Software Engineer — 3D Files and Environments.
Company: Crate3D
Location: Remote (U.S. time zones preferred)
Type: Contract (3–6 months), with potential to convert to full-time
Start date: Immediately
About Crate3D
Crate3D builds hardware and software for the maker and 3D-printing community. Our product lines span modular LED systems, robotics, and tooling that helps people design, organize, and bring physical objects to life. We move fast, ship often, and treat AI as a core part of how we build.
We're now investing heavily in a new category of software: tools that let anyone edit, modify, and customize 3D models — the kind commonly printed on consumer and prosumer 3D printers.
The Role
We're looking for a software engineer who wants to build creative, interactive tools on top of 3D geometry — specifically .stl files and the broader formats used in 3D printing. You'll be in charge of features end to end, from mesh manipulation logic to the interfaces people actually touch. You'll lean on AI heavily, both inside the products we build and in how you build them.
This is a hands-on, fast-paced role. You'll prototype quickly, get things in front of users, and iterate. If you like ambiguity, ownership, and seeing your work shipped within days rather than quarters, you'll fit right in.
The role starts as a 3–6 month contract, with strong potential to convert to a full-time position based on fit and performance. It's a chance for both sides to make sure it's a great match before committing long term.
What You'll Build
A great example of the kind of project you'd take on: a browser-based digital painting environment for 3D-printable models.
Imagine a user importing an .stl character model and being able to:
- View and render the model in an interactive 3D environment
- Paint directly onto the surface with a brush
- Select logical regions — a boot, a hat, a shirt — and fill them with a single color in one click
- Save the result back out to a color-capable 3D format (e.g. 3MF, OBJ/MTL, or PLY) so the colors survive into slicing and multi-material printing
That's one project. Others will involve mesh repair, model modification, automated cleanup, and AI-assisted editing workflows — the connective tissue that makes 3D models easy for everyday users to work with.
What You'll Do
- Build interactive 3D tooling for the web, working directly with mesh geometry
- Parse, manipulate, and export .stl and related 3D-printing formats
- Implement features like surface painting, region selection/segmentation, vertex coloring, and texture handling
- Integrate AI/LLM capabilities into product features and into your own workflow
- Prototype fast, ship to real users, and iterate on feedback
- Own features end to end across frontend, geometry logic, and (where needed) backend processing
What We're Looking For
- Strong general software engineering skills and the ability to work independently
- Experience with 3D graphics on the web — Three.js / WebGL or similar
- Comfort working with mesh data: vertices, faces, normals, and the realities of formats like STL (which natively carry geometry but not color)
- Fluency using AI tools to accelerate development, and interest in building AI features into products
- A bias toward shipping — comfortable in a fast-paced, ambiguous, early-stage environment
- Availability to start immediately and commit to the initial 3–6 month engagement
Nice to Have
- Hands-on familiarity with 3D printing and slicing workflows
- Experience with mesh-processing libraries (e.g. trimesh, numpy-stl, three-mesh-bvh) or geometry algorithms
- Knowledge of color-capable formats for multi-material printing (3MF, OBJ/MTL, PLY)
- Backend/Python experience for heavier geometry processing
- A portfolio, side projects, or open-source work we can look at
Why Join
- Real Products — you'll ship features that real makers use, fast
- AI-forward — we expect you to use modern AI tooling and build with it
- Fully remote — work from wherever you do your best work
- Small and fast — no bureaucracy, direct impact, short feedback loops
How to Apply
Send a short note about yourself, links to relevant work (GitHub, demos, portfolios), and anything you've built involving 3D, graphics, or AI. If you've made something cool with .stl files or WebGL, lead with that.
A 3D Character example can be seen here
https://drive.google.com/file/d/17zOYnhC0uPH1Tj00VL5sCM_fD-J0-eSD/view?usp=sharing
Crate3D is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds.
Pay: $80,000.00-$120,000.00 per year
Work Location: Remote
