Tech Products intermediate 2 min read Mar 25, 2026 · Updated Apr 2, 2026
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Pascal: A open-source 3D home design editor in your browser

“An open-source SketchUp alternative that runs in your browser just hit 6,400 stars.”

Pascal: A open-source 3D home design editor in your browser
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Source · editor.pascal.app

You know that feeling when you want to sketch out a room layout or building idea, but professional CAD software costs hundreds per year and has a learning curve measured in weeks? Or you try free tools that feel like toys -- no proper wall joining, no multi-floor support, no way to export or share your work. Most options force you to choose between 'too simple to be useful' or 'too complex to learn quickly.'

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Think of Pascal like a browser-based version of SketchUp meets a floor plan tool. You start by creating a Site, then add Buildings, then Levels (floors). On each level, you draw walls by clicking points -- the system automatically calculates mitered corners where walls meet. Add doors and windows as child nodes of walls, and the system uses CSG (Constructive Solid Geometry) to cut the openings. Everything renders in real-time 3D via WebGPU, and your project saves automatically to IndexedDB in your browser. The new 2D panel gives you a top-down drafting view with snap-to-grid for precise measurements.

01
WebGPU 3D rendering — runs real-time 3D in your browser without plugins, using the modern WebGPU API for better performance than WebGL
02
Node hierarchy (Site → Building → Level → Elements) — organizes your project like actual architecture, making complex multi-building sites manageable
03
Mitered wall geometry — walls join at corners with proper angled cuts instead of ugly overlaps, and measurements account for junction geometry
04
CSG cutouts for doors/windows — uses Boolean geometry operations to cut clean openings in walls where you place doors and windows
05
2D floorplan panel (v0.3.0) — new top-down drafting view with snap-to-grid, vertex dragging, and marquee selection for precise 2D editing
06
Undo/redo with Zundo — full history support so you can experiment without fear of losing work
07
IndexedDB persistence — your projects save automatically in your browser, no account or cloud required
Who it’s for

If you are a developer or designer who wants to build on top of an open-source 3D editor -- extending it with custom tools, integrating it into a larger application, or learning how to build browser-based 3D software -- Pascal gives you a production-ready codebase with clean architecture (Turborepo monorepo, Zustand state management, React Three Fiber rendering). Not useful if you need professional CAD features like structural analysis, construction documentation, or BIM interoperability -- this is a design visualization tool, not engineering software.

Worth exploring

Pascal is actively developed (v0.3.0 released March 24, 2026, last commit yesterday) with 427 commits and 6 contributors. The architecture is clean -- separation of core logic (@pascal-app/core), 3D rendering (@pascal-app/viewer), and editor UI (apps/editor). The 24 open issues suggest active community engagement. However, the HN launch (March 24, 2026) received minimal engagement (7 points, 2 comments), and no Reddit discussions were found. Treat it as a promising early-stage project with solid foundations, not yet widely adopted but technically sound.

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