Cademy builds a step-by-step path through a CAD platform, matched to your experience level and tied to the project you actually want to make. It's free, and I'm designing and developing it myself.
Why I started it
I learned CAD by needing it — for robot parts, and then for a whole car. Most people meet CAD the other way around: a long list of generic tutorials with no project at the end. And as the person teaching Onshape to newer robotics members, I kept seeing the same thing: people learn fastest when every lesson connects to something they want to build.
Cademy is my attempt at that. Instead of a fixed course, you get a path built around your project.
The problem
CAD is one of the most useful skills for anyone who wants to make physical things, but structured instruction is hard to find outside of school programs and paid courses. Students also end up locked into whatever software their teacher happens to use.
How it works
The flow is short on purpose.
- Pick a platform — Onshape, SolidWorks, Fusion 360 or FreeCAD
- Pick a level — beginner, intermediate or advanced
- Choose what you want to design, from mechanical and product design to robotics, furniture, vehicles and art
- Optionally describe something specific to build, and Cademy generates a custom project module around it
- Work through modules with step-by-step instructions, assignments and progress tracking
What goes into it
Cademy sits where my interests overlap: engineering knowledge for the curriculum, computer science and web development for the platform, education for how lessons are sequenced, and interface design so that the whole thing feels simple. It's also my first real attempt at building a product from the ground up.
Inside the platform
Landing page Choosing a platform and experience level Choosing interests and describing a project A generated curriculum with modules and assignments