Zoo seems to be a new CAD company that built their own software stack. In this blog post they give a technical overview of their approach. From the article: … …
Zoo seems to be a new CAD company that built their own software stack. In this blog post they give a technical overview of their approach. From the article:
It turns out, many of the geometric operations needed by CAD algorithms lend themselves naturally to the massively parallel nature of GPU computing. Furthermore, it turns out that the techniques needed to render the CAD display are identical to the techniques used by 3D video game engines to render the game world. Additionally, the low-level mechanics of managing compute shaders to do complex work on the GPU are fundamentally the same between CAD software, 3D modeling software, and game engine software. While over the last several decades, gaming has pushed the state of the art in 3D graphics rendering alongside GPU computing, CAD software has not.
Most existing CAD programs today allow you to quickly create more content than they can efficiently render in a few steps. […]
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We aim to address this problem by maintaining a minimal set of geometric primitives. Rather than implementing specialized representations for features like fillets, we represent these as B-splines with specific constraints. This way, operations only need to handle B-splines, allowing us to develop highly optimized, GPU-friendly algorithms like our surface-surface intersection method. By avoiding the combinatorial explosion of primitive interactions, we can achieve significant performance improvements over existing CAD systems.
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Traditional SSI [Surface to Surface Intersection] methods are CPU based, ie, they are recursive, sequential and conditional. We aim to develop an approach that makes use of the power of modern GPUs. These tend to be brute force with simple instructions and massive data. Benefits of using GPU for SSI, include speed, increased efficiency and handling higher levels of detail.
Sounds great. My exposure to CAD software has been limited and mostly comes from sketching out models to 3D print and toying with furniture design ideas, but even at that level the lack of...
Sounds great. My exposure to CAD software has been limited and mostly comes from sketching out models to 3D print and toying with furniture design ideas, but even at that level the lack of competition, poor performance, and platform-locked nature of currently available options is strongly felt. Anything with the potential to shake up the market has my applause.
It seems likely that their approach will work well with commodity GPUs which is great too, though I’m sure Nvidia and AMD won’t be happy to lose those workstation card sales if this takes off.
I think Nvidia will do just fine supplying hardware to people using AI. :-) Incidentally, this new CAD system seems to be AI-enabled. They are giving the product away for free with a limited...
I think Nvidia will do just fine supplying hardware to people using AI. :-)
Incidentally, this new CAD system seems to be AI-enabled. They are giving the product away for free with a limited number of queries.
Free with the caveat that they will use your data/designs to train their AI. I've known AI driven CAD was coming, but was under the impression that we were further away due to the computational...
Free with the caveat that they will use your data/designs to train their AI. I've known AI driven CAD was coming, but was under the impression that we were further away due to the computational power required (and also that much of the more complex designs/training opportunities will be under proprietary lock and key). It sounds like this was either designed specifically with AI in mind or someone realized that their direction (optimization) could maximize investment/profit by integrating AI/data harvesting.
Not completely in the loop on whether any other big players in the CAD world have started to integrate AI, but this engine level optimization may be what's limiting them at the moment.
Yeah, business users will want to pay for a plan. But I've previously used OnShape with their free plan, which has the limitation that all your designs are public. As a hobbyist, it seemed like a...
Yeah, business users will want to pay for a plan. But I've previously used OnShape with their free plan, which has the limitation that all your designs are public. As a hobbyist, it seemed like a good deal, since I would probably release them as open source anyway.
I tried out the tutorial. Interestingly, it's text-based like OpenScad. There is a main.kcl file that includes the others in the project directory. Software developers will feel at home. (They...
I tried out the tutorial. Interestingly, it's text-based like OpenScad. There is a main.kcl file that includes the others in the project directory. Software developers will feel at home. (They claim you can do everything in the UI and don't need to touch the code.) Much like OpenScad, it's parametric, but doesn't directly support constraints (yet).
Since AI is text-based, I guess that makes sense.
Switching between text files and watching it re-render, it didn't seem all that snappy on my Mac Mini M2. There also isn't a progress indication telling you when it's done. Looks like it actually runs in the cloud:
Zoo Design Studio requires an internet connection because processing and our geometry engine run in the cloud. This lets you handle complex CAD workflows smoothly, even on low-powered machines.
