[ampdepolymerase]

If you are being pragmatic about things, a game engine is probably the best. For 3D, give Godot a try. Otherwise there are plenty of other commercial solutions (Unity, Unreal, there are quite a few). 2D engines are more common than 3D engines, so simply select one that is most compatible with your preferred tech stack. Game engines will require more upfront work for the GUI part of CAD software, but it will make the actual CAD a lot easier as a large amount of constraints and collision physics already come built in. Modern game engines also come with importers for common CAD file formats, so that will make your life a lot easier too. The modern Unity-style game engine with everything and the kitchen sink included is somewhat of a recent phenomenon. Traditionally game engines are small poorly documented libraries and therefore less than helpful unless you were truly desperate. Also, the CAD field moves slowly when it comes to adoption of new technology and most of the incumbents are still using core in-house technology from decades ago. My above assessment is based on the current state of the art for both fields.

Some helpful links:

http://www.publicworksgroup.com/blog/2012/02/will-gaming-eng...

https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/spotlights/meshmatic-opti...

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Unity3D-Game-Engine-and-...