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.
Hi Product Hunt — I’m Andrea, from PixyCAD team
We built PixyCAD because many 3D CAD tools still feel too complex for makers and 3D-printing enthusiasts, especially when working on modern Apple devices. Mac and iPad users deserve a native modelling experience that feels approachable without giving up a professional solid-modelling foundation.
PixyCAD is a native CAD app for Mac and iPad, powered by Parasolid. It supports workflows from sketching to solid modelling, with Apple Pencil support on iPad and export formats including STEP, Parasolid, STL and 3MF.
PixyCAD is free to try with the Starter plan, and today we are mainly looking for honest feedback.
Thank you for taking a look.
Parasolid under the hood is a serious flex for something that feels this approachable on iPad. Played with it for a few minutes and the direct manipulation is genuinely fun.
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.
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
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.
Parasolid as the geometry kernel is a serious foundation for a native iPad/Mac app — 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 under the hood is a serious choice and pairing it with a Mac-first workflow that actually feels approachable is a real craft move.
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
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.
About PixyCAD on Product Hunt
“Fast & precise 3D CAD built natively for iPad and Mac”
PixyCAD launched on Product Hunt on July 17th, 2026 and earned 133 upvotes and 13 comments, placing #9 on the daily leaderboard. 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.
PixyCAD was featured in 3D Printer (9k followers), Maker Tools (2.8k followers) and 3D Modeling (2k followers) on Product Hunt. Together, these topics include over 4.3k products, making this a competitive space to launch in.
Who hunted PixyCAD ?
PixyCAD was hunted by Andrea Sartori. A “hunter” on Product Hunt is the community member who submits a product to the platform — uploading the images, the link, and tagging the makers behind it. Hunters typically write the first comment explaining why a product is worth attention, and their followers are notified the moment they post. Around 79% of featured launches on Product Hunt are self-hunted by their makers, but a well-known hunter still acts as a signal of quality to the rest of the community. See the full all-time top hunters leaderboard to discover who is shaping the Product Hunt ecosystem.
Want to see how PixyCAD stacked up against nearby launches in real time? Check out the live launch dashboard for upvote speed charts, proximity comparisons, and more analytics.
Andrea Sartori