PPSCAD vs OpenSCAD

PPSCAD is heavily inspired by OpenSCAD. If you know OpenSCAD, you will feel at home. Here are the key differences.

What is the same

CSG approach: union, difference, intersection
Same primitives: cube, cylinder, sphere
Same transforms: translate, rotate, scale
Extrude and revolve for 2D-to-3D
Hull operation
For loops and if/else

What is different

Feature	OpenSCAD	PPSCAD
Parameters	Customizer annotations in comments	First-class param keyword with type, range, label
Modules	module name() { ... }	mod name() { ... }
Functions	function name() = ...	fn name() = ...
Variables	name = value;	let name = value
Semicolons	Required	Not required
Render	Desktop app (F5/F6)	Browser - Cmd+Enter
Sharing	Export STL, share file	Share URL with live parameters
Install	Desktop download required	None - runs in browser
Execution	Native, CGAL	WASM, client-side

Syntax comparison

OpenSCAD

// OpenSCAD
$fn = 60;
width = 40; // [10:100]
height = 20; // [5:50]
wall = 2; // [1:5]

difference() {
    cube([width, height, 20]);
    translate([wall, wall, wall])
        cube([width-wall*2, height-wall*2, 21]);
}

PPSCAD

// PPSCAD
param width: float = 40 [10:100] "Width (mm)"
param height: float = 20 [5:50] "Height (mm)"
param wall: float = 2 [1:5:0.5] "Wall (mm)"

difference {
  cube(width, height, 20)
  translate(wall, wall, wall)
    cube(width - wall*2, height - wall*2, 21)
}

Migration tips

Replace module with mod
Replace function with fn
Remove semicolons (optional but cleaner)
Replace customizer annotations with param declarations
Replace cube([x,y,z]) with cube(x, y, z)
Replace $fn with the resolution parameter on primitives if needed

Full PPSCAD reference →