Octodraw

Octodraw is a Kotlin + libGDX desktop modeler for fast, direct 3D sketching. It focuses on edges, planar faces, and tool-driven workflows with precise snapping, groups (objects), and a live Groovy console for power users.

Android builds are available, the Android experience is currently optimized for external mouse + keyboard (touch-only use is limited).

Highlights

• Direct modeling: draw edges, create faces, and push/pull solids.
• Precision: snapping to grid, endpoints, midpoints, lines, faces, and guides.
• Object workflow: group geometry into reusable object prototypes and instances.
• Hotspot-driven visual programming for dynamic per-instance geometry behaviors.
• Measurements: linear dimensions, numeric input, and unit-aware modeling.
• Custom lighting and shadows with real-time controls.
• Groovy-powered dev console and plugin system.

Core tools

• Select, Line, Rectangle, Surface Rectangle, Quad, Circle
• Push/Pull, Move, Rotate, Scale, Stretch
• Linear Dimension, Text, Paint, Object placement
• Eraser tool (placeholder in this build)

Selection and snapping

• Click, window (left-to-right), crossing (right-to-left), and volume selection.
• Double-click groups to enter edit mode; double-click faces for coplanar selection; triple-click for connected geometry.
• Snap to grid intersections/lines, endpoints, midpoints, line segments, faces, and guides.
• Guides: G for grid guides, T for axis guides (Esc clears guides in Select mode).
• Undo/redo: Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Y (or Ctrl+Shift+Z).

Objects (groups and prototypes)

• Create object prototypes from selection (Ctrl+G or Ctrl+O).
• Place instances via the Objects panel or Object tool.
• Edit an object by double-clicking an instance.
• Glue-to-surface option keeps objects aligned to a picked surface during moves.

Panels and UI

• Selection, Object Info, Objects, Model Settings, Lighting, Plugin Manager.
• Action buttons: Cleanup, Delete, Flip Faces, Color, Lighting, Plugin Manager.
• Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) for tools and panel actions.

Built-in console (dev)

The dev console is a persistent Groovy REPL that runs alongside the GUI. Start it via the desktop launcher command:

edit --file path/to/model.octd

Inside the console, type :help and :examples for meta commands and snippets. Use app.run { ... } to mutate the model safely. Use :perf to print memory, disk, thread, and CPU stats.

Files and autosave

• Default file: octodraw.octd in the working directory.
• Autosaves on geometry, selection, and settings changes.
• Model files store camera, lighting, shadow settings, units, and grid spacing.

Downloads and running

Grab the latest release from GitHub Releases and run the platform launcher:

• Windows: octodraw-jre.cmd (bundled runtime) or octodraw.cmd (system Java)
• macOS / Linux: ./octodraw-jre (bundled runtime) or ./octodraw-editor (system Java)

CLI commands (desktop launcher)

edit --file <path> [--size WIDTHxHEIGHT]   Open or create a model file
edit --plugins-dir <path>                 Override plugins folder
groovy <script>                           Run a Groovy script file
version                                  Show version information
update                                   Download and replace the editor jar
help                                     Show help

Build from source

./gradlew build
./gradlew :lwjgl3:run
./gradlew :web:bundleWeb

Web artifacts are written to dist/ as:

• octodraw-<version>-webapp.{zip,tar.gz} (TeaVM/WebGL runtime shell + docs)
• octodraw-<version>-webdocs.{zip,tar.gz} (docs-only bundle)

Documentation

• User manual: docs/USER_MANUAL.md
• Shortcuts: SHORTCUTS.md
• Plugin development: docs/PLUGIN_DEVELOPMENT.md
• Android store description text (Play/F-Droid): docs/specification/ANDROID_STORE_DESCRIPTION.md
• Specs: docs/specification/
• Detailed roadmap: docs/specification/ROADMAP.md

Release notes

• 3.1.0: docs/specification/RELEASE_NOTES-3.1.0.md
• 2.9.0: docs/specification/RELEASE_NOTES-2.9.0.md
• 2.7.5: docs/specification/RELEASE_NOTES-2.7.5.md
• 1.7.10: docs/specification/RELEASE_NOTES-1.7.10.md
• 1.7.9: docs/specification/RELEASE_NOTES-1.7.9.md
• 1.7.8: docs/specification/RELEASE_NOTES-1.7.8.md
• 1.7.3: docs/specification/RELEASE_NOTES-1.7.3.md
• 1.7.1: docs/specification/RELEASE_NOTES-1.7.1.md
• 1.4.3: docs/specification/RELEASE_NOTES-1.4.3.md

Roadmap (current priorities)

1. M1 - UI foundation

   • Split built-in tools into Construction and Modification groups (Actions remain separate).
   • Always show tool button labels.
   • Add delayed hover popovers near controls.
   • Use floating, movable toolbars with persisted layout.

2. M2 - OpenSCAD integration (before domain plugins)

   • Introduce a parametric generation pipeline (inputs -> generated faces/lines).
   • Add regeneration cache and invalidation.
   • Add safe execution boundaries (timeouts/errors surfaced in UI).
   • Support explode of generated objects into static geometry.

3. M3 - Solid tools on the same backend

   • Add boolean operations (union / intersection / difference).

4. M4 - Domain plugins on top of the core

   • Voxel plugin (voxel, volume, frame).
   • Architecture plugin (wall, slab, stair, rectangular hole workflow).
   • Mechanical plugin (gear first, then additional parametric parts).

5. M5 - Consolidation

   • Unify plugin object lifecycle (edit/open/close/explode/update).
   • Keep robust fallback behavior when OpenSCAD runtime is missing or fails.

Status

Octodraw is an active work-in-progress. File formats and APIs may evolve as new modeling and topology features land.