Good for parametric parts
Good for machine parts
Not good for character models
Think CAD and engineering
Text based scripts, not GUI
IDE shows code and renders output
Exports to .stl for 3D printing, machining
OpenSCAD is a declarative language. The focus is on describing the output rather than the process. This difference is pretty fundamental but may be subtle at first. Its something you have to get a feeling for.
OpenSCAD looks kind of like Javascript/C, but it very different. That similarity can be confusing at first.
OpenScad is pretty well documented.
It has a complete user manual for the IDE and language, a very handy cheat sheet, and both written and video tutorials.
I’m going to treat this class as a hands on introduction and quick tour of the basics.
The cheat sheet does a great job of laying out what you can do with OpenSCAD. Here is what we will explore in class:
OpenSCAD goes further than this: it has the ability to structure with control statements and has a 2D subsystem. These are powerful tools, but the few things listed above are already enough to use OpenSCAD for many real, practical projects.