A kid’s imagination combined with LEGO is a powerful thing. With just some simple plastic bricks, kids can build complex contraptions that put the world’s engineers to shame. Now a startup is hoping to accomplish the same thing with 3D design and 3D printers.

Cadigo took to Kickstarter this week looking to fund Tiles – a new software program that will make 3D design as easy as building LEGO models. Simply put, the software allows anybody to create 3D models by simply dropping bricks onto a blank canvas. From there, one’s imagination is let free to design whatever they want with these bricks. After the model is finished, it can then be shipped off to a 3D printer to be made into a real object.

Interestingly enough, Cadigo is applying some game concepts to Tiles to make it more approachable. For instance, there’s a co-operative design mode where two people can help on the same design. There’s also a “first-person mode” where users can see their designs from a closer perspective. Despite all this, Cadigo insists that Tiles is not a game:

It would not hurt to think Tiles as a game, but in reality it really isn’t one. We are not making another Minecraft clone. Instead, we are taking the voxel concept and applying it to the practical world of 3D modelling. Tiles can be the gateway and your first step into the previously difficult world of 3D modelling. We want a world where everyone can 3D model.

Here’s the pitch:

Cadigo is looking to raise $30,000 to make Tiles a reality. For only $5, backers can gain access to the basic Tiles software alongside the co-op and first-person modes. Larger pledge tiers will give backers access to larger canvases, more colors, more textures and beta access. By pledging $35, backers gain access to the Founders tier which gives them an unlimited canvas size and lifetime access to all updates. Cadigo also notes that it will be able to release a mobile version of Tiles if they can raise $120,000.

Image via Cadigo/Kickstarter