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I've been using zoo and its KCL language with some success for boundary-representation CAD writing. If I understood correctly, µcad serves the same purpose. Com

I've been using zoo and its KCL language with some success for boundary-representation CAD writing. If I understood correctly, µcad serves the same purpose. Comparing code samples between both of them, I personally enjoy KCL's pipelined approach more. My main beef with zoo is the fact that they are promoting vendor lock-in by forcing users to use their cloud-hosted geometry kernel with absolutely no local alternative. It's not clear to me how µcad solves this problem. [1] Lego brick in KCL: https://zoo.dev/docs/kcl-samples/lego https://zoo.dev/docs/kcl-samples/lego [2] Lego brick in µcad: https://microcad.xyz/index.php/2025/11/12/lego-bricks/ https://microcad.xyz/index.php/2025/11/12/lego-bricks/ [3] Gear in KCL: https://zoo.dev/docs/kcl-samples/spur-gear https://zoo.dev/docs/kcl-samples/spur-gear [4] Gear in µcad: https://microcad.xyz/index.php/2025/11/12/gears/ https://microcad.xyz/index.php/2025/11/12/gears/

its-summertime 11mo ago
Doesn't it solve the problem by being local? https://codeberg.org/microcad/microcad https://codeberg.org/microcad/microcad
fallat 11mo ago
Zoo has said it's open to local hosting of the kernel for years. I believe it's a matter of time because it's mostly about legal tape. ucad is based on Manifold, so unfortunately, not really comparable, since it's all meshes vs brep, like OpenSCAD. Note KCL could be completely augmented with another kernel. There are people who've already tried :)
- adastra22 10mo ago
  Don't they use their own kernel? What legal tape?
  - fallat 10mo ago
    They do. The legal tape is more like how to use legal tape to protect it :)
- fransje26 10mo ago
  > There are people who've already tried :) And they were never heard of, ever again? :-)
- durin42 10mo ago
  I asked sometime in 2024 and I got a pretty clear response that local/self hosting is not planned.
  - fallat 10mo ago
    I'm not sure who you asked, or maybe you asked at the beginning of 2024 but the stance on no-local hosting not a hard one
hantusk 11mo ago
Lego brick in build123d: https://build123d.readthedocs.io/en/latest/tutorial_lego.html https://build123d.readthedocs.io/en/latest/tutorial_lego.htm... Gear in build123d: https://github.com/GarryBGoode/gggears https://github.com/GarryBGoode/gggears
- _flux 10mo ago
  Hm, at least build123d (which I had never heard of, thanks!) can export STEP, which I believe is becoming a necessity if one wants to assemble real-world models with FreeCAD (and nicely also slicers are picking up support to it). I'm on the edge though if I'd really like a proper DSL instead of building it on top of Python, although I can see that too has its benefits (e.g. library access). Does anyone have idea about the STEP export support status for KCL/µcad? To me it looks like KCL cannot, and I cannot find information on it about µcad. The one tool I'm familiar within this space is OpenSCAD and it cannot. While FreeCAD is able to (sometimes?) convert from STL to STEP, it seems actually working with such models in FreeCAD is quite compute-inefficient.
  - exasperaited 10mo ago
    Converting from STL to STEP is essentially always a case-by-case thing. If you import, sew, check geometry, refine, etc., you can eliminate unnecessary triangles in planar faces. But you can't magically make a 120-sided-polygon that should be a circle a circle; you're going to have to do that yourself. Though Mark Ganson's MeshRemodel workbench looks interesting: https://github.com/mwganson/MeshRemodel https://github.com/mwganson/MeshRemodel And FreeCAD is not the best tool for correcting broken meshes, which are commonplace. MeshLab and the vaguely-on-life-support AutoCAD MeshMixer are better at it. STEP/IGES is as you say more or less essential if you want to work with code-CAD output in any other serious context. STL is not enough: it is like converting to JPEG in the middle of a photo editing flow, not at the end. It destroys information — in this case geometry. You might find DeclaraCAD interesting.
    - wkat4242 10mo ago
      Yeah I hate messing with STLs for that reason. It's an output format. Similar to when you make an image in Photoshop with a load of layers and then export to jpeg where it's flattened and all the layer info is lost. Obj is a bit better but for real design modification you kinda need the original file and the program it was designed in. At least in my experience. I've never come across STEP though, is that a real design parameter preserving file format?
galfarragem 10mo ago
When I see these examples I miss Autolisp…
- stocksinsmocks 10mo ago
  These are your father’s parentheses. An elegant weapon for a more civilized age.

