Documentation

Getting Started

Tools & Features

Reference

Additional Resources

Beyond these documentation pages, CADFaber offers several other ways to learn and get help with your 3D design projects. Here are some resources worth exploring as you deepen your understanding of the tool and 3D modeling in general.

Tutorials

Our tutorial sectioncontains step-by-step guides that walk you through complete projects. Unlike documentation pages, which serve as references, tutorials follow a narrative structure — they start with a blank workspace and end with a finished design. The "Getting Started" tutorial is especially recommended for new users, as it covers the fundamental workflow of creating shapes, positioning them, applying boolean operations, and exporting the final result.

Templates

The templates gallery provides pre-built designs you can open directly in the editor. Templates are a great way to learn because you can examine how experienced designers structure their models. Each template comes with all shapes already positioned and combined, so you can reverse-engineer the approach by inspecting the scene tree and properties panel. Templates range from simple objects like phone stands and coasters to more complex assemblies like enclosures and mechanical parts.

Understanding the Editor Interface

CADFaber's editor is divided into several key areas. On the left, you will find the shape library and scene tree. The center is occupied by the 3D viewport where your model is rendered in real time. On the right, the properties panel displays parameters for the currently selected shape. At the top, the toolbar provides access to mode switching (Visual Builder versus Code Editor), CSG operations, export options, and project management. Understanding this layout is fundamental to working efficiently, and each documentation page below covers a specific aspect in depth.

Privacy-First Design Philosophy

One of CADFaber's core principles is that your designs stay on your device. Unlike cloud-based CAD tools that upload your geometry to remote servers, CADFaber processes everything locally in your browser using WebGL for rendering and WebAssembly for boolean operations. This means no account is required, no data leaves your machine, and you can work offline once the page has loaded. Your project files are saved to your browser's IndexedDB storage, and you can export them as JSON files for backup or transfer to another device.

Browser Compatibility

CADFaber works best in modern Chromium-based browsers (Chrome, Edge, Brave, Arc) and Firefox. Safari is supported but may show reduced performance with very complex models due to its WebGL implementation. For the best experience, we recommend using Chrome or Edge on a desktop device. Mobile browsers are supported for viewing models and basic editing, but the full editing experience is optimized for screens wider than 1024 pixels.

Getting Help

If you run into issues or have questions that are not covered by the documentation, you can reach out through the contact information on the impressum page. We are continuously improving CADFaber based on user feedback, and your input helps shape the direction of future features and documentation.

Quick Reference

Here is a quick overview of what each documentation page covers, so you can jump directly to the information you need:

• Visual Builder Guide — The drag-and-drop interface, workplane interaction, resize handles, rotation controls, snap-to-grid alignment, multi-selection, grouping shapes, and undo/redo history.
• Shapes Library Reference — Core shape catalog with parameter descriptions, default values, and practical usage tips for common modeling workflows.
• Export & Import Formats — Detailed comparison of STL, OBJ, GLB, 3MF, and other formats, including which are available in the free tier versus Pro, and how to import existing models.
• 3D Printing Basics — Beginner-friendly introduction to FDM printing, filament materials, slicer software, design constraints, and troubleshooting.
• Boolean / CSG Operations — How union, subtract, and intersect work, when to use each operation, hole objects, and best practices for clean geometry.
• Keyboard Shortcuts — Every shortcut in CADFaber organized by category, including selection, navigation, manipulation, and file operations.