Guess this is a good opportunity to plug the DIY trackball I made using build123d:
CadQuery is an open-source Python library for building 3D CAD models
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Re: CadQuery is an open-source Python library for building 3D CAD models
#22Here's an example! I recently used their sister library (build123d, same devs) to build a rotary slide rule bracelet for multiplying three-digit numbers. It was a great experience and wouldn't generally be easy to do with Fusion 360. My bracelet gets quite a lot of comments when I wear it in public. :-) Here's an IPython notebook with lots of pictures so you can see how the different operations come together: https:/…
Nice model, but also a great notebook. Really like this "literal coding" style for CAD in a notebook. I still sometimes prefer GUI cad for simple stuff, CadQuery is not always that easy to write. But when iterating over something complicated, the notebook style development is really nice. And being to compose a model using functions and iterators instead of the clumsy GUI workflows is a godsend. Also time I tried Opus was more helpful and capable than I would have thought. Not good enough to one-shot yet, but it is very helpful nonetheless
Re: CadQuery is an open-source Python library for building 3D CAD models
#23[dead]
Re: CadQuery is an open-source Python library for building 3D CAD models
#24Another library I have to integrate and benchmark against OpenSCAD for my AI SaaS[0]. I am really curious how constructive solid geometry compares to sketching and extruding that CadQuery is build on.
Anyone curious in the writeup? I have a pretty good harness for evaluating 3d generation performance.
Re: CadQuery is an open-source Python library for building 3D CAD models
#25If you like this, you should definitely check modelrift.com which allows to build awesome cad models thanks to OpenSCAD and smart AI assistant.
Community built examples: https://modelrift.com/models
Re: CadQuery is an open-source Python library for building 3D CAD models
#26Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm not sure I understand your comment; OpenSCAD has functions like sphere(), cylinder(), etc. Most OpenSCAD models I have seen are built up primarily from solid primitives combined using boolean operations, just as you describe for the other tools. https://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?title=OpenSCAD_User_Man...
OpenSCAD works natively with triangle meshes. sphere() will create a spherical triangle mesh. These libraries on the other hand can natively represent a sphere for instance. This means that during CAD-ing you don't need to worry about resolution, that's a consideration for export only.
Do you mean that OpenScad performs boolean/other operations on triangle meshes, but these libraries don't until output? So they might instead use curved surfaces/edges etc as outputs for operations and only convert to triangles for output or export at the very end?
Re: CadQuery is an open-source Python library for building 3D CAD models
#27CadQuery was an inspiration when I built FluidCAD. I wanted the workflow to be as close to traditional CAD as possible with more interactive UI.
Re: CadQuery is an open-source Python library for building 3D CAD models
#28Earlier quoted context omitted.
OpenSCAD works natively with triangle meshes. sphere() will create a spherical triangle mesh. These libraries on the other hand can natively represent a sphere for instance. This means that during CAD-ing you don't need to worry about resolution, that's a consideration for export only.
Do you mean that OpenScad performs boolean/other operations on triangle meshes, but these libraries don't until output? So they might instead use curved surfaces/edges etc as outputs for operations and only convert to triangles for output or export at the very end?
yes, exactly.
Re: CadQuery is an open-source Python library for building 3D CAD models
#29At the time of writing this there are 24 comments, of which 4 promote alternatives. I feel that recently the number of shameless plugs and check-out-my-SaaS's surged drastically
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47803846 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47803475 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47802988 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47803416
Re: CadQuery is an open-source Python library for building 3D CAD models
#30I used cadquery to programmatically generate 3D models for an electronics library for a 1000 or so parts that only differ slightly in their measurements. It literally saved me days of manual work.