PartCAD the first package manager for CAD models
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Re: PartCAD the first package manager for CAD models
#2Mashing up CAD design and software dependency management is something I hadn’t considered, and I’m liking it. Many CAD projects might be described as “derivative works” that embed/extend other works (mold design, wiring, AEC, and the general mechanical assembly). Most CAD apps have “component libraries” but even the best of them are lacking and there is precious little interoperability between them.
I miss my days working on CAD and this is renewing my excitement for it a bit.
Re: PartCAD the first package manager for CAD models
#3Mashing up CAD design and software dependency management is something I hadn’t considered, and I’m liking it. Many CAD projects might be described as “derivative works” that embed/extend other works (mold design, wiring, AEC, and the general mechanical assembly). Most CAD apps have “component libraries” but even the best of them are lacking and there is precious little interoperability between them. I miss my days wo…
Having just browsed the Readme it sounds like it could be the missing link between KiCad and FreeCAD. Not that a link doesn't exist now but it's difficult and unpleasant to work with.
Being able to near simultaneously work on a design in the 2 programs would be lovely.
Re: PartCAD the first package manager for CAD models
#4They don't seem to be aware of https://github.com/nophead/NopSCADlib which has been around for an age.
Re: PartCAD the first package manager for CAD models
#5The current state of this is that there are PDM (Product Data Management) packages for each major CAD package [1] that handle version control, lists of components ("Bill of Material" in our biz).
There is the concept of CAD "assemblies" which are many individual parts assembled together, which can themselves be members of bigger CAD assemblies until the global product has all subassemblies.
There are then component libraries which have generic CAD files (in the CAD and outside), but they lack the full knowledge of their context - ie you may have a CAD file of a motor, but the CAD file doesn't know it needs a shaft coupling to match its 10mm output shaft diameter, which could in theory be used to pull in dependencies or at least debug your assembly (ie if the coupling attached doesn't have a 10mm ID, error out).
TL;DR: Geometry isn't enough, you need to know the specs and behavior model (like voltage --> torque curve for a motor) to do this, as the total "package" is very dependent on what else is in the model (or should be).
This is actually why we at Volition [2] are building the largest repo of hardware components in the world (26M today) with both CAD and deep spec data, with the goal of eventually powering systems to be able to do stuff like this, and of course as a marketplace we're hoping you'll buy the actual parts from us too :-)
[1] https://www.autodesk.com/solutions/pdm-product-data-manageme...
Re: PartCAD the first package manager for CAD models
#6I've wanted a package manager for openSCAD as well.
I really like using BOSL2, and so when I publish my scads for friends, right now I just include the copy of BOSL I'm using (I forked it the one time I needed to add a custom patch) as a git submodule [1]
Re: PartCAD the first package manager for CAD models
#7This doesn't seem to say if the mating system allows more complex methods than absolute 3D grid location/orientation? E.g can it mate to parts relatively and specify constraints on degrees of freedom?
Re: PartCAD the first package manager for CAD models
#8If anyone is curious I started a discussion forum [1] with the goal of researching possible paths to good quality open source CAD, after an off-hand tweet of mine about open source CAD got significant traction on twitter.
Based on what I know so far, it seems that FreeCAD might be finally getting the investment it needs to mature as a real option. There is an organization called Ondsel which is taking on a lot of UI and assembly bench improvements, and I have heard that their preview versions are worth checking out. [2]
Notably, the big question about open source CAD relates to the geometry kernel used. They take decades to produce, and only OpenCASCADE is even remotely mature enough. OpenCASCADE is also somewhat tricky to work with, but it seems to be our only choice. Even if we had millions of dollars of investment in open source CAD it seems unlikely we could do better than OpenCASCADE based on what I have learned.
So my next step when I get some time is to explore how the Ondsel branch of FreeCAD is going and see if I can convince myself this is the path we should all be supporting. I do see no other paths currently, so my hope is that we see FreeCAD mature enough that it becomes usable by professional mechanical engineers.
[1] https://github.com/tlalexander/open-cad-foundation/discussio...
Re: PartCAD the first package manager for CAD models
#9They don't seem to be aware of https://github.com/nophead/NopSCADlib which has been around for an age.
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Re: PartCAD the first package manager for CAD models
#10The current state of this is that there are PDM (Product Data Management) packages for each major CAD package [1] that handle version control, lists of components ("Bill of Material" in our biz). There is the concept of CAD "assemblies" which are many individual parts assembled together, which can themselves be members of bigger CAD assemblies until the global product has all subassemblies. There are then component l…
Very cool, ME/product designer here, ill definitely be checking volition out!