cad update.. the timeline is alive
LOG 202502100151 #log
remember when i mentioned having some "wild" plans for the cad app? well, i couldn't help myself - i've been cooking up some pretty interesting features this weekend. that timeline/version control idea? it's actually starting to take shape, even if it's a bit rough around the edges right now.
what's cooking
the biggest thing is probably the branching timeline feature. you can actually jump back to any point in your model's history and branch off in a completely new direction. the UI is kind of a mess right now (okay, it's really a mess), but the core functionality is there. it's like git for 3D models, except you can watch the whole thing play back. clunky and honestly im shocked i got it working lol.
2d to 3d and back again
got the 2D sketch mode working too! you can sketch out your design, extrude it into 3D, and the cool part? your sketch stays right there. want to tweak that sketch and extrude again? go for it. it's all flowing together way better than i expected, even if there are still some quirks to work out.
command line shenanigans
threw in a command line interface because... why not? press / to open it, ESC to close. honestly, it's probably easier to just click the buttons, but it's fun to have. plus it shows you the browser console output, which has remained surprisingly error-free on the deployment side (localhost is another story entirely 😅).
tracking the madness
giving posthog analytics a try because i wanted to move away from google and ga4 plague. really digging it so far - feels more developer-friendly and gives me better insights into how people might actually use this thing (assuming anyone else is crazy enough to try it).
what's next
got a bunch of ideas brewing:
- proper scaling and measurements (because apparently that might be useful in a CAD program 😂)
- canvas mode with highlighted build areas for different 3D printers
- cleaning up that branching timeline UI before it drives me insane
- maybe even an infinite canvas mode for notes and random stuff
it's been fun seeing how this project keeps evolving, pretty soon ill need to actually get a 3d printer 😅
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