Replacing old software is never easy, and this maker took on one of the tougher cases: 123D Make, which Windows updates keep making harder to run. Rather than patching an aging tool, the maker started fresh with a web-based alternative that opens straight in a browser tab, with nothing to install.
The project began as a weekend build, but it was shared early on GitHub instead of being kept back until polished. Three slicing modes are already live: Stacked Slices, Interlocked Slices, and Radial Slices. That is a solid foundation for something this young. Exports come as DXF, SVG, or EPS, either sheet by sheet or bundled in a zip archive, and the software already handles tool size and kerf settings.
Two details stand out to me. First, user files stay on the local computer and are never uploaded to the internet, which seems like a smart call for a browser app. Second, the Live Watch feature picks up edits saved in other programs and tracks them as they happen. A generated list showing the quantity and size of dowels rounds things off nicely.
It is not finished, and the maker is upfront about that. An internet connection is still required for the shared libraries, though the aim is to make the app fully offline down the road. Alignment currently supports only cylindrical dowels, and the plan is to keep improving the app after this early release. For something that started as a weekend project, the pace is impressive.