Script-based modeling with OpenSCAD

January 12, 2011

OpenSCAD is a 3D modeling tool with a twist: it doesn’t use an interactive 3D interface for its modeling, but a scripting language.

You’ll use text commands to add basic shapes, move and scale them and apply operations to them. This may sound cumbersome, but I’ve found it’s a lot of fun to work with. Changing your model is as easy as going back to your script, editing it and hitting ‘render’. Done!

OpenSCAD uses ‘constructive solid geometric modeling’ – you’ll use operations such as ‘union’, ‘difference’ and ‘intersection’ to combine objects into new ones. And the good part is: your models are always printable! (Well, if the size and wall thickness are ok, that is).

You can load external (STL) objects in your file and work with them, so you can always do the modeling of more complex shapes in other software.

Did I mention yet that OpenSCAD it open source, and free? I’ve added a bunch of links below to get you started. Enjoy!

Links

• OpenSCAD
• Thingiverse – Getting Started with OpenSCAD
• Thingiverse – OpenSCAD: Modules and Loops
• Edutech wiki – OpenScad beginners tutorial

Comments

Stony Smith

January 12, 2011 at 1:48 pm

Bart, I love OpenSCAD. It is the tool that “opened the door” for me at Shapeways. When I tried other tools, I was constantly getting the “Maniifold” and “Model is not watertight” errors. I have since learned how to use other tools effectively, but OpenSCAD is still the simplest (for a programmer like me). About a third of the models in my shop were built with OpenSCAD.

Here’s a few examples:

• 40 foot chassis
• Propeller load for flat car
• Foreman house

Mark Shoulson

January 12, 2011 at 4:04 pm

I started using openSCAD fairly recently; it is really good for doing more mathematical models, since you get to specify things precisely. I made my Meissner Tetrahedra with it. It sometimes seems to do weird things and freeze up my system in ways I would not have expected of an app; not exactly sure why that happens. It’s also useful for intersections and differences, since I’ve found that Blender’s boolean operations (in 2.49 at least) are sometimes buggy.

Glenn Slingsby

January 13, 2011 at 6:16 pm

Uhm, yeah, I’ll give this one a miss! Years (and years!) ago I started in ray-tracing using POVRay’s text-based programme. Oh, the fond memories of spending hours and hours and hours writing code to produce images that I could do in minutes, now! To have to go back to this would make me pull my hair out!

Christina Westbrook

January 14, 2011 at 12:02 am

I started learning programming a couple of times, but unfortunately ended up getting bored. I’ll agree with those who mentioned how many things can be done much faster in other programs.

I love the program I already use (Rhinoceros), and still have to find the time to use the add-on I purchased for organic modeling (T-Splines).

About 1/4 of my friends are programmers, I’ll leave it to them and perhaps refer them to that software.