[smallerfish]

Is there a good parametric / code based CAD that's good for (amateur) house or garden design, and which runs on linux? I've used openscad in the past for simple parts prototyping, but haven't tried it for 2d work. I always found its preview kind of awkward, so I can't see it exporting or printing particularly well.

I've been learning qcad recently, which is OK, but it really wants you to make extensive use of the mouse. I feel like I could probably be just as productive by typing code and seeing a 2d plot of what I specify. Way back when I used SweetHome3d, which works pretty well for interiors, but (at least when I tried it) didn't have very many tools for exteriors.

[dymk]

Yes, CadQuery: https://cadquery.readthedocs.io/en/latest/intro.html

Think OpenSCAD but based on a proper BREP kernel, so you can express something closer to actual curved surfaces instead of just rasterized approximations.

[smrq]

Something about CadQuery still feels a little off, but it's the only CAD tool I've found that really ticks all the boxes that I want, so I will nonetheless happily give it the prestigious "Least Bad According To Me" award.

[dymk]

My go-to for getting work done has been (and for the foreseeable future will still be) Fusion 360. I can't find a free alternative that is simultaneously batteries included, but also gets out of your way.

It makes me feel like a shill saying something so positive about expensive, proprietary software, but it works _really_ well for my usecases (3D printing, 2.5D and 3D woodcraft carving). Having CAD and CAM in the same package is absolutely killer for me.

In open-source land, though CadQuery is, like you say, the least worst of all the options. I just wish it had a CAM package integrated in there.

[laydn]

Is my understanding correct that all your CAD data is stored in Autodesk cloud servers if you are using Fusion 360?

[dymk]

Yes. I don't really mind this though, as I can export my STEP files (or the full f3d project file, but I rarely ever need to do this).

I hop between multiple computers in my workflow. I do most design on a desktop in my house, and then use the less powerful shop computer to run the CNC or have references up. The auto-syncing of project files "in the cloud" is pretty useful there (in a way that an e.g. sync'd dropbox folder would be clunky to use)

[benhurmarcel]

With the free hobbyist version at least, yes that's correct. You can export the files however.

[jacquesm]

It's such a pity they never released a linux version. It appears to work well in a VM though.

[dTal]

I know what you mean. CadQuery's syntax is weird. Dot-chaining is a terrible interface for nesting commands. ZenCad is the most promising "OpenSCAD but with Python and BREP" project I've seen:

https://mirmik.github.io/zencad/en/index.html

[stavros]

For closed source software, I use OnShape. I've also heard good things about FreeCAD and SolveSpace.

[officialchicken]

FreeCAD has decent BIM support for A/E/C (using the Arch modules) and works great on Ubuntu. For civil work, use Blender (turn units 'On') and get it setup for GIS with various plugins and pull data from sources like Google Earth.

[convolvatron]

its really not pretty, but I've written generators for svg and loaded those into Inkscape for composition, etc. (in scheme I guess, but it really doesn't matter..something simple)