Dev tools · alternatives · 2026
24 alternatives to I wanted OpenSCAD with fillets and a C-like language. So I made one
hackerscad is a parametric CAD where the model is code. Type and the 3D view follows; round an edge with the mouse and the code is written for you. Exact solids, real threads, files for every printer.
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 2 we have checked on their own sites, 2 of them free or with a free tier.
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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 →
- 2
zCAD AIfree tier, from $49.99/mo▲321AI 3D that creates real parts, not just shapes
20d ago · zcad.ai · its alternatives →
- 3
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 →
- 4FP
Hello HN users, This is a CAD by code project I have been working on on my free time for more than year now. I built it with 3 goals in mind: - It should be familiar to CAD designers who have used other programs. Same workflow, same terminology. - Reduce the mental effort required to create models as much as possible. This is achieved by: - Provide live rendering and visual guidance as you type. - Allow the user to reference existing edges/faces on the scene instead of having to calculate everything. - Provide interactive mouse helpers for features that are hard to write by code: Only 3…
Apr 2026 · fluidcad.io · its alternatives →
- 5
FreeCAD 1.1▲218Extremely powerful, completely free 3D CAD modeling
Mar 2026 · wiki.freecad.org · its alternatives →
- 6
Powerful Web-Based 3D Modeling & CSG Engine.
7d ago · nasscad.com · its alternatives →
- 7
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 →
- 8
agentcad▲110A CAD design tool for coding agents (free + open source)
Jun 2026 · agentcad.dev · its alternatives →
- 9LP
LuaCAD models solids in Lua rather than the OpenSCAD language, with operator overloading for CSG (`a + b`, `a - b`, `a * b`). It ships with a CLI and a desktop app, including a preview area and a text editor. I've always been a big fan of OpenSCAD, but the SCAD language itself is unfortunately quite cobbled-together and is a very poorly designed programming language. LuaCAD takes all the good parts of OpenSCAD and combines them with one of the best scripting languages. It has now completely replaced OpenSCAD for me, and I think it provides a better experience than OpenSCAD for all use cases.…
Aug 2026 · luacad.ad-si.com · its alternatives →
- 10CA
I'm currently developing Chili3D, an open-source, browser-based 3D CAD application. By compiling OpenCascade to WebAssembly and integrating Three.js, Chili3D delivers near-native performance for powerful online modeling, editing, and rendering—all without local installation. Access it here: https://github.com/xiangechen/chili3d Features: Modeling Tools: Create basic shapes (boxes, cylinders, cones, etc.), 2D sketches (lines, arcs, circles, etc.), and perform advanced operations (boolean operations, extrusion, revolution, etc.). Snapping and Tracking: Precisely snap to…
2025 · its alternatives →
- 11
SolidCraft: an open-source parametric 3D CAD application built in pure Rust. Desktop, web, and automation through MCP. - bherbruck/solidcraft
23d ago · github.com · its alternatives →
- 12RT
The library to build browser based 3D models with code.
2023 · replicad.xyz · its alternatives →
- 13
Hey HN, I'm a beginner at CAD so I built an app that does it for me ;) Describe a part and ChatToSTL writes the OpenSCAD code, shows a live render with size sliders, then exports the STL/3MF file. Because the output is parametric, it's easy to modify (unlike mesh models like Shap-E or DreamFusion). Try it (needs your own OpenAI key): https://huggingface.co/spaces/flowfulai/ChatToSTL How it works: Text prompt → o4-mini generates OpenSCAD code → live render + sliders → refine in chat → export. Examples & Code: * Walkthrough + real prints (bowl, hook, box, door…
2025 · huggingface.co · its alternatives →
- 14
PixyCAD ▲126Fast & precise 3D CAD built natively for iPad and Mac
Jul 2026 · pixycad.com · its alternatives →
- 153O
2021 · 3dasd.com · its alternatives →
- 16
Cadseer is in the same genre as: solidworks, inventor, freecad etc... Cadseer is alpha software, so lots of missing features, bugs, crashes, file incompatibilities etc... About me: I spent 15 years designing stamping dies on a high end cad system. During that time, I also developed and marketed extensions/plugins toward that cad system. Through that experience, I came disillusioned with 'vendor lock-in' and proprietary software in general. I basically retired, took the vow of poverty and moved all my computing to open source. I have since, and continue to, try and improve the open…
2023 · gitlab.com · its alternatives →
- 17
Open Design▲139Dev toolkit to read, change & display data from design files
2021 · avocode.com · its alternatives →
- 18
Avocode 3.0▲304Open, hand-off, & inspect designs files without design tools
2018 · avocode.com · its alternatives →
- 19
Hi HN! I've been working on a code editor and I think that it's mature enough to catch some interest. It's using a custom GPU accelerated GUI written in C++. Currently implements some interesting features: LSP, terminal, auto-completion, linters, formatters, custom keybindings, plugins and more. It's a hobby project but still intends to be an alternative to other popular code editors like Sublime, Kate, Lapce, Lite XL (and takes inspiration from them). The project was born as a playground for the GUI I'm developing (eepp GUI) and is advanced enough to currently be my main code editor, but…
2023 · github.com · its alternatives →
- 20
FreeCADfree▲11FreeCAD, the open source 3D parametric modeler
Feb 2026 · freecad.org · its alternatives →
- 21
Hey HN! I’m Zach one of the co-founders of Adam (https://www.adamcad.com). We're building AI-powered tools for CAD and 3D modeling [1]. We’ve recently been exploring a new way to bring GPT-style image editing directly into 3D model generation and are excited to showcase this in our web-app today. We’re calling it creative mode and are intrigued by the fun use cases this could create by making 3D generation more conversational! For example you can put a prompt in such as “an elephant” then follow it up by “have it ride a skateboard” and it preserves the context, identity and…
2025 · adamcad.com · its alternatives →
- 22OC
2013 · fabfabbers.com · its alternatives →
- 23
Explore, remix, and generate parametric 3D designs
Feb 2026 · scriptsolid.com · its alternatives →
- 24
Whisker▲94Create and edit CAD models into production-ready prototypes
Mar 2026 · whisker.spatialkittens.com · its alternatives →
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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 →