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CadQuery is an open-source Python library for building 3D CAD models

cadquery.github.io

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Re: CadQuery is an open-source Python library for building 3D CAD models

#41

Post by acidtechno303 »

lutusp wrote: post #14
aaronbrethorst wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

how does it work? (the multiplication)

Are you asking how the bracelet multiplies two numbers? It's the same idea used by slide rules -- you take the logarithm of the two numbers, then add the logarithms instead of multiplying -- same result, with somewhat less accuracy depending on available decimal places. This method was widely used in the pre-computer era to save time in calculations. Tables of logarithms (and slide rules) were a mathematician's best…

lol, as an engineer I'd never considered that other disciplines used slide rules voraciously

Re: CadQuery is an open-source Python library for building 3D CAD models

#43

Post by junon »

maouida wrote: post #27

CadQuery was an inspiration when I built FluidCAD. I wanted the workflow to be as close to traditional CAD as possible with more interactive UI. https://fluidcad.io

This looks amazing. I'm going to give this a try later.

If I have a DXF or something of the outline of something (a PCB in this case) can I import it and build around it somehow?

Re: CadQuery is an open-source Python library for building 3D CAD models

#44

Post by Cargo4286 »

somat wrote: post #35
gcr wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

OpenSCAD is all triangles and vertices. Fillets are difficult to do. Outputting circles/spheres generally requires you to for-loop over vertices a lot. Libraries like build123d and cadquery use OpenCASCADE, a boundary representation kernel. You think in terms of the enclosed solid and perform operations - boolean add/subtract, fillet/chamfer, stamp text, etc - that return a new solid.

While true your argument is weak, for example in pov-ray the shapes are pure exact mathematical concepts. But nobody is saying how great this is for 3d printing or general cad work because it's not. The real key benefit from these programs is the interchange format they can generate, something you can feed to a machine, this prevents it from ending up like pov-ray, a terminal process only fit for generating pictures.…

Not perfectly relevant but build123d docs have an example using sympy as part of solving constraints for a design. https://build123d.readthedocs.io/en/latest/tttt.html#t-24-cu...

Re: CadQuery is an open-source Python library for building 3D CAD models

#45

Post by maouida »

junon wrote: post #43
maouida wrote: post #27

CadQuery was an inspiration when I built FluidCAD. I wanted the workflow to be as close to traditional CAD as possible with more interactive UI. https://fluidcad.io

This looks amazing. I'm going to give this a try later. If I have a DXF or something of the outline of something (a PCB in this case) can I import it and build around it somehow?

Only step import at the moment. I'll add svg next.

Re: CadQuery is an open-source Python library for building 3D CAD models

#46

Post by fainpul »

gcr wrote: post #9

Here'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:/…

> wouldn't generally be easy to do with Fusion 360

Actually...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNiQJyRTs50

You would create the numbers and marks in a vector drawing program (Inkscape, Affinity Studio, Illustrator) and import that into Fusion.

Re: CadQuery is an open-source Python library for building 3D CAD models

#47

Post by stanko »

girishso wrote: post #18

Came across a similar tool replicad. https://replicad.xyz/ Anyone has used it?

As someone who uses JavaScript/TypeScript, I love Replicad. It is super easy to create and share parametric models from their online editor without any accounts.

I keep my models on github[0]. Disclaimer, they are pretty niche things I needed around the house.

[0] https://github.com/Stanko/3d-cad-models

Re: CadQuery is an open-source Python library for building 3D CAD models

#49

Post by maouida »

fallat wrote: post #48
maouida wrote: post #27

CadQuery was an inspiration when I built FluidCAD. I wanted the workflow to be as close to traditional CAD as possible with more interactive UI. https://fluidcad.io

How's this different from RepliCAD?

Replicad is designed primarily to be used as a library with the web editor as a helper. FluidCAD is designed to be used as full CAD package code + UI. I've outlined some of my motives in recent post: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47721997

Re: CadQuery is an open-source Python library for building 3D CAD models

#50

Post by junon »

maouida wrote: post #45
junon wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This looks amazing. I'm going to give this a try later. If I have a DXF or something of the outline of something (a PCB in this case) can I import it and build around it somehow?

Only step import at the moment. I'll add svg next.

My particular immediate use case would be to export the board outline and mounting holes from a kicad project (SVG or DXF, whatever works) and build a chassis for it. Obviously I can do this in freecad but I've been looking for an intuitive cad-as-code system to check into git instead. So this would be awesome!
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