Get clear answers about ShopCAD Workbench, CabCAD, BenchCAD, JoinCAD, CutCAD, supported 3MF files, Inventory, project limits, and billing.
Workbench is the signed-in project layer: it organizes projects, ShopCAD-generated assets, module access, and account tools. The design and manufacturing work happens inside CabCAD, BenchCAD, JoinCAD, and CutCAD.
Yes. Workbench Free includes 15 active projects, up to 30 active-plus-archived projects in total, cloud project organization, access to every module you purchase, and signed-in guided tours of unowned modules. No credit card is required for Workbench Free.
No. CabCAD and BenchCAD can generate projects from scratch, while JoinCAD and CutCAD can accept supported 3MF sources. BenchCAD native bench bases work on their own; its cabinet-storage base uses CabCAD cabinet logic and therefore requires CabCAD or the full Suite.
Yes. Signed-in guided tours open completed, read-only examples for every module. Tours do not create a project or consume an active-project slot, and they disable saving, uploads, generators, downloads, exports, handoffs, Inventory changes, and shop-default changes.
ShopCAD Studio runs in a modern browser. Browser install or home-screen shortcut availability depends on the platform, but the current release is online-only: loading the app, checking access, opening cloud projects, saving, syncing, and storing assets require an internet connection.
CabCAD generates cabinet runs such as kitchens, vanities, and built-ins. BenchCAD generates workbenches and shop fixtures such as MFT-style tops, torsion boxes, and assembly tables. BenchCAD-native trestle, open-shelf, and 8020 bases stand alone; the cabinet-storage base option uses CabCAD cabinet-run and toe-kick logic, so it requires CabCAD or Suite.
Cabinet-storage bench bases are built from CabCAD cabinet-run rules, cabinet styles, and toe-kick behavior. BenchCAD can still generate workbench tops and native trestle, open-shelf, or metal-frame bases without CabCAD.
Yes. JoinCAD can start from a supported 3MF cabinet assembly or accept a handoff from CabCAD or BenchCAD. It places supported connector hardware, generates machining information, and validates the resulting joints before export or a CutCAD handoff.
CutCAD supports sheet-goods, dimensional-lumber, and combination workflows. It can classify parts from a supported 3MF handoff or upload, and its lumber workflow can also start from manually entered members. You can review or change the preselected manufacturing stream before continuing.
No. The full pipeline is optional. Use one module, combine only the modules you need, upload a supported 3MF directly to JoinCAD or CutCAD, or bypass JoinCAD when connector machining is not part of the project.
The accepted JoinCAD work is marked out of date when connector-relevant source geometry changes. Updating JoinCAD rebuilds relationships from the new source, preserves unchanged decisions, repositions changed decisions, archives removed joints, restores returning joints, and reopens affected work for review. A required review blocks the downstream CutCAD handoff until it is resolved.
The Workbench upload flow accepts supported 3MF assemblies and routes them to an eligible module. JoinCAD and CutCAD can also receive 3MF handoffs from upstream ShopCAD modules. A .shopcad project bundle is opened from the project bar and is separate from a manufacturing-file upload.
CabCAD and BenchCAD export 3MF assemblies. JoinCAD exports a 3MF containing its connector and machining work. CutCAD sheet-goods output includes per-sheet DXF files and cut-list CSV data; saw projects can also include a shop-pack PDF, while CNC projects omit that saw-sequencing report. Dimensional-lumber output includes a cut-pack PDF, and a combination project can package eligible sheet and lumber artifacts into a ZIP.
Workbench Free supports 15 active and 30 total retained projects. Workbench Pro supports 50 active and 100 total retained projects. Archived projects do not use an active slot, but they do count toward the total-retained cap. Existing over-limit accounts are not automatically deleted: archiving remains available, while creating or duplicating is blocked until the account is below its total cap or upgraded. Reactivating does not add another retained project, but it still requires an active slot. When Pro ends, the 15 projects opened most recently as of the paid-through end date remain active and any additional active projects move to Archive without a project picker; you can reorganize them afterward.
Archiving removes the project from the active-project count but keeps it in the total-retained count. Under the current archive consent, ShopCAD preserves the project design data and file identity details but may remove an uploaded source blob after retaining its filename, size, MIME type, SHA-256 checksum, project link, and importer version. Recovery may require a byte-identical re-upload; a renamed or copied original is accepted when its checksum matches, while a modified same-name file is not the original. Generated blobs are removed only when an approved exact-regeneration proof shows they can be recreated from retained project state. Unproven, nondeterministic, and legacy generated blobs remain stored. The new rule is prospective and does not retroactively clean up projects archived under earlier wording.
