HeeksCAD is a
free software
Free software or libre software is computer software distributed under terms that allow users to run the software for any purpose as well as to study, change, and distribute it and any adapted versions. Free software is a matter of liberty, no ...
computer-aided design program written in
C++
C++ (pronounced "C plus plus") is a high-level general-purpose programming language created by Danish computer scientist Bjarne Stroustrup as an extension of the C programming language, or "C with Classes". The language has expanded significan ...
. It uses
Open CASCADE Technology
Open Cascade Technology (OCCT), formerly called ''CAS.CADE'', is an open-source software development platform for 3D CAD, CAM, CAE, etc. that is developed and supported by Open Cascade SAS.
OCCT is a full-scale B-Rep (Boundary representation ...
internally for the modelling
and
wxWidgets
wxWidgets (formerly wxWindows) is a widget toolkit and tools library for creating graphical user interfaces (GUIs) for cross-platform applications. wxWidgets enables a program's GUI code to compile and run on several computer platforms with mini ...
as its
widget toolkit
A widget toolkit, widget library, GUI toolkit, or UX library is a library or a collection of libraries containing a set of graphical control elements (called ''widgets'') used to construct the graphical user interface (GUI) of programs.
Most widge ...
.
HeeksCAD supports cuboids, spheres, cylinders and cones as basic 3D solids. Further geometric objects may be created by sweeping or connecting 2D shapes.
HeeksCAD makes extensive use of
local coordinate systems. For example, these are used to define the drawing plane and the direction of an extrusion.
The program can be extended with additional plugins.
Plugins are available for
Python
Python may refer to:
Snakes
* Pythonidae, a family of nonvenomous snakes found in Africa, Asia, and Australia
** ''Python'' (genus), a genus of Pythonidae found in Africa and Asia
* Python (mythology), a mythical serpent
Computing
* Python (pro ...
scripting,
milling and
freeform surface modelling
Freeform surface modelling is a technique for engineering freeform surfaces with a CAD or CAID system.
The technology has encompassed two main fields. Either creating aesthetic surfaces (class A surfaces) that also perform a function; for exam ...
.
See also
*
Comparison of CAD editors for AEC
The table below provides an overview of notable computer-aided design (CAD) software. It does not judge power, ease of use, or other user-experience aspects. The table does not include software that is still in development ( beta software). For ...
References
Further reading
* B. Collette, D. Falck,
No Secrets: Open-source CAM Application Bares All', Digital Machinist Vol. 5 No. 3 Fall 2010
External links
*
{{CAD software
Free computer-aided design software
Free software programmed in C++
Computer-aided design software for Linux
Software using the BSD license
Software that uses wxWidgets