Akse — 3D modelling for kids and teens
Open Akse →
A 3D tool for the maker space
Draw.<br>Build.<br>Print.
Akse is a 3D modelling tool made for kids and teens.<br>Combine primitive shapes, draw your own 2D blueprints<br>— and export the model as an STL file, ready for the 3D printer.
Try Akse for free<br>See how it works
✓ Right in your browser
✓ Free to use
✓ STL export for 3D printing
akse3d-app.skaperiet.no
21.5<br>34.5<br>H: 10 mm
01 / What is Akse?
3D modelling anyone can master
Akse means axis — as in X, Y and Z. That's the whole idea:<br>a tool where kids and teens learn to think in three dimensions, without<br>drowning in advanced menus. You build models by placing and shaping<br>primitive shapes — or by drawing your own outline — and everything is<br>measured in real millimetres, so what you see on screen is what you hold<br>in your hand after printing.
Akse is made by Skaperiet , a maker space for kids and<br>teens, and is used in courses and workshops where the path from idea to<br>finished 3D print should be as short as possible. Everything runs right<br>in the browser — nothing to install.
🧒<br>For kids and teens
Simple tools, clear words and big buttons. Designed for curious hands — on both computer and tablet.
📏<br>Real millimetres
All measurements are in mm. What the kids draw matches what comes out of the 3D printer.
🖨️<br>Ready to print
One click exports the whole project as an STL file — the format every 3D printer understands.
02 / How it works
From idea to 3D print in three steps
Build with shapes
Choose from box, cylinder, sphere, cone, pyramid, wedge and torus<br>— or draw your own outline with freehand drawing, 3D text and<br>blueprints. Shapes land right on the work plane.
Shape and combine
Move, rotate and scale with millimetre precision and smart snapping.<br>Set a shape to hole mode and it cuts through the<br>others — perfect for screw holes, windows and secret compartments.
STL
Export and print
Press the STL button and the whole model downloads<br>as a single print-ready file. You can also import STL files others<br>have made and build on them.
03 / The blueprint tool
Blueprint: draw in 2D, get 3D
The most powerful tool in Akse is Blueprint — a dedicated<br>drawing board where you draw the shape from above on millimetre paper,<br>and lift it into a 3D model with one click.
The drawing board with tools, properties and a live 3D preview.
Distances between grouped shapes are shown and edited directly in the blueprint.
▭ Seven drawing tools
Rectangle, rounded rectangle, circle, ellipse, triangle and polygon — each with its own keyboard shortcut, so your hands learn the tool.
◌ Solid or hole
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 with distance guides
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.
⬆ Make a 3D model
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
Seven primitive shapes. Endless possibilities.
Everything in Akse starts with simple shapes. Combine them as solid<br>blocks or holes, and they grow into spaceships, jewellery, name tags and<br>spare parts. Each shape has its own key on the keyboard.
Box
Cylinder
Sphere
Cone
Pyramid
Wedge
Torus
Aa<br>…and 3D text, freehand drawing and STL import
05 / Features
Small tool. Big possibilities.
📐 Millimetre precision
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.
🕳️ Boolean holes
Any shape can be set to "hole" mode and cut out of the model. Screw holes, letter slots and peepholes — without advanced CAD.
💾 Save where you like
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.
↩️ Safe to experiment
Full undo and redo history (Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Shift+Z), copy and paste, and duplicate with Ctrl+D to create patterns.
🎨 Colours and themes
Eight fresh colours for your shapes, and both light and dark themes in the editor — for late nights at the maker space.
👆 Mouse or touch
Full mouse support with handles and shortcuts — and a simplified touch layout that works well on tablets.
06 / Self-host
Open source — run Akse anywhere
Akse is free software under the AGPL-3.0 licence, and the<br>entire source code is openly available on<br>GitHub.<br>Schools, maker spaces and the curious can run their own Akse — completely<br>free. Here's how to get started:
1 Get the source code
You'll need Node.js (version 22 or newer) and git on your machine.
git clone https://github.com/joachimhs/akse3d.git<br>cd akse3d
2 Install and run
npm install<br>npm run dev<br>Open http://localhost:5173 in your browser —...