AXCAD: Building a Browser-Based CAD Application with DXF/DWG Interop
How we engineered a full-stack CAD workspace with parametric constraints, command workflows, and export pipelines for engineers who need CAD workflows in the browser.
The problem
Delivering a full-featured CAD application in the browser without the computational overhead of traditional desktop CAD systems, while supporting industry-standard DXF/DWG file formats and maintaining responsive performance for complex drawings.
The solution
We built a React frontend with a specialized browser-side drawing engine using Rust for performance-critical geometry operations, paired with an Express backend using PostgreSQL and Prisma for user management and collaboration services, with libredxfrw bridge integration for DWG/DXF interoperability.
Outcomes
- The frontend delivers a browser-side CAD drawing engine with route-level lazy loading to manage bundle size.
- DXF import and export work in-process while DWG conversion routes through the libredxfrw bridge for format compatibility.
- Authentication uses cookie-based sessions with RBAC and one-way password hashing for security.
+2 more in the write-up
Inside the write-up
- What the engine needed
- How the drawing engine works
- Bridging DXF and DWG
- Securing users and collaboration
- Keeping the build sane
- What comes next