Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and National Informatics Centre (NIC) has signed an MoU for CollabCAD Software Support and Training Curriculum for students of Class X and XII and teachers in Engineered Graphics Curriculum the for 10 years.

CollabCAD is NIC's first indigenous instrument developed in collaboration with the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC). It is a cooperative network-compatible and desktop software solution that offers students and faculty in engineering graphics a complete engineering solution ranging from 2D modelling and detailing through to 3D product design.

Also, a comprehensive e-book on CollabCAD 3D modeling was also released during the event. The comprehensive e-book on CollabCAD 3D modeling 1.0 is ready for public release through the CollabCAD portal for registered users and will guide CAD students, beginners, and professionals in understanding and using CollabCAD Software. It is designed and authored by the CollabCAD Group of NIC, New Delhi.

The initiative aims to provide a great platform to students across the country to create and modify 3D digital designs with a free flow of creativity and imagination. This software would also enable students to collaborate over designs across the network and concurrently access the same design data for storage and visualisation.

During the virtual event, Ajay Sawhney, secretary, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) said, “This software has proved to be extremely useful in the hands of Atal Tinkering Lab students and now when it goes mainstream with the help of CBSE, the potential is tremendous.” He also mentioned that the use of this tool should be a part of playgroups, hobby groups, and vocational training.

Neeta Verma, director general, NIC, said, “It is a very simple software with industry features. This software is an innovative way for students to learn 3D Model designing and this knowledge will give them a competitive edge in their higher education.”

Manoj Ahuja, chairperson, CBSE said, “National Education Policy lays a lot of emphasis on vocationalisation and CBSE has been the pioneering board to offer a wide range of vocational subjects to students. A product like CollabCAD along with the opportunities offered by Atal Tinkering Labs can help students to be at the frontier of knowledge.”