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Introduction

ClassCAD is a headless, programmable CAD engine for building web-based, cloud-based, and automated CAD applications.

It provides CAD as a backend service and executes CAD business logic in a controlled runtime, independent of user interfaces, platforms, or client technologies.

ClassCAD is not an end-user application.
It is designed to be embedded into your own products, services, and workflows.

What ClassCAD Is​

  • A programmable CAD engine
  • A backend service for CAD logic
  • A foundation for web, cloud, and automated CAD systems
  • A stable execution environment for long-lived CAD applications

What ClassCAD Is Not​

  • No user interface
  • No interactive modeling tool
  • No plugin for existing CAD systems
  • No replacement for traditional CAD applications

How ClassCAD Is Used​

Client applications interact with ClassCAD exclusively through public APIs and API wrappers.

Depending on the deployment scenario, ClassCAD can run:

  • as a backend process accessed via a proxy
  • as a WebAssembly-based runtime in the browser

This allows ClassCAD to be used by a wide range of client applications, from backend services to fully interactive CAD systems.

A real-world example is buerligons, an interactive web-based CAD application developed by AWV Informatik AG.
buerligons uses ClassCAD exclusively through its public API wrappers to create and edit CAD models interactively.

Typical Use Cases​

  • Custom CAD applications
  • Product configurators and mass customization
  • Automated and parametric design workflows
  • Engineering logic and rule-based modeling
  • Interactive CAD clients built on top of a CAD backend

Where to Go Next​

  • Learn how the ClassCAD Runtime works
  • Explore the Architecture and execution model
  • Discover Plugins and built-in capabilities
  • Start using the ClassCAD API