OpenSCAD vs FreeCAD. Both are free and open-source, but they're designed very differently. Find out which is best for you!
OpenSCAD and FreeCAD are both parametric computer-aided design (CAD) programs used for 2D and 3D modeling. Going further, they’re both open-source and free for anyone to download. Users can see, study, and improve their code, whether just for themselves or for the community as a whole.
Although the two platforms take you to essentially the same 3D modeling destination, they take different ways to get there. OpenSCAD is a script-only based modeler and uses its own description language. That means its UI only shows code and doesn’t have literal representations of your object. FreeCAD, on the other hand, uses a more traditional CAD approach, with you building your object by directly manipulating the visual model.
These and further aspects lend each of the two programs unique strengths and weaknesses. Let’s take a look a the details in order to determine what they are.
OpenSCAD uses constructive solid geometry to create CAD objects. As we mentioned above, it does this solely through manipulating the code of its own descriptive language. That’s why it’s advertised as a programmer-oriented solid-modeling tool; although anyone can use it, its interface will be most familiar to those who work with code.
Through OpenSCAD’s script, users indicate what basic geometric shapes (for example a sphere or a cone) to use, the parameters of those shapes, and how those shapes relate to each other. Together, all those factors add up to the same type of 2D or 3D model you can make with any CAD software.
What sets OpenSCAD apart from other tools is that you’ll be building through word commands rather than pictures.
As its name implies, OpenSCAD is not only free but also open-sourced. This fact, coupled with its code-forward UI, makes it a great CAD program for those who want to experiment with the inner workings of their modeling software.
OpenSCAD may seem like a specialized program, but community members swear by its reliability and ease. Its code-based CAD construction gives you access to fine-tuning only possible with the precision of numbers.
Although it lives up to its promise of accessibility and detail, OpenSCAD does have a few limitations that are worth mentioning to potential users. Beyond the initial novelty of its UI, OpenSCAD isn’t equipped with the testing features you may want for industrial designs.
Since FreeCAD has a more traditional user interface structure, it’s considered a CAD program for users who are more artistic, and by that we mean basically anyone who isn’t comfortable building an object through lines of code.
FreeCAD is classified as a parametric 3D CAD modeler. It also supports building information modeling, which means it has architectural and other structure-based engineering tools within its CAD capabilities. FreeCAD uses finite element analysis to support its simulation features in a single UI.
FreeCAD is also, not surprisingly, free and open-sourced, so those so inclined can still get a look at its software building blocks and tweak them to their heart’s content.
FreeCAD is fast becoming a staple no-cost entry point into traditional CAD design. Its open-source code, like OpenSCAD’s, is also lending itself to modifications and improvements both official and user-created.
As a non-profit labor of love, FreeCAD has a few quirks that come up as you maximize its usability. Some you can get around with advice from the community and documentation, but some are simply built in to the way FreeCAD works.
Comparing OpenSCAD and FreeCAD head-to-head is complicated because their nuts-and-bolts operations are so different. But it all comes down to which CAD approach suits you best.
We like FreeCAD because of its wider application. It has more integrated features that let you visually take your designs further, and although its UI takes a little getting used to, it’s customizable and translatable to those who want to move on to other traditional CAD programs in the future.
If you’re a programmer, OpenSCAD will feel more intuitive to you from the start, and it’s worth learning if your designs need the algorithmic level of detail that its UI offers. For engineers and others searching for a free alternative to traditional CAD programs that they’ve already trained on, FreeCAD is better because it continues to build your skillset.
(Lead image source: Plos)
License: The text of "OpenSCAD vs FreeCAD: The Differences" by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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