{"slug": "onshape", "name": "Onshape", "category": "media", "category_name": "Media and creative", "description": "Browser-based parametric 3D mechanical CAD and product design platform.", "recommenders": 5, "commenters": 11, "warners": 1, "score": 4.789, "rising": 1.02, "first": "2025-11-22", "latest": "2026-10-28", "why": "Liked for quick, intuitive modeling that lets newcomers start working right away, for running in the browser, including on Linux, and for documents that can be scripted with FeatureScript.", "why_is_quote": false, "has_verdict": true, "sentiment": {"recommend": 5, "neutral": 3, "compare": 2, "warn": 1}, "spark": [1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1], "listed": true, "loved": ["Ease of use", "Browser-based"], "caveat": "High polygon counts", "short_quote": "Even for CAD, if it is simple enough, I'll do it in Onshape rather than booting up my Windows VM.", "icon": true, "domain": null, "github_repo": null, "official_url": "https://www.onshape.com/", "pricing": "unknown", "aliases": ["Onshape"], "verdict": [{"text": "Liked for quick, intuitive modeling that lets newcomers start working right away", "cites": [{"id": 800588304, "item_id": 50036769, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50036769", "by": "WJW", "date": "2026-10-10", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "in things like OnShape I can do it with two clicks", "excerpt": "This is true, but in things like OnShape I can do it with two clicks whereas in OpenSCAD it's always at least 20 minutes of thinking and trying out. OpenSCAD is super cool and my go-to for simple things, but for anything more involved than a cube or cylinder with some cutouts I tend to revert to \"normal\" CAD programs.", "context": "", "use_case": "fillets in CAD", "switched_from": "", "story": "OpenSCAD the Programmers Solid 3D CAD Modeller"}, {"id": 786294034, "item_id": 49143377, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49143377", "by": "fho", "date": "2026-08-02", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I tried OnShape and just started working.", "excerpt": "Version 10-12 is 10-ish years ago. They switched to yearmonth (e.g. 2604) release names long ago. Let's just say things changed since then. There is also a difference between intuitive and familiar. I learned to CAD on Fusion 360 with no formal education and it just worked. I can use FreeCAD sufficiently well to be productive (it really has become better over the years). I tried OnShape and just started working. I li", "context": "", "use_case": "CAD", "switched_from": "", "story": "Show HN: I'm a 15 Year Old Wannabe Engineer, This Is a Cycloidal Gearbox I Built"}]}, {"text": ", for running in the browser, including on Linux,", "cites": [{"id": 736259152, "item_id": 46016197, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46016197", "by": "VorpalWay", "date": "2025-11-22", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Onshape is web based, but is actually programmable behind the scenes (and all documents are scripts under the hood).", "excerpt": "I saw a programatic Web cad tool before, took a moment to find it (and along the way I found a few others). Caveat: of these I have only used Onshape, and I tend to use it via the graphical interface. - First up Onshape is web based, but is actually programmable behind the scenes (and all documents are scripts under the hood). This is used to let you write plugins it for it. - The one I was thinking of used to be cal", "context": "", "use_case": "web-based CAD", "switched_from": "", "story": "3D printing with unconventional vase mode"}, {"id": 766691440, "item_id": 47918215, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47918215", "by": "starky", "date": "2026-04-26", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Even for CAD, if it is simple enough, I'll do it in Onshape rather than booting up my Windows VM.", "excerpt": "I made the switch about 1.5 years ago and haven't looked back. The only software I use frequently that doesn't have a good enough equivialent available on Linux is photo editing and CAD. Even for CAD, if it is simple enough, I'll do it in Onshape rather than booting up my Windows VM.", "context": "Linux user for 1.5 years", "use_case": "simple CAD", "switched_from": "", "story": "After three months on Linux, I don't miss Windows at all"}]}, {"text": " and for documents that can be scripted with FeatureScript.", "cites": [{"id": 736259152, "item_id": 46016197, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46016197", "by": "VorpalWay", "date": "2025-11-22", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Onshape is web based, but is actually programmable behind the scenes (and all documents are