Dev tools · alternatives · 2026

Chili3D is an open-source, browser-based 3D CAD application that runs directly in web browsers without requiring installation. It uses OpenCascade compiled to WebAssembly and Three.js to deliver near-native performance… Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. Prices are shown for the 1 we have checked on their own sites, 1 of them free or with a free tier.

1. 1
   Open-sourcing our text-to-CAD app▲179

   Hey HN! I'm Zach from Adam (https://adam.new/). We’re building an AI co-pilot for mechanical CAD software. As part of our broader research, we built a browser-based Text-to-CAD app (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44182206) and are now open sourcing it. This is a React SPA with a Supabase backend. What it does: * Generates parametric 3D models from natural language descriptions, with support for both text prompts and image references * Outputs OpenSCAD code with automatically extracted parameters that surface as interactive sliders for instant dimension…

   2025 · github.com · its alternatives →

2. 2CP
   Cross-platform open-source 3D modeling software▲290

   Dust3D 1.0 is finally released — about 10 years after the first commit in December 2016. I posted a preview version here in April 2018 and a beta in December 2018. Back then I thought 1.0 was just around the corner, but I kept adding new features that I could barely find time to finish as a weekend side project. I finally got it done with GitHub Copilot, using models including Claude Opus 4.6, Raptor mini (Preview), Claude Haiku 4.5, and Claude Sonnet 4.6. It's a cross-platform low-poly 3D modeling app focused on making it fast to create game-ready characters and objects from scratch. Source…

   2018 · dust3d.org · its alternatives →

3. 3
   FreeCAD 1.1▲218

   Extremely powerful, completely free 3D CAD modeling

   Mar 2026 · wiki.freecad.org · its alternatives →

4. 4
   SolidCraft – Open-Source Parametric CAD in Rust (With MCP Support)▲144

   SolidCraft: an open-source parametric 3D CAD application built in pure Rust. Desktop, web, and automation through MCP. - bherbruck/solidcraft

   9d ago · github.com · its alternatives →

5. 5
   Vibe Code your 3D Models▲61

   Hi HN, I’m the creator of SynapsCAD, an open-source desktop application I've been building that combines an OpenSCAD code editor, a real-time 3D viewport, and an AI assistant. You can write OpenSCAD code, compile it directly to a 3D mesh, and use an LLM (OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, ...) to modify the code through natural language. Demo video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cN8a5UozS5Q A bit about the architecture: - It’s built entirely in Rust. - The UI and 3D viewport are powered by Bevy 0.15 and egui. - It uses a pure-Rust compilation pipeline (openscad-rs for parsing and csgrs…

   Feb 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →

6. 6
   StratusGFX, my open-source real-time 3D rendering engine▲483

   It's been closed source for a long time while I worked on it on and off as a hobby research project, but yesterday the repo was made public for the first time under the MPL 2.0 license. A feature reel showing its capabilities can be found here: https://ktstephano.github.io/rendering/stratusgfx/feature_re... A technical breakdown of a single frame can be found here: https://ktstephano.github.io/rendering/stratusgfx/frame_anal... It's still in a very beta state (bugs and instability expected), but I felt like it was a good time to make it…

   2023 · github.com · its alternatives →

7. 7
   Simulate 3D plants in the browser▲439

   2023 · plant.max-richter.dev · its alternatives →

8. 8
   Online 3D Editor▲64

   Blender-style 3D editing in your browser

   May 2026 · 3d-editor.com · its alternatives →

9. 9
   Threedio▲291

   Perfect 3D models for your videos, consistent & optimized

   2023 · icons8.com · its alternatives →

10. 10
    Blenderfree▲309

    Creative Freedom Starts Here

    2017 · blender.org · its alternatives →

11. 11OS
    Open source balloon simulation with Three.js▲307

    2019 · alexanderperrin.com.au · its alternatives →

12. 12
    Spark, An advanced 3D Gaussian Splatting renderer for Three.js▲377

    I'm the co-creator and maintainer of https://aframe.io/ and long time Web 3D graphics dev. Super excited about new techniques to author / render / represent 3D. Spark is a an open source library to easily integrate Gaussian splats in your THREE.js scene I worked with some friends and I hope you find useful. Looking forward to hearing what features / rendering techniques you would love to see next.

    2025 · sparkjs.dev · its alternatives →

13. 13WA
    Write a 3D modeling software from scratch▲34

    Dust3D is a free, open source low poly 3D modeling tool for video games and 3D printing. Features sketch-to-mesh, auto-rigging, procedural animation, and single-tool GLB/FBX export.

    2018 · dust3d.readthedocs.io · its alternatives →

14. 143O
    3dasd – open-source DIY room-scale 3D scanner▲248

    2021 · 3dasd.com · its alternatives →

15. 15
    ImPlot3D – A 3D Plotting Library for Dear ImGui▲170

    Immediate Mode 3D Plotting. Contribute to brenocq/implot3d development by creating an account on GitHub.

    2024 · github.com · its alternatives →

16. 16
    An ASCII 3D Rendering Engine▲211

    Render 3D models (OBJ, glTF, GLB, STL, .vox) as ASCII art — in the browser, in React or Vue, or straight in your terminal. A three.js-style API with no WebGL and no canvas: just text in a single <pre>.

    Jun 2026 · glyphcss.com · its alternatives →

17. 17
    DSLCad – a programming language and interpreter for building 3D models▲198

    Hey HN. Over the last half a year I have been working on a 3D CAD programming language called DSLCAD. Today I am here to show my first release! It is heavily inspired by OpenSCAD which got me hooked on the idea of a CAD programming language and what it can do. Please let me know what you think. Ill be in the thread to answer any questions you may have.

    2023 · github.com · its alternatives →

18. 18
    Shapr3D▲106

    Modeling magic for iPad Pro. Shapr3D is the easiest 3D CAD!

    2016 · shapr3d.com · its alternatives →

19. 19
    Hunyuan3D-2.1▲141

    From images to high-fidelity 3D with PBR materials

    2025 · github.com · its alternatives →

20. 20WT
    WebApp to Create 3D Plants▲144

    2022 · plant.jim-fx.com · its alternatives →

21. 21
    Celer3D▲81

    Collaborative parameterised 3D modelling web application

    2023 · its alternatives →

22. 22
    Goxel, an open-source 3D voxel editor▲71

    Goxel: Free and Open Source 3D Voxel Editor . Contribute to guillaumechereau/goxel development by creating an account on GitHub.

    2015 · github.com · its alternatives →

23. 2333
    3DTin - 3D modelling in browser▲62

    2011 · 3dtin.com · its alternatives →

24. 24
    A CSS 3D Engine (no WebGL)▲80

    A CSS 3D engine for the DOM. Renders polygon meshes in HTML by leveraging matrix3d transforms. - GitHub - layoutit/polycss: A CSS 3D engine for the DOM. Renders polygon meshes in HTML by leveraging matrix3d transforms.

    Jun 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →

Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →