Will Your Model Data Leak in Online CAD?
It depends on where the data lives, so this question cannot be answered with a plain yes or no. A model stored in the cloud travels over the network and sits on a provider server. A model stored locally sits on your own computer and never passes through someone else server. How cadAI stores models is not stated in the facts card: where the model lives, whether it is encrypted, and how long it is kept are all unlisted. Use the desktop version for sensitive parts, because its local files stay in your hands, and read the page notes before putting a sensitive model in the browser version.
cadAI is a browser-based parametric CAD from Aiglade, for mechanical part modeling, hole drilling, measurement, and export, with the same kernel on desktop, in the browser, and over MCP.
- SolidCraft kernel, an independent community project, not an ArtCraft product line
- S-01 primitives, S-02 holes, S-03 conversion, S-04 measurement, S-05 preview, 5 connected intents
- Desktop, browser, and MCP, 3 forms with one kernel
- Pricing to be confirmed
Where the data lives decides what the risk looks like
Online CAD data lives in one of three places, and each place carries a different risk. In the cloud, you can switch computers and keep working, but the data travels over the network and sits on a provider server, so the retention policy, the access control, and the encryption decide how large the risk is. In the browser, the data sits in your own browser and may never be uploaded, but clearing the cache or switching computers can lose it. In local files, the data never passes through someone else server, so the risk is smallest, but you must carry the files yourself.
cadAI has three forms that map onto these places. The desktop version is local modeling, with files on your own computer. The browser version opens at cad.aiglade.cn, but the facts card does not state where its models live. The MCP interface lets an agent drive modeling from a program, and the facts card does not state how its data travels either. This page does not fill those gaps by guessing.
How to judge whether an online CAD tool is safe enough
Judge a tool by three questions. First, does the page state clearly where the model lives? If it does not say, do not put a sensitive model there. Second, can a sensitive part stay local, with no upload at all? The desktop version answers yes. Third, can the model be exported for backup, so the data ends up in your hands? cadAI gives half of that answer: export runs through S-03 conversion, and the format list is to be checked on the page. The first two questions have no answer in the facts card.
The same split applies to the work itself. A flanged plate or a bracket, an ordinary part with no secrets in it, is fine for the browser version. A sensitive part, one whose dimensions or design must not leave your hands, belongs in the desktop version first. You decide that by asking where the data lives, and then choosing the form that matches the answer. Complex curved surfaces, assembly motion simulation, and CAM toolpaths are outside the scope of cadAI in any form, and work needing vendor certification and production grade accuracy sign off does not fit either.
Three kinds of choices
There are three kinds of choices, and the table shows them at a glance. This page compares categories only: it gives no version numbers, prices, or scores for any specific product.
| Choice | Install | Parametric modeling | Holes and measurement | Where data lives | AI agent drive | Who it fits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| cadAI web version | Opens in the browser | Yes, the part follows the parameters | S-02 holes, S-04 measurement | Check the page notes | MCP interface, an agent can drive modeling | Simple parts, flanged plates, brackets, dimension checks |
| Desktop CAD | Install local software | Yes | Yes | Local files on your computer | Usually not offered | Complex curved surfaces, assemblies, CAM |
| General online tools | Opens in the browser | Mostly simple edits | Depends on the tool | Check each tool notes | Usually not offered | Light viewing and small edits |
Choose by the part first, then by the data. A simple part with no secrets is enough for cadAI in the browser. A sensitive part belongs in local files, which means the desktop version of cadAI or desktop CAD. A part with complex curved surfaces, or work needing assembly motion simulation or CAM toolpaths, belongs in desktop CAD. Opening a model to look at it once is what general online tools are for.
Lower the leak risk in 6 steps
Walk through 6 steps before you put any model online:
- Read the page notes first: where the model lives, whether it is encrypted, and how long it is kept. If the notes do not say, do not put a sensitive model there.
