What Is CadHub and How Can You Start Using Code-CAD?
CadHub is a community hub and social platform for Code-CAD — building 3D models by writing code rather than dragging a mouse. It lets you try several Code-CAD libraries in the browser, browse and fork other people's projects, and ask users how they designed a part. It suits anyone curious about code-driven modeling, from beginners who want to compare libraries to experienced users who want to share and remix work.
What "Code-CAD" actually means
In traditional CAD you sketch and extrude with a mouse. In Code-CAD, the model is a script: you describe geometry with functions, variables, and loops, then the software renders it. The CadHub homepage puts the pitch plainly — "Code is the future of CAD" — arguing that designs backed by reliable, easy-to-write code open new workflows and collaboration.
The practical difference shows up in reuse. A parametric part written as code can be re-generated at a new size by changing one number, and a collaborator can read exactly how it was built. The OpenSCAD example on the site, a "walking beam" for an oil pumpjack, defines H = 12, W = 10, and e = 10 at the top and builds the body from those values — change the numbers, get a different beam.
The Code-CAD packages CadHub supports
CadHub's stated goal is to be "the place you can try out Code-CAD packages to find the one that's right for you." The site lists these integrations:
| Package | Language / basis | What it's known for |
|---|---|---|
| OpenSCAD | C++-like syntax | Mature library focused on Constructed Solid Geometry (CSG) modeling |
| CadQuery | Python | CSG plus sketch-based modeling, with a clean-feeling API |
| JSCAD | JavaScript | Familiar to web developers, based on the same tech as OpenSCAD |
| Curv | Its own language | A programming language for creating art using mathematics; 2D and 3D geometric modeling |
CadHub describes three of these as its current integrations and says to "keep an eye out for more." If you already know Python, CadQuery is the natural first stop; if you write JavaScript, JSCAD will feel closest to home; if you want the largest body of existing examples and tutorials, OpenSCAD is the mature default.
How to start
- Pick a starting point. Go to the "Start Hacking" / "Choose your character" area and select one of the integrations — OpenSCAD, CadQuery, or JSCAD — to try it out.
- Read a real project before writing your own. Browse "See All Projects" and open something small. The hinge example on the site is a good template: it sets
$fn=30for smooth curves, defines modules likehingeBaseProfile()andhingeBodyHalf(), and composes them withdifference(),union(), andlinear_extrude(). - Fork and modify. CadHub is explicitly social — you can fork someone's work "to put your own spin on it." Change a parameter (a radius, a length, a hole count) and re-render to see what happens.
- Ask when you're stuck. The site invites you to "ask users how they designed a part," which is often faster than reverse-engineering a script alone.
The expected result at each step is a rendered model you can inspect and tweak — the loop is edit code, render, compare.
Common sticking points
- Code-CAD is not a mouse-driven modeler. If you want to sculpt organic shapes interactively, this workflow will feel indirect. It rewards parametric, repeatable parts instead.
- Syntax differs sharply between packages. OpenSCAD's C++-like style, CadQuery's Python API, and JSCAD's JavaScript are not interchangeable; a snippet from one won't run in another.
- Small parameter changes can break geometry. In the hinge example, values like
clearanceandmountingHoleEdgeOffsetcontrol whether parts fit together — change them carelessly and the model renders but won't assemble.
Who it's for
CadHub fits you if you want to compare Code-CAD libraries without installing each one, learn by reading and forking working projects, or share parametric designs with a community. If you only need occasional one-off 3D models and have no interest in scripting, a conventional CAD tool will get you there faster.