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Openscad examples6/18/2023 ![]() The fact is that for most people, coding up a part is not intuitive, because 3d modelling is inherently very visual, a graphical interface is better, at least for getting started. Now for the cons: 1) Unintuitive CAD interface # That makes it particularly compelling for getting kids into programming, which I think is fantastic. Couple that with the fact you're making solid models that can be 3d printed and you get an experience that's tangible, I mean physically tangible in ways that other languages can't compete with. And the visual nature of the code results in rapid and satisfying feedback. Learning a skill that can outlive your use of the software is a great side-benefit. This makes it a friendly first programming language for those looking to learn. The language is fairly simple and therefore easy to pick up. Going so far to completely re-arrange the model to make things work if need be. This is true for OpenScad too, though, with the power of a programming language, you're able to put whatever logic into the model to help it deal with extreme values if that's needed. If the bearing is made twice the size of the rest of the model, then the resulting shape is probably not going to work if it's not out-right broken. An example might be a bearing housing that's made for a particular sized bearing, if you want to bump up the size by a few millimetres it shouldn't be a problem, but as you can imagine there would be limits to this. Loosely that means that as they're modelled, they're given dimensions along the way that can be changed later and have the model adjust itself. Most cad packages these days are parametric. A real-world example is Thingiverse's customizer that allows you to edit variables for Openscad models uploaded to the site and download the resulting STLs. Also because it's all code, there are creative ways that it can be fed into a pipeline. There are some creative and straight-up wacky things you can do when you have a programming language at your disposal that otherwise wouldn't be possible. ![]() OpenSCAD is very intuitive for those that come from a programming background. Projects being 100% code is a significant benefit to the community, as hosting code on Github is a very robust way of making community contributions, as it goes through the same process software would, without awkwardly trying to pass around save files when changes are made. 2) Community libraries #īeing opensource means there's a great open-source community with many libraries available that can help make you more productive or open up new possibilities. Also OpenScad files are likely very robust and will continue for work for many years. You don't need an account there's no vendor lock-in or licensing issues. OpenSCAD is free, open-source software that you can download and run on your machine and do whatever you want with. ![]() The programmed nature of OpenScad gives it some unique advantages that have resulted in somewhat of a cult following for the software, but also some severe drawbacks. ![]() This is worlds apart from the click and drag nature of the other packages. Every part of the model comes from text you write, and the GUI part of the software is only there to inspect your model. The point of difference though for OpenScad, is that it's all programmed. Since OpenScad is cad software, it's amongst packages like fusion 360, Inventor, Freecad, Onshape and many more. In a nutshell, it's software for making 3d models that are dimensional and mechanical in nature, as opposed 3d graphics software like blender, which is better suited for artistic endeavours like assets for a game, as an example. OpenScad is a CAD or computer-aided-design package.
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