LuaCAD
Parametric CAD Scripted in Lua
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LuaCAD models solids in Lua rather than the OpenSCAD language, with operator overloading for CSG (`a + b`, `a - b`, `a * b`).It ships with a CLI and a desktop app, including a preview area and a text editor.I've always been a big fan of OpenSCAD, but the SCAD language itself is unfortunately quite cobbled-together and is a very poorly designed programming language.LuaCAD takes all the good parts of OpenSCAD and combines them with one of the best scripting languages. It has now completely replaced OpenSCAD for me, and I think it provides a better experience than OpenSCAD for all use cases. I'd love to hear any reasons why LuaCAD shouldn't fully replace OpenSCAD!It’s fully open source and you can find the repo here: https://github.com/ad-si/LuaCADTech stack:- It's implemented in Rust and uses mlua (https://github.com/mlua-rs/mlua) to execute the Lua code.- Uses OpenCSG (https://opencsg.org) for fast and correct rendering of the 3D models (like OpenSCAD)- Uses Manifold (https://github.com/elalish/manifold) to create the manifold triangle meshes- Native support for all BOSL2 functions (i.e. implemented in Rust for better performance)
HN · launched Aug 14, 2026 · 106 upvotes (top 7%) · 0 views
Niche: computer-aided design software · 169 launches, 12 in the last 7 days ▼ -57% · Explore this niche →
Category and tags
- Horizontal
- Dev tools
- Developer
- Not AI
- Hobby / open-source project
Visit website ↗ Source listing ↗
More like this: all 169 launches in computer-aided design software →
Could you build this?
No LuaCAD is a complete scriptable CAD engine embedding Lua into a Rust/C++ computational geometry pipeline using Manifold, Clipper2, and OpenCSG with an interactive WebAssembly/OpenGL viewport.
What it would actually take: Developing this requires deep expertise in computational geometry, boolean boundary evaluation, and 3D rendering pipelines. The architecture binds a Lua 5.4 runtime into a Rust core, interfacing with C++ CSG kernels (Manifold/Clipper2) to construct manifold meshes, alongside custom OpenGL/WebGL shaders to preview CSG trees in real time.
Discussion
20 comments analyzed.
Competitors mentioned: OpenSCAD, Solidworks, Fusion 360, FreeCAD, ProE
Concerns raised: Performance issues with large models, Unable to write out files (security implications), Fillet/chamfer operations on unions cause stress concentration, Learning curve compared to traditional CAD, Whether programmatic approach is faster than GUI CAD
Feature requests: Fillet unions (edges between intersecting faces), Export/file writing capability, Web-based playground, Optimization for large models
Competitors
Other products that read as similar to this one : 113 launches clear the similarity bar, closest 8 shown.
Attention rank: #12 of 114 (itself plus its competitors, highest first, normalized so YC and Product Hunt are compared fairly).
Launched 282 days after the earliest competitor.
- FluidCAD · hn · 2026-04-10 · 160 upvotes · similarity 0.53
- We made Arcad, a parametric CAD in the browser, free and no signup · hn · 2026-08-02 · 6 upvotes · similarity 0.52
- Vibe Code your 3D Models · hn · 2026-02-27 · 61 upvotes · similarity 0.47
- FreeCAD 1.1 · ph · 2026-03-30 · 218 upvotes · similarity 0.47
- zCAD AI · ph · 2026-10-24 · 310 upvotes · similarity 0.44
- I wanted OpenSCAD with fillets and a C-like language. So I made one · hn · 2026-11-04 · 7 upvotes · similarity 0.44
- Clx · hn · 2026-07-11 · 143 upvotes · similarity 0.43
- I made a 2D Lua game engine using Rust with code and asset live reload · hn · 2026-05-19 · 30 upvotes · similarity 0.42
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