scripts under the hood).", "excerpt": "I saw a programatic Web cad tool before, took a moment to find it (and along the way I found a few others). Caveat: of these I have only used Onshape, and I tend to use it via the graphical interface. - First up Onshape is web based, but is actually programmable behind the scenes (and all documents are scripts under the hood). This is used to let you write plugins it for it. - The one I was thinking of used to be cal", "context": "", "use_case": "web-based CAD", "switched_from": "", "story": "3D printing with unconventional vase mode"}, {"id": 758603793, "item_id": 47412737, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47412737", "by": "s1mon", "date": "2026-03-17", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "custom FeatureScript in Onshape (3D mechanical CAD software)", "excerpt": "I've been using Codex (GPT-5.4 extra high) to code custom FeatureScript in Onshape (3D mechanical CAD software). It's challenging to get it to do TDD that involves any visual reasoning. At the moment I've got tooling through Google Chrome Devtools MCP and Playwright to extract things and control the browser and I use some custom features which help with formatting and controlling debugging outputs (text and visual ov", "context": "", "use_case": "3D mechanical CAD", "switched_from": "", "story": "Claude Tips for 3D Work"}]}, {"text": " The main complaint is trouble with designs that have very many polygons", "cites": [{"id": 748825377, "item_id": 46801586, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46801586", "by": "givc", "date": "2026-01-28", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I struggled a lot with OnShape and Fusion360 trying to do this because there were too many polygons.", "excerpt": "I used OpenSCAD to create a map of Manhattan. It shows the live location of subway trains. It was surprisingly easy, I struggled a lot with OnShape and Fusion360 trying to do this because there were too many polygons. I found that starting with an SVG and extruding from there is perfect in OpenSCAD, but I\u2019m sure I\u2019m underutilizing it a lot. I wrote a bit about it here if you\u2019re curious https://hackaday.io/project/202", "context": "", "use_case": "3D modeling", "switched_from": "", "story": "3D-Printed Mathematical Lampshades"}]}, {"text": ", and one engineer returning to CAD found it humbling to learn.", "cites": [{"id": 766611267, "item_id": 47913204, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47913204", "by": "softservo", "date": "2026-04-26", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I\u2019ve been humbled by new tools like Onshape.", "excerpt": "This is text-to-cad, an open source tool for generating 3D models in Codex / Claude Code! Use it to prompt and edit complex 3D models. Export STEP, STL, GLB, DXF and URDF files. Built for CAD newbies. Link to github below. CAD is hard. As a software engineer getting back into robotics, I\u2019ve been humbled by new tools like Onshape. Struggling to kick old habits, I started prompting Codex to generate 3D models and had s", "context": "", "use_case": "CAD", "switched_from": "", "story": "CAD in Codex"}]}], "praise": [{"label": "Ease of use", "summary": "Commenters say common operations take a couple of clicks and they could start working immediately.", "quotes": [{"id": 800588304, "item_id": 50036769, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50036769", "by": "WJW", "date": "2026-10-10", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "in things like OnShape I can do it with two clicks", "excerpt": "This is true, but in things like OnShape I can do it with two clicks whereas in OpenSCAD it's always at least 20 minutes of thinking and trying out. OpenSCAD is super cool and my go-to for simple things, but for anything more involved than a cube or cylinder with some cutouts I tend to revert to \"normal\" CAD programs.", "context": "", "use_case": "fillets in CAD", "switched_from": "", "story": "OpenSCAD the Programmers Solid 3D CAD Modeller"}, {"id": 786294034, "item_id": 49143377, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49143377", "by": "fho", "date": "2026-08-02", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I tried OnShape and just started working.", "excerpt": "Version 10-12 is 10-ish years ago. They switched to yearmonth (e.g. 2604) release names long ago. Let's just say things changed since then. There is also a difference between intuitive and familiar. I learned to CAD on Fusion 360 with no formal education and it just worked. I can use FreeCAD sufficiently well to be productive (it really has become better over the years). I tried OnShape and just started working. I