When you machine something, you really need to plan your tool paths, and a good cad program can do that. But I would assume that when you import from openscad, you probably just get a mesh anyways, which is really no different from an STL, and unhelpful when planning tool paths.
If you use the “csg” file from OpenSCAD, the data for the geometry is not lost when you bring in to FreeCAD. You are not able easily edit it, but I only use it to do the conversion to STEP. The geometry and volumes you define in OpenSCAD is loss in the conversion to STEP, but most machine shops have no problem using the STEP file to make the tool paths. The part I ordered was simple, but the dimensions came out perfect on all 6 parts I received.
The openSCAD STL are binary, just triangles. The STEP output for the same part from FreeCAD is ASCII, but usually smaller, since STEP is not limit to triangles. The STEP file can have curves, the STL does not.
I did not figures this out myself; I was that other people use OpenSCAD and FreeCAD to do the same. I am not able to find the link to the original explanation.
Interesting. I wonder if maybe freecad is a better OpenSCAD than OpenSCAD then?
OpenSCAD requires a fair amount of care to not produce illegal STL files, but maybe freecad can take the CSG and generate STL (or whatever) better than OpenSCAD can…
So basically, there isn’t really a better accessible option for OSS CAD than FreeCAD? Has anyone tried CAD Sketcher For Blender?