
Once you understand the basic ideas, you will know if it is the best fit for your project. Don’t worry there is a preview window for you to look at while you code.
$FN OPENSCAD FULL
What are your project needs?Īfter you have put your design on a napkin, you may think that you need to see what is happening when you try to make it a full design. Some of these operations are available in other CAD software, but it falls naturally to use them in openSCAD. It is easy to make a cube with a hole in the centre by retracting the cylinder from the cube. You can use binary operators to put pieces together or cut material out. The most powerful feature of openSCAD is binary operations. When you design it with code, you have the precision there in the code. Apart from personal preference, you also have the advantage of precision.

This is awkward for mechanical engineers, but for programmers, you have another situation. You code the entire piece with commands and functions. In openSCAD, you do not draw anything with your pointer or pen. This is great for making boxes and cylinders, but when you want to make more complex shapes, you may need mathematical methods.Įnter a standard way to describe any material with commands. In all cases, you draw the pieces using a graphical interface. In advanced software, you can also simulate movement. However, when you start making a new mechanical piece, you may want other methods.ģD CAD methods allow you to see the whole piece as it is. All this is useful when you start going into production in large corporations.

There are even standard squares on the drawings so that each drawing is identified. It started with paper, and the first CAD programs used exactly the same style. Making a mechanical part requires a drawing.
