Skip to content
Snippets Groups Projects

2. History

Last edited by francisco

Content

This section is a summary of the first 15 minutes of this video.

mods is the most recent member of a line of tools developed initially for the Fab Lab network to bridge the gap between the numerous file formats used in digital fabrication and the machines that may or may not understand those file formats. It then gradually grew into a more capable tool. Here is a brief run-through of how mods came to be:

@CONFIRM: Dates and names in the following sections.

cam.py

  • Year: 2003
  • By: Neil Gershenfeld
  • Language: Python
  • Description: Built as a CAM tool to help getting a file of a certain format to a machine that did not support it.
  • Links: source

cad.py

  • Year: 2007
  • By: Neil Gershenfeld
  • Language: Python
  • Description: The tool provided simple geometry representation, meaning it was possible to work with designs and not just deal with files. The main shortcoming of cad.py was that it was a preset program when there was a desire to build workflows combining its capabilities in multiple ways.
  • Links: @CONFIRM: No link to original cad.py. The closest we have is at the very bottom of this page.

Kokompe

  • Year: 2014
  • By: Matt Keeter
  • Language: C
  • Description: Kokompe broke down the original code into lots of smaller programs which can be combined to make different workflows. The program was compiled C code, requiring a fairly complex configuration to be able to build it, which is non-trivial for many users. The tool is no longer maintained even if some Fab Labs are still using it.
  • Links: website

Fab Modules

  • Year: 2015
  • By: Neil Gershenfeld
  • Language: JavaScript
  • Description: This tool did what Kokampe did but in JavaScript, allowing it to be run in the browser. Still, it had set workflows, so if you wanted to change anything, you had to reconfigure those files on the server side, which was possible but posed a very high barrier. It is still up and functional, but it is no longer recommended for use.
  • Links: app, source

mods

  • Year: 2017
  • By: Neil Gershenfeld
  • Language: JavaScript
  • Description: Builds on everything before it but puts the modules on the client side, making it easy to edit the modules in the browser and also to run a fully offline instance. It is currently the latest tool of the chain and is the one recommended for use.
  • Links: app, source

Related projects