Anvil3D

English · Português

Anvil3D is a free, local 3D CAD for Windows and macOS, made for 3D printing — in the spirit of Tinkercad, but running on your own computer, without an account or internet connection.

You build parts by combining solids and holes, with an editable history: every shape keeps its parameters, so you can go back and change any measurement at any time. The .nvl3d project stores the whole construction tree; STL, OBJ and 3MF are only the export.

⬇ Download the latest version · ♥ Support on Ko-fi

Features

• Shape library in categories: basic shapes, polyhedra (including the soccer ball), symbols, fasteners (screws with real threads, nuts, washers), mechanics (gears, racks, pulleys, springs), joints (pins, dovetails, ball joints), containers and generators (extrusion, profile revolve, bent pipe, SVG).
• Solids and holes, groups, multicolor groups and real-time preview of what a hole will cut.
• Fillet and chamfer on straight and curved edges, with continuous lines and tangent chains. On extruded parts (text, SVG, polygons) the finish is computed from the outline, clean and fast, with a warning when the size is too large for the thin parts.
• 3D text with built-in and Windows fonts, wrapped around a cylinder or applied to any face (ramps, domes, curved parts, the inside of tubes), following the surface, or folding over the edges of flat-faced parts (star, icosahedron, boxes).
• Import SVG as an extruded, editable part; import and export STL, OBJ and 3MF (3MF keeps one part per object, each with its color; STL can also be one file per object); import STEP (.step/.stp, from other CAD programs), with each part of an assembly separate, in place and with its color.
• Join faces, align, mirror, resize several parts at once, move by dragging (like Tinkercad).
• Handles and dimensions on the part: corners, top and bottom; the clicked handle stays chosen, with its dimensions always visible and a typed size growing towards it.
• Mesh editing, simplification and repair for printing.
• Plugins: create new shapes in JavaScript — or ask an AI to write them using the included guide.
• Interface and manual in English and Portuguese.

Getting started

Download the latest version from Releases:

System	File	How to use
Windows	Anvil3D-Instalador-<version>.exe	Installer, creates shortcuts.
Windows	Anvil3D-<version>-windows-x64.zip	No installation: unzip anywhere and run Anvil3D.exe.
Windows	Anvil3D-Portatil-<version>.exe	Single file, runs directly (e.g. from a USB stick). Slower to start, as it unpacks itself every time.
macOS 13 or later	Anvil3D-Mac-<version>.dmg	Open it and drag Anvil3D to Applications (Intel and Apple Silicon).

Projects, plugins and saved parts live in Documents\Anvil3D (on the Mac, Documents/Anvil3D).

First-run warnings. Anvil3D has no paid Microsoft or Apple signature, so both systems are wary of it at first:

• Windows: if the browser says the file is unsafe, choose Keep. When opening, if "Windows protected your PC" appears, click More info › Run anyway.
• Mac: right-click Anvil3D and choose Open. If macOS says the app is "damaged", run in Terminal: xattr -cr /Applications/Anvil3D.app

Mouse: right button rotates the view, middle button pans, wheel zooms. Click selects, Shift+click adds to the selection. The arrow keys move the part following the view. F1 opens the full manual; the ? buttons in the panel show quick tips. On the Mac, shortcuts use ⌘ instead of Ctrl (⌘+click adds to the selection).

Preferences menu: move by dragging, side handles, dimension lines, bed size (200–300 mm) and language.

Development

npm install
npm start            # run the app
npm test             # core tests (geometry, file format, STL)
npm run dist         # build the Windows packages (installer, zip and portable)

npm run dist:mac # build the macOS app (needs a Mac; automatic on GitHub Actions)

Structure:

• main.js, preload.js — window, files, app:// protocol and plugins folder.
• app/core/ — UI-free core (file format with migrations, Manifold geometry engine, history, STL/OBJ/3MF; STEP reading through OpenCascade).
• app/principal.mjs — 3D interface.
• plugins/ — built-in shapes, using the same API as user plugins (see plugins/LEIA-ME.md and plugins/GENERATE-SHAPES-WITH-AI.md).

Built with Electron, three.js, Manifold, meshoptimizer, opentype.js and occt-import-js (OpenCascade, LGPL-2.1); DejaVu fonts.

Support the project

Anvil3D is free. If it helped you, please consider supporting its development: ko-fi.com/anvil3d

License

Anvil3D is free software under the GNU General Public License v3.0 or later (see LICENSE). Plugins that use only the public plugin API may use any license — see EXCECAO-PLUGINS.md.

Created by Luiz Pacheco · luizgpf@gmail.com · nobetteridea.com · © 2026