5 ms·

picoCAD – a tiny modeler for tiny models

221 points by johanpeitz 2y ago

pjerem 2y ago
I really don’t have any usage for such a thing but I love the simplicity of the trailer.
hnarayanan 2y ago
This is super cute.
throawayonthe 2y ago
oh that is sick edit: their website - https://picocad.net/ https://picocad.net/
slopeloaf 2y ago
Love this! Might nab it just to try it out. A very similar tool is Kenney Shape which has you drawing pixel art with depth numbers for each square that turn into models: https://kenney.nl/tools/kenney-shape https://kenney.nl/tools/kenney-shape
johanpeitz 2y ago
Hallo! Johan the dev here, thanks for all the positive responses. Happy to answer any questions about picoCAD if there are any. You can also check out https://picoCAD.net https://picoCAD.net for more info :)
- tym0 2y ago
  Hey, been meaning to try picoCAD for a while now this might push me over the edge :) For my curiosity: How are you distributing this? Is it the Web version of the pico8 game or did you rewrite it in love or something? Or does pico8 allows to embed their VM when distributing on Steam?
  - johanpeitz 2y ago
    pico8 has the ability to export anything you make into native binaries. Simple as that :)
- Herbstluft 2y ago
  Love picocad. Now that picotron is ramping up which basically offers a superset in terms of features compared to pico8: will there be an expanded picotron version of picocad?
  - johanpeitz 2y ago
    It has definitely crossed my mind. Main reason I haven't looked into it is Picotron's (so far) lack of ability to export native binaries.
- elldes 2y ago
  This looks so cool! Is there a workflow you would recommend for creating animations once the model has been created in picoCAD?
  - johanpeitz 2y ago
    Unfortunately I know next to nothing about animating so I am not much help here. That said I didn't know anything about 3d modelling when I made picoCAD so maybe there will be another tool in the future :D
- d--b 2y ago
  Jesus fucking christ, you're good at this.
- oefnak 2y ago
  Does it have steam deck support? Can you export to .stl?
  - johanpeitz 2y ago
    I've seen the linux version (available on itch.io) run on the steam deck but haven't tried my self. Lots of keyboard and mouse required to have a good time. :) It does export to obj/mtl which is usually importable into most other softwares
Rygian 2y ago
The texture mapping UX looks so fun, great job!
- johanpeitz 2y ago
  Thanks! A bit fiddly sometimes but very rewarding
WillAdams 2y ago
For folks who want a regular (not low-poly) modeler which is a small/light-weight download, Dune 3D seems the best thing to try: https://dune3d.org/ https://dune3d.org/ Previous discussions: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37979758 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37979758 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40228068 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40228068 The other notable thing to try is Solvespace or maybe NASA's Open Vehicle SketchPad (for opensource)
- phkahler 2y ago
  I wish the guy behind Dune3d had joined Solvespace development instead. His GTK4 UI on all platforms would have been nice. I'm hoping to address some of the solvespace shortcomings in 2025, but he really needed assembly with STEP files which I don't see happening soon.
  - WillAdams 2y ago
    Did his rewrite of the Solvespace parser get integrated back into Solvespace?
    - phkahler 2y ago
      I think you mean solver improvements, but no. We are doing named parameters soon. Then I make no promises, but looking at fillets and chamfers.
      - WillAdams 2y ago
        Yes, solver, thank you for correcting my error. Named parameters would be _huge_! Looking forward to the announcement!
- hombre_fatal 2y ago
  I don't think there's overlap despite picoCAD having the word "CAD" in its name. Just compare its examples with dune3d's real world circuit board example to see the difference: https://picocad.net/ https://picocad.net/ Better comparisons would be Crocotile and maybe Blockbench. Not CAD software.
catskull 2y ago
I’ve tried other 3d modeling software (blender, fusion, etc) and picocad is the only one I’ve been able to actually pick up and use without unsuccessfully spending hours watching outdated tutorials. I understand it’s not apples to apples. Just wanted to say thanks and this is an awesome tool!
- johanpeitz 2y ago
  Wow, that makes me so happy to hear. I'm no 3D modeler myself so it is very much built from a beginner/2d perspective.
- nickthegreek 2y ago
  That’s how I feel about tinkercad.
- hombre_fatal 2y ago
  Same. I randomly stumbled across someone's (Ben's) picoCAD timelapse on Youtube last January[1] and the toolkit was so simple that I bought it and tried it myself. Sure enough, I was more productive with picoCAD in my 30s than I was with 3dsmax/maya/etc in my teens despite many hours of tutorials. I joined the Discord and even participated in some jams. [1]: https://www.youtube.com/@bencanfield/videos https://www.youtube.com/@bencanfield/videos
- rkagerer 2y ago
  Is OnShape on that list of software you tried?
amne 2y ago
Looking at the video I was instantly teleported back here: https://playclassic.games/games/racing-driving-dos-games-online/play-rally-sport-online/ https://playclassic.games/games/racing-driving-dos-games-onl...
butz 2y ago
Building low poly models is easy. Hardest part is texturing. Even harder to draw textures that look great at low resolutions.
2mol 2y ago
These kind of tools (and the aesthetic) make me so happy for some reason. Another one that's pretty impressive and very lovely looking is Crocotile: https://crocotile3d.com/ https://crocotile3d.com/
- j_4 2y ago
  I love Crocotile. It's got very opinionated, kind of weird UX, but it gets me in the zone so so well. I haven't used it in ages, I should give it another spin.