li", "context": "", "use_case": "CAD", "switched_from": "", "story": "Show HN: I'm a 15 Year Old Wannabe Engineer, This Is a Cycloidal Gearbox I Built"}, {"id": 752337216, "item_id": 47021076, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47021076", "by": "otaviogood", "date": "2026-02-14", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Get a CAD program like Onshape (I love Onshape).", "excerpt": "Like many have said, start with Arduino-like boards + servos. You can get servo driver boards that let you plug in multiple servos to your Arduino without power problems. Get those from Adafruit. Then you can graduate to the \"bus\" style servos like Feetech if you want to load up on servos. If you want to learn to make PCBs, this tutorial shows you how to design them in open source software and then get them made chea", "context": "", "use_case": "designing 3D printed parts", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: How to get started with robotics as a hobbyist?"}]}, {"label": "Browser-based", "summary": "It runs in the browser, which lets a Linux user do simple CAD without booting a Windows VM.", "quotes": [{"id": 736259152, "item_id": 46016197, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46016197", "by": "VorpalWay", "date": "2025-11-22", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Onshape is web based, but is actually programmable behind the scenes (and all documents are scripts under the hood).", "excerpt": "I saw a programatic Web cad tool before, took a moment to find it (and along the way I found a few others). Caveat: of these I have only used Onshape, and I tend to use it via the graphical interface. - First up Onshape is web based, but is actually programmable behind the scenes (and all documents are scripts under the hood). This is used to let you write plugins it for it. - The one I was thinking of used to be cal", "context": "", "use_case": "web-based CAD", "switched_from": "", "story": "3D printing with unconventional vase mode"}, {"id": 766691440, "item_id": 47918215, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47918215", "by": "starky", "date": "2026-04-26", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Even for CAD, if it is simple enough, I'll do it in Onshape rather than booting up my Windows VM.", "excerpt": "I made the switch about 1.5 years ago and haven't looked back. The only software I use frequently that doesn't have a good enough equivialent available on Linux is photo editing and CAD. Even for CAD, if it is simple enough, I'll do it in Onshape rather than booting up my Windows VM.", "context": "Linux user for 1.5 years", "use_case": "simple CAD", "switched_from": "", "story": "After three months on Linux, I don't miss Windows at all"}, {"id": 804383921, "item_id": 50273995, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50273995", "by": "Mashimo", "date": "2026-10-28", "stance": "compare", "quote": "Even empty it feels more laggy then onshape on same device / browser.", "excerpt": "Just a one minutes test: * Mouse over text takes too long, it should be visible instant. When I'm searching for a tool I don't want to wait 500ms for each symbol * Even empty it feels more laggy then onshape on same device / browser. * When I did a boolean operation there is no popup or similar where I can choose the tool and target. It's all based on selection order? How do I choose 2 tools and one target, or the ot", "context": "", "use_case": "3D CAD", "switched_from": "", "story": "Show HN: Nasscad \u2013 local-first 3D CAD for browser and Windows"}]}, {"label": "Scriptable", "summary": "Documents are scripts under the hood, and users write custom FeatureScript features and plugins.", "quotes": [{"id": 736259152, "item_id": 46016197, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46016197", "by": "VorpalWay", "date": "2025-11-22", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Onshape is web based, but is actually programmable behind the scenes (and all documents are scripts under the hood).", "excerpt": "I saw a programatic Web cad tool before, took a moment to find it (and along the way I found a few others). Caveat: of these I have only used Onshape, and I tend to use it via the graphical interface. - First up Onshape is web based, but is actually programmable behind the scenes (and all documents are scripts under the hood). This is used to let you write plugins it for it. - The one I was thinking of used to be cal", "context": "", "use_case": "web-based CAD", "switched_from": "", "story": "3D printing with unconventional vase mode"}, {"id": 758603793, "item_id": 47412737, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47412737", "by": "s1mon", "date": "2026-03-17", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "custom