OpenSCAD

OpenSCAD is an open-source computer-aided design (CAD) software application with its own built-in programming-language.

Unlike many other CAD software applications which use a GUI to create, edit, and manipulate objects, OpenSCAD creates, edits, and manipulates objects via a scripting programming-language. For example:

cube([50,75,100]);

OpenSCAD scripts are usually stored in .scad files.

OpenSCAD includes many features similar to many imperative programming-languages; including:

• variables,
• control structures (such as if-statements and loops),
• modules, and
• libraries.

For those already familiar with programming-languages such as C, C++, C#, D, Dart, Go, Java, JavaScript, PHP, and others — OpenSCAD uses curly-brackets. For example:

for (a =[x1,x2,x3]){echo(a);}

OpenSCAD provides two main methods for 3D-modeling:

• creating complex object from combinations of simpler shapes, and
• extruding 2D shapes (contained in .dxf or .svg files) into 3D shapes.

OpenSCAD is especially geared towards mechanical, rather than artistic, aspects of 3D computer-aided design. Thus OpenSCAD can be useful when one wants to create a model that one wants to 3D-print.