Here's my take on CAD in the browser! https://vcad.io I implemented a full kernel in rust and compile it to wasm https://github.com/ecto/vcad
Does this use a boundary representation for the geometry?
Open source CAD in the browser (Solvespace)
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Re: Open source CAD in the browser (Solvespace)
#92[flagged]
This comment gives astroturfing vibes, like an LLM optimised version of masonhensley's comment: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47587834
Or simply that Solvespace is a fantastic tool for 2D work? The sketcher is amazing and it has a straight forward workflow for laser cutting. Draw your panel, export to SVG, adjust in Inkscape (cut lines, etches, fills), send to cutter. I'd argue Solvespace is the best free and open source tool for the purpose.
This is exactly what I use it for and I love it. I even use it for front panel decals, not just the laser cut panels. Something about laying out graphics using a CAD tool is really appealing. I need the dimensions tools! I struggle getting things accurately placed using Inkscape.
Another 2D use case is a simple parametric sketch pad. If I need to draw something up quickly and pull measurements, this is the tool I'm reaching for.
It falls down a bit in 3D because unless you're making a very straight forward blocky shape, it's either too cumbersome, or literally impossible to make the geometry you need. If the geometry could be made on a 3-axis CNC, Solvespace should be capable of making it. Anything else, I'm reaching for Fusion360. I've been meaning to give Freecad another crack as the UX seems to finally be getting some priority.
Re: Open source CAD in the browser (Solvespace)
#93Earlier quoted context omitted.
FreeCAD doesn't have the limitations of SolveSpace, and the UX is actually decent now. I moved to that.
I’m looking for a recommendation to get beyond TinkerCAD (for 3d printing). I learned it in 2019 and came back in 2025 when I got my own printer. It is comfortable and fine for my purposes but lacks basic things like chamfer and fillets. Anytime I try to jump into Fusion or FreeCAD I immediately hit a wall (like trying pirated Maya when I was a kid).
The new 1.1 update seems markedly easier to use.
There's also a soft-fork which some folks are funding:
Re: Open source CAD in the browser (Solvespace)
#94Does this use its own backend/engine? I've been working on LLM to CAD tool[0] and have realised there are so many backends and options to choose from. Since the realisation I'm trying to find the best representation for an LLM. I think OpenSCAD is currently the best and most feature complete choice, but I definitely need to dig a bit deeper. If anyone has any pointers I welcome them! [0]: https://GrandpaCAD.com
I just ran into this today: https://github.com/gumyr/build123d - seems like an LLM should have no problem writing python code...
Recent discussion here:
Re: Open source CAD in the browser (Solvespace)
#95I love solvespace, it is hard to describe but despite it's limitations and problems (and there are many) it feels joyous to use if that makes sense. Something about it's simple and straightforward interface just makes it fun. To the point that my biggest gripe is the modal dialogs that pop when a constraint is deleted or it's conditions cannot be met. It is quite awkward compared to the rest of the workflow. Anyhow,…
>> Anyhow, salutes to the author of this web port, very slick
That credit goes to whitequark, who quit solvespace maintainership in 2020. The branch lingered and suffered some bit-rot. Then a couple people brought it up to date and fixed a few issues. It seemed like a good idea to merge it to prevent it falling behind even though its not quite up to par with desktop. With the newest release we also opted to put this right on the site (even merged a PR today as a result).
Anyway we owe whitequark most the credit for this one even though we havent heard from her in several years.
Re: Open source CAD in the browser (Solvespace)
#96Earlier quoted context omitted.
FreeCAD doesn't have the limitations of SolveSpace, and the UX is actually decent now. I moved to that.
I’m looking for a recommendation to get beyond TinkerCAD (for 3d printing). I learned it in 2019 and came back in 2025 when I got my own printer. It is comfortable and fine for my purposes but lacks basic things like chamfer and fillets. Anytime I try to jump into Fusion or FreeCAD I immediately hit a wall (like trying pirated Maya when I was a kid).
OnShape is pretty approachable, and has lots of good tutorial videos. They offer free accounts for non-commercial use with the caveat that all of your documents must be public.
If you haven't tried FreeCAD recently, it's gotten a lot better in the past couple of years. It seems to have hit escape velocity, so to speak, and is improving rapidly in a way it hadn't for a long time.
Re: Open source CAD in the browser (Solvespace)
#97Earlier quoted context omitted.
Pixelated can sometimes look okay on screens it was designed for. But I think the pixelated look improves with hinting that helps snap it to stroke widths, rather than randomly jumping between 1 and 2 pixels depending on how it happened to line up with the pixel grid. This is what it looks like on my screen: https://imgur.com/a/YeAdiXC A good pixel font would be a vast improvement over this, though I'd still prefer s…
Oh! This is very bad! It should not look like this. I've tried Firefox, Chrome and Edge on Windows; Firefox and Chrome an Android phone and tablet and it renders correctly - like the desktop version. What browser are you using? On what OS? Perhaps the web page is zoomed in/out in the browser? Scaling options in the browser? HiDPI screen with scaling? Would you be willing to open an issue on GitHub with the details? O…
Firefox, on Linux. Though I'd be genuinely surprised to hear the issue with scaling worked differently elsewhere.
Firefox is scaling its base size based on the screen, and then the page is scaled up further from there to have a readable font size. My base is 150% scaling, but the UI has comparably uneven strokes at many different scales and page sizes. (The strokes get less uneven the bigger they are, since at larger sizes there are more pixels to work with.)
Easy way to compare font scaling quality: At any scale, hitting one of the "change" links in the configuration menu brings up a browser UI element, using a font that looks great at any size.
Happy to file a report with the details.
Re: Open source CAD in the browser (Solvespace)
#98Re: Open source CAD in the browser (Solvespace)
#99Earlier quoted context omitted.
Chamfers and Fillets are my next major undertaking. Don't expect them any time soon, but they've moved to the top of my list. They are extremely difficult to do in the general case - so we will not cover all cases. Several years ago I tried an experiment: https://github.com/solvespace/solvespace/issues/453#issuecom... That could only do the top or bottom of a straight extrusion. This time will be a more general than…
Hi! Thanks for your hard work! I just want you to know it's definitely worth it! I am using SolveSpace for my 3D prints because I just don't have time to learn anything else. With SolveSpace I've been productive in like 2 hours after launching it the first time. So far you've saved me like $500 in things I've printed instead of bought. Just last week I've printed nasal manifold for my DIY sleep monitoring setup. Repl…
DIY sleep monitoring? Tell us more!