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Why This Architecture?

ClassCAD’s architecture is the result of a deliberate design choice:
to make CAD automatable, scalable, and designed for long-term evolution.

This page explains why ClassCAD is built the way it is, and which problems this architecture is designed to solve.

CAD Was Not Designed for the Cloud​

Traditional CAD systems evolved around:

  • Interactive desktop usage
  • Manual modeling workflows
  • File-based data exchange
  • Tight coupling between UI and logic

While highly effective for individual engineers, this architecture makes it difficult to:

  • Automate CAD processes
  • Run CAD reliably in the cloud
  • Integrate CAD into modern software platforms
  • Maintain CAD logic over long product lifecycles

ClassCAD addresses these limitations at an architectural level.

Design Principle 1: CAD Logic Must Be Independent of the UI​

In ClassCAD, CAD logic is completely decoupled from user interfaces.

Why this matters:

  • The same CAD logic can be used in web apps, backend services, or automation pipelines
  • UI technologies can change without affecting CAD logic
  • CAD becomes a reusable system component instead of a tool

This makes ClassCAD suitable for long-lived engineering products rather than short-lived interfaces.

Design Principle 2: Deterministic and reproducible execution of CAD logic Over Interaction​

Interactive modeling introduces variability: user input, timing, environment differences.

ClassCAD replaces interaction with deterministic and reproducible execution of CAD logic.

Why this matters:

  • Identical inputs always produce identical CAD models
  • Results are predictable, testable, and reproducible
  • Automated workflows become reliable at scale

Determinism is essential for backend services and industrial automation.

Design Principle 3: CAD as Code, Not Just Files​

ClassCAD treats CAD logic as executable code rather than editable files alone.

Why this matters:

  • CAD logic can be versioned, tested, and reviewed
  • Engineering knowledge becomes reusable software
  • CAD generation becomes part of standard development workflows

At the same time, ClassCAD fully supports persistent CAD models.

Models can be stored, loaded, and edited using ClassCAD’s native OFB format. Files are used for persistence and exchange, while design intent and business logic live in code.

This code-first approach enables reproducible model generation and controlled, automated modifications without abandoning file-based workflows.

Design Principle 4: Stable APIs, Evolving Internals​

External systems interact with ClassCAD only through stable APIs.

Internally, models, representations, and implementations may change.

Why this matters:

  • Customer integrations remain stable over many years
  • Internal improvements do not break products
  • Technical debt is reduced over time

This separation is key for enterprise and solutions designed for long-lived systems.

Design Principle 5: Controlled and Secure Execution​

All CAD logic runs inside a controlled runtime environment.

Why this matters:

  • Intellectual property stays on the server
  • Execution is isolated from client environments
  • CAD services can be safely exposed via the cloud

This is critical for enterprise deployments and IP-sensitive workflows.

Design Principle 6: Explicit Separation of Responsibilities​

ClassCAD clearly separates:

  • CAD logic (classes)
  • Execution (runtime and virtual machine)
  • System services (plugins)
  • Integration (APIs and proxies)

Why this matters:

  • Each layer can evolve independently
  • Complexity is contained
  • Systems remain understandable and maintainable

This avoids the architectural entanglement common in traditional CAD systems.

The Resulting Architecture​

As a result of these design decisions, ClassCAD becomes:

  • A headless CAD backend
  • An automation-first CAD platform
  • A cloud-ready engineering engine

In Summary​

ClassCAD’s architecture is not optimized for interactive modeling.
It is optimized for reliability, automation, and longevity.

That is why it is built the way it is.