Dune 3D
Hacker ApprovedRanked 9 of 27 CAD software by recommenders
People recommend it as a free, open-source CAD app that feels intuitive for simple parts and 3D-printing enclosures. Critics say it is limited and sometimes frustrating.
People recommend it as a free, open-source CAD app that feels intuitive for simple parts and 3D-printing enclosures. Critics say it is limited and sometimes frustrating.
29 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 22
- criticize it
- 7
- approval share
- 76%
Recommended in 8 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 22 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 3.1 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 8 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Intuitive, approachable interface
“I've found it very intuitive, though I'm not sure how ergonomic it would be for complex assemblies.”
Comment from 23 Mar 2026 in “Dune3d: A parametric 3D CAD application” “It's pretty easy to use and feels intuitive for prints you'll only have to make once or twice.”
Comment from 20 Dec 2025 in “OpenSCAD is kinda neat” “I am really interested in an Open Source CAD application with good UX, this one looks great.”
Comment from 24 Mar 2026 in “Dune3d: A parametric 3D CAD application” - Comment from 24 Mar 2026 in “Dune3d: A parametric 3D CAD application”
- Comment from 19 Jun 2026 in “Akse3D – open-source 3D modelling anyone can master”
- Comment from 20 Feb 2026 in “FreeCAD is an open-source parametric 3D modeler”
Good tutorial and documentation
“the only traditional 3D CAD program I've ever tried where I actually made it through the tutorial without a showstopper”
Comment from 24 Nov 2025 in “µcad: New open source programming language that can generate 2D sketches and 3D” “I managed to make it through the tutorial for Dune 3D twice now (after a fashion)”
Comment from 20 Feb 2026 in “FreeCAD is an open-source parametric 3D modeler” “it is quite workable, and has quite good documentation”
Comment from 28 Oct 2026 in “Show HN: Nasscad – local-first 3D CAD for browser and Windows” - Comment from 11 Oct 2026 on Hacker News
Robust kernel with fillets
“combining the constraint solver from SolveSpace with a OpenCASCADE geometry kernel supporting fillets and chamfers”
Comment from 20 Feb 2026 in “FreeCAD is an open-source parametric 3D modeler” “If you want a solvespace with chamfers and fillets, then give Dune 3D a try.”
Comment from 20 Feb 2026 in “FreeCAD is an open-source parametric 3D modeler” “Lately I have been using Dune 3D which uses much more reliable kernel.”
Comment from 3 Mar 2026 in “Simple Screw Counter” - Comment from 20 Feb 2026 in “FreeCAD is an open-source parametric 3D modeler”
Simple for basic tasks
“It's pretty easy to use and feels intuitive for prints you'll only have to make once or twice.”
Comment from 20 Dec 2025 in “OpenSCAD is kinda neat” “I enjoy having simple solutions that get simple things done.”
Comment from 23 Mar 2026 in “Dune3d: A parametric 3D CAD application” “pretty capable and simple for basic usecases”
Comment from 24 Mar 2026 in “Dune3d: A parametric 3D CAD application”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Clumsy, frustrating selection and interface
“selection isn't broken, but it's definitely sometimes frustrating”
Comment from 24 Mar 2026 in “Dune3d: A parametric 3D CAD application” “Dune3D is interesting but frustrating still”
Comment from 24 Nov 2025 in “µcad: New open source programming language that can generate 2D sketches and 3D” “its interface is clumsy even if the 3D constraints thing is interesting”
Comment from 21 Dec 2025 in “OpenSCAD is kinda neat” Limited features, missing SVG import
“importing an svg, which it didn't support at the time”
Comment from 19 Nov 2025 in “Blender 5.0” “seemed quite promising, but very limited”
Comment from 21 Dec 2025 in “OpenSCAD is kinda neat”
Other CAD software people recommend
The four most recommended other CAD software, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FreeCAD | 199 | 95 | 68% | 12 | 2 yrs13 owners | Approved |
| OpenSCAD | 173 | 87 | 66% | 12 | 9 yrs4 owners | — |
| Onshape | 65 | 21 | 76% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Autodesk Fusion 360 | 60 | 37 | 62% | 12 | — | — |
| Dune 3DThis page | 22 | 7 | 76% | 8 | — | Approved |
What people said
39 of the 42 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“FreeCAD and Dune3D are both OpenCascade based, so they are limited”
“it is quite workable, and has quite good documentation”
“quite nice textual documentation”
“which I find a little less confusing than the traditional 3D CAD packages I've tried”
“Dune 3D has the creation of enclosures for electronics projects as its _raison d'être_”
“It takes 10× as long to sketch in it compared to SolveSpace.”
“Dune 3D[1] seems like a pretty effective spiritual successor.”
“marks it as not very serious CAD hardware”
“this kind of hacking shouldn't exist in a program released to mere mortals”
“Let's reinvent the wheel, b/c improving the existing SW would be "too much effort"”
“the ability to include STEP files in assemblies”
“pretty capable and simple for basic usecases”
“hopefully articles such as this will help to make Dune 3D more popular”
“I am really interested in an Open Source CAD application with good UX, this one looks great.”
“took me two commands to get binary on osx.”
“selection isn't broken, but it's definitely sometimes frustrating”
“requiring dozens of mutually conflicting libraries”
“I found the UI far more approachable in Dune 3D than any other 3D CAD program I've tried”
“Dune3d comes off like a reskin of SolveSpace”
“I enjoy having simple solutions that get simple things done.”
“I've found it very intuitive, though I'm not sure how ergonomic it would be for complex assemblies.”
“good on you for building something”
“Lately I have been using Dune 3D which uses much more reliable kernel.”
“The screenshots look suspiciously basic”
“If you want a solvespace with chamfers and fillets, then give Dune 3D a try.”
“I couldn't see a way to do it.”
“I managed to make it through the tutorial for Dune 3D twice now (after a fashion)”
“Extremely robust software; very fast, and almost intuitive”
“combining the constraint solver from SolveSpace with a OpenCASCADE geometry kernel supporting fillets and chamfers”
“Personally I like to use Dune3D and solve space”
“its interface is clumsy even if the 3D constraints thing is interesting”
“seemed quite promising, but very limited”
“It's pretty easy to use and feels intuitive for prints you'll only have to make once or twice.”
“the only traditional 3D CAD program I've ever tried where I actually made it through the tutorial without a showstopper”
“Dune3D is interesting but frustrating still”
“importing an svg, which it didn't support at the time”
“Another opensource CAD tool to look at is Dune 3D”
“it's currently my go-to to keep a workflow similar to what I used to have on Fusion360”
“Dune3D is currently my go-to for 3d-printer related parts”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.