FeatureScript in Onshape (3D mechanical CAD software)", "excerpt": "I've been using Codex (GPT-5.4 extra high) to code custom FeatureScript in Onshape (3D mechanical CAD software). It's challenging to get it to do TDD that involves any visual reasoning. At the moment I've got tooling through Google Chrome Devtools MCP and Playwright to extract things and control the browser and I use some custom features which help with formatting and controlling debugging outputs (text and visual ov", "context": "", "use_case": "3D mechanical CAD", "switched_from": "", "story": "Claude Tips for 3D Work"}, {"id": 761214018, "item_id": 47575876, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47575876", "by": "CountVonGuetzli", "date": "2026-03-30", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I didn't know OnShape had such a feature. Will check it out!", "excerpt": "I didn't know OnShape had such a feature. Will check it out! What you describe is one of the main reasons why I use Rhino3D. It can be scripted via the Grasshopper plugin, which integrates really nicely with Rhino and its primitives. Sadly, Rhino isn't open source and is quite pricy - https://www.rhino3d.com/ - https://www.grasshopper3d.com/", "context": "", "use_case": "scriptable CAD", "switched_from": "", "story": "Build123d: A Python CAD programming library"}]}], "caveats": [{"label": "High polygon counts", "summary": "One user struggled to build a detailed map model because it had too many polygons.", "quotes": [{"id": 748825377, "item_id": 46801586, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46801586", "by": "givc", "date": "2026-01-28", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I struggled a lot with OnShape and Fusion360 trying to do this because there were too many polygons.", "excerpt": "I used OpenSCAD to create a map of Manhattan. It shows the live location of subway trains. It was surprisingly easy, I struggled a lot with OnShape and Fusion360 trying to do this because there were too many polygons. I found that starting with an SVG and extruding from there is perfect in OpenSCAD, but I\u2019m sure I\u2019m underutilizing it a lot. I wrote a bit about it here if you\u2019re curious https://hackaday.io/project/202", "context": "", "use_case": "3D modeling", "switched_from": "", "story": "3D-Printed Mathematical Lampshades"}]}, {"label": "Learning curve", "summary": "A software engineer getting back into robotics said he was humbled by tools like Onshape.", "quotes": [{"id": 766611267, "item_id": 47913204, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47913204", "by": "softservo", "date": "2026-04-26", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I\u2019ve been humbled by new tools like Onshape.", "excerpt": "This is text-to-cad, an open source tool for generating 3D models in Codex / Claude Code! Use it to prompt and edit complex 3D models. Export STEP, STL, GLB, DXF and URDF files. Built for CAD newbies. Link to github below. CAD is hard. As a software engineer getting back into robotics, I\u2019ve been humbled by new tools like Onshape. Struggling to kick old habits, I started prompting Codex to generate 3D models and had s", "context": "", "use_case": "CAD", "switched_from": "", "story": "CAD in Codex"}]}], "who": [{"by": "starky", "context": "Linux user for 1.5 years", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47918215", "date": "2026-04-26"}], "tags": ["for Linux users", "for 3D printing", "for robotics hobbyists", "scriptable"], "use_cases": ["cad", "3d modeling", "3d cad", "fillets in cad", "simple cad", "scriptable cad"], "compared": [{"slug": "cadquery", "name": "CadQuery", "co": 5, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "openscad", "name": "OpenSCAD", "co": 3, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 1}, {"slug": "fusion-360", "name": "Fusion 360", "co": 4, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "codex", "name": "Codex", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "build123d", "name": "build123d", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "siemens-nx", "name": "Siemens NX", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "solidworks", "name": "SolidWorks", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "freecad", "name": "FreeCAD", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50273201", "title": "Show HN: Nasscad \u2013 local-first 3D CAD for browser and Windows", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49984349", "title": "OpenSCAD the Programmers Solid 3D CAD Modeller", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49140396", "title": "Show HN: I'm a 15 Year Old Wannabe Engineer, This Is a Cycloidal Gearbox I