CAD Connect: A Community Knowledge Board for Mechanical Designers ⚙️

This is a submission for the DEV Weekend Challenge: Community

The Community

While software engineers have an abundance of platforms to share code snippets and debug errors, mechanical engineering and product design students often struggle to find a centralized place for quick knowledge sharing. When working on complex assemblies—like running static and modal analysis on compressor models or trying to map multistage cyclic symmetry in Solid Edge—finding the right material parameter, tolerance standard, or software shortcut usually requires digging through outdated, clunky forums. I wanted to build a clean, modern hub specifically for this community.

What I Built

I built CAD Connect, a lightweight community board designed specifically for CAD enthusiasts and mechanical designers. It allows users to quickly post and categorize design tips, keyboard shortcuts, and analysis parameters. The goal was to eliminate the friction of sharing quick, highly technical mechanical design knowledge with peers.

Demo

🔗 Live Application: https://07MADARA.github.io/cad-connect/

(Feel free to test it out by dropping a post!)

Code

07MADARA / cad-connect

How I Built It

For this weekend sprint, I wanted to focus on speed, simplicity, and a clean UI.

• Frontend: I used pure HTML and Tailwind CSS (via CDN) to rapidly prototype a modern, responsive interface.
• Logic & Data: I used Vanilla JavaScript to handle the dynamic rendering of the community feed. To ensure the app functioned as a true prototype without spinning up a backend server for the weekend, I utilized the browser's localStorage to manage state, allowing users to create posts and add "likes" that persist across their local sessions.