Top Rated OpenSCAD Alternatives
What I like best about OpenSCAD is that its use of geometry definition and geometry transformation fits well with that branch of mathematics. If you are familiar with the linear algebra of matrices for geometry and transformation, plus some set theory and graph theory then the whole thing is beautifully intuitive.
I like that its pure lines of code and I like to use GIT for configuration management. In contrast I've also used much Fusion 360 which is a visual language, and its lack of an explicitly code base for version control is a nightmare. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
There is only one major hurdle and that is the slowness of the rendering or compiling engine for generating STL geometry output files. Designs of roughly a thousand lines of code take seven hours to run for us. Even getting the fastest CPU and GPU doesn't accelerate it much as it is single threaded. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
30 out of 31 Total Reviews for OpenSCAD
As an engineer, I always thought AutoCAD was great but cumbersome. When I started with the world of 3D printing and rapid prototyping I was introduced to OpenScad and never went back to regular CAD software. For me it is intuitive after many years of programming in various languages it was so much easier and the fact that it is free is the icing on the cake. Also the ability to make components as modules you can use elsewhere or parametrically size pieces so the same code works for all sizes by importing the code as a module is epic.
I highly recommend this product. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
For those used to regular CAD a bit of a learning curve but once you treat it like coding it's awesome. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
OpenSCAD allows to describe 3D objects as code, which can be organized in libraries and reused in various contexts. It provides an editor with an interactive 3D object view, allowing to quickly understand how the code translates to 3D geometries and refine and debug the model.
The great advantage of OpenSCAD is that the designs can be parametrized and adjusted to suit varying needs or to refine a design through successive prototyping cycles.
OpenSCAD code can be designed to generated 3D objects from a set of high-level parameters, for example you can write a function that will create a pipe of given length, inner and outer diameter.
Another example would be some OpenSCAD function that will generate a wheel hub, and that you can parametrize for various widths and diameters, and then assemble in a larger object, for example a cart.
OpenSCAD being quite popular, there are many reusable part libraries available in e.g. ThingiVerse. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
The OpenSCAD code editor is not very versatile as it does not provide code assist or on-the-fly syntax validation.
It would be nice if the editor could be ported to a more modern IDE environment such as eclipse or VSCode.
The programmatic nature of OpenSCAD makes it best suited to 3D designers with some programming experience.
A limiting factor when using parts libraries is that OpenSCAD's editor does not handle multiple files. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Simple to learn (for a programming language) and deeply powerful. Parametric CAD is this tool's bread and butter. If you own a 3D printer, this tool should be in your toolbelt. Use boolean operations to quickly and intuitively build complex shapes. OpenSCAD supports a nice array of import and export filetypes. Also, supports both 2D and 3D operations, both simple and complex. Built-in visual parameters are a great recent addition, allowing you to quickly try different ideas using sliders, drop-down menus, and other UI elements. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Quirky language design is sometimes inconsistent and some important language features are missing. One glaring issue is the lack of a built-in or community-supported tool for package management. The declarative syntax is powerful but can be a bit hard to learn for beginners. I feel this software is missing tutorials to help new users and the error messages could be more informative. I would love to see them add more visual tools that help non-programmers to get started with parametric modeling, by making an integrated system between the visual tools and the code. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
The concept of using code to generate geometric shapes. In addition, this idea of using "for" cycles to build recursive features is amazing. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Is not possible to generate assemblies as in solidworks. In addition, making complex components make more suitable to use other tools like freecad or solidworks. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Ability to design a model which can be partly or fully parametric, or derived from code generated outside the program. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Rendering and preview speed is limited by CGAL engine to single-core CPU, no GPU, and is much slower than other CAD packages. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
The simplicity of making a parametric design , and being able to reference other files in the same design. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
It takes a little longer to design and the learning curve is a bit steep, but there is more reference material with the passing of the time Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Straight-forward coding environment. Compatible with many softwares. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Improve the graphical output preview, so that we could get a better 3D view in the software. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Programing base Mesh modelling tool i use a lot to change STLs Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Is not very good to make boolean tools, a lot of times creates meshes with errors that are not good for 3d printing ! Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
