I'm not sure why miniconda would break your existing python setup? It installs all packages in a separate environment, that's its main purpose.
I don't know why Conda / CadQuery dependencies are so big, but I have more than enough space for them.
Python is far from my favorite language, both in terms of coding and setting it up, but we're not exactly swimming in open source programmable[1] CAD solutions. There's OpenSCAD which is more limited, there's JSCAD that I haven't tried, and... that's pretty much it? CadQuery seems to be the most mature option from my limited experience, despite the annoyance with conda.
[1] I'm aware that some visual CAD apps like FreeCAD have some scripting / plugin support, but it's not the same when this coding isn't the primary building interface, and those apps all have their own (significant) issues anyway.
I don't know why Conda / CadQuery dependencies are so big, but I have more than enough space for them.
Python is far from my favorite language, both in terms of coding and setting it up, but we're not exactly swimming in open source programmable[1] CAD solutions. There's OpenSCAD which is more limited, there's JSCAD that I haven't tried, and... that's pretty much it? CadQuery seems to be the most mature option from my limited experience, despite the annoyance with conda.
[1] I'm aware that some visual CAD apps like FreeCAD have some scripting / plugin support, but it's not the same when this coding isn't the primary building interface, and those apps all have their own (significant) issues anyway.