor GITHUB 98 2026-10-09
PC Anatomy PH 62 2026-09-18
caddiff GITHUB 51 2026-10-04
Aurorin CAD - The Next Generation Mechanical CAD Software YC 39 2026-02-24
SolidWorks-CAD GITHUB 39 2026-10-09
AIDA-64-Extreme GITHUB 33 2026-10-02
Mach9 - Make Maps Fast. AI-Powered CAD Software for Reality Capture YC 29 2026-03-30
Software-entwickler-nebengewerbe GITHUB 13 2026-09-10
CADder GITHUB 13 2026-09-18
taskflow GITHUB 11 2026-09-22
CadSpace GITHUB 11 2026-09-27
CADder-SW-Bridge GITHUB 10 2026-09-18
Reframe: Automate end-to-end hardware procurement YC 9 2026-02-19
Hyperion-workbench GITHUB 8 2026-09-13
Alloovium - Automating compliance for major construction projects YC 8 2026-07-13
DiffCAD, a FreeCAD workbench to review model changes like code HN 7 2026-05-07
build-the-world GITHUB 7 2026-10-01
Xperius PH 7 2026-10-01
We made Arcad, a parametric CAD in the browser, free and no signup HN 6 2026-08-02
SRA HN 5 2026-03-07
Common Sense License (CSL) HN 5 2025-11-17
UX Components: Design System Reference PH 4 2026-09-23
Shape PH 3 2026-10-10
CADBase PH 3 2026-09-13
OpenEngine PH 3 2026-10-02
PartLens PH 3 2026-10-02
Pascal PH 2 2026-09-15
Design Arc PH 2 2026-09-18
rcam PH 2 2026-09-23
Cadreen PH 2 2026-09-30
enclose.dev PH 2 2026-10-12