explaingit

xiangechen/chili3d

4,534TypeScriptAudience · designerComplexity · 2/5LicenseSetup · easy

TLDR

A free browser-based 3D CAD app for creating precise engineering models and drawings with no installation required, running at near-native speed using WebAssembly in any modern browser.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((chili3d))
    What it does
      3D CAD in browser
      Sketch tools
      Boolean operations
      File import and export
    Tech stack
      TypeScript
      WebAssembly
      OpenCascade
    Modeling tools
      Extrude and revolve
      Chamfer and fillet
      Move and mirror
    File formats
      STEP
      IGES
      BREP
Click or tap to explore — scroll the page freely

Code map

Detail Auto

An interactive map of this repo's files and how they connect — its source is parsed live in your browser. Click Visualize to build it.

filefunction / class

Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Design 3D mechanical parts in your browser using sketch tools, extrusion, and boolean operations without installing any software.

USE CASE 2

Import and export standard engineering formats (STEP, IGES, BREP) to exchange models with desktop CAD tools like Fusion 360.

USE CASE 3

Self-host Chili3D on your own server to give users a browser-based 3D modeling tool inside your own web app.

USE CASE 4

Measure angles, lengths, areas, and volumes of 3D models directly inside the browser before exporting.

Tech stack

TypeScriptWebAssemblyOpenCascade

Getting it running

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Use it free at chili3d.com with zero setup, self-hosting requires building TypeScript and the OpenCascade WebAssembly module.

Free to use and modify, but any modified version must also be open-source under AGPL-3.0, commercial licensing is available separately from the author.

In plain English

Chili3D is a browser-based 3D CAD application that runs entirely in a web browser, with no software to install. CAD stands for Computer-Aided Design, the same category of tool used by engineers and product designers to build precise 3D models. The project achieves near-native performance by compiling OpenCascade, a professional-grade 3D geometry library used in industrial software, into WebAssembly so it runs at speed inside the browser tab. You can use it at chili3d.com. Modeling capabilities are broad. The app handles basic shapes like boxes, cylinders, cones, and spheres, as well as 2D sketch tools for lines, arcs, circles, ellipses, rectangles, and Bezier curves. From there you can apply operations like extrusion, revolution, sweeping, lofting, and boolean math, which lets you combine or subtract shapes from each other. Editing tools include chamfer, fillet, trim, split, move, rotate, and mirror. You can also measure angles, lengths, areas, and volumes. Documents can be saved and reopened, and the app supports import and export in STEP, IGES, and BREP formats, which are standard file types that professional engineering software understands. There is a full undo/redo history, hierarchical assembly management, and a 3D viewport with adjustable camera positions. The interface is currently available in English and Chinese. The project is open-source, written in TypeScript, and currently in active alpha development. Core APIs may still change and some features are still being built. The license is AGPL-3.0, which allows free use but requires that any modified versions also be open-source. Commercial licensing is available separately by contacting the author. One item to be aware of: the application includes Microsoft Clarity analytics by default, and the README explains how to remove that script if you prefer not to have usage data collected.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Walk me through creating a simple bracket in Chili3D: rectangular base, vertical wall, and a hole through it using sketch, extrude, and boolean subtract.
Prompt 2
How do I import a STEP file into Chili3D at chili3d.com, make edits, and export it back as BREP?
Prompt 3
I cloned chili3d locally. How do I build it from source with TypeScript and wire up the OpenCascade WebAssembly module?
Prompt 4
How do I remove the Microsoft Clarity analytics script from the Chili3D source code before self-hosting it on my own server?
Prompt 5
What are all the 2D sketch tools available in Chili3D and how do I constrain a sketch before extruding it?
Open on GitHub → Explain another repo

← xiangechen on gitmyhub — every repo by this author, as a profile.

Verify against the repo before relying on details.