jscut
LinuxCNC (the Enhanced Machine Control)
PyCAM
CamBam
Mach3
Vectric Aspire
Edgecam
ARTCLIP-3D
BRL-CAD
FreeCAD
LibreCAD
OpenSCAD
SketchUp
Autodesk AutoCAD
nanoCAD
QCAD
Based on our record, BRL-CAD seems to be a lot more popular than jscut. While we know about 13 links to BRL-CAD, we've tracked only 1 mention of jscut. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.
So I made a mini plotter based on this tutorial, and while the g-codes the site uses as examples are working fine, when I try to upload my own g-codes, they fail. More specifically, they either try to make an image way bigger than the range of the machine, and they aren't lowering the pen correctly. I've been using jscut.org to convert svg files to gcode, and I think it's probably because the site is suboptimal... Source: over 2 years ago
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. Source: about 1 year ago
Mike Muuss[0] approves of this message. 0: https://brlcad.org/. - Source: Hacker News / about 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. Source: over 1 year ago
You could also try out free AutoCAD alternatives like libreCAD (2D), or brlCAD (2D&3D, I believe). Source: 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. Source: over 1 year ago
LinuxCNC (the Enhanced Machine Control) - LinuxCNC: an open source CNC machine controller. It can drive milling machines, lathes, 3d printers, laser cutters, plasma cutters, robot arms, hexapods, and more.
FreeCAD - An open-source parametric 3D modeler
PyCAM - PyCAM is a toolpath generator for 3-axis CNC machining.
LibreCAD - An open source 2D CAD application for Windows, Apple and Linux.
CamBam - CamBam CNC software, best value for money, feature rich, CNC Software for G-Code generation on CNC Routers, CNC Mills, Homemade CNC machines, for 2D pocketing, 2D profiling, Text Engraving, Photo Engraving and 3D carving.
OpenSCAD - OpenSCAD is a software for creating solid 3D CAD objects.
