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As an aside for those not aware, OpenSCAD is CAD software where you describe the models with a programming language. Basically you have vim or some other text e

by jolmg 2y ago

As an aside for those not aware, OpenSCAD is CAD software where you describe the models with a programming language. Basically you have vim or some other text editor of choice in one window, write your changes and OpenSCAD detects the write and updates the preview of the model in another window. This obviously lends itself better for tracking CAD model changes in git. You can comment your code and everything. That said, depending on the model you want to make, it may be much more challenging. Adding fillets, for example, may be not trivial.

ein0p 2y ago
GPT4 by the way can generate simple OpenSCAD parts if you can describe them verbally. Even if it doesn’t get it exactly right, the result is a good starting point.
bseidensticker 2y ago
If you use OpenSCAD I highly recommend using BOSL along with it: https://github.com/revarbat/BOSL/wiki https://github.com/revarbat/BOSL/wiki. It's essentially a standard library for OpenSCAD full of incredibly useful things. For example, adding a radius=2 fillet to a 5x5x5 cube is just: cuboid([5,5,5], fillet=2);
ecjhdnc2025 2y ago
I would suggest to anyone looking at code-CAD to look further afield than OpenSCAD, which is fun but, because it is a mesh modelling tool, quite limited. Fillets and chamfers are bespoke each time, and any kind of reflection on the structure of the resulting model is essentially impossible because it is a declarative language as well as a mesh modeller, STEP export is impossible. With anything complex you will drown in variable declarations and various bodges, and there is essentially no help for multi-body projects or assemblies. The Python/OpenCascade-based CadQuery and Build123D are bRep systems with many programmatic advantages, and because they are bRep you have generalised fillet and chamfer operations (within OpenCascade’s limitations). You also get face, wire and vertex operations on generated geometry, even some assembly support. On the JS side of things, CascadeStudio and replicad both use the emscripten cross-compilation of OpenCascade. Personally, I really like FreeCAD, and I’ve used it for complex things. But I am not going to suggest everyone should use it.

by jolmg 2y ago

ein0p 2y ago

GPT4 by the way can generate simple OpenSCAD parts if you can describe them verbally. Even if it doesn’t get it exactly right, the result is a good starting point.

bseidensticker 2y ago

If you use OpenSCAD I highly recommend using BOSL along with it: https://github.com/revarbat/BOSL/wiki https://github.com/revarbat/BOSL/wiki. It's essentially a standard library for OpenSCAD full of incredibly useful things. For example, adding a radius=2 fillet to a 5x5x5 cube is just: cuboid([5,5,5], fillet=2);

ecjhdnc2025 2y ago

I would suggest to anyone looking at code-CAD to look further afield than OpenSCAD, which is fun but, because it is a mesh modelling tool, quite limited. Fillets and chamfers are bespoke each time, and any kind of reflection on the structure of the resulting model is essentially impossible because it is a declarative language as well as a mesh modeller, STEP export is impossible. With anything complex you will drown in variable declarations and various bodges, and there is essentially no help for multi-body projects or assemblies. The Python/OpenCascade-based CadQuery and Build123D are bRep systems with many programmatic advantages, and because they are bRep you have generalised fillet and chamfer operations (within OpenCascade’s limitations). You also get face, wire and vertex operations on generated geometry, even some assembly support. On the JS side of things, CascadeStudio and replicad both use the emscripten cross-compilation of OpenCascade. Personally, I really like FreeCAD, and I’ve used it for complex things. But I am not going to suggest everyone should use it.