OpenSCAD (Development Snapshot)

OpenSCAD is a script-based solid 3D CAD modeler for parametric designs such as machine parts, enclosures and 3D-printable objects. This cask installs a development snapshot, not the stable release. It suits people who prefer describing dimensions and geometry in code and rebuilding models when parameters change.

Main features

• Describe models in .scad scripts using variables, reusable modules and functions.
• Build shapes with constructive solid geometry, including unions, differences and intersections.
• Extrude 2D outlines into 3D objects and import supported design formats.
• Preview models in the editor, render geometry and export models such as STL for downstream tools.
• Use configurable parameters to produce variations of one design.
• Use the accompanying openscad command-line tool for supported rendering/export automation.

Development snapshots expose work on newer features and geometry backends, including the Manifold option advertised by the official downloads page. Experimental capabilities, behavior and compatibility can change. Back up designs and test important exports before replacing a working release in a production workflow.

Install and use

Install with brew install --cask openscad@snapshot, or download the matching official snapshot DMG and move OpenSCAD.app into Applications. The cask installs both the application and an openscad command-line link. Open an example or create a .scad file, describe your geometry, preview it, then render and export when ready. The documentation and bundled examples explain primitives, transformations and model construction. The application runs locally; separate slicer or manufacturing software is needed to turn exported geometry into a physical object.

Requirements, dependencies and conflicts

The Homebrew snapshot cask requires macOS 12 or later and conflicts explicitly with the stable openscad cask. Both use the same application and command-line names, so choose one cask rather than installing both through Homebrew. The official snapshot download is a universal Intel and Apple Silicon Mac build. The general website lists macOS 11+ for its snapshot download, but the cask's stricter macOS 12 minimum applies to this installation path.

The 2026.10.05 DMG is 73,250,165 bytes and has been verified against the official archive checksum. This universal download also serves Apple Silicon; it is not a separate ARM-only asset. Download size is not installed disk use. Complex models can require substantial time and memory, but no universal minimum RAM or installed-space figure was established. The cask declares no additional formula dependencies; the repository's compiler and library build prerequisites apply to building from source, not automatically to ordinary DMG users.

OpenSCAD also has Windows and Linux/UNIX builds, distributed separately. The current snapshot download page specifies Windows 11+ on 64-bit Intel/AMD and excludes Windows ARM. Linux AppImages, distribution packages and other formats have their own platform limits; the ARM64 AppImage described there is only built/tested for 64-bit Raspberry Pi OS. Do not apply stable-release requirements or one platform's snapshot version to every download.

Accounts, cost and license

OpenSCAD is free software under GNU GPL version 2, with optional donations to support development. Local modeling does not require an OpenSCAD account or paid subscription. Third-party libraries and any external services have their own licenses or terms.

The three recorded snapshot dates have been matched to exact upstream source revisions using official CircleCI artifact checksums and Homebrew's recorded checksums. Their notes summarize only changes between the corresponding revisions, rather than reusing the cumulative master release notes.

The accompanying image is an official website screenshot of OpenSCAD 2015.03 on macOS, showing the script editor and a model preview. It is a historical workflow example, not the interface of the current snapshot. The icon comes from the official repository's nightly icon assets.

Sources: Official snapshot downloads, About and license, Documentation, Source repository, Official snapshot archive.