A 3D tool for the maker space
Akse is a 3D modelling tool made for kids and teens. Combine primitive shapes, draw your own 2D blueprints — and export the model as an STL file, ready for the 3D printer.
01 / What is Akse?
Akse means axis — as in X, Y and Z. That's the whole idea: a tool where kids and teens learn to think in three dimensions, without drowning in advanced menus. You build models by placing and shaping primitive shapes — or by drawing your own outline — and everything is measured in real millimetres, so what you see on screen is what you hold in your hand after printing.
Akse is made by Skaperiet, a maker space for kids and teens, and is used in courses and workshops where the path from idea to finished 3D print should be as short as possible. Everything runs right in the browser — nothing to install.
Simple tools, clear words and big buttons. Designed for curious hands — on both computer and tablet.
All measurements are in mm. What the kids draw matches what comes out of the 3D printer.
One click exports the whole project as an STL file — the format every 3D printer understands.
02 / How it works
Choose from box, cylinder, sphere, cone, pyramid, wedge and torus — or draw your own outline with freehand drawing, 3D text and blueprints. Shapes land right on the work plane.
Move, rotate and scale with millimetre precision and smart snapping. Set a shape to hole mode and it cuts through the others — perfect for screw holes, windows and secret compartments.
Press the STL button and the whole model downloads as a single print-ready file. You can also import STL files others have made and build on them.
03 / The blueprint tool
The most powerful tool in Akse is Blueprint — a dedicated drawing board where you draw the shape from above on millimetre paper, and lift it into a 3D model with one click.
Rectangle, rounded rectangle, circle, ellipse, triangle and polygon — each with its own keyboard shortcut, so your hands learn the tool.
Each shape can be solid (blue) or a hole (orange, dashed). Holes are cut out of the model — that's how you make a key fob in under a minute, for example.
Group shapes and the distance between them shows as editable measurements — type in exact numbers, and the shapes stay together when you move and scale them.
Choose a 3D height in millimetres and press "Make 3D model". The preview shows the result before you commit — and you can always go back and edit the blueprint.
04 / The building blocks
Everything in Akse starts with simple shapes. Combine them as solid blocks or holes, and they grow into spaceships, jewellery, name tags and spare parts. Each shape has its own key on the keyboard.
05 / Features
Move with snapping at 0.1 / 0.5 / 1 / 10 mm, and rotate with snapping at 1° / 22.5° / 45° / 90°. Measurements show directly on the model and can be edited with the keyboard.
Any shape can be set to "hole" mode and cut out of the model. Screw holes, letter slots and peepholes — without advanced CAD.
Save projects in the cloud with a Skaperiet account, or as a file on your own machine. Projects are small JSON files that are easy to share.
Full undo and redo history (Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Shift+Z), copy and paste, and duplicate with Ctrl+D to create patterns.
Eight fresh colours for your shapes, and both light and dark themes in the editor — for late nights at the maker space.
Full mouse support with handles and shortcuts — and a simplified touch layout that works well on tablets.
06 / Self-host
Akse is free software under the AGPL-3.0 licence, and the entire source code is openly available on GitHub. Schools, maker spaces and the curious can run their own Akse — completely free. Here's how to get started:
You'll need Node.js (version 22 or newer) and git on your machine.
git clone https://github.com/joachimhs/akse3d.git
cd akse3dnpm install
npm run devOpen http://localhost:5173 in your browser — your own Akse runs there. Projects are saved locally in the browser.
Akse is also a Svelte package (@skaperiet/akse)
that can be embedded in your own websites with your own storage
backend through simple ports. See the
README on GitHub
for details.
AGPL-3.0 means Akse is free to use, modify and host — as long as your version also shares its source code. Want to use Akse in a closed, commercial solution? Skaperiet offers a commercial licence.
Akse is free and runs right in your browser. Start with a box — see where it goes.
Works in all modern browsers · No installation
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