The first release candidate of FreeCAD 1.0 is out

1. dune3d

   1 16 1,206 9.4 C

   3D CAD application

   

   I actually bought Plasticity early on, but bailed, because I found the UI confusing.

   I was a bit more successful with Dune3D: https://dune3d.org (see the discussion I made on Github about working through the tutorial).

   That said, OpenSCAD is more my speed, and I've been using it for a long while now, and have even gotten started on a library for the new OpenPythonSCAD, Python-enabled fork: https://pythonscad.org

   https://github.com/WillAdams/gcodepreview

2. InfluxDB

   www.influxdata.com featured

   InfluxDB – Built for High-Performance Time Series Workloads. InfluxDB 3 OSS is now GA. Transform, enrich, and act on time series data directly in the database. Automate critical tasks and eliminate the need to move data externally. Download now.

   

3. FreeCAD

   2 48 837 0.0 C++

   Link branch FreeCAD (by realthunder)

   

   I still recommend RealThunder's fork (https://github.com/realthunder/FreeCAD/) at the moment, even though his fork is a bit lagging at the moment.

   Most of his contributions to the topology fixes got merged back into freecad now, but his enhancements to UI/behavior aren't (yet), and they make a night and day compared to ondsel too.

   I didn't find any significant limitation to RealThunder's assembly3.

   In any case, while far from most commercial offerings, FreeCAD is progressing and the future looks bright. I've stopped using f360/onshape in the last years for my hobby designs. Once you know the specific limitations of freecad+occt (something you learn in each cad program) and how to work them around effectively, it's already pretty powerful.

4. OpenJSCAD.org

   3 14 2,909 6.9 JavaScript

   JSCAD is an open source set of modular, browser and command line tools for creating parametric 2D and 3D designs with JavaScript code. It provides a quick, precise and reproducible method for generating 3D models, and is especially useful for 3D printing applications.

   

   JSCAD is a thing:

   https://openjscad.xyz/

   But I really only fight with it because I know JS moderately well.

5. OCCT

   4 13 1,619 9.5 C++

   Open CASCADE Technology (OCCT) is an open-source software development platform for 3D CAD, CAM, CAE.

   

6. FreeCAD

   5 245 25,052 10.0 C++

   Official source code of FreeCAD, a free and opensource multiplatform 3D parametric modeler.

   

   Also this for people wanting to know more about FreeCAD.

   https://www.freecad.org/

   There was no link to the main site from the blog on mobile.

7. replicad

   6 6 504 8.7 TypeScript

   The library to build browser based 3D models with code.

   

   Have you looked at Replicad?

   https://replicad.xyz

   Similar principles, but a bRep kernel so a much richer API.

8. openscad

   7 2 41 0.0 C++

   OpenSCAD - The Programmers Solid 3D CAD Modeller (by gsohler)

   

   Please check in with the developer --- probably best to create an issue at Github:

   https://github.com/gsohler/openscad/issues

9. SaaSHub

   www.saashub.com featured

   SaaSHub - Software Alternatives and Reviews. SaaSHub helps you find the best software and product alternatives

   

10. awesome-build123d

    8 1 38 4.2

    A curated list of Build123d code and resources.

    

    I agree that it's more difficult to manage Build123D or CadQuery due to their status as Python packages with heavier dependencies.

    (Less of a problem with Replicad, which is a client-side JS package)

    This is a little bit of why I jumped to FreeCAD from OpenSCAD -- the existence of prebuilt distributions of FreeCAD, and the realisation that I'd always be able to script FreeCAD if I needed it.

    Though I think Build123D has the beginnings of momentum (I also think it's not hard to see why):

    https://github.com/phillipthelen/awesome-build123d

    But OpenSCAD is a terrible "standard" choice; I wish it were not how people saw things. It's only a good choice of "CAD" package for:

    - a small subset of geeks who are very comfortable with visualising maths

11. gcodepreview

    9 66 52 7.9 TeX

    OpenPythonSCAD library for moving a tool in lines and arcs so as to model how a part would be cut using G-Code or described as a DXF.

    

    That limitation is a big part of why I've been extending it at:

    https://github.com/WillAdams/gcodepreview

    I've got it making DXFs (w/ arcs) which can then be used for 2D CAM.

    If you'll give me an example of a project you'd like to make I'll gladly see if I can code it up.

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