- Use the desktop version for sensitive parts. Its local files sit on your own computer and never pass through someone else server.
- Use the browser version for ordinary parts only. A flanged plate or a bracket opens at cad.aiglade.cn and works with nothing to install.
- Export a backup. Save a copy of the finished model on your own computer, with the format to be checked in the export menu.
- Clean up regularly. Remove models you no longer use from the browser.
- Check dimensions and tolerances by hand before export. Measure the outline and the hole positions, confirm the model, and only then export it.
Step 1, reading the notes first, is the one most often skipped by mistake. If the page does not state where the data lives, treat the model as if it leaves your hands, and keep sensitive parts in the desktop version. The kernel is SolidCraft, an independent community project, not an ArtCraft product line, and cadAI runs on that kernel in all three forms.
cadAI in numbers
- 5 intents: S-01 primitives, S-02 holes, S-03 conversion, S-04 measurement, and S-05 preview. Source: wiring layer record, 2026-11-11. Verified: 2026-11-12.
- 3 forms: desktop, browser, and MCP, one kernel across all 3 forms. Source: official repository notes, 2026-11-11. Verified: 2026-11-12.
- 3 audience groups: mechanical engineers, makers, and 3D printing users. Source: facts.md. Verified: 2026-11-12.
- 4 suitable uses: parametric modeling of simple parts, flanged plates, and brackets; dimension checks before 3D printing; letting an AI agent build models through MCP; light CAD work without a large desktop program. Source: facts.md. Verified: 2026-11-12.
- 2 unsuitable uses: complex curved surfaces, assembly motion simulation, and CAM toolpaths; work needing vendor certification and production grade accuracy sign off. Source: facts.md. Verified: 2026-11-12.
- 6 steps: from reading the page notes to export, with a hand check before export. Source: this page, steps section. Verified: 2026-11-12.
- 7 comparison rows: the three way comparison table in this page. Source: this page, comparison table. Verified: 2026-11-12.
Evidence
cadAI is a browser-based parametric CAD from Aiglade, for mechanical part modeling, hole drilling, measurement, and export, with the same kernel on desktop, in the browser, and over MCP. Its kernel is SolidCraft, an independent community project, not an ArtCraft product line. Its AI assistant takes 5 intents: S-01 primitives, S-02 holes, S-03 conversion, S-04 measurement, and S-05 preview. Where model data lives, whether it is encrypted, and how long it is kept are not stated in the facts card, so this page does not write them as fact, and sensitive parts should use the desktop version with local files, because pricing is still to be confirmed and no price, tier, or free allowance is stated anywhere in this page.
FAQ
Q: Will your model data leak in online CAD?
It depends on where the data lives. In the cloud, data travels over the network and sits on a provider server, so the risk follows the provider notes. In local files, data sits on your own computer and never passes through someone else server. How cadAI stores models is not stated in the facts card, so use the desktop version for sensitive parts.
Q: Is the desktop version safer?
From the storage side, yes. Its local files sit on your own computer and never pass through someone else server, which is the safest of the three places. Use the desktop version for sensitive parts, use the browser version for ordinary parts, export a backup, and clean up regularly.
Q: Can a model be exported for backup?
Yes, export runs through S-03 conversion, with the format list to be checked on the page. Save a copy of the finished model on your own computer, check dimensions and tolerances by hand before export, and confirm the model before you export it.
Not written / to verify
- Pricing is to be confirmed; no price, tier, or free allowance is written in this page.
- Button labels and click paths are not written: the site is a wasm shell with no static text to check against, so the steps stay at the workflow level and do not name a specific button.
- Data storage, encryption, and retention are not given in facts.md: where the model lives, whether it is encrypted, and how long it is kept are not written as fact.
- Whether chamfer is supported is not written as a fact: chamfer is not among the 5 connected intents, so check the page itself.
- Export formats are not listed in facts.md: whether STL, STEP, and others are supported is to be checked on the page itself.