Describe a bracket in a sentence and get an editable CAD model back, then turn it into a drawing pack your checker can mark up.
Updated 30 Sept 2026
In short
Oppermind's CAD editor turns a written description into a model with a feature history, and exports STEP, DXF and PDF drawing sheets marked for review. The Project editor schedules the shutdown and works out its critical path from your dates, while the Document and Sheet editors carry the SOP and the costing. A qualified person still checks and approves every drawing and calculation.
A supplier sends a STEP file on Tuesday, the shutdown starts in three weeks, and the new press still has no work instruction. Oppermind has an editor for each of those jobs, and the AI in chat works on whichever file you have open.
This page starts with the CAD editor. Ask in chat for a model and it opens as an exact model with a feature history, so you set sizes by number and lock the ones that must not move. Drawing sheets carry your drawing number, revision, projection and general tolerance, and every sheet is stamped REVIEW REQUIRED.
For scripted calculations, the Code editor runs Python. The Academy's software engineering guides cover code review and issue triage, which is a different job from the one on this page.
Workflows
What engineering and manufacturing teams use Oppermind for today
01
Model a part from a description, then fix its dimensions
Type a request in chat such as "Design a 3D model of a wall-mount bracket with two 6 mm holes". On desktop, the CAD chip starts that sentence for you. The model opens in the CAD editor as an exact model. Select a feature and use "Edit feature" to change its sizes, or type into the model parameter fields, each shown with its unit, for example "w (mm)".
With the model open, a chat request such as "Make the base plate 140 mm wide" changes that part and rebuilds the model. Name the part you mean, because the other parts keep their own sizes. Tick "Lock feature" on anything that must not move, and edits to it are refused until you untick it.
Open More > "Modeling tools" and set Context to "Mechanical". In "Drawing settings", enter the drawing number, revision, author, material, general tolerance and projection (third-angle or first-angle). "Add dimension" places dimensions, including a diameter picked by circle index. Add a "Geometric tolerance frame" against datum A and a thread note in "Part / hole specifications".
"Preview sheets" shows the result, and "Check drawings" lists what passed and what needs attention. "Export / Download" > "Drawing and model package · ZIP" gives you drawings.pdf, drawings.dxf, model.step and the check report in one download. Put tolerance frames on parts rather than on hole features. A model of more than 24 parts gets one general arrangement sheet in place of a sheet per part.
Bring in a supplier part and send out a neutral file
"Import file" accepts a .step or .stp file, which arrives as an exact part you can dimension and draw. A .dxf profile comes in too, and "Extrude DXF profile" turns it into a solid. Imports are limited to 16 MB, and a STEP or DXF import replaces the model in the open tab, so export the current one first.
Union, Subtract and Intersect on toolbar shapes keep an exact feature history, so "STEP · exact solids", "DXF · drawings" and "GLB · 3D model" still export after a cut. An imported STL stays a mesh, and the exact formats refuse a model that holds one, so send that part back out as STL or OBJ.
Ask chat for a shutdown plan and it opens in the Project editor. "Change working time" sets the working week, for example Monday to Saturday, and the dates the site is closed. Join tasks with "Link tasks" (F2), then use More > "Respect links" to schedule them in order. Once every task has a start date, "Critical path" is worked out from those dates, and the line under the chart gives its length in days. "Level resources" moves overlapping work so no fitter is booked twice.
Before the shut starts, use More > "Set baseline", and "Tracking Gantt" then shows each bar against the plan as work slips. "Import project" reads MS Project XML, or an .mpp file as a schedule copy. "Export project" > "MS Project XML (.xml)" writes your working days, holidays, resource rates and link lags. Check the dates in the other tool before anyone works from the file.
Write an SOP or work instruction and route it for sign-off
In the Document editor, open "Library" > Templates > "Standard operating procedure" and ask chat to fill it from your notes and the equipment manual. Set headings with "Styles", add a contents list with More > "TOC", and turn on More > "Page numbers" for a Page N of M footer.
For sign-off, the supervisor turns on "Track changes" in their editor and marks up the draft with "Comment". It records typing and deletions, not pasted text or formatting changes. Work through their edits in "Review changes", then keep the approved version with "Version history" > "Snapshot now". "Export PDF" gives a copy to circulate, and "Export Doc" writes a Word file with the header and footer text, page numbers and footnotes. Open the Word file and check it before it goes out.
Build the calculation in the Sheet editor, or ask chat to build it. "Goal seek" finds the input that hits a target cost. "Solver" maximises or minimises a cell under constraints you list, and when no answer fits it names the constraints that clash. "Scenarios (What-if)" stores best, base and worst cases, and "Data table (What-if)" runs one formula across a range of inputs.
The "$" button shows whole dollars, so follow it with More > "Decimal places" when cents matter. "Export XLSX" keeps the formulas but leaves the scenarios and the Solver model behind. Type the cases into cells before the workbook goes to someone else.
Every drawing sheet and check report from the CAD editor says REVIEW REQUIRED. Oppermind does not check a design against Australian Standards, confirm that it is safe or fit to manufacture, or sign anything off. Registered and qualified engineers keep that work, and Oppermind's Terms (section 8.2) say outputs must not be relied upon as professional advice, engineering advice included.
Before you attach client drawings or supplier files, check what your contracts allow you to share. How Oppermind handles uploaded content is set out in the Privacy Policy, and section 5.1a covers what changes when you link a connected account. Standards documents are licensed, so refer to clause numbers rather than pasting their text.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Which CAD file formats can I import and export?
Imports cover STEP, DXF, IFC and Oppermind JSON, plus STL on desktop. Exports include STEP, DXF, PDF drawing sheets, IFC, GLB, 3MF, STL, OBJ, PNG and a ZIP package that holds the drawings and the model together.
Does Oppermind check drawings against Australian Standards?
No. Sheets and check reports are marked review required. A qualified person checks and approves them before anyone builds or manufactures from them.
Can I open a Microsoft Project file?
Yes. MS Project XML imports directly, and an .mpp file up to 12 MB opens as a schedule copy once you confirm the import. Keep the original file for the features a copy leaves out.
Can the CAD editor check a part for my 3D printer?
It checks the model against the build volume in your "Printer profile" and exports 3MF or STL. There is no G-code download, so treat its report as a first check and run the part through your own slicer.
