Show HN: FluidCAD — Parametric CAD with JavaScript

What it is

It has been reported that FluidCAD lets you write JavaScript and see 3D geometry update in real time. Think OpenSCAD meets a live preview: code on the left, a manipulable viewport on the right, and a parametric history you can scrub through like a time machine. The pitch is simple and neat — interactive viewport input plus a non‑destructive feature tree — so you can step through how a model was built, roll back to any point, and avoid the “who broke this?” moments that haunt assembly drawings.

How it works and why it matters

Drag to extrude, tweak values in code, then lock them in. Apply linear or circular patterns across entire feature sequences. Mirror, rotate, repeat complex geometry from simple building blocks. Most operations “just do the right thing” — extrude grabs the last sketch, fillet targets your last selection, and touching shapes are allegedly fused automatically — less boilerplate, more readable scripts. The emotional tag here? Instant feedback and reversible edits. That small thrill when a tweak immediately clicks into place — designers live for that.

Workflow and integration

FluidCAD advertises a full toolbox: sketches, extrusions, fillets, shells, booleans, and more, with the ability to reference faces, edges, and vertices directly so you write minimal math and get maximum clarity. It has been reported that you can import existing CAD models and export designs with full color support, allegedly playing nicely with the usual CAD ecosystem. Setup, the site claims, takes under a minute — editor connected, project ready. If that’s true, it’s aimed squarely at makers and engineers who want programmatic control without losing hands‑on speed.

Want to try it? Head to https://fluidcad.io/ and see whether the live coding promise holds up. This feels like part of a larger trend: code‑first CAD and generative workflows moving from niche to mainstream. Will FluidCAD stick the landing? Time — and lots of tinkering — will tell.

Sources: fluidcad.io, Hacker News