Built", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47916543", "title": "After three months on Linux, I don't miss Windows at all", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47913203", "title": "CAD in Codex", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47567242", "title": "Build123d: A Python CAD programming library", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {"recommend": 1}, "2025-12": {}, "2026-01": {"compare": 1, "warn": 1}, "2026-02": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-03": {"neutral": 2}, "2026-04": {"neutral": 1, "recommend": 1}, "2026-05": {}, "2026-06": {}, "2026-07": {}, "2026-08": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-09": {}, "2026-10": {"recommend": 1, "compare": 1}}, "quotes": [{"id": 804383921, "item_id": 50273995, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50273995", "by": "Mashimo", "date": "2026-10-28", "stance": "compare", "quote": "Even empty it feels more laggy then onshape on same device / browser.", "excerpt": "Just a one minutes test: * Mouse over text takes too long, it should be visible instant. When I'm searching for a tool I don't want to wait 500ms for each symbol * Even empty it feels more laggy then onshape on same device / browser. * When I did a boolean operation there is no popup or similar where I can choose the tool and target. It's all based on selection order? How do I choose 2 tools and one target, or the ot", "context": "", "use_case": "3D CAD", "switched_from": "", "story": "Show HN: Nasscad \u2013 local-first 3D CAD for browser and Windows"}, {"id": 800588304, "item_id": 50036769, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50036769", "by": "WJW", "date": "2026-10-10", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "in things like OnShape I can do it with two clicks", "excerpt": "This is true, but in things like OnShape I can do it with two clicks whereas in OpenSCAD it's always at least 20 minutes of thinking and trying out. OpenSCAD is super cool and my go-to for simple things, but for anything more involved than a cube or cylinder with some cutouts I tend to revert to \"normal\" CAD programs.", "context": "", "use_case": "fillets in CAD", "switched_from": "", "story": "OpenSCAD the Programmers Solid 3D CAD Modeller"}, {"id": 786294034, "item_id": 49143377, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49143377", "by": "fho", "date": "2026-08-02", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I tried OnShape and just started working.", "excerpt": "Version 10-12 is 10-ish years ago. They switched to yearmonth (e.g. 2604) release names long ago. Let's just say things changed since then. There is also a difference between intuitive and familiar. I learned to CAD on Fusion 360 with no formal education and it just worked. I can use FreeCAD sufficiently well to be productive (it really has become better over the years). I tried OnShape and just started working. I li", "context": "", "use_case": "CAD", "switched_from": "", "story": "Show HN: I'm a 15 Year Old Wannabe Engineer, This Is a Cycloidal Gearbox I Built"}, {"id": 766691440, "item_id": 47918215, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47918215", "by": "starky", "date": "2026-04-26", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Even for CAD, if it is simple enough, I'll do it in Onshape rather than booting up my Windows VM.", "excerpt": "I made the switch about 1.5 years ago and haven't looked back. The only software I use frequently that doesn't have a good enough equivialent available on Linux is photo editing and CAD. Even for CAD, if it is simple enough, I'll do it in Onshape rather than booting up my Windows VM.", "context": "Linux user for 1.5 years", "use_case": "simple CAD", "switched_from": "", "story": "After three months on Linux, I don't miss Windows at all"}, {"id": 766611267, "item_id": 47913204, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47913204", "by": "softservo", "date": "2026-04-26", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I\u2019ve been humbled by new tools like Onshape.", "excerpt": "This is text-to-cad, an open source tool for generating 3D models in Codex / Claude Code! Use it to prompt and edit complex 3D models. Export STEP, STL, GLB, DXF and URDF files. Built for CAD newbies. Link to github below. CAD is hard. As a software engineer getting back into robotics, I\u2019ve been humbled by new tools like Onshape. Struggling to kick old habits, I started prompting Codex to generate 3D models and had s", "context": "", "use_case": "CAD", "switched_from": "", "story": "CAD in Codex"}, {"id": 761214018, "item_id": 47575876, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47575876", "by": "CountVonGuetzli", "date": "2026-03-30", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I