Question 1

What is Axle Keys?

Accepted Answer

Axle Keys is a browser-based platform for creating configurable, buildable CAD models of physical objects. You describe what you want to make — in Studio, or through your own AI assistant — and Axle builds a real parametric 3D model you can measure, adjust, verify, and turn into shop drawings, cut lists, fabrication exports, video, or an embeddable configurator. It's not a generic AI CAD generator: the value is the structure and knowledge behind the model, not just the geometry.

Question 2

How is Axle Keys different from other AI CAD tools?

Accepted Answer

Most AI CAD tools generate a shape from a prompt, which produces geometry that can't be fabricated and can't be reconfigured afterwards. Axle Keys works differently: the AI decides parameters and structure, and deterministic code builds the geometry from them. That means the model can't contain a joint the AI hallucinated, and changing a dimension re-derives the model instead of regenerating a new guess. Systems add the second half — the context of how a thing is actually made, so the output is specific to a trade rather than merely plausible.

Question 3

What is Studio?

Accepted Answer

Studio is the workspace at axlekeys.com/studio. It has six areas — Project, Create, Assemble, Configure, Motion, and Make — covering project context and files, authoring the model, multi-part assemblies, choosing which parameters end users control, animation and video, and fabrication output. It includes a 3D viewport, parameter controls, a parts manager, materials, version history, and export tools.

Question 4

Do I need to pick a System before I start?

Accepted Answer

No. Every model starts on Open Design, the base knowledge, which is enough to build, verify, and produce fabrication output. Named Systems for specific trades are in development; when one matches your work you'll bind it to the model to get its parts, rules, and conventions. Systems compose, so a model can carry more than one.

Question 5

Do I have to use AI to use Studio?

Accepted Answer

No. AI can help create, edit, explain, and automate work, but Studio is not exclusively AI-driven. Many useful actions are deterministic: editing parameters, importing files, reviewing parts, applying materials, generating cut lists, exporting files, saving versions, and publishing models. The best workflow is often a mix of direct controls, structured Systems, and AI assistance.

Question 6

Does Studio save project history?

Accepted Answer

Version history is a core part of the Axle Keys workflow. Because agents and users may make changes iteratively, Studio supports a pattern where meaningful edits can be reviewed, promoted, and rolled back when needed — especially important for CAD work, where a small change can affect the entire model.

Question 7

What is a System?

Accepted Answer

A System is a way of building, captured as context an AI can work inside — the parts, rules, constraints, and materials that decide how a thing actually goes together. Think of Lego: knowing the system means you can design something that will click together, rather than drawing a shape and hoping. A System does that for a real trade such as cabinetmaking or extrusion framing.

Question 8

How is a System different from a template?

Accepted Answer

A template is a fixed starting point you modify — it gives you one object. A System is the knowledge behind a whole family of objects: what parts exist, how they meet, what thicknesses and clearances hold, and what a person in that trade would take for granted. You don't fill in a System, you build inside it, and it applies to things nobody made a template for.

Question 9

What Systems are available?

Accepted Answer

One System is live today: Open Design, the base knowledge every model builds on. It carries how to model soundly — real dimensions, sensible parameters, parts that hold together — without assuming a particular trade. Named Systems for cabinet and casework, T-slot extrusion, flat-sheet and laser, closet and storage, and printed snap-fit work are in development and tracked on the roadmap. A System is only released when it knows enough to genuinely beat starting from scratch.

Question 10

What fabrication outputs does Axle Keys support?

Accepted Answer

Fabrication output is available on any model, not gated behind a particular System. From a finished model you can produce dimensioned shop drawings (SVG, PDF, or DXF), cut lists with sheet nesting, 3D exports in STEP, STL, or DAE, assembly animation and video, and a live embeddable configurator. What a System adds is not new formats but better decisions — parts, thicknesses, and conventions that match how your trade actually builds.

Question 11

Why do Systems matter for AI?

