Hi everyone,
I’ve used Git for years to save and share architectural projects. Working on BIM integration for the Osaka-Kansai Expo brought the coordination problem into sharp focus: when models come from several companies and disciplines, how do you make sure everyone is reviewing the same state, and can return to it after the next revision?
That led me to develop .cde, a local-first CDE for building projects. The Windows app is now available in English.
The workflow is deliberately Git-like: save the project at a milestone, share that state with the team, and review it together. A milestone keeps the original files, including IFC, Rhino 3dm, drawings and documents. IFC and 3dm models can be viewed together in the app while remaining separate files.
Federated model view. Multiple project files can be viewed together while remaining separate files.
The screenshots use a Japanese sample project, so some project file names and milestone labels are in Japanese; the Windows app itself is available in English.
Team members push and pull milestones through a remote that their administrator prepares on a Linux or macOS server over SSH.
You can move through the project history and compare the displayed milestone with the one immediately before it. Because each milestone preserves the original project files, the comparison is between project states rather than an exported or merged model. The viewer highlights where additions, removals and changes occurred.
Milestone comparison. Select a point in the project history to review that state and highlight what was added, deleted or modified from the previous milestone.
Sections and dimensions are available for closer checking.
Review tools include sectioning and dimensions for closer inspection of the saved project state.
This is a standalone application; it does not edit Rhino models or merge geometry.
The project data and history stay on your own PC and a server your team chooses. The free CLI provides the full engine functionality, including viewing, checking, saving and sharing milestones, as well as the server-side functionality for creating and operating the remote on Linux or macOS over SSH.
The Windows GUI is a subscription product using the same engine, providing the same workflow without runtime setup or command-line operation. The free CLI reads and writes the same project data and supports continued sharing without a GUI subscription or a service hosted by my company. It is free to use under its licence, but is not open source.
The Windows app includes a sample you can explore without a subscription. Adding your own projects, saving milestones and syncing in the app require a subscription. Projects added while subscribed remain viewable after the subscription ends, provided the project records remain intact.
Windows app:
Free CLI and English documentation:
The app sends anonymous feature-usage statistics; model data, file names and project names are not sent. The CLI has no telemetry.
I’d be interested to hear how people coordinating Rhino models with other project deliverables currently preserve the state used for a review.