CADdrive: Collaborative Web-Based 3D CAD Platform
Open-source, browser-based collaborative 3D CAD and product engineering platform with WebGL assembly viewing, Git-style version history, and Python FEA.
Technology Readiness Level
System Prototype Demonstration in Operational Environment
The prototype is deployed and evaluated in the actual operational environment under real-world conditions, demonstrating end-to-end system performance and addressing operational hurdles.
Framework alignment: Standardized 9-level TRL (NASA / EU Horizon Europe).
Core Challenge
Traditional CAD software is desktop-bound, costly, and lacks modern collaboration mechanisms, making assembly design and multi-user engineering difficult in educational settings.
System Architecture
A web-based, collaborative product design platform featuring in-browser 3D modeling, WebGL rendering, and Git-style branching and merging for CAD assemblies.
Key Capabilities
- Collaborative Web-CAD: Interactive in-browser 3D modeling and assembly viewing using TypeScript, WebGL, and Three.js.
- Branching & Merging: Git-like version graph enabling parallel design exploration and merge resolution for CAD files.
- Python Simulation SDK: Specialized caddrive-python package for FEA structural analysis and CFD simulation.
- Open-Source Tooling: Synergies with OpenCASCADE tools (opencascade-tools) and digital LEGO models for education.
Technology Stack
- Web Frontend & 3D: TypeScript, WebGL, Three.js, opencascade-tools
- Simulation SDK: Python, FEA Simulation, CFD Analysis
- Collaboration: Branching & Merging, Web-Based CAD, Open Source
Verifiable Outcomes
- Academic publication in the Proceedings of the Design Society (Cambridge University Press, 2025).
- Successfully evaluated in master-level university courses and high-school engineering workshops.
- Open-source platform with dedicated caddrive-python simulation toolkit.