Yes, after a project saves successfully to the signed-in account. Autosave updates the live cloud snapshot, and the save-status bar reports saving, unsaved changes, conflicts, or errors. Wait for a successful save before relying on the latest change from another device.
Workbench Pro lets you explicitly save up to 3 checkpoints per project. Autosave, Save, navigation, module handoffs, and duplication update the live project without consuming a checkpoint slot. When all 3 slots are used, you choose a checkpoint to delete or replace; ShopCAD never silently removes the oldest. Restoring a checkpoint preserves the current asset ledger rather than reviving released files.
Workbench Pro raises capacity to 50 active and 100 total retained projects, and adds sheet and lumber Inventory, CutCAD stock integration, material costs, Inventory CSV export, 3 checkpoints per project, and named preset libraries for owned modules. It does not add job management, quoting, arbitrary file storage, or production scheduling.
Inventory tracks eligible sheet goods and lumber, dimensions, quantities, allocations, available stock, costs, locations, low-stock thresholds, grain direction, and source metadata. CutCAD can match stock, reserve it, record consumption, and return qualifying reusable offcuts to Inventory.
Workbench Pro lets you save up to 20 named presets in each owned module library. CabCAD and BenchCAD store Design presets, JoinCAD stores Connector setups, and CutCAD keeps separate Sheet and Lumber setups. Applying a preset copies only reusable settings into the project, so later library edits never rewrite existing projects. One preset per library can be the automatic default, or you can keep Factory defaults.
Inventory rows, checkpoint rows and snapshot bodies, and named presets remain stored but are locked while Pro is inactive. They return unchanged after Pro is restored. Settings already copied into projects remain unchanged. On the paid-through end date, the limits return to 15 active and 30 total retained projects; the 15 projects opened most recently as of that date remain active with all currently stored files, and any additional active projects move to Archive without a picker. The approved archive consent may release uploaded source blobs while preserving their identity details for byte-identical re-upload, and may release generated blobs only with exact-regeneration proof. If the downgrade leaves the account over 30 retained projects, nothing is deleted automatically, but creating or duplicating is blocked until the account is below the cap or Pro is restored. Payment failure alone does not run this archive or blob-release process.
Module pricing is based on count, not which modules you choose. Standard monthly pricing is 1 module $15, 2 modules $27, 3 modules $36, the full 4-module Suite $45 per month. Annual pricing is 1 module $144, 2 modules $264, 3 modules $348, the full 4-module Suite $432 per year. Workbench Free itself is $0.
The first eligible monthly module checkout uses launch pricing for 3 months: 1 module $12, 2 modules $22, 3 modules $29, the full 4-module Suite $35 per month. The discount applies only to the module portion, can be redeemed once, and does not apply to annual module plans or Workbench Pro.
Workbench Pro is $10 per month or $96 per year. That amount is added to the selected module plan, and Pro does not receive an introductory discount.
Use Plan & modules for ShopCAD plan changes and Workbench Pro cancellation so ShopCAD can show the exact amounts, timing, and access policy before you confirm. Changes are classified by annualized recurring value; that comparison does not make a monthly plan annual. Higher-value selections normally bill immediately and reset renewal, except a higher annual selection on an existing annual subscription is prorated over the remaining term and keeps its renewal date. Lower-value selections, monthly module swaps and other access removals, equal annual-to-monthly changes, and cancellations take effect at the existing renewal with no current-cycle refund or credit. A paid annual term includes one immediate, no-charge one-for-one module exchange in each fixed half of the term; unused first-half eligibility does not roll over, and the renewal date and any scheduled period-end cancellation stay unchanged. Equal monthly-to-annual changes are immediate and begin a new annual period. Before the boundary, use Keep current selection or Keep current subscription to undo an app-owned pending change. Use Billing and the Stripe customer portal for payment methods, billing addresses, tax IDs, and invoices.
No. Workbench is focused on ShopCAD projects, module handoffs, and ShopCAD-generated assets. It does not currently provide customer records, quotes, labor or machine costing, arbitrary job-file storage, production boards, or team workflows.
Saved projects and Pro data are scoped to the owning signed-in user through database access policies. Pro-only Inventory, checkpoint, and shop-default records also require an active Pro entitlement before the app or direct client access can read or change them.
Use the in-app support control or the Contact page. Billing totals, renewal dates, cancellation timing, and current entitlements should always be confirmed on the live Billing and Plan surfaces for the signed-in account.