CadQuery is an intuitive, easy-to-use python based language for building parametric 3D CAD models. CadQuery is for 3D CAD what jQuery is for javascript. Imagine selecting Faces of a 3d object the same way you select DOM objects with JQuery!

CadQuery has several goals:

• Build models with scripts that are as close as possible to how you'd describe the object to a human.
• Create parametric models that can be very easily customized by end users
• Output high quality CAD formats like STEP and AMF in addition to traditional STL
• Provide a non-proprietary, plain text model format that can be edited and executed with only a web browser

Using CadQuery, you can write short, simple scripts that produce high quality CAD models. It is easy to make many different objects using a single script that can be customized.

CadQuery is based on OpenCasCade. CadQuery shares many features with OpenSCAD, another open source, script based, parametric model generator.

The primary advantage of OpenSCAD is the large number of already existing model libaries that exist already. So why not simply use OpenSCAD?

CadQuery scripts have several key advantages over OpenSCAD:

1. The scripts use a standard programming language, python, and thus can benefit from the associated infrastructure. This includes many standard libraries and IDEs

2. More powerful CAD kernel OpenCascade is much more powerful than CGAL. Features supported natively by OCC include NURBS, splines, surface sewing, STL repair, STEP import/export, and other complex operations, in addition to the standard CSG operations supported by CGAL

3. Ability to import/export STEP We think the ability to begin with a STEP model, created in a CAD package, and then add parametric features is key. This is possible in OpenSCAD using STL, but STL is a lossy format

4. Less Code and easier scripting CadQuery scripts require less code to create most objects, because it is possible to locate features based on the position of other features, workplanes, vertices, etc.

5. Better Performance CadQuery scripts can build STL, STEP, and AMF faster than OpenSCAD.

CadQuery is licensed under the terms of the LGPLv3. http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/lesser.html

CadQuery does not provide a stand-alone gui yet, though this is one of the projects we hope to tackle.

If you would like IDE support, you can use CadQuery inside of FreeCAD.

CadQuery provides the backbone of http://parametricparts.com, so the easiest way to see it in action is to review the samples and objects there.

Use these steps if you would like to write CadQuery scripts as a python API. In this case, FreeCAD is used only as a CAD kernel.

1. install FreeCAD, version 0.12 or greater for your platform. http://sourceforge.net/projects/free-cad/.

2. adjust your path if necessary. FreeCAD bundles a python interpreter, but you'll probably want to use your own, preferably one that has virtualenv available. To use FreeCAD from any python interpreter, just append the FreeCAD lib directory to your path. On (*Nix)::

    import sys
    sys.path.append('/usr/lib/freecad/lib')
   

   or on Windows::

    import sys
    sys.path.append('/c/apps/FreeCAD/bin')
   

   NOTE FreeCAD on Windows will not work with python 2.7-- you must use pthon 2.6.X!!!!

3. install cadquery::

    pip install cadquery
   

4. test your installation::

    from cadquery import *
    box = Workplane("XY").box(1,2,3)
    exporters.toString(box,'STL')
   

You're up and running!

Use these steps if you would like to write CadQuery scripts from inside of the FreeCAD IDE. These steps have only been tested on windows <Thanks Tim Henderson!>

1. install FreeCAD, version 0.12 or greater for your platform. http://sourceforge.net/projects/free-cad/.

2. Copy the entire CadQuery distribution into the FreeCAD/bin dir

3. use the Python version embedded with Freecad to set up cadquery, eg: cd "C:\Program Files\FreeCAD0.13\bin" python "C:\Program Files\FreeCAD0.13\bin\cadquery-0.1.4/setup.py install

4. copy generated binaries from FreeCAD0.13/bin/cadquery/cadquery into FreeCAD/Mod/Scripts

Thats it. Now when you start FreeCAD, you can do for example: import cadquery bb = cadquery.Workplane("XY").box(1.0,2.0,3.0) //bb is a cadquery object solid = bb.val() //solid is a cadquery solid object Part.show(solid.wrapped) //use the wrapped property of a cadquery primitive to get the FreeCAD version

CadQuery is inspired by ( jQuery <http://www.jquery.com>_ ), a popular framework that revolutionized web development involving javascript.

If you are familiar with how jQuery, you will probably recognize several jQuery features that CadQuery uses:

• A fluent api to create clean, easy to read code
• Language features that make selection and iteration incredibly easy
• Ability to use the library along side other python libraries
• Clear and complete documentation, with plenty of samples.