SelfCAD: 3D design software for beginners and professionals alike – Interview with Aaron Breuer

SelfCAD has carved out a niche in the 3D design and printing space with its browser-based CAD platform that emphasizes simplicity and accessibility. Designed for hobbyists, educators, and professionals alike, the software combines an intuitive user interface with tools that cater to a wide range of skill levels. For beginners, its step-by-step tutorials and straightforward design tools provide a smooth entry into 3D modeling. Meanwhile, experienced users can take advantage of advanced features, such as sculpting and geometry repair tools, to refine their creations. In an interview with 3Druck.com CEO Aaron Breuer highlights SelfCAD’s influence on making 3D design and scanning more accessible, while also discussing AI’s potential to drive innovation in model creation.

One of the standout features of SelfCAD is its built-in slicer, which eliminates the need for third-party slicing software. This tool allows users to convert their designs into G-code directly within the platform, streamlining the workflow for FDM 3D printers. By integrating this functionality, SelfCAD reduces the complexity often associated with preparing files for printing. It also supports popular file formats like STL, OBJ, and 3MF, making it compatible with a wide range of printers and software ecosystems.

SelfCAD’s cloud-based architecture further enhances its appeal. Users can access their projects from any device with an internet connection, whether at home, in a classroom, or at a client’s office. This flexibility is particularly valuable for educators incorporating STEM tools into their curriculum, as well as for professionals who need to collaborate across teams.

With its all-in-one approach, SelfCAD simplifies 3D design without sacrificing versatility. It offers a practical solution for anyone looking to bridge the gap between conceptual design and physical creation.

Interview with Aaron Breuer

CEO Aaron Breuer emphasizes SelfCAD’s role in the growing 3D design and printing industry, highlighting its specialized tools. He emphasizes growth opportunities in 3D scanning and education, where affordable tools and hands-on learning are in demand. Breuer also discusses AI’s potential to enhance 3D model creation while stressing the continued need for platforms to refine and prepare designs for practical use.

In your view, how does SelfCAD’s browser-based approach contribute to making 3D modeling and additive manufacturing more accessible to a broader audience?

A browser-based CAD software solves the following three issues:

Accessibility: You can log in to your account and start 3D modeling from any computer. This is very helpful for students and freelance designers who often use shared devices and work from multiple locations.

Cloud storage: SelfCAD’s cloud storage alleviates the burden of file backups and enables the sharing of files between domains with ease. This also saves a significant amount of storage space on local devices.

File sharing: The web-based approach makes it easy for businesses to communicate with clients about their prototypes. This is a big challenge with traditional CAD software, but with SelfCAD, they can simply share a URL to the file, and the clients can open, edit, and send back an updated file as a new URL.

The 3D design and printing industry has experienced significant growth in recent years. What features or innovations in SelfCAD do you consider most transformative in democratizing 3D design?

3D printing requires having a manifold/watertight object, and then you need to slice it to get the g-code.

Traditional CAD software often creates non-manifold geometry and does not have a built-in slicer, making it challenging to convert your design into a 3D printable file. SelfCAD, on the other hand, comes with specialized tools to fix non-manifold geometries and also includes an online slicer, supporting most FDM printers.

SelfCAD’s all-in-one software makes it really easy to design, fix, and slice—all within a single user-friendly software.

What are the emerging industries or user groups that offer growth opportunities for 3D design software?

3D scanning: Emerging technologies make it possible to scan objects using relatively inexpensive devices, making it easy to reverse engineer objects from high-quality scans.

However, most traditional CAD software is not designed to edit 3D scans. SelfCAD, on the other hand, is a direct modeling software that enables editing any imported geometry as easily as natively designed objects.

As for emerging user groups, we’ve seen a growing number of advancements in the education sector. As more schools integrate STEM into their curriculum, 3D design software and 3D printers are being used to provide students with hands-on experience in various fields. Teachers are also using them to create materials that help students understand subjects better. A few years ago, it was difficult for students to learn 3D design software, as most of the programs available were either too expensive or complex to learn. But with software like SelfCAD, students can learn 3D modeling easily without making a large dent in the school’s budget.

Looking ahead, how do you envision advancements in AI and automation influencing the future of 3D design?

AI is very helpful in industries such as architecture and engineering, where it can help calculate layouts, perform stress testing, etc., and may eventually evolve to help create organic shapes.

AI is also very useful for creating photorealistic 3D rendering in a fraction of the time.

In general, we expect that AI-powered tools for generating 3D models will continue improving. Currently, there are several tools available for generating 3D models from basic text prompts, like Meshy. However, they are too basic and are only meant for generating simple models, which require a lot of editing to be useful.

In the near future, these tools will be smarter and will generate 3D models that fit the requirements of users. However, designers will still need to refine and clean up their files and prepare them for 3D printing in programs like SelfCAD.

Here you can find more information about SelfCAD.