Creating 3D Models for 3D Printing Using OpenSCAD

by David Leithauser

OpenSCAD is a totally free program that takes a different approach than most 3D design programs. Instead of drawing the object by hand, it lets you describe it by telling it to create a shape like a sphere, cylinder, box, etc. and position it at a certain location. You can then add objects, alter them by doing things like stretching them, cutting away portions, and other operations that give you considerable control of the final product, all by simply writing what you want to do with the objects. This allows for considerable precision. You can view the object you are creating at any time to see how it is going so far. In this book, I will take you through the process of creating 3D models with OpenSCAD in a step-by-step manner that you will find easy to follow. I will concentrate on the aspects that I find most useful for generating 3D models suitable for 3D printing. I will not get into aspects of OpenSCAD designed to make pictures or 3D movies, such as coloring objects or animation unless they have some use as a modeling design tool. I will end the book with a series of chapters called the project section that describe how to make a variety of actual objects that you can use. These give you examples of how to put together the techniques I have discussed in the earlier chapters and also provide useful components like connectors and moving parts that you can incorporate into your own A few people in their comments mentioned typos and misspellings. I have now given the book a thorough recheck and found and corrected several dozen minor mistakes like using Lets instead of Let’s or repeated words. The book should now be typo-free. In no case can there be any mistakes in the code, since all code is copied and pasted directly from OpenSCAD after being thoroughly tested.

221 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 31, 2020

Reviews

[Rainer König · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I liked in this book

A good tutorial book for beginners with OpenSCAD. David Leithauser covers the basic principles of constructiong 3D objects by using a descriptive language. The reader learns how to create simple shapes, text and even 2D objects and extruding them to the Z axis.

There are also good chapters about how to create Joints, Screws, Snap-Ins and Gears. We also learn about the basic math functions.

After the first chapters I was able to create my first spare parts for Ikea shelf carriers and my postbox.

What I was missing

I would have liked to read about a few things more in this book:

First, how to get help online if you have a specific question or problem to solve. Are there any OpenSCAD user groups, facebook groups or whatever to ask for help?

Then I would have liked to get a bit deeper than just scratching the surface. For example, one of my basic questions regarding OpenSCAD is how to get round edges on my 3D objects. I heard that there is a "minkowski()" function that can help to to do this, but I really would have liked to see an example on that as well. Or on other functions that at the moment I don't even know about.

The missing parts led to 4 instead of 5 stars, nevertheless, the book is highly recommended for beginners. I read the printed book which comes from Amazon fulfillment and was printed in black and white (no colors except of the cover), but that wasn't a problem.

[Shadow Moon]

Good printers that are now used even for business purposes come with their own software that's most suitable for them. In the case of Epitum epitum3d.com, the printer I work with, it comes with Printoformer or something like that, and all the necessary drivers are included, so you get a ready-to-use, pre-configured printer. But a printer like this, in my opinion, is definitely not for home use because it has very high power and technology, like dual-nozzle printing, where the two nozzles aren't independent but work simultaneously. It's a bit hard for me to explain the technical details, but it's a really powerful printer for its price that stands out for me compared to competitors.