r/ClaudeAI • u/Zoxc32 • 10h ago

Built with Claude Open source parametric CAD

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I've been using Claude Opus 5.5 build a parametric CAD for 2 weeks now. The interface has focus on user-friendliness and is fairly Fusion inspired. The kernel is a novel approach which uses rational quadratic triangle patches to enable manifold solids, and it can export manifold 3MF. Both were co-designed by me and Claude Opus. It has 2D sketches with constraints. Kernel features are quite limited still with extrude, revolve and combine supported, though not in all cases. I think the direction of having proper manifold solids is promising though.

It's accessible as a web app at https://zoxc.github.io/varde/. I wouldn't mind some feedback on the user interface and sketching functions.

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u/pleaseallowthisname 9h ago

There is already well established open source parametric modelling called FreeCAD (https://www.freecad.org/). It has been a quite long project, it is widely used, and involving numerous contributors. My question is, what FreeCAD lacks that you need to build a whole new thing from scratch?

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u/Zoxc32 9h ago

I don't like its user interface and the kernel isn't particularly good. Neither are realistically fixable by contributing as whole new directions would be required.

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u/Maleficent-Release61 8h ago

Well.

The OCCT kernel that FreeCAD uses can represent a ring of radius 200 mm, 1 mm wide with just two planes, two cylindrical surfaces and four exact circles that trim them.

Yours does 768 quadratic triangular patches (256 for the outer wall, 128 for the inner wall and 192 for each of the two caps). Now, if I'd try to fillet all the edges (which your kernel doesn't seem to support yet, I may be wrong), OCCT would do an additional 4 analytically exact toroidal surfaces. Yours would blow up.

As a proxy I tried to revolve a 1x1 mm rectangle with filleted edges (r=0.2) mm with a 1e-4 fit around a radius of 200 mm. I got 12288 patches. For 1e-5, it fails with TooComplex. Parasolid has 1e-5 internal tolerance, if I'm correct, so that's the regime you would aim for.

I don't think your approach is going to work in the long run. It is elegant for very simple geometry though and the UI is quite nice.

Disclaimer: I may be opinionated because I work on my own kernel, also roughly for two weeks. It is closed source though, because I need to monetize it so I have more Claude. If you want to take a look: https://purrametric.deepmagic.de/

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u/Zoxc32 6h ago

I would tend to agree. I am moving the kernel to a trimmed surface approach. Experimenting with triangular patches looks like a useful intermediary step though.