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OpenSCAD: The Programmer's Solid 3D CAD Modeller

openscad.org

81–90 of 191 posts

Re: OpenSCAD: The Programmer's Solid 3D CAD Modeller

#82
post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The awful thing is that you can only export triangles, so you can't make any true curves. If it was capable to true circles it would do everything I have ever needed to make.

I added the ability to export to arcs/circles when writing out DXFs using PythonSCAD in the library: https://github.com/WillAdams/gcodepreview See: https://github.com/WillAdams/gcodepreview/blob/main/export.d...

You call out 2d and mention mills and routers, so after reading the page I'm thinking I wouldn't be able to design a piece to be put in a CNC lathe ala the hub in the lower right of https://canev.com/cdn/shop/products/CEV5205_1024x1024@2x.png..., which has multiple holes (sometimes threaded), including threaded setscrew holes tangential to the primary axis.

Re: OpenSCAD: The Programmer's Solid 3D CAD Modeller

#83
post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The awful thing is that you can only export triangles, so you can't make any true curves. If it was capable to true circles it would do everything I have ever needed to make.

I don't understand this. You can make triangles small enough that you can't tell the difference, and define them mathematically in terms of curves..? Isn't this how any rendering will ultimately work? The primitive is triangles.

Well, you could export enough triangles to get less than 0.0005" variance, but in practice actual CAM software will choke on it is my impression; I sent some circular objects out to be machined, but they just treated by OpenSCAD-exported files as a secondary reference for them redoing it in real software.

Re: OpenSCAD: The Programmer's Solid 3D CAD Modeller

#84
post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I added the ability to export to arcs/circles when writing out DXFs using PythonSCAD in the library: https://github.com/WillAdams/gcodepreview See: https://github.com/WillAdams/gcodepreview/blob/main/export.d...

You call out 2d and mention mills and routers, so after reading the page I'm thinking I wouldn't be able to design a piece to be put in a CNC lathe ala the hub in the lower right of https://canev.com/cdn/shop/products/CEV5205_1024x1024@2x.png... , which has multiple holes (sometimes threaded), including threaded setscrew holes tangential to the primary axis.

Not as-of-yet --- it's 3-axis at the moment --- hoping to eventually add support for additional axis/axes.

Have you looked at grblgru.com ? Not opensource, but does have CNC lathe support.

Re: OpenSCAD: The Programmer's Solid 3D CAD Modeller

#85

If you want to do code-CAD for anything substantial and you haven't yet developed a significant dependency on OpenSCAD, do your brain a favour and spend at least some time with CadQuery, Build123D or (if you prefer JS to Python) Replicad. As impressive as NopSCADlib and BOSL2 are (and OMG they are, when you consider what they have to work with!) , OpenSCAD is a one-way, declarative CSG environment that essentially on…

Ah these look so much nicer, thanks! OpenSCAD's willful disregard for the entire CAD industry's well established parametric modelling paradigm always annoyed me.

Re: OpenSCAD: The Programmer's Solid 3D CAD Modeller

#87

If you want to do code-CAD for anything substantial and you haven't yet developed a significant dependency on OpenSCAD, do your brain a favour and spend at least some time with CadQuery, Build123D or (if you prefer JS to Python) Replicad. As impressive as NopSCADlib and BOSL2 are (and OMG they are, when you consider what they have to work with!) , OpenSCAD is a one-way, declarative CSG environment that essentially on…

As I suspected, none of the 3 tools you mentioned are in Ubuntu repository.

Re: OpenSCAD: The Programmer's Solid 3D CAD Modeller

#88

If you want to do code-CAD for anything substantial and you haven't yet developed a significant dependency on OpenSCAD, do your brain a favour and spend at least some time with CadQuery, Build123D or (if you prefer JS to Python) Replicad. As impressive as NopSCADlib and BOSL2 are (and OMG they are, when you consider what they have to work with!) , OpenSCAD is a one-way, declarative CSG environment that essentially on…

Fornjot[0][1] is also really impressive as a CAD kernel. It is written in Rust, and is still a WIP, but I think is turning out nicely.

[0]https://www.fornjot.app/ [1]https://github.com/hannobraun/fornjot

Re: OpenSCAD: The Programmer's Solid 3D CAD Modeller

#89
post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is... a weird post to be making from a throwaway account. Do you work for Big OpenSCAD or something? :) But that said, this is all correct. OpenSCAD is actually an extremely limited environment and much more expressive tools exist in the same "code-based 3D modelling" space.

This is a totally reasonable question! I am using a throwaway to limit my HN usage, to be honest. I wish I had a better way to manage my addictive social media behaviour than torching accounts after a few discussions. But I do not. I saw this thread only because it's clearly a followup to the FreeCAD discussion the other day that I have contributed to. -- People do get oddly grumpy when you criticise OpenSCAD; there…

I think that sounds like a healthy approach to social ad platforms and the like.

Re: OpenSCAD: The Programmer's Solid 3D CAD Modeller

#90

If you want to do code-CAD for anything substantial and you haven't yet developed a significant dependency on OpenSCAD, do your brain a favour and spend at least some time with CadQuery, Build123D or (if you prefer JS to Python) Replicad. As impressive as NopSCADlib and BOSL2 are (and OMG they are, when you consider what they have to work with!) , OpenSCAD is a one-way, declarative CSG environment that essentially on…

On the contrary if you're a coder doing anything non-substantial and only rarely need to do some basic 3d modelling I would say definitely look to openscad!

I make models for my 3d printer just a few times a year. I find it much easier to get back into openscad than remember my way around a gui or wrestle with more advanced tools.

There's nothing I've not managed to make with openscad yet, though the things I have made are embarrassingly simple (yet highly functional).

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