They have a test version that runs in a browser, but don't recommend it.
It doesn't seem as polished as OnShape, but perhaps it will improve.
Has anyone tried this software for CAD design by now? I’m gonna give it a shot I think, since onshape is really expensive. Fusion360 is another choice of course, but I’m not 100% convinced after...
Has anyone tried this software for CAD design by now? I’m gonna give it a shot I think, since onshape is really expensive.
Fusion360 is another choice of course, but I’m not 100% convinced after trying it for a bit.
I've had a lot of success using OpenSCAD for designing gizmos to be 3D printed, but it's definitely got rough edges. If you try it, download the nightly build or whatever they call it, they...
I've had a lot of success using OpenSCAD for designing gizmos to be 3D printed, but it's definitely got rough edges. If you try it, download the nightly build or whatever they call it, they haven't done an official release in YEARS so the release version is lacking a lot of features.
Thanks for bumping this thread, I may try it as well. I used to be a Fusion360 user, but started hating Autodesk since they did the bait & switch on that, so that's off the table for me, and...
Thanks for bumping this thread, I may try it as well. I used to be a Fusion360 user, but started hating Autodesk since they did the bait & switch on that, so that's off the table for me, and despite all the improvements I haven't been convinced by FreeCAD yet. I'm mostly just a hobbyist, so their pricing model seems nice.
I have had periods of being a professional designer or documenter (I have had dreams consisting of autocad operation, the ones with archicad are more nightmares) and keep an eye on FreeCAD as...
I have had periods of being a professional designer or documenter (I have had dreams consisting of autocad operation, the ones with archicad are more nightmares) and keep an eye on FreeCAD as well. I live in hope and it is getting a significant amount of work thrown at it but as far as I can tell it has essentially zero professional users. And my God, the interface.
Zoo CAD sounds interesting but cloud operation only is a huge red flag, there's the risk of a rug pull there. I hope you can export to more broadly used file formats.
Hi there, I'm a professional user of FreeCAD! I started using it about two years ago at work, and it's the only CAD software I've used with any regularity. Yes, its interface is wonky and takes a...
Hi there, I'm a professional user of FreeCAD!
I started using it about two years ago at work, and it's the only CAD software I've used with any regularity. Yes, its interface is wonky and takes a lot of learning to use well, and yes it almost certainly limits my options at times, but it's free.
One of my colleagues was using OnShape, but after a while they started calling him regularly trying to upsell him to a paid account.
We don't really have budget for a commercial Fusion or OnShape account, and at this point I've learned enough FreeCAD to not need it. I'm a long-time proponent of FOSS, and I'm putting my money where my mouth is on this one.
And yeah, I tried Zoo and also saw the red flags. Not for me.
If you're reading this and thinking of retrying FreeCAD, make sure to redownload as they've been making some small-sounding changes that have been very good for quality of life.
Yes I need to try again, it's due I'd say. My use case is architecture into furniture/cabinetry into small bits of what is essentially industrial design. I don't think I've ever had anything 3d...
Yes I need to try again, it's due I'd say.
My use case is architecture into furniture/cabinetry into small bits of what is essentially industrial design. I don't think I've ever had anything 3d printed, plenty of CNC though. FreeCAD is aiming at native IFC support in the architecture space and a mature, open source, solution that could do that would be incredible. It would shake things up in that space in the same way Blender did in its niche and it makes me feel all warm just fantasizing. I know there's an architect involved in development (on the board?) and that gives me some hope, but as it stands I haven't found anyone saying they've done any more than document their garden shed as an example project. That is a hell of a long way from real world use. But I do need to go again with it.
Zoo seems to be a new CAD company that built their own software stack. In this blog post they give a technical overview of their approach. From the article:
…
…
Sounds great. My exposure to CAD software has been limited and mostly comes from sketching out models to 3D print and toying with furniture design ideas, but even at that level the lack of competition, poor performance, and platform-locked nature of currently available options is strongly felt. Anything with the potential to shake up the market has my applause.
It seems likely that their approach will work well with commodity GPUs which is great too, though I’m sure Nvidia and AMD won’t be happy to lose those workstation card sales if this takes off.
