jermaustin1
a month ago
I'm the author, so I will address everyone's comments in here:
> Why
To scratch an itch. I wouldn't have ever made this if /I/ had to make it. I wanted a way to express the primitive solids in a way that my autistic brain understands (through rigid object definitions in code). I have another neurodivergent trait called aphantasia which doesn't let me easily (at all really) conjure images in my mind, everything is described as text in my head... literally like reading a book, bringing up an "image" takes me multiple seconds while I read through all my brain comments about an image, especially if I'm supposed to focus on one feature. So I had an LLM build a tool for me (why it is called JermCAD and not something more professional sounding) that works how my brain does.
> How does it compare
100% doesn't. All of those tools are light years more advanced, and while I did try to use a CadQuery JS port, and another threejs CAD plugin, I couldn't get them to work, and I'm not a fan of python, so I stuck with what I knew font-end, web development.
> AI Slop
Yes. But again, this is a personal project that scratched an itch for me. It is a testament to how far you can get something in a few hours with an LLM, that would have taken months or years, but likely never would have happened, because who is going to invest months into redefining CAD to work the way that their specific neurodivergence works (Well maybe an autistic person hyperfixated on it, or me when I was 25 years younger).
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This software as it is probably isn't useful to anyone except for myself. I originally shared it a few days ago to start a conversation, it got no traction. I am not saying that this or any vibe-coded, AI slop should ever be production software, but why not use it for a very specific implementation of something?
NortySpock
a month ago
Neato! I might just self-host this at home and explore using it for my 3d printing needs...
Declarative constructed solid geometry sounds like how OpenSCAD works. I was curious if you took any inspiration from that project, or if you had found it but didn't suit your needs for some reason...
jermaustin1
a month ago
A friend of mine who ran a print farm actually told me about OpenSCAD when I shared a screenshot of my first design (a ball joint with armature). So I didn't take inspiration, but I plan on learning it just to figure out how they handle things like fillets. Because currently my fillets are blowing up. I contemplated just faking the fillets using an extrusion with a cylinder cut out of it, but if I can define edges in code and fillet them that would be better.
RobotToaster
a month ago
>fillets
They have to be done manually, usually using the Minkowski feature iirc.
There's another similar tool called implicitcad that handles them better (it's also the only useful piece of software written in Haskell I've ever encountered) https://implicitcad.org/
zem
a month ago
> it's also the only useful piece of software written in Haskell I've ever encountered
pandoc and xmonad are super useful
jacquesm
a month ago
> So I didn't take inspiration, but I plan on learning it just to figure out how they handle things like fillets. Because currently my fillets are blowing up.
They don't. So save yourself that trouble. You design the fillets right into the extrusions doing them after the fact is prohibitively expensive.
Thews
a month ago
There's actually openjscad and some available jscad-utils that can handle fillets
noveltyaccount
a month ago
Fun project, it's okay to do things like this just because it's fun for you and you want to explore what's possible. Don't listen to the haters :)
jlarocco
a month ago
You might get less pushback if you called it a 3D modeler and not CAD software.
It looks like an okay CSG modeler, but it's missing a thousand features that it would need to be CAD software. There's no PMI, no views, no simulation, no unit handling, no material properties (like material, density, etc.), no product structure, no measurement and dimensioning, ...
seemaze
a month ago
CAD (computer aided design) is a rather broad term used across many industries. There are many established CAD programs which do not offer PMI, simulation, or material properties. I do concur that views, dims, and units are table stakes.
nickthegreek
a month ago
tinkercad has 5% of that. it is still a cad program.