scadm - OpenSCAD Dependency Manager

scadm is a lightweight, python-based dependency manager for OpenSCAD projects. It simplifies installing OpenSCAD (nightly or stable) and managing library dependencies through a simple scadm.json file.

Features

• 🚀 Install OpenSCAD: Automatically downloads and installs OpenSCAD (nightly or stable builds)
• 📦 Manage Libraries: Install OpenSCAD libraries (BOSL2, MCAD, custom libraries) from GitHub
• 🔄 Version Tracking: Keeps dependencies in sync with your project
• 📋 Simple Config: Define dependencies in a single scadm.json file

Installation

Requirements: Python 3.11 or newer

pip install scadm

Quick Start

1. Create scadm.json in your project root

{
  "dependencies": [
    {
      "name": "BOSL2",
      "repository": "BelfrySCAD/BOSL2",
      "version": "266792b2a4bbf7514e73225dfadb92da95f2afe1",
      "source": "github"
    }
  ]
}

2. Install OpenSCAD and dependencies

scadm install

This will:

• Download and install OpenSCAD to bin/openscad/
• Install all libraries defined in scadm.json to bin/openscad/libraries/

Usage

Check version

scadm --version

Install everything (OpenSCAD + libraries)

scadm install                # Install nightly build (default - RECOMMENDED)
scadm install --stable       # Install stable release (2021.01)

[!NOTE] Nightly builds are installed by default since the stable release (2021.01) is outdated and missing modern features. All nightly versions pass rendering tests before being published to ensure quality.

Check installation status

scadm install --check

Force reinstall

scadm install --force

Install only OpenSCAD

scadm install --openscad-only

Install only libraries

scadm install --libs-only

Configure VS Code extensions

These are opinionated QoL improvements to install nifty VSCode extensions which improve DevEx.

scadm vscode --openscad   # Install and configure OpenSCAD extension
scadm vscode --python     # Install and configure Python extension

OpenSCAD extension will:

• Install the Leathong.openscad-language-support extension
• Configure VS Code settings with correct OpenSCAD paths
• Merge with existing settings (preserves unrelated configurations)

Python extension will:

• Install the ms-python.python extension
• Configure default interpreter path to ${workspaceFolder}/.venv (eliminates need to manually source venv when opening project)

[!NOTE] Settings are opinionated defaults designed to streamline development experience. They’re configured in .vscode/settings.json (workspace-level), not globally.

[!IMPORTANT] Requires VS Code CLI (code command) to be available in PATH. If not found, you’ll receive installation instructions.

Configuration

scadm.json Schema

{
  "dependencies": [
    {
      "name": "BOSL2",
      "repository": "BelfrySCAD/BOSL2",
      "version": "266792b2a4bbf7514e73225dfadb92da95f2afe1",
      "source": "github"
    },
    {
      "name": "homeracker",
      "repository": "kellervater/homeracker",
      "version": "v1.2.3",
      "source": "github"
    }
  ]
}

Fields:

• name: Library name (creates bin/openscad/libraries/{name}/)
• repository: GitHub repository in owner/repo format
• version: Git tag, commit SHA, or branch name
• source: Currently only "github" is supported

Directory Structure

After running scadm, your project will have:

your-project/
├── scadm.json
├── models/
│   └── your_model.scad
└── bin/openscad/
    ├── openscad.exe (or openscad appimage)
    └── libraries/
        ├── BOSL2/
        └── homeracker/

Use in OpenSCAD Files

include <BOSL2/std.scad>
include <homeracker/core/lib/connector.scad>

// Your code here

Renovate Integration

Keep your scadm.json dependencies automatically updated with Renovate:

Add this preset to your renovate.json:

{
  "extends": [
    "github>kellervater/homeracker:renovate-dependencies"
  ]
}

This preset enables automatic updates for:

• Git commit SHAs (for tracking main/master branches)
• Semantic version tags (v1.2.3)

License

MIT

Contributing

Issues and pull requests are welcome at kellervater/homeracker.