3 ms·

Something about CadQuery still feels a little off, but it's the only CAD tool I've found that really ticks all the boxes that I want, so I will nonetheless happ

by smrq 5y ago

Something about CadQuery still feels a little off, but it's the only CAD tool I've found that really ticks all the boxes that I want, so I will nonetheless happily give it the prestigious "Least Bad According To Me" award.

dymk 5y ago
My go-to for getting work done has been (and for the foreseeable future will still be) Fusion 360. I can't find a free alternative that is simultaneously batteries included, but also gets out of your way. It makes me feel like a shill saying something so positive about expensive, proprietary software, but it works _really_ well for my usecases (3D printing, 2.5D and 3D woodcraft carving). Having CAD and CAM in the same package is absolutely killer for me. In open-source land, though CadQuery is, like you say, the least worst of all the options. I just wish it had a CAM package integrated in there.
- jacquesm 5y ago
  It's such a pity they never released a linux version. It appears to work well in a VM though.
- laydn 5y ago
  Is my understanding correct that all your CAD data is stored in Autodesk cloud servers if you are using Fusion 360?
  - benhurmarcel 5y ago
    With the free hobbyist version at least, yes that's correct. You can export the files however.
  - dymk 5y ago
    Yes. I don't really mind this though, as I can export my STEP files (or the full f3d project file, but I rarely ever need to do this). I hop between multiple computers in my workflow. I do most design on a desktop in my house, and then use the less powerful shop computer to run the CNC or have references up. The auto-syncing of project files "in the cloud" is pretty useful there (in a way that an e.g. sync'd dropbox folder would be clunky to use)
dTal 5y ago
I know what you mean. CadQuery's syntax is weird. Dot-chaining is a terrible interface for nesting commands. ZenCad is the most promising "OpenSCAD but with Python and BREP" project I've seen: https://mirmik.github.io/zencad/en/index.html https://mirmik.github.io/zencad/en/index.html

by smrq 5y ago

dymk 5y ago

My go-to for getting work done has been (and for the foreseeable future will still be) Fusion 360. I can't find a free alternative that is simultaneously batteries included, but also gets out of your way. It makes me feel like a shill saying something so positive about expensive, proprietary software, but it works _really_ well for my usecases (3D printing, 2.5D and 3D woodcraft carving). Having CAD and CAM in the same package is absolutely killer for me. In open-source land, though CadQuery is, like you say, the least worst of all the options. I just wish it had a CAM package integrated in there.

jacquesm 5y ago
It's such a pity they never released a linux version. It appears to work well in a VM though.
laydn 5y ago
Is my understanding correct that all your CAD data is stored in Autodesk cloud servers if you are using Fusion 360?
- benhurmarcel 5y ago
  With the free hobbyist version at least, yes that's correct. You can export the files however.
- dymk 5y ago
  Yes. I don't really mind this though, as I can export my STEP files (or the full f3d project file, but I rarely ever need to do this). I hop between multiple computers in my workflow. I do most design on a desktop in my house, and then use the less powerful shop computer to run the CNC or have references up. The auto-syncing of project files "in the cloud" is pretty useful there (in a way that an e.g. sync'd dropbox folder would be clunky to use)

dTal 5y ago

I know what you mean. CadQuery's syntax is weird. Dot-chaining is a terrible interface for nesting commands. ZenCad is the most promising "OpenSCAD but with Python and BREP" project I've seen: https://mirmik.github.io/zencad/en/index.html https://mirmik.github.io/zencad/en/index.html