What the work actually involves

You receive a written brief — sometimes a paragraph, sometimes a full spec with tolerances and material callouts — and you build a fully-parametric 3D model that satisfies it. Other tasks reverse the direction: you're handed an existing model plus a revision request and must implement the change without breaking the feature tree or resorting to non-parametric fixes. A third category is audit work, where you review someone else's model (or a model produced by an AI system) against dimensional, tolerance, and manufacturability criteria and write up exactly what's wrong and why.

The deliverable is never just the file. Every task expects written rationale: why you chose that sketch plane, why that fillet is driven by a parameter rather than hard-coded, why the draft angle matters for the molding process named in the brief. That documentation is the training signal, and it's usually what separates accepted work from rejected work.

What the screen looks for

  • Real parametric discipline, not surface-level modelling. Screeners probe how you structure a feature tree so it survives a dimension change, and whether you can explain design intent rather than describe clicks.
  • GD&T applied, not memorised. Expect questions about datum selection, feature control frames, and when a positional tolerance is the right call versus a plus/minus dimension on a real part you worked on.
  • DFM across at least two or three processes. Injection molding, sheet metal, CNC, casting/forging — you should be able to name the constraint that killed or reshaped a specific design.
  • Willingness to work in FreeCAD. Prior FreeCAD experience is a plus, not a gate; the platform expects transferable Inventor or SolidWorks skill and a short ramp.
  • Writing. Terse, specific, reviewable English. Vague rationale is treated as a failed task.

Logistics

Fully remote, contractor engagement, asynchronous task queues rather than fixed shifts. Observed pay for this listing sits between $30 and $100 per hour, with the upper end associated with complex creation and assembly-level work rather than edit tasks — bands are as observed and not guaranteed. Volume fluctuates with project phase, so treat this as supplementary rather than replacement income unless the platform tells you otherwise. You'll need your own machine capable of running CAD software comfortably.