johanpeitz

I've seen the linux version (available on itch.io) run on the steam deck but haven't tried my self. Lots of keyboard and mouse required to have a good time. :)

It does export to obj/mtl which is usually importable into most other softwares

Wow, that makes me so happy to hear. I'm no 3D modeler myself so it is very much built from a beginner/2d perspective.

Thanks! A bit fiddly sometimes but very rewarding

Unfortunately I know next to nothing about animating so I am not much help here. That said I didn't know anything about 3d modelling when I made picoCAD so maybe there will be another tool in the future :D

It has definitely crossed my mind. Main reason I haven't looked into it is Picotron's (so far) lack of ability to export native binaries.

pico8 has the ability to export anything you make into native binaries. Simple as that :)

Hallo! Johan the dev here, thanks for all the positive responses. Happy to answer any questions about picoCAD if there are any.

You can also check out https://picoCAD.net for more info :)

Thanks! Yeah that’d be nice. It’s a challenge to balance flexibility vs simplicity and I tend to go for the latter. You can always change the speed and make some notes longer to get some of the same effects I guess

Thanks! Not sure I follow regarding the name. It is a cad program, it is tiny, it is built with pico - picoCAD! :)

Not really, I think you would have more success with sketch up or similar

It’s a combination of things I guess. The 3D renderer is one bit that it complicated in itself, but most of the code is actually UI.

Haha, youre welcome. Hope you put the sprites to good use!

Thanks! That’s actually where this project started. The synth part was added to get some meaning to it :)

Thanks for the feedback, appreciate it.

I can totally understand where you’re coming from, but the program is not designed to be efficient. I think of it more as a toy, or and interactive machine that you can figure out how it works. The fact that you can make loops and beats with it is almost a bonus.

Weirdly, this project started not from the audio end, but with the physics simulation of the cables. Building a synth came later when I needed something to do with the cables. :)

Biggest challenge was that I basically don’t know anything about how synths work in real life, and made up my own way as I went along. This lead to unnecessary rewrites as I needed to sometimes change assumptions that stopped me from progressing.

Some of the feedback I’ve received for picoCAD is that for people who aren’t accustomed to modelling find it really easy to get started. The constraints and the restrictions makes it a bit easier to focus on the fundamentals

There’s a built in exporter for OBJ/MTL, and the base format should be fairly easy to convert in to anything if you’re up for it. :D

A spinning gif is the main export function in picoCAD. Check the #picoCAD hashtag for some amazing models built by the community.

Animation is not built in, but you can exploit the fact that some function still work while exporting those spinning gifs to get some change. Ie undo movement, apply new textures, etc

Heh, thanks! I’ve been making games for 30 years and had a lot of practice. I’m a massive fan of fully integrated dev environments and started with AMOS on the Amiga, used flash A LOT, and now pico8. Having all tools in the same place fit me personally very well and I’ve learned to tackle the trade offs efficiently. I guess all the time spent is paying off.

Aw thanks! Yes, allegro was my first foray in to making games in c. Used it extensively 98-02 iirc. :)

Hello! I’m the creator of picoCAD - thanks for the nice comments.

Happy to answer any questions about it if you have any.

If not, feel free to check out my patreon! :D https://www.patreon.com/johanpeitz

Yes! picoCAD comes with an exporter that can export to MTL/OBJ which can be imported anywhere basixally

picoSYNTH is made with pico8 which (afaik) only supports intel. Haven't tested anything else myself.

If you like the picoSYNTH aesthetics I've also made a 3D modeller with similar looks that might be interesting to check out: https://johanpeitz.itch.io/picocad

Nothing I've made has ended up on Hacker News before so I'll also take the opportunity to shamelessly plug my Patreon if someone want to support my work. :D https://www.patreon.com/johanpeitz

Thanks for the lovely comments! I'm the creator of picoSYNTH and it was a really fun project to work on. I don't have much experience in synths so it was a big learning project for me.

If there are any questions around the program, just let me know!