CAD Software Alternative to OpenSCAD?

[Kelly]

I've asked here before about python frontends to OpenSCAD, looking for a way to get around the language oddities, without much luck.

There seem to be a lot of tools which use python to generate OpenSCAD code, which is then viewed/rendered by OpenSCAD. Regardless of how well those work, you're still stuck with the OpenSCAD viewer/renderer.

It seems as though Blender and FreeCAD both have python APIs which can be exploited. FreeCAD seems the better choice for part design.

Does anyone have any experience with FreeCAD, with or without using the python interface, for designing rocket parts?

 

[dvdsnyd]

Kelly,
I've used Fusion 360 for the last 5 years for my hobby designs. A couple years ago they nerfed the hobby license pretty hard. I had been looking for reasons to jump regardless. I don't like that Fusion is cloud based, plus they can change and limit whatever they want, whenever they want - as shown previously. Don't et me wrong, I am ok with this. It's their company. They don't owe anything to anyone keeping it free.
With that, I tried FreeCad. For about month or so. back at that time. It was rough. It's "workbench" model is unintuitive. One of the biggest problems is what as known as the topography problem - essentially this would cripple models when modifying how many faces are on an object. Think Extrudes/cuts. There have been some big updates that have come out since I last played with it. I should probably go back and give it a try. The problem for me though, I can just jump into Fusion and brainstorm and manipulate my way to a design quickly. On hobby time, this is important. Of all the parametric CAD packages, FreeCAD is likely the best option, and I hope that it continues to get better.

With regards to Python, I have not used it. As I understand Fusion 360 also offers a Python API.
One thing I did like about FreeCad, was the spreadsheet based parameters. It was very open-ended. Calculations could be performed inside of it as well as freeform text.

Hope this helps,
Dave

 

[thzero]

I think I tried FreeCad. I've been using OnShape as a parametric cad package and all online... its not cheap either, but its free when you just leave your documents public. Can't really take them anywhere else, but that seems to be the case with the other cad programs too.

 

[dhbarr]

https://wiki.freecadweb.org/Rocket_Workbench

 

[thzero]

https://wiki.freecadweb.org/Rocket_Workbench

Interesting. Except every time I try it, I find Freecad an utter disaster and beyond ridiculously hard to use.

 

[alexzogh]

You can check out onshape. They have had a free version since it's inception - https://www.onshape.com/en/products/free

They have a nice API and an open source python client

https://forum.onshape.com/discussion/16234/python-notebooks-api-playground
https://github.com/PTC-Education/PTC-API-Playground
Probably as close as you are going to get.

 

[grandcross]

Interesting. Except every time I try it, I find Freecad an utter disaster and beyond ridiculously hard to use.

The Rocket workbench allows you to design rocket components with very little FreeCAD knowledge. Enter the parameters of the fin, nose cone, etc and it draws the part for you. You can then export the part for CNC or 3D printing, or import into another CAD tool using standard formats such as STEP

Topological naming problems are completely a non issue.

If you have any issues with it, let me know. I'm the programmer responsible.

P.S. It's all done in Python.