Choose your version. The browser app is 0.4; Windows remains 0.3. Tools and project formats differ. See version differences.
Browser 0.4 — the current browser workflow is described first. Expand the Windows section for the unchanged installed version.
Save a Browser 0.4 project
Save or Ctrl+S downloads a .cadiv file containing editable sketches, constraints, construction planes, feature history and CAM settings. Save As uses Ctrl+Shift+S. Check the browser downloads and keep your own backups: a browser cannot confirm that you kept a downloaded file or silently overwrite a previous download.
Open supported files
Use Open or Ctrl+O. Browser 0.4 accepts its new project format, version 2. Older browser and Windows projects, and .cadiv-occt migration preview files, are unsupported. Windows 0.3 cannot open the new files. Renaming an extension does not convert a project. Unsupported or damaged files leave the open project unchanged.
Recovery and offline use
The browser keeps up to five recent workspace recovery copies, including Rosette and Fretboard designer drafts. Recovery is local to this browser and device; clearing site data can remove it. New-format recovery is separate from older browser recovery and does not convert it. Use the status button to enable offline use and wait until the complete app is available. When an update is ready, save, close all app tabs and reopen. Updates do not force a reload while editing.
Editable geometry and exports
Solids rebuild from saved feature definitions. A saved display mesh cannot replace a failed model. STL and 3MF are exports for downstream use, not substitutes for the editable project. Save the project before exporting. Keep the Rosette and Fretboard designers’ own files as separate backups of those drafts.
Windows 0.3 instructions
Start a new project
In Cadivari 0.1.4 and later, choose File → New project or press Ctrl+N. If the current project has unsaved changes, choose Save and create new, Discard and create new, or Cancel. Cancelling the save dialog or encountering a save error keeps the current project open.
The new project starts with an empty drawing, 3D model and CAM setup. The old file path and undo/redo history are cleared, so saving the new project asks for a new destination. Your saved files and workspace preferences are retained.
Edit commands
The Edit menu provides Undo (Ctrl+Z), Redo (Ctrl+Y), and Delete selection (Delete). Commands are disabled when they do not apply. Undo and Redo affect the current CAD/CAM project; the standalone guitar designers manage their own editing sessions.
Recommended round-trip test
- Name the project in File, then create a mirror-linked outside profile, a circular opening, and both CAM operations.
- Set stock, operation order, depths, tabs, and a manual start point. Choose File → Save As….
- Change one dimension. The title should show an amber unsaved dot and Unsaved changes.
- Press Ctrl+S. In the installed app, the existing file should update without reopening the dialog.
- Open the saved file with Ctrl+O. Confirm geometry, reference-image calibration, CAM settings, order, tabs, start points, 3D animation, and G-code preview are restored.
- Try a renamed JSON file or damaged project. Cadivari should report the problem while leaving the current document untouched.
Explicit save and open commands
The header Save button and Ctrl+S update the current native project after its first save. File → Save As… or Ctrl+Shift+S chooses a new destination. The folder button, File → Open project…, and Ctrl+O all open an existing project.
The project title shows a small amber dot whenever its document revision or project name differs from the last successful save. Opening another file or closing the window warns before discarding unsaved changes.
The source design stays editable
- Millimetre CAD entities and exact dimensions
- Spline control points and associative mirror-guide links
- Embedded reference images, scale, position, visibility, and opacity
- Stock dimensions, Auto/Manual sizing, fit margin, equal/free margin constraint, selected stock-anchor XY zero, stock-top Z0, and Safe Z
- Machine profile, cutter library, and the default cutter for new operations
- Associative CAM path sources, numbered operation order, and each operation's On/Off state
- Depths, cutting values, compensation, tabs, and start positions
Generated display samples, 3D meshes, animation state, and modal dialogs are rebuilt from the stored source document rather than saved as duplicate geometry.
A file is checked before it can replace the project
The project envelope records a dedicated file-format version, save time, project name, and the current Cadivari document. Loading checks the extension, 100 MiB size ceiling, JSON header, file version, document version, permanent millimetre units, finite geometry, unique identifiers, mirror references, tools, CAM sources, and operation relationships.
A malformed, foreign, oversized, or incompatible file produces a clear error. The open document and its undo history remain untouched.
Native dialogs in the app and file transfers on localhost
The installed Tauri application uses Windows Open and Save dialogs and remembers the current absolute project path for later saves. The localhost browser preview downloads a .cadiv file and reopens it through the browser file chooser. Neither workflow requires an account, cloud service, or network connection.
Version 1 boundaries
- Only project-file version 1 and document version 14 are accepted
- Older/future migrations are not implemented yet
- Browser preview Save downloads a file; it cannot silently overwrite a prior download
- Automatic recovery snapshots and timed autosave are not implemented yet
- Project files may be large because reference images remain embedded for portability
Model CAM in 0.3.0
Projects save the machining body, setup, selected faces and operation settings. Older projects retain Whole body targets when opened in 0.3.0. Changed or missing machining faces require reselection; model or setup changes require regeneration before output. New CAM definitions may not be understood by older Cadivari versions, so keep a separate project copy when moving between versions.