OpenSCADs

OpenSCAD is a free and open-source software for creating solid 3D CAD objects. It differs from interactive modelers by requiring models to be described with a script in OpenSCAD’s domain-specific language. The software emphasizes precision, repeatability, and parametric design, making it well-suited for engineering parts, housings, and objects that require exact dimensions. The plural form OpenSCADs is unusual; the project as a software is singular, while the term may appear when referring to multiple models produced with it.

Modeling in OpenSCAD is based on constructive solid geometry (CSG). The language provides primitives (cube, sphere, cylinder, etc.), 2D shapes (circle, square), and transformation operators (translate, rotate, scale, mirror, hull). Users combine shapes with union, difference, and intersection, and can declare modules and functions to organize code. The language supports variables, conditional statements, and loops (for), enabling parametric designs that can adapt to changing inputs.

Files are saved with a .scad extension and opened in OpenSCAD, which offers a textual editor and a 3D viewport. Models can be rendered with a higher-quality render() and exported to common formats such as STL for 3D printing, and 2D DXF for planar drawings. OpenSCAD runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and is released under the GPL with ongoing community maintenance.

OpenSCAD originated around 2009 from researchers Marius Kintel and Clifford Wolf and has since grown through community contributions. The project is hosted on GitHub and maintains a library ecosystem of user-contributed modules and components. It remains a niche tool focused on script-driven modeling and parametric design rather than free-form sculpting.