logo
NOTICE:  This is the new PunchCAD forum. You should have received an email with your new password around August 27, 2014. If you did not, or would like it reset, simply use the Lost Password feature, and enter Answer as the security answer.
Welcome Guest! To enable all features please Login or Register.

Notification

Icon
Error

2 Pages<12
Options
Go to last post Go to first unread
24c  
#21 Posted : Sunday, November 8, 2026 5:40:45 PM(UTC)
24c

Rank: Senior Member

Joined: 7/27/2015(UTC)
Posts: 310
United Kingdom

Thanks: 51 times
Was thanked: 92 time(s) in 61 post(s)
Hi

Just an update on Solidcraft etc, and the work done by Brennan, and others too helping this project.
The core engine is being updated, and for anyone who would like an update, this guy on YT gives and update…

https://youtu.be/g5BYODqilEM?is=PsOQuB5FfpCh6_Zj

…and here’s a link to the official site, there’s a cloned version called Solidcraft Pro, that’s a spam site etc. This is full parametric, and is starting to use the open source NVIDIA Rust based Kernel

Official link to Solidcraft

What’s fascinating is how people are using AI, and improving stuff, but if you’re not careful, it can send you down a rabbit hole, so the key in my experience is to ask proper questions, and give accurate feedback to problems you are witnessing.

Mike

PS I’ve used Plasticity years ago and it has come on since then, but I do hope a native Apple Silicon version drops someday, v18?, maybe some AI credits will go and sort some code analysis and bug fixes. I haven’t upgraded my macOS, as I don’t want to break the v16 I am running, because I have a load of files in saved in the .sfx formats.



macOS Tahoe-MacBook M1 Max 64GB 2TB SSD & external display - SharkCAD Pro v16.0.36 b1836
macOS Tahoe-v17 beta b1908
24c  
#22 Posted : Sunday, November 8, 2026 6:35:10 PM(UTC)
24c

Rank: Senior Member

Joined: 7/27/2015(UTC)
Posts: 310
United Kingdom

Thanks: 51 times
Was thanked: 92 time(s) in 61 post(s)
Hi again,

Another one for you folks…

PhysCAD

Another YT link from the developer

PhsCAD YT

Early days, but it’ll do CAM and other options they are working on, it’s a one time purchase

Mike
macOS Tahoe-MacBook M1 Max 64GB 2TB SSD & external display - SharkCAD Pro v16.0.36 b1836
macOS Tahoe-v17 beta b1908
thanks 3 users thanked 24c for this useful post.
ZeroLengthCurve on 11/8/2026(UTC), GARLIC on 11/9/2026(UTC), MPSchmied on 11/9/2026(UTC)
ZeroLengthCurve  
#23 Posted : Sunday, November 8, 2026 9:07:43 PM(UTC)
ZeroLengthCurve

Rank: Senior Member

Joined: 5/15/2008(UTC)
Posts: 1,137

Thanks: 142 times
Was thanked: 128 time(s) in 87 post(s)
I saw it too. Impressive, whether or not vibe-coded.

It's apps like those that will light the fire 7nder incumbents. Ideally, if Tim and and Team can find opwn source or free (beer and rights/freedom) CAD core engine and kernel code, it xould be a massive win, as long as the code isn't so labyrinthian as to bog the Company down.

If those ascending/ascendant vibe coders keep adding features that turn out stable due to luck, perseverance, or community feedback, any existing companies that can't keep up won't survive outside of massively lobbying the pliant politicians.

As much as I hope those upstarts spook the incumbents, I really wish SharkCAD comes out a survivor.

But, at some point, filtering out IP infringement risk, the incumbents are GOING to have to more rapidly add stability, bug fixes, and begged-for quality of life add-ons such as:

— F2 to rename layers;

— ability to re-parent layers; permission to run multiple instances of the app to acoid crashing due to buggy files (imagine tutoring online and your files keep crashing unsaved work, and the viewers go, "Nahhh, I'll pass on that app...)";

— ability to drang and drop layers between app instances or even just one instance across multiple displays, so file reorg can be made more powerful;

— on-palette search dialogues; real-time intent-based curve fariring; more powerful and flexible constraints functionality (curves not planar!);

— and so on.

