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Adrian Mariano edited this page Nov 15, 2025 · 1 revision

LibFile: shapes3d.scad

Some standard modules for making 3d shapes with attachment support, and function forms that produce a VNF. Also included are shortcuts cylinders in each orientation and extended versions of the standard modules that provide roundovers and chamfers. The spheroid() module provides several different ways to make a sphere, and the text modules let you write text on a path so you can place it on a curved object. A ruler lets you measure objects.

To use, add the following lines to the beginning of your file:

include <BOSL2/std.scad>

File Contents

  1. Section: Cuboids, Prismoids and Pyramids

    • cube() – Creates a cube with anchors for attaching children. [Geom] [VNF] [Ext]
    • cuboid() – Creates a cube with chamfering and roundovers. [Geom]
    • prismoid() – Creates a rectangular prismoid shape with optional roundovers and chamfering. [Geom] [VNF]
    • regular_prism() – Creates a regular prism with roundovers and chamfering [Geom] [VNF]
    • textured_tile() – Creates a cube or trapezoidal prism with a textured top face for attaching to objects. [Geom] [VNF]
    • rect_tube() – Creates a rectangular tube. [Geom]
    • wedge() – Creates a 3d triangular wedge. [Geom] [VNF]
    • octahedron() – Creates an octahedron with axis-aligned points. [Geom] [VNF]

  2. Section: Cylinders

    • cylinder() – Creates an attachable cylinder. [Geom] [VNF] [Ext]
    • cyl() – Creates an attachable cylinder with roundovers and chamfering. [Geom] [VNF]
    • xcyl() – Creates a cylinder oriented along the X axis. [Geom] [VNF]
    • ycyl() – Creates a cylinder oriented along the y axis. [Geom] [VNF]
    • zcyl() – Creates a cylinder oriented along the y axis. [Geom] [VNF]
    • tube() – Creates a cylindrical or conical tube. [Geom]
    • pie_slice() – Creates a pie slice shape. [Geom] [VNF]

  3. Section: Other Round Objects

    • sphere() – Creates an attachable spherical object. [Geom] [VNF] [Ext]
    • spheroid() – Creates an attachable spherical object with controllable triangulation. [Geom] [VNF]
    • torus() – Creates an attachable torus. [Geom] [VNF]
    • teardrop() – Creates a teardrop shape. [Geom] [VNF]
    • onion() – Creates an attachable onion-like shape. [Geom] [VNF]

  4. Section: Text

    • text3d() – Creates an attachable 3d text block. [Geom]
    • path_text() – Creates 2d or 3d text placed along a path. [Geom]

  5. Section: Miscellaneous

    • fillet() – Creates a smooth fillet between two faces. [Geom] [VNF]
    • plot3d() – Generates a surface by evaluating a function on a 2D grid [Geom] [VNF]
    • plot_revolution() – Generates a surface by evaluating a of z and theta and putting the result on a surface of revolution [Geom] [VNF]
    • ruler() – Creates a ruler. [Geom]

Section: Cuboids, Prismoids and Pyramids

Function/Module: cube()

Synopsis: Creates a cube with anchors for attaching children. [Geom] [VNF] [Ext]

Topics: Shapes (3D), Attachable, VNF Generators, Textures

See Also: cuboid(), prismoid()

Usage: As Module (as in native OpenSCAD)

  • cube(size, [center]);

Usage: With BOSL2 Attachment extensions

  • cube(size, [center], [anchor=], [spin=], [orient=]) [ATTACHMENTS];

Usage: As Function (BOSL2 extension)

  • vnf = cube(size, ...);

Description:

Creates a 3D cubic object. This module extends the built-in cube()` module by providing support for attachments and a function form. When called as a function, returns a VNF for a cube.

