It’s software cad. You write code that makes the 3d model. And then you print the 3d model.
The last “official release” was 2 years ago. But development (and community) is active. You gotta get the nightly builds.
I wonder if there is a 2D equivalent, basically imperative parametric cad?
Openscad has a slew of 2d. Polygons and such. Just plug in your xy data.
I don’t think it has the boolean constructive stuff for that tho.
Check out this little overview cheatsheet. It pretty much shows you what it can do.
You can directly code SVG (they are xml)
True, but I doubt they have any kind of math or variables. I think I want a very thin layer over SVG, without the XML of course. :-)
Yes and there’s a good Python adapter language if I recall.
However freecad is also OSS and it has good parametrics. I don’t know how to do fancy stuff so works for me.
Openscad is fine for pretty basic one item things. It’s not so good for complex designs like the model steam engines I sometimes amuse myself with. And it’s sure not capable in a commercial setting.
But if you enjoy openscad and writing code, more power to you and enjoy what you are doing with it!
It’s extremely useful for functional things. Adapters and stuff. You can change some variables and get a model that fits your personal needs
You can do parametric design in other CAD software, but openscad, being a coding software, lends itself particularly well for that.
In my experience doing parametric design in Fusion360 is a lot more tedious than in OpenSCAD.
I think the biggest benefit is sharing.
While you can do parametric design in Fusion, if you share it you can only share it with people using Fusion. Same with other CAD software, you are limiting the userbase.
OpenSCAD on the other hand is a slim FOS tool that anyone can download, it’s not limited.
I agree but with a caveat: openscad still requires people to understand code. It is still. A whole new skillset that not everyone is going to want to learn.
You can still share the STL though :)
And for the OpenSCAD files I saw so far, the most important variables are usually well documented with comments at the top of the file, which makes it easier for most people how to adapt the files to their needs without knowledge of coding.
That’s a great point. OpenSCAD is lightweight and FOSS so it is a lot easier to share than Fusion360 for example
OpenSCAD is only lightweight till you start working with Minkowski transformations and hulls. Then you just want a faster CPU.
I never go that far in my projects, when are you using Minkowski transformations?
Two reasons.
- In conjunction with hulls to make nice organic shapes. Cubes and Prisms are nice but I like my designs to look organic. Nice round edges make for nicer 3d prints too.
- Concave Fillets
I got too used to Fusion 360 and now I’m stuck with it since I can make stuff fast, easy, and parameterized with full change history and it’s too much effort to learn something new to replace my workflow. Also its the CAM software for my CNC.
I’ll probably play around with SCAD/Build123d though for fun.
FreeCAD! I dont mean to be a evangelist, but it is finally good enough for myself that I made the leap from Fusion, and I haven’t missed it a moment. Your mileage may vary, but now is better than ever to give it a(nother) try
Ugh, I’m so burned out on trying freecad, getting nowhere, nothing is straightforward or intuitive, watching hours of tutorials doing nothing you want to do with it, spending hours trying to figure it out, best attempt ever was not much more than a few basic shapes…
Fuck autodesk all day, every day, but here’s fusion:
- create parameters with the giant fucking f(x) button
- create sketch with parameters by selecting literally any sketch function
- extrude from sketch and modify body and faces
- rinse and motherfucking repeat
Until freecad can claim to at the very least offer an equally simple workflow, no thanks. I’d rather use blender.
And frankly I cannot disagree with you, its beyond tedious for some things I had for muscle memory on fusion, its really up to your cost to benefit. My largest necessity was to be able to handle assemblies with parametric parts, and do it without subscriptions or royalties/licensing agreements. Blender maybe could work in a pinch, but I need my designs to be constrained.
All that said, the improvement to freecad 1.0 made me blind to a lot of its quirks, because it was such an improvement for me. I tried so long with early freecad and wound back to fusion again and again. That it was finally useable is what called me over… but that is not the best advertisement, is it? Lol
I 💯 agree.
And I’ll dip my toe again. Top notch shilling 😆
I agree on freecad! Version 1.0 made it a lot more usable. I moved away from F360 some time ago and now that freecad is more useful it has comfortably replaced 90% of my workflow. It is still a bit clunky, but can get you there.
Also check out build123d; uses Python instead of a non standard DSL, and supports fillets/chamfers
Absolutely. Blender is so fucked up. Designed for the artsy types, but if you need something at exactly these coordinates, you are fucked.
With openscad you have precision, repeatability, and you can even write scad source code from some data points you have, and just use it.
I dk what you are talking about it. I use blender daily for 3d models. Just grab the point, line or face, and tell it xyz coordinate or grab a bunch and line them up.
I never used the python code function but supposedly that works. Blender is way easier than any other cad I’ve used because its made for artsy types. So that anyone could do it after watching a few YouTube videos.Three times I have tried to get a grip on Blender, and have given up. You have to dig deep to put something on precise coordinates, and if you click something wrong, everything is fucked up with the UI without a way back. Documentation is random YT videos that all seem to assume that you already have a blender diploma.
With openscad, it took me half a day from installing the software, doing tutorials to finished design.