221 points by johanpeitz 2y ago

pjerem 2y ago

I really don’t have any usage for such a thing but I love the simplicity of the trailer.

hnarayanan 2y ago

This is super cute.

throawayonthe 2y ago

oh that is sick edit: their website - https://picocad.net/ https://picocad.net/

slopeloaf 2y ago

Love this! Might nab it just to try it out. A very similar tool is Kenney Shape which has you drawing pixel art with depth numbers for each square that turn into models: https://kenney.nl/tools/kenney-shape https://kenney.nl/tools/kenney-shape

johanpeitz 2y ago

Hallo! Johan the dev here, thanks for all the positive responses. Happy to answer any questions about picoCAD if there are any. You can also check out https://picoCAD.net https://picoCAD.net for more info :)

tym0 2y ago
Hey, been meaning to try picoCAD for a while now this might push me over the edge :) For my curiosity: How are you distributing this? Is it the Web version of the pico8 game or did you rewrite it in love or something? Or does pico8 allows to embed their VM when distributing on Steam?
- johanpeitz 2y ago
  pico8 has the ability to export anything you make into native binaries. Simple as that :)
Herbstluft 2y ago
Love picocad. Now that picotron is ramping up which basically offers a superset in terms of features compared to pico8: will there be an expanded picotron version of picocad?
- johanpeitz 2y ago
  It has definitely crossed my mind. Main reason I haven't looked into it is Picotron's (so far) lack of ability to export native binaries.
elldes 2y ago
This looks so cool! Is there a workflow you would recommend for creating animations once the model has been created in picoCAD?
- johanpeitz 2y ago
  Unfortunately I know next to nothing about animating so I am not much help here. That said I didn't know anything about 3d modelling when I made picoCAD so maybe there will be another tool in the future :D
d--b 2y ago
Jesus fucking christ, you're good at this.
oefnak 2y ago
Does it have steam deck support? Can you export to .stl?
- johanpeitz 2y ago
  I've seen the linux version (available on itch.io) run on the steam deck but haven't tried my self. Lots of keyboard and mouse required to have a good time. :) It does export to obj/mtl which is usually importable into most other softwares

Rygian 2y ago

The texture mapping UX looks so fun, great job!

johanpeitz 2y ago
Thanks! A bit fiddly sometimes but very rewarding

WillAdams 2y ago

For folks who want a regular (not low-poly) modeler which is a small/light-weight download, Dune 3D seems the best thing to try: https://dune3d.org/ https://dune3d.org/ Previous discussions: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37979758 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37979758 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40228068 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40228068 The other notable thing to try is Solvespace or maybe NASA's Open Vehicle SketchPad (for opensource)

phkahler 2y ago
I wish the guy behind Dune3d had joined Solvespace development instead. His GTK4 UI on all platforms would have been nice. I'm hoping to address some of the solvespace shortcomings in 2025, but he really needed assembly with STEP files which I don't see happening soon.
- WillAdams 2y ago
  Did his rewrite of the Solvespace parser get integrated back into Solvespace?
  - phkahler 2y ago
    I think you mean solver improvements, but no. We are doing named parameters soon. Then I make no promises, but looking at fillets and chamfers.
    - WillAdams 2y ago
      Yes, solver, thank you for correcting my error. Named parameters would be _huge_! Looking forward to the announcement!
hombre_fatal 2y ago
I don't think there's overlap despite picoCAD having the word "CAD" in its name. Just compare its examples with dune3d's real world circuit board example to see the difference: https://picocad.net/ https://picocad.net/ Better comparisons would be Crocotile and maybe Blockbench. Not CAD software.

catskull 2y ago

I’ve tried other 3d modeling software (blender, fusion, etc) and picocad is the only one I’ve been able to actually pick up and use without unsuccessfully spending hours watching outdated tutorials. I understand it’s not apples to apples. Just wanted to say thanks and this is an awesome tool!

johanpeitz 2y ago
Wow, that makes me so happy to hear. I'm no 3D modeler myself so it is very much built from a beginner/2d perspective.
nickthegreek 2y ago
That’s how I feel about tinkercad.
hombre_fatal 2y ago
Same. I randomly stumbled across someone's (Ben's) picoCAD timelapse on Youtube last January[1] and the toolkit was so simple that I bought it and tried it myself. Sure enough, I was more productive with picoCAD in my 30s than I was with 3dsmax/maya/etc in my teens despite many hours of tutorials. I joined the Discord and even participated in some jams. [1]: https://www.youtube.com/@bencanfield/videos https://www.youtube.com/@bencanfield/videos
rkagerer 2y ago
Is OnShape on that list of software you tried?

amne 2y ago

Looking at the video I was instantly teleported back here: https://playclassic.games/games/racing-driving-dos-games-online/play-rally-sport-online/ https://playclassic.games/games/racing-driving-dos-games-onl...

butz 2y ago

Building low poly models is easy. Hardest part is texturing. Even harder to draw textures that look great at low resolutions.

2mol 2y ago

These kind of tools (and the aesthetic) make me so happy for some reason. Another one that's pretty impressive and very lovely looking is Crocotile: https://crocotile3d.com/ https://crocotile3d.com/

j_4 2y ago
I love Crocotile. It's got very opinionated, kind of weird UX, but it gets me in the zone so so well. I haven't used it in ages, I should give it another spin.