I’ve been exploring a portfolio of indie Mac/iOS apps built by a solo developer — all sharing the same philosophy: your data stays on your device. No accounts, no uploads, no cloud dependency. Just SwiftUI + CoreML doing the heavy lifting locally.
Here’s a rundown of all 9 apps from H53D, and what makes each one worth a look.
1. Shine3D — 3D Viewer That Actually Looks Good
Most 3D viewers are functional but dull. Shine3D takes a different approach: it’s designed to make your models look beautiful. Whether you’re showing off a design to a client or just exploring a model, the rendering quality stands out.
2. 3D Model Viewer — Lightweight Converter for Offline Use
If you work with SAM 3D outputs or just need to convert between 3D formats without going online, this tool covers it. It handles a wide range of formats and works entirely offline — useful when you’re on a plane or in a restricted network environment.
3. DXF Assistant — View & Convert DXF on Mac, iPad, iPhone
DXF files are everywhere in engineering and CAD workflows, but decent viewers are surprisingly rare on Apple platforms. DXF Assistant handles both 2D and 3D navigation smoothly, and lets you export to PDF, SVG, or PNG. Works across macOS, iPad, and iPhone.
4. P2V Converter — Pixel to Vector, Instantly
Converting raster images to vector graphics usually means wrestling with Illustrator or running a web service that keeps your files. P2V Converter does the conversion on-device in moments. Particularly handy for pixel art or logo cleanup work.
5. SheetCollector — Import Tables from Files and Images
This one solves a specific but common pain: extracting tables from PDFs, images, or various file formats and getting them into a clean spreadsheet. You can organize, edit, and export as polished PDF or JPEG. No OCR service calls — it all runs locally.
6. STEP File Viewer — CAD on iPhone? Seriously.
STEP files are the standard format for 3D CAD exchange, and this viewer lets you open them on macOS, iPad, and iPhone. The impressive part: projected views, section views, and even exploded views on mobile. Lightweight and ad-free.
7. pcAI Photo Retouch — Local AI Image Enhancement
Want to restore an old blurry photo or apply an artistic style like oil painting or Van Gogh? The typical answer is “upload to some cloud API.” pcAI says no: all the AI processing runs on your device via CoreML. The privacy angle isn’t just a selling point — it’s the architecture.
8. CutoutCraft — Background Removal Without the Subscription
Background removal, image restyling, layout creation — CutoutCraft handles all of it with on-device AI. No registration, no uploads, no monthly fee. Just tap, cut, style, export. The kind of tool that should have existed years ago.
9. ShareGuard — Protect Sensitive Info Before You Share
This one is quietly important. Before you share a screenshot or photo, ShareGuard lets you strip hidden EXIF metadata, mask faces, and blur or mosaic sensitive text — all on-device. In a world where people routinely leak private data in screenshots, this fills a real gap.
The Common Thread
What ties all these apps together is the local-first, privacy-first approach. In an era where almost everything phones home, it’s refreshing to see a developer consistently choose to do the work on-device — whether that’s CoreML inference, file conversion, or metadata stripping.
The full portfolio is at apps.h53d.xyz if you want to browse the previews. Worth bookmarking if you work in design, engineering, or just care about keeping your files off other people’s servers.
Disclosure: I’m sharing this as a fan of the approach, not as the developer. The apps are built and maintained by a friend.
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