OpenScad beginners tutorial

Draft

Introduction

“OpenSCAD is a software for creating solid 3D CAD objects. It is free software and available for Linux/UNIX, MS Windows and Apples OS X. Unlike most free software for creating 3D models (such as the famous application Blender) it does not focus on the artistic aspects of 3D modelling but instead on the CAD aspects. Thus it might be the application you are looking for when you are planning to create 3D models of machine parts but pretty sure is not what you are looking for when you are more interested in creating computer-animated movies. OpenSCAD is not an interactive modeller. Instead it is something like a 3D-compiler that reads in a script file that describes the object and renders the 3D model from this script file (see examples below). This gives you (the designer) full control over the modelling process and enables you to easily change any step in the modelling process or make designes that are defined by configurable parameters.” (http://openscad.org/, retrieved 22:58, 17 March 2010 (UTC)

Compiling code

To compile (see the result)

• menu: Compile
• or menu: Reload and compile. I prefer using an exteranl editor (i.e. emacs to get "real" indentation support and good syntax high-lighting in java mode).

To render for real and to export

• menu: Design-> Compile and render
• menu: Design-> Export as .STL

Example code

This code is a derivative of the parametric lego duplo Domonoky. We also uploaded it to Thingyverse.

//the duplo itself
// parameters are: 
// width: 1 =standard 4x4 duplo with.
// length: 1= standard 4x4 duplo length
// height: 1= minimal duplo height
// nibbles: true or false
 
duplo(1,1,3,true);


module duplo(width,length,height,nibbles) 
{
	//size definitions
	
	ns = 8.4;  //nibble start offset
	no = 6.53; //nibbleoffset
	nbo = 16; // nibble bottom offset
	
	duplowidth = 31.66;
	duplolength=31.66;
	duploheight=9.6;
	duplowall = 1.55;	
	
	
	//the cube
	difference() {
		cube([width*duplowidth,length*duplolength,height*duploheight],true);
		translate([0,0,-duplowall]) 	
			cube([width*duplowidth - 2*duplowall,length*duplolength-2*duplowall,height*duploheight],true);
	}

	//nibbles on top
         if  (nibbles)
     	   {
	    	for(j=[1:length])
		{
			for (i = [1:width])
			{
				translate([i*ns+(i-1)*no,j*ns+(j-1)*no,6.9+(height-1)*duploheight/2]) duplonibble();
				translate([i*-ns+(i-1)*-no,j*ns+(j-1)*no,6.9+(height-1)*duploheight/2]) duplonibble();
				translate([i*ns+(i-1)*no,j*-ns+(j-1)*-no,6.9+(height-1)*duploheight/2]) duplonibble();
				translate([i*-ns+(i-1)*-no,j*-ns+(j-1)*-no,6.9+(height-1)*duploheight/2]) duplonibble();
			}
		}
	        }

	//nibble bottom
	for(j=[1:length])
	{
		for (i = [1:width])
		{
			translate([(i-1)*nbo,(j-1)*nbo,0]) duplobottomnibble(height*duploheight);
			translate([(i-1)*-nbo,(j-1)*-nbo,0]) duplobottomnibble(height*duploheight);
			translate([(i-1)*-nbo,(j-1)*nbo,0]) duplobottomnibble(height*duploheight);
			translate([(i-1)*nbo,(j-1)*-nbo,0]) duplobottomnibble(height*duploheight);
		}
	}
	//little walls inside[http://www.thingiverse.com/Domonoky Domonoky]
	difference() 
	{
		union()
	 	{
			for(j=[1:length])
			{	
				for (i = [1:width])
				{
					translate([0,j*ns+(j-1)*no,0 ]) cube([width*duplowidth,1.35,height*duploheight],true);
					translate([0,j*-ns+(j-1)*-no,0 ]) cube([width*duplowidth,1.35,height*duploheight],true);
					translate([i*ns+(i-1)*no,0,0 ]) cube([1.35,length*duplolength,,height*duploheight],true);
					translate([i*-ns+(i-1)*-no,0,0 ]) cube([1.35,length*duplolength,height*duploheight],true);
				}
			}
		}
		cube([width*duplowidth - 4*duplowall,length*duplolength-4*duplowall,height*duploheight+2],true);
	}
}


module duplonibble()
{
	difference() {
		cylinder(r=4.7,h=4.5,center=true,$fs = 0.01);
		cylinder(r=3.4,h=5.5,center=true,$fs = 0.01);
	}
}

module duplobottomnibble(height)[http://www.thingiverse.com/Domonoky Domonoky]
{
	difference() {
		cylinder(r=6.6,h=height,center=true,$fs = 0.01);
		cylinder(r=5.3,h=height+1,center=true,$fs = 0.01);
	}

}

Merging of objects

union() {
  translate(0,0,x) import_stl("duck.stl");
  duplo(2,2,1.5,false);
}

Links

• http://openscad.org/
• http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/OpenSCAD_User_Manual

Other stuff

• Mashups (discussion on the BFB education forum)
• Parametric Duplo (mod by DKS on Thingyverse)