CadQuery is OpenSource!

We are pleased to announce that CadQuery is available as an open source project:

https://github.com/dcowden/cadquery

We think that the community needs a powerful parametric modelling tool that's faster and more powerful than OpenSCAD.  See what you think!

Build Service Released!

Integrate ParametricParts into your application or website!

We're pleased to announce that a beta version of our model build service is released!

Our build service allows you to use a simple REST endpoint to build models from any application or website.  This is a very flexible service that offers lots of flexibility for your application:

• Build models in STL, STEP, AMF, or Three.js  format ( for display )
• Build models that are stored on parametricparts.com, or keep the scripts on your server and send the script with the request

We hope this service will open up lots of possibilities for new applications-- from people wanting to build a website around a collection of models, to new applications designed to take 3D productivity to the next level.

Read more about the API here: https://parametricparts.com/docs/restservice.html

Parametric Parts in Action: Demo Video

We've posted a video that shows Parametric Parts in action: basic configuration and even some simple editing....

Check it out!

STEP Import Functionality Completed!

Now Parametric Parts offers the exclusive ability to import STEP files, and then allow parametric modifications to them.

You can choose to upload models to our server for use in your ModelScript, or you can download them directly from another source ( typically Thingiverse ).

Check out this example of a pulley, with a quick script to modify the bore:

https://parametricparts.com/parts/m6gm8qy6/

Beta Version Launched

We have launched a beta version of Parametric Parts.com!

Of course we're already working on adding features that have been requested by the community.. namely:

• Import STEP/STL  files from other CAD packages into a model

We're also in the process of making some introductory videos...

User Feedback: Why CadQuery and not OpenSCAD?

We're still working hard on the beta launch, but in the meantime we've gotten some great feedback from users:

• We need to be able to import STEP and STL files
• Its a concern that OpenSCAD modules cannot be used

We're working on file importing, and hope to have  STEP and STL in the first release.

OpenSCAD modules, unfortunately are not on our radar.  Though it is possible, using OpenSCAD modules do not fit our vision for 3D Productivity, for two reasons:

1. They are very labor intensive to create, requiring many more lines of code than we think should be necessary, and
2. They run very slowly for complex objects-- too slow, in fact, to be productive for end users.

We understand that a library of components and functions is essential to productivity.  We hope that the user communitity will help build these modules on the CadQuery platform, but we're also commited to making it happen.  Since Parametric Parts can use python scripts, many scripts from FreeCAD and Blender can be relatively easily ported.  Though there are many openSCAD modules, there are many _more_ python scripts out there!

Introducing ParametricParts, Productivity for 3d

Content is king, especially for 3d printing.

Meet  Parametric Parts, an alpha product we've been working on that aims to make it easier than ever to create 3d models.

Parametric Parts allows customizing, previewing, downloading, and printing 3d models with your browser.  

We're excited because we think this tool will change the way people approach 3d.  We need to stop searching for pre-build models and start making them based on the task at hand.  

2d printers showed up at home when Microsoft Office made it easy to create documents.  And we think 3d printers needs the same thing.  Productivity for 3D.

We have an alpha product up and running-- you can give it a try for free with no signup

http://www.parametricparts.com/parts/6m3vp9jd/

Make sure to check out the ModelScript tab-- one key feature is a cool, fluent API for creating objects.  The sample is a pillow block with counterbored holes-- outside of definition of user parameters, its implemented in 4 lines of code.

Give it a try-- just go easy on us, its just an alpha!

Let us know what you think!  
You can reply here or email us : info@parametricparts.com