didn't know OnShape had such a feature. Will check it out!", "excerpt": "I didn't know OnShape had such a feature. Will check it out! What you describe is one of the main reasons why I use Rhino3D. It can be scripted via the Grasshopper plugin, which integrates really nicely with Rhino and its primitives. Sadly, Rhino isn't open source and is quite pricy - https://www.rhino3d.com/ - https://www.grasshopper3d.com/", "context": "", "use_case": "scriptable CAD", "switched_from": "", "story": "Build123d: A Python CAD programming library"}, {"id": 758603793, "item_id": 47412737, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47412737", "by": "s1mon", "date": "2026-03-17", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "custom FeatureScript in Onshape (3D mechanical CAD software)", "excerpt": "I've been using Codex (GPT-5.4 extra high) to code custom FeatureScript in Onshape (3D mechanical CAD software). It's challenging to get it to do TDD that involves any visual reasoning. At the moment I've got tooling through Google Chrome Devtools MCP and Playwright to extract things and control the browser and I use some custom features which help with formatting and controlling debugging outputs (text and visual ov", "context": "", "use_case": "3D mechanical CAD", "switched_from": "", "story": "Claude Tips for 3D Work"}, {"id": 752337216, "item_id": 47021076, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47021076", "by": "otaviogood", "date": "2026-02-14", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Get a CAD program like Onshape (I love Onshape).", "excerpt": "Like many have said, start with Arduino-like boards + servos. You can get servo driver boards that let you plug in multiple servos to your Arduino without power problems. Get those from Adafruit. Then you can graduate to the \"bus\" style servos like Feetech if you want to load up on servos. If you want to learn to make PCBs, this tutorial shows you how to design them in open source software and then get them made chea", "context": "", "use_case": "designing 3D printed parts", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: How to get started with robotics as a hobbyist?"}, {"id": 748825377, "item_id": 46801586, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46801586", "by": "givc", "date": "2026-01-28", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I struggled a lot with OnShape and Fusion360 trying to do this because there were too many polygons.", "excerpt": "I used OpenSCAD to create a map of Manhattan. It shows the live location of subway trains. It was surprisingly easy, I struggled a lot with OnShape and Fusion360 trying to do this because there were too many polygons. I found that starting with an SVG and extruding from there is perfect in OpenSCAD, but I\u2019m sure I\u2019m underutilizing it a lot. I wrote a bit about it here if you\u2019re curious https://hackaday.io/project/202", "context": "", "use_case": "3D modeling", "switched_from": "", "story": "3D-Printed Mathematical Lampshades"}, {"id": 748601714, "item_id": 46787607, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46787607", "by": "ge96", "date": "2026-01-27", "stance": "compare", "quote": "time I grow up and use something like Fusion360 seems like or onshape", "excerpt": "SketchUp was my go to for a while but I'm done with parametric personally, trying to fix meshes for 3D printing... time I grow up and use something like Fusion360 seems like or onshape. Still it was good/simple enough for non-round shapes in SketchUp except they have some kind of memory leak/bug at least for the 2017 version. But I guess quit being cheap and buy a modern copy on my part. Edit: oh I guess sketchup is ", "context": "3D printing hobbyist", "use_case": "3D modeling", "switched_from": "", "story": "Parametric CAD in Rust"}, {"id": 736259152, "item_id": 46016197, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46016197", "by": "VorpalWay", "date": "2025-11-22", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Onshape is web based, but is actually programmable behind the scenes (and all documents are scripts under the hood).", "excerpt": "I saw a programatic Web cad tool before, took a moment to find it (and along the way I found a few others). Caveat: of these I have only used Onshape, and I tend to use it via the graphical interface. - First up Onshape is web based, but is actually programmable behind the scenes (and all documents are scripts under the hood). This is used to let you write plugins it for it. - The one I was thinking of used to be cal", "context": "", "use_case": "web-based CAD", "switched_from": "", "story": "3D printing with unconventional vase mode"}]}