Accepted Answer

AI works better when it has context. Without a System, an agent may create geometry that looks plausible but has no real connection to parts, materials, or fabrication. With a System, the agent has a framework: what parts exist, what dimensions matter, what rules apply, and what outputs are expected. Systems turn AI from an open-ended prompt into a controlled design assistant.

Question 12

What is Exhibition?

Accepted Answer

Exhibition is planned, not live. It will be the public browsing space for Axle Keys models — where configurable objects can be discovered, studied, shared, and opened in Studio. It's tracked on the roadmap.

Question 13

What is Showroom?

Accepted Answer

Showroom is planned, not live. It will be the branded product-line space for shops and businesses — presenting configurable products to customers with inquiry and lead flow. The engine for it already ships: you can publish a model as a live configurator and embed it on your own site today. Showroom is the hosted, branded version of that.

Question 14

How is Showroom different from Exhibition?

Accepted Answer

Both are planned. Exhibition is for public discovery — what interesting configurable models exist? Showroom is for commercial presentation — what does this shop or business sell? A Showroom would carry product lines, configurators, inquiry forms, and business information.

Question 15

Can AI agents use Axle Keys?

Accepted Answer

Yes — this is a core part of the product. You connect your own assistant (Claude, ChatGPT, or any MCP-compatible client) to a hosted endpoint at api.axlekeys.com/mcp with one URL and an OAuth sign-in. It can then read project context, write model code, update parameters, validate geometry, and produce drawings, cut lists, and renders. Builds run on Axle's servers, so your agent works whether or not you have a Studio tab open. Setup instructions are at axlekeys.com/connect.

Question 16

What is MCP?

Accepted Answer

MCP stands for Model Context Protocol — an open standard for giving AI assistants controlled access to external tools. In Axle Keys, MCP is how your assistant acts on real projects instead of only talking about them: reading the current model, writing model code, adjusting parameters, checking geometry, and generating output.

Question 17

Is there a REST API?

Accepted Answer

Not yet. The hosted MCP endpoint is the current programmatic surface, and it covers the full workflow. A public REST API for applications and integrations is on the roadmap. If you're building something that needs one, get in touch — real use cases shape what it looks like.

Question 18

Can an agent change my model without my approval?

Accepted Answer

The safe pattern is: read → draft → validate → promote. An agent should not blindly overwrite the live model. Meaningful edits are staged, checked, and promoted through a visible workflow — especially important because Axle Keys deals with physical objects where small changes can cascade.

Question 19

Are Axle Keys models fabrication-ready?

Accepted Answer

A model can produce genuine fabrication output — dimensioned drawings, cut lists nested on real stock, STEP files — and dimensions are checked against what was actually asked for. But readiness still depends on the model's quality, your material and hardware assumptions, and the method you're building with. Axle structures the model and generates the output; the final call before cutting is yours.

Question 20

Does Axle Keys replace a fabricator, engineer, or professional designer?

Accepted Answer

No. Axle Keys is a tool for creating, configuring, documenting, and preparing physical models. It does not replace professional judgment. Some objects require engineering review, code compliance, safety analysis, material testing, or fabrication expertise before they are made.

Question 21

Can I sign up?

Accepted Answer

Axle Keys is invitation-only while it's in beta. Account creation needs an access code, and new members are admitted in releases. You can apply for access from the website, and everything public — documentation, the roadmap, this FAQ — is open without an account. Open signup arrives at launch.

Question 22

Why is access limited?

Accepted Answer

The product is being proven against real work rather than demos. A small number of members doing genuine projects surfaces the things that matter and gets them fixed properly. Widening access before that is how software ends up looking finished while failing on the first real job.

Question 23

Where is pricing?

Accepted Answer

There's no public pricing yet. Billing is handled through the Account page during the beta, and a pricing page arrives with launch, once the plans can be explained clearly rather than guessed at.

Question 24

What are credits?

Accepted Answer

Credits manage usage for actions that cost compute to run — AI calls, generation jobs, export jobs, validation, and conversions. The exact credit model may change as Axle Keys develops.

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