I’m slowly building my own OpenSCAD libraries. I did not look at the project in the initial post, but based on paulw’s description of it I’m taking the same approach. A joining library, a panel library, etc… I am deliberately not using the force (other people’s code) because doing it myself is still forcing me into a deeper understanding of the tool. Also, I have options for kerf and material tolerances. That is not to say that at a future date I won’t incorporate what others have done.
As regards the programming language/development environment - it is very basic.
As for learning it I just started by coding a joined box. Then I refactored it with their idea of functions and procedures. Then I made something more complex with curves (the glowforge logo.) Now I’m writing the libraries for a system that when finished should make designing something new a challenge in design and not in coding.
I’ve tried at least two of the popular 3D programs mentioned a lot here, but I just get frustrated with their mechanical engineering approach, instead of a software approach, to mechanical design. I curse at the computer a lot, ask it why it’s so dumb, and then go back to OpenSCAD where things are slower but where I am comfortable.