The power of #gCAD3D, if you know how to use it, here's a hull I made when trying to learn this very powerful little program, the surfaces are done by manual input via #APT #CNC code, a simple language. #opensource #CAD #hull #rowing #boat

My tiny #gCAD3D has recently been updated to version 2.60, very useful when others fail in certain operations I do, it has some defects, but it is powerful if used in the correct way with many functions and installed it occupies only 1.8MB ;)
For #Ubuntu #Deb or #RPM is needed this dependencies "libgtkgl2.0-1" to make it working, is under rewrite of some part but works with it until the update of# #IGES of the export code. #CAD #linux #OpenSource

Sometimes I try them all but in the end even if #gCAD3D has its flaws it remains the only one that manages to export #STEP or #IGES files that can be opened by #Plasticity, I'm talking about #DXF drawings, I have to do so many of these steps it's incredible that #Moi3D, #FreeCAD or Cad Assistant all fail and a 1.3mb program does the job just fine.

People underestimate #gCAD3D, but it's very powerful and very small, a bit difficult to use, the best way is to use it via code, and it's not difficult, but it's also a great tool to do some small conversions from #Blender to #CAD, save into IGES or STEP, many times it handles CAD #DXF files very well and better than FreeCAD. #b3d

Here is a quick demonstration of a hull created directly in #Plasticity from curves which I however made in #gCAD3D with APT CNC code.
This application is simple to use and to learn especially those who know how to use #Blender will have no problems. #CAD #NURBS

I'm collecting the online documentation of #gCAD3D and I'm making a manual in #EPUB and then also in #PDF with it.
I don't know how long it will take, because I'm doing other things as well and I don't spend more than 1~2 hour max.

About #APT I found many old Book in Internet Archive they are useful in order to understand better the manual input for #gCAD3D
Link to the PDF here https://archive.org/search?query=Numerical+Control+Programming+in+Apt

Reading better the documentations I learned #gCAD3D uses #APT (Automatically Programmed Tool) an old language first appeared in 1956.

Apt is non-proprietary. It was developed at MIT with cooperation of industry and funded in part by the US Air Force. It is defined by the ANSI standard NCITS 37-1999. Most Apt compilers , however, are proprietary.
ISO 4343:2000
Industrial automation systems — Numerical control of machines — NC processor output — Post processor commands

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/APT_(programming_language)

If you have time to learn this is another great CAD, very simple but also so powerful. Is #gCAD3D a #CAD that struggled me at beginning but now I understood and I like it. This is a Whitehall row boats. Totally done with manual inserting via code.
gCAD3D works well with #CATIA step file and if you have a #IGES or a STEP you can Inspect the code and learn how make surface via coding.
Don't underestimate the power of gCAD3D 😎
#boat #design #hull.

@osarch @ericbuijs @normand Good question #SolveSpace has own integrated NURBS geometric kernel, that is dramatically smaller than Open CASCADE Technology (OCCT), but has limited features support as for now.

#libslvs is a SolveSpace own integrated geometry constraints solver, which already has a Python wrapper, used in Blender, FreeCAD, Pyslvs: https://github.com/solvespace/solvespace/issues/292

JFTR, There are some other apps with own CAD-like kernels with NURBS support: #gCAD3D, #Ayam, #Antimony, #libfive, #Seamless3d.