its-summertime 11mo ago

Doesn't it solve the problem by being local? https://codeberg.org/microcad/microcad https://codeberg.org/microcad/microcad

fallat 11mo ago

Zoo has said it's open to local hosting of the kernel for years. I believe it's a matter of time because it's mostly about legal tape. ucad is based on Manifold, so unfortunately, not really comparable, since it's all meshes vs brep, like OpenSCAD. Note KCL could be completely augmented with another kernel. There are people who've already tried :)

adastra22 10mo ago
Don't they use their own kernel? What legal tape?
- fallat 10mo ago
  They do. The legal tape is more like how to use legal tape to protect it :)
fransje26 10mo ago
> There are people who've already tried :) And they were never heard of, ever again? :-)
durin42 10mo ago
I asked sometime in 2024 and I got a pretty clear response that local/self hosting is not planned.
- fallat 10mo ago
  I'm not sure who you asked, or maybe you asked at the beginning of 2024 but the stance on no-local hosting not a hard one

hantusk 11mo ago

Lego brick in build123d: https://build123d.readthedocs.io/en/latest/tutorial_lego.html https://build123d.readthedocs.io/en/latest/tutorial_lego.htm... Gear in build123d: https://github.com/GarryBGoode/gggears https://github.com/GarryBGoode/gggears

_flux 10mo ago
Hm, at least build123d (which I had never heard of, thanks!) can export STEP, which I believe is becoming a necessity if one wants to assemble real-world models with FreeCAD (and nicely also slicers are picking up support to it). I'm on the edge though if I'd really like a proper DSL instead of building it on top of Python, although I can see that too has its benefits (e.g. library access). Does anyone have idea about the STEP export support status for KCL/µcad? To me it looks like KCL cannot, and I cannot find information on it about µcad. The one tool I'm familiar within this space is OpenSCAD and it cannot. While FreeCAD is able to (sometimes?) convert from STL to STEP, it seems actually working with such models in FreeCAD is quite compute-inefficient.
- exasperaited 10mo ago
  Converting from STL to STEP is essentially always a case-by-case thing. If you import, sew, check geometry, refine, etc., you can eliminate unnecessary triangles in planar faces. But you can't magically make a 120-sided-polygon that should be a circle a circle; you're going to have to do that yourself. Though Mark Ganson's MeshRemodel workbench looks interesting: https://github.com/mwganson/MeshRemodel https://github.com/mwganson/MeshRemodel And FreeCAD is not the best tool for correcting broken meshes, which are commonplace. MeshLab and the vaguely-on-life-support AutoCAD MeshMixer are better at it. STEP/IGES is as you say more or less essential if you want to work with code-CAD output in any other serious context. STL is not enough: it is like converting to JPEG in the middle of a photo editing flow, not at the end. It destroys information — in this case geometry. You might find DeclaraCAD interesting.
  - wkat4242 10mo ago
    Yeah I hate messing with STLs for that reason. It's an output format. Similar to when you make an image in Photoshop with a load of layers and then export to jpeg where it's flattened and all the layer info is lost. Obj is a bit better but for real design modification you kinda need the original file and the program it was designed in. At least in my experience. I've never come across STEP though, is that a real design parameter preserving file format?

galfarragem 10mo ago

When I see these examples I miss Autolisp…

stocksinsmocks 10mo ago
These are your father’s parentheses. An elegant weapon for a more civilized age.