Smew

Smew is a 3D modeling app for Mac, built for people who design things to print.

Direct modeling — sketch, extrude, fillet, shell, pattern, loft — without the subscription. It's a native Apple Silicon app, no account required.

What's in it

• Direct modeling with real CAD geometry (STEP/STL/OBJ/glTF export, watertight solids ready for your slicer)
• Parametric history — change a dimension, the part rebuilds
• Relief and lithophane generation from photos
• Surface textures baked into the geometry (wood grain, waves, stone) so they actually print
• An AI assistant: a small model runs locally for questions and simple commands; for real modeling you can connect an API key, or Claude Desktop via MCP if you already have a Claude subscription

This is a beta

It works, it's been used daily, and it has rough edges. I'm looking for people who design for printing to try it and tell me what's missing. Free during the beta. If you report real bugs, you'll get a substantial discount when it launches. Feedback via Help ▸ Send Feedback inside the app, or reply here.

Installing (read this — it matters)

Smew isn't notarized yet, so macOS will block it the first time:

1. Open the DMG and drag Smew to Applications
2. Double-click Smew — macOS will say it can't be opened
3. Go to System Settings ▸ Privacy & Security, scroll down, and click Open Anyway next to the Smew message
4. Confirm — from then on it opens normally

Alternatively, in Terminal: xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Smew.app

Requires macOS 13 or later on Apple Silicon.

The fine print

• Beta software, use at your own risk. Save often — autosave exists, but this is pre-release software. Don't stake a client deadline on it yet.
• Your data stays on your Mac. Smew makes no network connections unless you connect it to an AI service yourself. The built-in model runs locally; API-key or Claude Desktop connections send your requests (including scene descriptions and screenshots, if the model uses them) to that provider under their terms.
• What I can see: nothing, unless you send feedback — and the feedback dialog shows you exactly what's included before you click send.
• No warranty — provided as-is; I'll fix what I can, and I read every report.
• Smew uses Open CASCADE Technology and Qt under their open-source licenses; full notices are in the app under About.

What I'd love to know

Does it fit how you actually work? What would you need before trusting it with a client job? What did you reach for that wasn't there?