Open Source
BRL-CAD is free and open-source software, which means it can be freely downloaded, used, and modified. This makes it accessible to a wide range of users, from hobbyists to professional engineers.
Rich Feature Set
BRL-CAD offers a comprehensive suite of tools for solid modeling, including geometry editing, rendering, and analysis capabilities. It supports a variety of file formats and has powerful computational capabilities.
Longevity and Provenance
BRL-CAD has been actively developed and maintained for over 40 years. Its extensive history in the field ensures a robust and stable platform trusted by industries and government agencies alike.
Cross-Platform Compatibility
BRL-CAD is compatible with multiple operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and various Unix-like systems such as Linux and BSD.
Extensive Documentation
BRL-CAD provides thorough documentation and tutorials, which can be extremely helpful for new users trying to familiarize themselves with the software as well as advanced users looking for specific information.
If computer graphics is of interest, BRL-CAD (https://brlcad.org) is very welcoming to new contributors and has lots of projects you could take on.
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over 1 year ago
Mike Muuss[0] approves of this message. 0: https://brlcad.org/.
– Source: Hacker News
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over 1 year ago
Join an open source community that is welcoming to newcomers (e.g., BRL-CAD, Haiku OS, OSGeo, ..) and work on a little bit of code every day. It can be a simple feature, specific bug, or something new you want to achieve. Many open source groups are very welcoming to newcomers if you do the work and ask smart questions.
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over 1 year ago
You could also try out free AutoCAD alternatives like libreCAD (2D), or brlCAD (2D&3D, I believe).
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over 1 year ago
So, uh … Learning curve. If you want anything and everything under the sun, go with BRL-CAD. It was designed for ballistics testing and simulation, but it can do pretty much anything. The learning curve for BRL-CAD is immense. Otherwise, I recommend OpenSCAD.
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over 1 year ago
BRL-CAD probably still works on Solaris, and I’m sure someone’s “archived” AutoCAD R13 or a similarly-aged version of CATIA somewhere.
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over 1 year ago
There’s also the BRL-CAD kernel [1], no idea if that would work any better. 1: https://brlcad.org/.
– Source: Hacker News
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almost 2 years ago
I noted the same thing 15 years ago and asked around about it. A prof at the college I worked at said tools like this (PCB design tools are similarly awful) don’t have a big market, so there is not a lot of competition or funds for development. Maybe that is less true today with more people designing their own PCB boards and 3D printed objects. There is also lock-in, if all your CAD is in AutoCAD are you going…
– Source: Hacker News
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about 2 years ago
Large codes NOT in the popular mainstream are the way to go. For C/C++, BRL-CAD (https://brlcad.org), Haiku (https://www.haiku-os.org), and Gimp (https://www.gimp.org) have excellent entries for new contributors..
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about 2 years ago
Sort of, but not entirely. The US military and DOD loves and trusts Linux with key infrastructure. Also they run many desktop/server systems all based on Linux for better reliability and security reason.
Yes the US Gov’t uses Windows for most desktops; but when push comes to shove they only use Linux for the important things like submarines, nuclear ships, weapon control systems, and even for a large part of R&D….
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over 2 years ago
BRL Cad, but it is public domain not FOSS. https://brlcad.org/.
– Source: Hacker News
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about 3 years ago
I’m glad to share that I’ve been selected for GSoC 2021 under the organization BRL-CAD for the project OGV. The moment I read the mail about my selection was endless. I was working for this event since I started my graduation in 2019.
– Source: dev.to
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over 3 years ago
The best clone I have used is draftsight. I don’t do 3D though. There are better softwares for 3D work, depending on what you are doing in 3D. https://brlcad.org/.
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over 3 years ago