SchoolCAD is free CAD software for schools. It runs in a web browser, it is built for Years 7 to 10 Design and Technology and TAS, and it walks students through their project one checked step at a time. You may also see it written as School CAD. It's the same tool, at schoolcad.app.
I'm a Design and Technology teacher in Sydney. Before that I spent six years as a school technical assistant, and I built SchoolCAD because of what I kept seeing in CAD lessons.
The problem: students waiting
In most CAD lessons the hard part isn't the software. It's the waiting. One teacher can't sit with 25 students at once, so the students who need the most help spend the most time stuck. They wait for someone to show them which button, while the rest of the class moves on.
Professional CAD programs like Onshape, Fusion and SolidWorks are excellent, but they were made for engineers. They assume you already know what a sketch plane is and why a sketch should be fully defined. Simpler tools are easy to start with, but students eventually outgrow them and have to learn new words for everything.
What SchoolCAD does differently
SchoolCAD is a real parametric CAD tool, laid out like Onshape, with the scaffolding built in. There are three ways in, all in the same program:
- Tutorials break a project into small steps. Each step has a checklist that ticks itself off as the student works. The tool they need is highlighted, hints explain what to fix when a size is off, and Show me builds the step for them when they are stuck.
- The Guide explains whatever a student is doing while they model freely. It can be set to full explanations, hints only, or off.
- Quick design lets every student reach a finished, makeable version of the set project, even before they can model. The teacher's sizes and joints stay locked, and students shape what is opened up to them.
As students get more confident, the support steps back. A student who is ready can turn the Guide off and use the full Part Studio with no help at all.
The same words as industry CAD
Everything in SchoolCAD uses the names professional CAD uses: sketch, constraints, dimensions, extrude, revolve, sweep, loft, fillet, chamfer, pattern, mirror, mates and drawings. The Guide also tells students what Fusion and SolidWorks call each tool. When students move on to senior years, TAFE or university, the skills carry straight over.
Made for the workshop
A school CAD model is only useful if it can be made. SchoolCAD exports what a TAS workshop actually uses:
- Laser cutting files (DXF), nested onto real sheet sizes, with a finger-joint tool that allows for laser kerf
- STL and STEP files
- Engineering drawings to AS 1100, with third-angle views, a parts list and a title block on A3 or A4
- Printable 1:1 PDF templates and a cutting list
- Ready-to-print files for Bambu Lab 3D printers, sliced in the browser, so there's no slicer to install on school laptops
Built for school IT
SchoolCAD runs entirely in the browser. The free version has no student accounts, nothing is uploaded, and the app loads nothing from other websites, so it works behind strict school filters. Students save their work in the browser or to a file they keep, so they can carry on next lesson or on another computer. A teacher can try it today and use it in tomorrow's lesson without waiting for an install.
Designed for every learner
The step-by-step structure is there for differentiated instruction. Students with ADHD, specific learning difficulties or autism, and anyone new to CAD, often need one-to-one help to get started. SchoolCAD's tutorials give every student a clear next step and a way to check their own work, so the teacher's time goes to the students who need it most. You can read more on the Every learner page.
Who it's for
- Students in Years 7 to 10 learning CAD for the first time, and students ready for more who want real tools
- TAS and D&T teachers who want an easy CAD program they can use with a whole class
- Heads of TAS and learning support teams looking for a way to differentiate CAD lessons
Is it free?
Yes. The full CAD tool, the tutorials, the Guide, Quick design and every accessibility and scaffolding feature are free for students and teachers, and will stay free. Schools can also have the projects they already teach built into SchoolCAD as guided tutorials. The Pricing page has the details, and the For schools page explains how custom projects work.
Try it
Open schoolcad.app in any modern browser and start a tutorial. If you teach TAS or D&T and would like a demo using one of your own projects, email hello@schoolcad.com.