Why NearSolid exists
I’ve always liked making things.
Especially physical objects.
Even though I’ve spent most of my professional life working with code and design software, what I really enjoy is seeing something leave the screen and become something real, something you can actually touch.
For years I’ve worked on laser cutting and CNC projects, especially pieces with a certain level of complexity: layered designs, volume, sometimes even movement. I liked them because, unlike 3D printing, results come fast. You design, cut, assemble… and there it is, right in front of you.
But there’s something most of these projects have in common:
more than 90% of them are based on stacked layers.
And once you go past a certain level of complexity, the same problem always shows up: uncertainty.
On the screen, the design worked.
In my head, it worked too.
But when I had it in my hands… something was off.
Sometimes it was proportions.
Sometimes the overall thickness.
Sometimes the real size.
Or how the piece behaved with shadows, depth, or distance.
On top of that, the physical process wasn’t immediate either.
My laser machine was slow, settings changed depending on the material, parts had to be assembled, and every iteration meant time, cost, and disappointment. When working on client projects, that friction was even more noticeable.
In many cases, all I really wanted was a good 3D preview before building anything. Something that would let me confirm whether the idea made sense beyond the flat design.
The problem is that my relationship with 3D software has always been… frustrating.
Vectors are usually treated as references, templates, or final details. The flow breaks: you import, extrude, tweak, switch tools, go back, repeat.
I feel very comfortable designing in vector tools. That’s my territory. I’m fast, and I don’t get stuck experimenting. But every time I jump into 3D, that feeling disappears.
That’s where NearSolid was born.
Not as a big business idea, but as an answer to a very common frustration:
Why do I have to rebuild my design in another piece of software just to understand how it will look in volume?
From the beginning, one thing was clear to me:
NearSolid should not be another design tool.
I’m not going to build a better Illustrator.
Or a better Inkscape.
And I don’t want anyone to change the way they already design.
Designers should keep working where they already feel comfortable.
The idea was to take advantage of something that was already there: the SVG.
Object IDs, which most design tools respect, could be used to describe layers, thicknesses, and materials without touching the original design.
You design in 2D.
You import the SVG.
And NearSolid gives you a three-dimensional view of the object.
And on top of that, you can now open the same design on your phone and see it directly in your physical space using augmented reality. Not to impress, but to confirm: size, presence, proportions. To check whether something that works on screen also works in the real world.
NearSolid is the moment in the design process when it almost becomes touchable.
Victor San Vicente
Founder, NearSolid
Learn more at https://www.nearsolid.com
Try NearSolid → https://app.nearsolid.com/auth/signup