Launch HN: Adam (YC W25) – Open-Source AI CAD

👉 adam.new/cadam. Generate a CAD model in seconds, right in your browser. No install required.

• 🤖 AI-Powered Generation - Transform natural language and images into 3D models
• 🎛️ Parametric Controls - Interactive sliders for instant dimension adjustments
• 📦 Multiple Export Formats - Export as .STL, .SCAD, or .DXF files
• 🌐 Browser-Based - Runs entirely in your browser using WebAssembly
• 📚 Library Support - Includes BOSL, BOSL2, and MCAD libraries

A showcase of what CADAM builds from a single plain-language description — from full multi-part machines down to clean parametric parts. Each model below started from the prompt shown and came out as fully parametric OpenSCAD, ready to export as .STL, .SCAD, or .DXF. The source and a short write-up for each live in benchmarks/; the orbiting previews are rendered with benchmarks/render.sh.

Model	Prompt	Controls	Output
V8 engine	A complete V8 internal combustion engine: two banks of four cylinders in a 90° V, cylinder heads with ribbed valve covers, an intake manifold in the valley, exhaust headers down each bank, a crankshaft with counterweights, pistons and connecting rods, a front pulley, and an oil pan.	22 dims
9-cylinder radial aircraft engine	Design a 9-cylinder radial aircraft engine: a central round crankcase with nine finned cylinders arranged evenly in a star pattern around it, each cylinder with stacked cooling fins and a domed cylinder head, and a central propeller shaft hub at the front.	15 dims
Turbofan jet engine	A complete high-bypass turbofan: a front fan you can see into, a bypass cowl, an internal core with compressor/turbine stages, outlet guide vanes, and an exhaust plug.	2 dims
Axial turbine blisk	Model an axial-flow turbine blisk (bladed disk) like a jet engine compressor stage: a central hub with a shaft bore and a single ring of about 28 thin aerofoil blades around the rim, each blade clearly twisted along its height from root to tip like a real turbine blade.	14 dims

Model	Prompt	Controls	Output
Twisted hexagonal vase	Design a twisted hexagonal vase: a hollow shell about 150 mm tall that tapers from a 70 mm base to a 50 mm mouth, with the hexagonal cross-section twisting 120 degrees from bottom to top, a 2 mm wall, and a closed bottom.	6 dims
Knurled control knob	Make a knurled control knob 40 mm in diameter and 22 mm tall with a diamond-knurled grip, a raised pointer mark on top, a 6 mm D-shaped shaft bore, and an M3 set-screw hole through the side.	15 dims
Hex bolt & nut — real threads	Create an M12 hex bolt 45 mm long with a real threaded shaft and a standard hex head, plus its matching hex nut, placed side by side.	3 dims
Honeycomb lightweight bracket	Design a 90-degree angle mounting bracket with 80x80 mm flanges that are 5 mm thick, lightened with a hexagonal honeycomb cutout pattern on both faces, four M5 mounting holes, and a filleted inside corner.	13 dims
NACA 2412 tapered wing	Model a tapered aircraft wing section using a real NACA 2412 airfoil: 120 mm root chord tapering to 80 mm tip over a 200 mm span, with two spanwise spar tubes and a few lightening holes.	9 dims
Threaded jar & screw-on lid	Create a small storage jar with external screw threads at the neck and a matching screw-on lid with internal threads. Jar body 60 mm diameter, 70 mm tall, 2.5 mm walls; show the lid unscrewed and sitting beside the jar.	9 dims
Right-angle bevel gear drive	Build a right-angle bevel gear drive: a 24-tooth bevel gear on a vertical shaft meshing at 90 degrees with a 16-tooth bevel pinion on a horizontal shaft, each on a short stub shaft.	9 dims
Centrifugal pump impeller	Design a centrifugal pump impeller: a 90 mm diameter back-plate with a central 12 mm bore and a raised hub, and seven backward-curved blades that sweep from the hub out to the rim, each blade curving smoothly along its path.	10 dims
Herringbone planetary gear stage	Model a herringbone planetary gear stage at module 1.5: a central sun gear with 18 teeth, three planet gears with 18 teeth each meshing around it, an internal ring gear with 54 teeth, and a carrier plate linking the three planet axles. Color the sun, planets, ring, and carrier differently.	10 dims

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/Adam-CAD/CADAM.git
cd CADAM

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Start Supabase
npx supabase start
npx supabase functions serve --no-verify-jwt

# Start the development server
npm run dev

• Node.js ^20.19.0 or >=22.12.0, with npm 10+
• Supabase CLI
• ngrok (for local webhook development)

• Copy .env.local.template to .env.local
• Update all required keys in .env.local:

  VITE_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY="<Test Anon Key>"
  VITE_SUPABASE_URL='http://127.0.0.1:54321'
  

• Add server-side keys to .env.local, including:

  ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="<Test Anthropic API Key>"
  OPENROUTER_API_KEY="<Test OpenRouter API Key>"
  OPENAI_API_KEY="<Test OpenAI API Key>"
  GOOGLE_API_KEY="<Test Google API Key>"
  FAL_KEY="<Test FAL API Key>"
  SUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY="<Test Service Role Key>"
  BILLING_SERVICE_URL="<Test Billing Service URL>"
  BILLING_SERVICE_KEY="<Test Billing Service Key>"
  ENVIRONMENT="local"
  ADAM_URL="<Adam URL or dev URL>" # Checkout and portal redirect target
  WEBHOOK_BASE_URL="<Public TanStack App URL>" # Your app URL for /cadam/api callbacks
  NGROK_URL="<NGROK URL>" # Optional local Supabase Storage tunnel for provider-readable signed URLs
  

CADAM uses public URLs for provider callbacks and local signed storage URLs:

1. Install ngrok if you haven't already:

   npm install -g ngrok
   # or
   brew install ngrok

2. Start an ngrok tunnel pointing to your TanStack Start dev server:

3. Copy the generated ngrok URL (e.g., https://xxxx-xx-xx-xxx-xx.ngrok.io) and add it to your .env.local file:

   WEBHOOK_BASE_URL="https://xxxx-xx-xx-xxx-xx.ngrok.io"
   

4. If a provider must fetch local Supabase Storage signed URLs, run a second tunnel to Supabase and set NGROK_URL to that URL.

5. Ensure ENVIRONMENT="local" is set in the same file.

npx supabase start
npm run dev

• Frontend: React 19 + TypeScript + TanStack Start + Vite
• 3D Rendering: Three.js + React Three Fiber
• CAD Engine: OpenSCAD WebAssembly
• Backend: TanStack Start server routes + Supabase PostgreSQL/Auth/Storage
• AI: Anthropic Claude API
• Styling: Tailwind CSS + shadcn/ui
• Libraries: BOSL, BOSL2, MCAD

If you have a suggestion that would make this better, please fork the repo and create a pull request. You can also open an issue.

See the CONTRIBUTING.md for instructions and code of conduct.

This app wouldn't be possible without the work of:

• OpenSCAD
• openscad-wasm
• openscad-playground
• openscad-web-gui
• dingcad

This distribution is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 (GPLv3). See LICENSE.

Components and attributions:

• Portions of this project are derived from openscad-web-gui (GPLv3).
• This distribution includes unmodified binaries from OpenSCAD WASM under GPL v2 or later; distributed here under GPLv3 as part of the combined work. See src/vendor/openscad-wasm/SOURCE-OFFER.txt.