PixyCAD - Fast & precise 3D CAD built natively for iPad and Mac
byβ’
PixyCAD is a native 3D CAD app for Mac and iPad, built for makers, designers and 3D-printing enthusiasts who want professional solid modelling without traditional CAD complexity.
It combines an approachable modelling workflow with a professional geometry foundation powered by Parasolid.
We are launching on Product Hunt to get feedback from people who care about CAD, 3D printing and better creative tools on Apple platforms.
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PixyCAD
@pixycadΒ Since your focus is rapid iteration, what product metrics tell you a user reached their "first successful model" faster than they would in existing CAD tools?
@pixycadΒ What's your experience with 3d printing, and are you gonna add parametric modeling?
PixyCAD
@raffyyoΒ
We are focused on direct modelling please have a look at this two blog posts
https://pixycad.com/blog/direct-modeling-editing-features-pixycad/
https://pixycad.com/blog/parametric-vs-direct-modeling-3d-printing/
@pixycadΒ Congrats on the launch! π Small typo I noticed on your App Store listing 'PixyCAD is 3D CAD 3D printing enthusiasts' is probably missing a 'for.'
Also noticed one more small thing - your blog post "No Subscription: One-Time Purchase, Yours Forever" reads like subscriptions were removed, but the pricing page still has a "Maker Subscription" option alongside "Maker Lifetime." Might be worth adjusting the post title or clarifying.
Great app though, love the direct-modeling approach!
PixyCAD
@nikita_upadhayayΒ Thank for the hints ... we will fix both.
The Parasolid backbone is a smart move, gives it real weight without feeling heavy. Curious how the iPad workflow holds up for actual part design.
The idea of sketching a real part with the Pencil on an iPad sounds weirdly delightful to me. I've bounced off heavier design tools before, so something this approachable really speaks to me. Great work, Andrea.
Parasolid under the hood is a serious choice and pairing it with a Mac-first workflow that actually feels approachable is a real craft move.
Native Parasolid on iPad is genuinely exciting, congrats on the launch. One thing that would help me a lot is a built-in STEP/IGES repair and healing pass on import, since meshes coming from scans or other tools often need cleanup before they can be paramedited. Even a simple auto-heal with a report would save me hopping into a separate tool. Looking forward to trying it.
The idea of sketching a real part with the Pencil on an iPad sounds weirdly delightful to me. I've bounced off heavier design tools before, so something this approachable really speaks to me. Great work, Andrea.
most "CAD on iPad" attempts I've tried feel like a cramped port of the desktop UI with touch bolted on. built natively for iPad is the right framing if the precision tools (snapping, exact dimension entry) actually work with a finger and not just an Apple Pencil
Parasolid as the geometry kernel is a serious foundation for a native iPad/Mac app β that's the layer most 'CAD on tablet' tools skip. Since it's native rather than cloud, does the full modelling stack run fully offline, and do project files stay as local documents I own instead of being tied to an account? And on export: is the STEP/Parasolid output a true B-rep solid, or a tessellated mesh wrapped in a STEP container?
parasolid on iPad is a bold choice, that kernel is usually reserved for desktop-class workstation tools. how does it hold up on larger assemblies, is there a part-count or complexity ceiling where the iPad hardware starts to struggle compared to running the same model on a Mac
The Parasolid foundation is a huge win for solid modelling on Apple. One thing that would really help makers coming from tools like Fusion or OnShape is a built-in version history with branching and named checkpoints right inside the project file. Makes it way less scary to experiment with big geometry changes when you know you can roll back without redoing an hour of work.