I think Nvidia will do just fine supplying hardware to people using AI. :-)
Incidentally, this new CAD system seems to be AI-enabled. They are giving the product away for free with a limited number of queries.
Free with the caveat that they will use your data/designs to train their AI. I've known AI driven CAD was coming, but was under the impression that we were further away due to the computational power required (and also that much of the more complex designs/training opportunities will be under proprietary lock and key). It sounds like this was either designed specifically with AI in mind or someone realized that their direction (optimization) could maximize investment/profit by integrating AI/data harvesting.
Not completely in the loop on whether any other big players in the CAD world have started to integrate AI, but this engine level optimization may be what's limiting them at the moment.
Yeah, business users will want to pay for a plan. But I've previously used OnShape with their free plan, which has the limitation that all your designs are public. As a hobbyist, it seemed like a good deal, since I would probably release them as open source anyway.
I tried out the tutorial. Interestingly, it's text-based like OpenScad. There is a main.kcl file that includes the others in the project directory. Software developers will feel at home. (They claim you can do everything in the UI and don't need to touch the code.) Much like OpenScad, it's parametric, but doesn't directly support constraints (yet).
Since AI is text-based, I guess that makes sense.
Switching between text files and watching it re-render, it didn't seem all that snappy on my Mac Mini M2. There also isn't a progress indication telling you when it's done. Looks like it actually runs in the cloud:
They have a test version that runs in a browser, but don't recommend it.
It doesn't seem as polished as OnShape, but perhaps it will improve.
Has anyone tried this software for CAD design by now? I’m gonna give it a shot I think, since onshape is really expensive.
Fusion360 is another choice of course, but I’m not 100% convinced after trying it for a bit.
I've had a lot of success using OpenSCAD for designing gizmos to be 3D printed, but it's definitely got rough edges. If you try it, download the nightly build or whatever they call it, they haven't done an official release in YEARS so the release version is lacking a lot of features.
Thanks for bumping this thread, I may try it as well. I used to be a Fusion360 user, but started hating Autodesk since they did the bait & switch on that, so that's off the table for me, and despite all the improvements I haven't been convinced by FreeCAD yet. I'm mostly just a hobbyist, so their pricing model seems nice.
I have had periods of being a professional designer or documenter (I have had dreams consisting of autocad operation, the ones with archicad are more nightmares) and keep an eye on FreeCAD as well. I live in hope and it is getting a significant amount of work thrown at it but as far as I can tell it has essentially zero professional users. And my God, the interface.
Zoo CAD sounds interesting but cloud operation only is a huge red flag, there's the risk of a rug pull there. I hope you can export to more broadly used file formats.
Hi there, I'm a professional user of FreeCAD!
I started using it about two years ago at work, and it's the only CAD software I've used with any regularity. Yes, its interface is wonky and takes a lot of learning to use well, and yes it almost certainly limits my options at times, but it's free.
One of my colleagues was using OnShape, but after a while they started calling him regularly trying to upsell him to a paid account.
We don't really have budget for a commercial Fusion or OnShape account, and at this point I've learned enough FreeCAD to not need it. I'm a long-time proponent of FOSS, and I'm putting my money where my mouth is on this one.
And yeah, I tried Zoo and also saw the red flags. Not for me.
If you're reading this and thinking of retrying FreeCAD, make sure to redownload as they've been making some small-sounding changes that have been very good for quality of life.
Yes I need to try again, it's due I'd say.
My use case is architecture into furniture/cabinetry into small bits of what is essentially industrial design. I don't think I've ever had anything 3d printed, plenty of CNC though. FreeCAD is aiming at native IFC support in the architecture space and a mature, open source, solution that could do that would be incredible. It would shake things up in that space in the same way Blender did in its niche and it makes me feel all warm just fantasizing. I know there's an architect involved in development (on the board?) and that gives me some hope, but as it stands I haven't found anyone saying they've done any more than document their garden shed as an example project. That is a hell of a long way from real world use. But I do need to go again with it.
Haven’t tried it, but it looks like they just announced support for constraints and drawing shapes yourself is more usable now.