# About

- Link: https://opensourcecad.nl/en/about/
- Published: 2026-10-22T18:44:25+02:00
- Author: Marijn van den Heuvel \+ AI

_This page is also available in Dutch: [Over ons](https://opensourcecad.nl/over-ons/)._

**Open-source CAD works, if you know what to look out for.** I help companies and
engineers move to open-source CAD for mechanical work.

I am Marijn. I have worked with open-source CAD for years, and with the questions
around it: which tool fits which product, how to bring existing models across, and
how to keep your team from getting stuck. No thick advisory reports, but someone
who uses the tools himself and sits down next to your team.

I am a **former FreeCAD developer**. So I know that program from the inside, and
I have years of experience with it.

For years I worked to take FreeCAD to a higher level, with one goal: that professionals,
like me, could use it in their daily work. That has not happened so far. That is
why I started this company: to find software that professionals actually can use.

## How I can help you

 * **Choose**: which open-source CAD fits your product, your team and the way you
   work
 * **Implement**: from a loose pilot to a working design process, including migration
   of existing models
 * **Automate**: scripts and AI/MCP connections that take the repetitive drawing
   work away
 * **Assess**: is a tool fit for your work? I test it in practice and say honestly
   where the limit sits

## My field

I am a **mechanical engineer** (bachelor) and my specialisation is **mechanical 
engineering**: mechanical design, structures, assemblies and the road to production.
I work throughout the Netherlands, on site or remotely, whichever fits best.

## What an engagement looks like

 1. **Introduction**: we discuss what you want to achieve and where things get stuck
    now
 2. **Exploration**: I dig into your designs and processes and test the tools that 
    fit realistically
 3. **Advice or guidance**: a clear proposal, or I start working with your team straight
    away

## Why open source

 * No licence cost per seat, so you can grow without the bill growing along
 * Your models and data stay yours, without vendor lock-in
 * Scriptable and automatable, so ready for AI and MCP connections
 * An active community and an ecosystem that gets stronger every year

## The technical side

I advise nothing I have not tested myself. The technical side, benchmarks, kernel
comparisons and the limits of the tools, sits apart, so you can dig into it at your
own pace:

 * [Mechanical & Product Design](https://opensourcecad.nl/en/mechanical-product-design/):
   my primary field
 * [Tests & Benchmarks](https://opensourcecad.nl/en/tests-benchmarks/): reproducible
   results
 * [NURBS & Modeling Kernels](https://opensourcecad.nl/en/cad-kernels/): how the
   engines under CAD work

## Get in touch?

Not sure whether open-source CAD is something for your work, or do you just want
to get going faster and smarter? Book a no-obligation introduction and we will look
at where the opportunities are together.

[Book an introduction →](https://opensourcecad.nl/en/about/info@opensourcecad.nl)