It’s software cad. You write code that makes the 3d model. And then you print the 3d model.
The last “official release” was 2 years ago. But development (and community) is active. You gotta get the nightly builds.
Also check out build123d; uses Python instead of a non standard DSL, and supports fillets/chamfers
I wrote my own fillet function in openscad. It was a fun adventure to work out the geometry. Next time I’ll use some else’s function.
Openscad is fine for pretty basic one item things. It’s not so good for complex designs like the model steam engines I sometimes amuse myself with. And it’s sure not capable in a commercial setting.
But if you enjoy openscad and writing code, more power to you and enjoy what you are doing with it!
Shameless plug: I made an OpenSCAD calendar that uses some clever algorithms to automatically determine the correct day of the week no matter what year you set.
https://chrastecky.dev/post/8 (you can open the post directly on your Lemmy instance, if it doesn’t work, you can check out the entire blog category: !3d-printing@chrastecky.dev)
Yes I made a long time ago an openscad project that converted text to braille. Those kinds of things are where it shines.
It’s really cool and I love the concept but doing basic things like chamfers are super slow and clunky so I just use freecad, which has support for openscad but also has conventional CAD paradigms.
Absolutely. Blender is so fucked up. Designed for the artsy types, but if you need something at exactly these coordinates, you are fucked.
With openscad you have precision, repeatability, and you can even write scad source code from some data points you have, and just use it.
I got too used to Fusion 360 and now I’m stuck with it since I can make stuff fast, easy, and parameterized with full change history and it’s too much effort to learn something new to replace my workflow. Also its the CAM software for my CNC.
I’ll probably play around with SCAD/Build123d though for fun.
I never really could wrap my head around openscad.
I used to work in Grasshopper for parametric models but now I mostly reach for OpenSCAD.
Yes and there’s a good Python adapter language if I recall.
However freecad is also OSS and it has good parametrics. I don’t know how to do fancy stuff so works for me.
I still get flashbacks from when I had to use that in school instead of something like fusion 360
