OpenSCAD
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| Developer(s) | Marius Kintel, Clifford Wolf |
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| Stable release |
2015.03 / 10 March 2015
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| Repository | github |
| Written in | C++ (Qt) |
| Operating system | Windows, Linux, OS X, FreeBSD, OpenBSD |
| Type | CAD |
| License | GNU General Public License |
| Website | www |
OpenSCAD is a free software application for creating solid 3D CAD objects. It is a script only based modeller, with a specific description language. Parts cannot be selected or modified by mouse in the 3D view. An OpenSCAD script specifies geometric primitives and defines how they are modified and manipulated to render a 3D model. OpenSCAD is available for Windows, Linux and OS X. It does constructive solid geometry (CSG).
As of 2016, it uses Computational Geometry Algorithms Library (CGAL) as the basic CSG engine, which along with other libraries takes care of details such as intersection, difference, envelope combination and Minkowski sums.
For fast previewing of models using z-buffering, OpenSCAD employs OpenCSG and OpenGL.
The 3D model position can be interactively manipulated in the view with a mouse similarly to other 3D modellers. It is also possible to define a default 'camera' position in the script.
Part colors can be defined in the 3D view (including transparency).
Preview is relatively fast and allow interactive modifications while modifying the script.
The model renderer take into account lighting, but the lighting source is not modifiable.
In contrast, CGAL is used for full 3D geometry rendering, which, as with other CSG geometry engines, can sometimes take several minutes or hours to complete.
OpenSCAD allows a designer to create accurate 3D models and parametric designs that can be easily adjusted by changing the parameters.
OpenSCAD documents are human-readable scripts in plain ASCII text.
As such, OpenSCAD is a programmer-oriented solid-modeling tool, and has been recommended as an entry-level CAD tool for designing open-source hardware such as scientific tools for research and education.
It is mostly used to design 3D printed parts which are exported in STL format.
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