A Cabinet Vision alternative without the installation.
Cabinet Vision is established cabinet-shop software with deep production features. Plank CAD is a browser-based fabrication engine with a free tier and no setup.
Cabinet Vision is purpose-built software for cabinet manufacturing, with a long history in production shops and a feature depth that reflects it. For a shop whose entire workflow is built around it, that depth is the point.
Plank CAD sits earlier and lighter. It generates a structurally audited design, a cut list and a nested sheet layout from a description, in a browser, starting free. It is aimed at the shop that wants fabrication output without adopting and configuring a full production system.
Cabinet Vision: a production system
Installed software built around cabinet manufacturing workflows, with the configuration and onboarding that a system of that scope implies.
Plank CAD: generate, audit, export
Describe the piece, review a structurally audited 3D model, export the cut list, nesting map and DXF. Nothing to install, and the free tier needs no card.
Where the two differ.
| Dimension | Cabinet Vision | Plank CAD |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment | Installed desktop software | Runs in any browser |
| Getting started | Setup and configuration | Three free generations, no card |
| Design input | Parameter-driven cabinet definition | Plain-English description |
| Structural validation | Production-oriented checks | Automated audit with stability score and centre of gravity |
| Nesting | Established production nesting | FFD bin-packing onto standard sheets |
| Scope of work | Cabinet manufacturing workflow end to end | Design through to shop-ready files |
When Cabinet Vision is the better tool
- You run volume cabinet production and need shop-floor workflow, not just design output.
- You need deep integration with specific machinery and existing production systems.
- Your team and processes are already built around it — switching cost is real and rarely worth paying twice.
- You need capabilities that only a full production system provides.
A realistic way to try it
Take a job you have already built, describe it in a sentence, and compare the generated cut list and nesting map against what you actually cut. That is a ten-minute test with no installation and no card. Plank CAD does not replace a CAD environment for every task. It replaces the drafting phase — the hours between "I know what I want to build" and "I have cut lists and files".
Plank CAD and Cabinet Vision.
For design through to shop-ready files, it may. For end-to-end cabinet manufacturing workflow, shop-floor processes and deep machinery integration, a full production system does things Plank CAD does not.
Nothing. The free tier includes three blueprint generations with no credit card, and there is nothing to install — it runs in the browser.
Every design is checked for collisions, containment, support paths, stock nesting and joinery feature sanity before it can be exported. Treat it as a fabrication preflight, not a warranty: verify against your own material, tooling and machine setup before cutting.
Your first blueprint is free.
No credit card required. 3 blueprints on signup. Cancel anytime.
Encrypted in Transit & at Rest · 3 Free Blueprint Credits · No Hidden Fees