I don't have the kind of money it would take to get Tim or his board to add features I've begged for over the years. I bet even $1,000,000 wouldn't be enough since it can't be just Tim's decision. I could win a Powerball and try to no-strings drop $500,000,000 on SharkCAD and someone out of nowhere would get in the way, as if SharkCAD is supposed to be contained to some sideline niche — cute, but leashed. Powerful, but crippled. But, that kind of money would turn a vibe coder CAD company into a massively huge risk to incumbents. Heck, if 1,000 people put $100 a month into any one of those vibing CAD startup upstarts, the industry incumbents are going to cry foul.

Sharks are among the oldest and most powerful and most resilient animals on the planet. SharkCAD needs more teeth and improved gills. The seawater is only getting cloudier.
thanks 2 users thanked ZeroLengthCurve for this useful post.
GARLIC on 11/9/2026(UTC), 24c on 11/9/2026(UTC)
24c  
#24 Posted : Monday, November 9, 2026 2:12:08 AM(UTC)
24c

Rank: Senior Member

Joined: 7/27/2015(UTC)
Posts: 310
United Kingdom

Thanks: 51 times
Was thanked: 92 time(s) in 61 post(s)
Hi ZeroLengthCurve

Originally Posted by: ZeroLengthCurve Go to Quoted Post
I saw it too. Impressive, whether or not vibe-coded…… Sharks are among the oldest and most powerful and most resilient animals on the planet. SharkCAD needs more teeth and improved gills. The seawater is only getting cloudier.


Yes, I thought about the vibe coding side too, but I’ve been guilty of using that in parts for the last two weeks, trying to get my DIY programmable car ignition of the ground. Over years, like my CAD dabbling, I have tried to get it over the line, and despite having a load of experience with commercial systems, I wanted something simple, that a small segment of classic car (Panhard) owners could relate too. I last looked at it in February 2026 and some Arduino code using libraries wouldn’t work for me when I was checking it on an oscilloscope, no matter what, so I laid it up.

My point is two weeks ago, I fed some of the code into AI, described the symptômes, and in an hour it had homed in on the error, and then went down a prompt/reply rabbit hole for 5 days on and off, before I called time and fed my simple working code from two years ago into it, and said why don’t you use a simple interrupt model as I only need this type of triggering sensor trigger….well it just got better. Then I got to the limits of the is microprocessor, so asked if as we aren’t using this processor specific library aka core engine, can we not use any processor know, which it could, and within a few hours it had done just that, but I got sent down another rabbit hole, before I pulled it back, and changed direction again. This type of AI interaction where you see patterns, and ask questions, query responses etc I have found truly remarkable,

I now realise this is the strength of AI for me, I can ask a specific question, say this and this is happening, it will claw through the code, and explain what is happening, and why, suggest a fix, and in no time you’ve got a solution. I just wish that SharkCAD developers used this, maybe they have or will, just a simple compare CAD kernels exercise would be huge, and it’s amazing these start ups (individuals who are passionate) have got this far, even using AI to find fault with NVIDiAs open source kerne, sending the results back to NVIDIA, who fixed it is huge.

Another thing you notice, is that they are multi platform dependant from the off, including a Linux port etc, and Apple Silicon, I can’t help when Tim sees these sort of developments, his cogs will be turning, or even maybe somebody in his team, will try and use it to solve their pipelines of development.

I hope so, Sharks are needed in the ecosystem.

Mike

Edited by user Monday, November 9, 2026 2:14:23 AM(UTC)  | Reason: Usual stuff typos, and autocorrection.

macOS Tahoe-MacBook M1 Max 64GB 2TB SSD & external display - SharkCAD Pro v16.0.36 b1836
macOS Tahoe-v17 beta b1908
relaxibus  
#25 Posted : Monday, November 9, 2026 2:33:30 AM(UTC)
relaxibus

Rank: Senior Member

Joined: 11/22/2018(UTC)
Posts: 141

Thanks: 7 times
Was thanked: 82 time(s) in 47 post(s)
Price is ridiculous :-)
Features looks good for a sculptor modeller, not useable for mechanical and engineering applications, but this is not Cheetah's customer target.

For now, I'm keeping an eye on Plasticity and Solidcraft. As told, I love my Shark, but I'm angry we will not have a good way out here...
Users browsing this topic
Guest (2)
2 Pages<12
Forum Jump  
You cannot post new topics in this forum.
You cannot reply to topics in this forum.
You cannot delete your posts in this forum.
You cannot edit your posts in this forum.
You cannot create polls in this forum.
You cannot vote in polls in this forum.