SCAD Preview

A VS Code extension that gives you a live 3D preview of .scad files right in the editor. No local OpenSCAD installation required — everything runs in WebAssembly.

Features

• Live preview on save — edit your .scad file, save, and see the 3D model update instantly
• Orbit, zoom, and pan — full interactive camera controls powered by three.js
• STL export — download the compiled STL directly from the preview panel
• Error reporting — compilation errors are displayed inline in the preview
• Z-up coordinate system — matches OpenSCAD's default orientation
• Zero configuration — just open a .scad file and go

Getting Started

1. Install the extension
2. Open any .scad file
3. Press Cmd+Shift+Ctrl+P (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+Alt+P (Windows/Linux) to open the preview — or run SCAD: Open Preview from the command palette
4. Edit and save your file to see the model update

How It Works

The extension runs OpenSCAD compiled to WebAssembly inside a Web Worker, so compilation happens in the background without blocking the editor. The resulting STL is rendered with three.js in a webview panel.

.scad file  -->  OpenSCAD WASM  -->  STL  -->  three.js 3D viewer

Development

npm install
npm run build

Press F5 in VS Code to launch the Extension Development Host for testing.

To package for distribution:

npm run package

License

MIT