Arguments:

By Position What it does
size The size of the cube.
center If given, overrides anchor. A true value sets anchor=CENTER, false sets anchor=FRONT+LEFT+BOTTOM.
By Name What it does
anchor Translate so anchor point is at origin (0,0,0). See anchor. Default: CENTER
spin Rotate this many degrees around the Z axis after anchor. See spin. Default: 0
orient Vector to rotate top toward, after spin. See orient. Default: UP

Example 1: Simple cube.

cube() Example 1 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cube(40);



Example 2: Rectangular cube.

cube() Example 2 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cube([20,40,50]);



Example 3: Anchoring.

cube() Example 3 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cube([20,40,50], anchor=BOTTOM+FRONT);



Example 4: Spin.

cube() Example 4 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cube([20,40,50], anchor=BOTTOM+FRONT, spin=30);



Example 5: Orientation.

cube() Example 5 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cube([20,40,50], anchor=BOTTOM+FRONT, spin=30, orient=FWD);



Example 6: Standard Connectors.

cube() Example 6 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cube(40, center=true) show_anchors();



Example 7: Called as Function

cube() Example 7 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
vnf = cube([20,40,50]);
vnf_polyhedron(vnf);



Module: cuboid()

Synopsis: Creates a cube with chamfering and roundovers. [Geom]

Topics: Shapes (3D), Attachable

See Also: prismoid(), rounded_prism()

Usage: Standard Cubes

  • cuboid(size, [anchor=], [spin=], [orient=]);
  • cuboid(size, p1=, ...);
  • cuboid(p1=, p2=, ...);

Usage: Chamfered Cubes

  • cuboid(size, [chamfer=], [edges=], [except=], [trimcorners=], ...);

Usage: Rounded Cubes

  • cuboid(size, [rounding=], [teardrop=], [edges=], [except=], [trimcorners=], ...);

Usage: Attaching children

  • cuboid(...) ATTACHMENTS;

Description:

Creates a cube or cuboid object, with optional chamfering or rounding of edges and corners. You cannot mix chamfering and rounding: just one edge treatment with the same size applies to all selected edges. Negative chamfers and roundings can be applied to create external fillets, but they apply only to edges around the top or bottom faces. If you specify an edge set other than "ALL" with negative roundings or chamfers then you will get an error. See Specifying Edges for information on how to specify edge sets.

Arguments:

By Position What it does
size The size of the cube, a number or length 3 vector.
By Name What it does
chamfer Size of chamfer, inset from sides. Default: No chamfering.
rounding Radius of the edge rounding. Default: No rounding.
edges Edges to mask. See Specifying Edges. Default: all edges.
except Edges to explicitly NOT mask. See Specifying Edges. Default: No edges.
trimcorners If true, rounds or chamfers corners where three chamfered/rounded edges meet. Default: true
teardrop If given as a number, rounding around the bottom edge of the cuboid won't exceed this many degrees from vertical, altering to a chamfer at that angle. If true, the limit angle is 45 degrees. Default: false
clip_angle If given as a number, rounding around the bottom edge of the cuboid won't exceed this many degrees from vertical, with the rounding stopping at the bottom of the cuboid. Default: (no clipping)
p1 Align the cuboid's corner at p1, if given. Forces anchor=FRONT+LEFT+BOTTOM.
p2 If given with p1, defines the cornerpoints of the cuboid.
anchor Translate so anchor point is at origin (0,0,0). See anchor. Default: CENTER
spin Rotate this many degrees around the Z axis. See spin. Default: 0
orient Vector to rotate top toward. See orient. Default: UP

Example 1: Simple regular cube.

cuboid() Example 1 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cuboid(40);



Example 2: Cuboid with a corner at the origin

cuboid() Example 2 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cuboid(40, anchor=FRONT+LEFT+BOT);



Example 3: Cuboid anchored on its right face

cuboid() Example 3 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cuboid(40, anchor=RIGHT);



Example 4: Cube with minimum cornerpoint given.

cuboid() Example 4 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cuboid(20, p1=[10,0,0]);



Example 5: Rectangular cube, with given X, Y, and Z sizes.

cuboid() Example 5 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cuboid([20,40,50]);



Example 6: Cube by Opposing Corners.

cuboid() Example 6 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cuboid(p1=[0,10,0], p2=[20,30,30]);



Example 7: Chamferred Edges and Corners.

cuboid() Example 7 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cuboid([30,40,50], chamfer=5);



Example 8: Chamferred Edges, Untrimmed Corners.

cuboid() Example 8 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cuboid([30,40,50], chamfer=5, trimcorners=false);



Example 9: Rounded Edges and Corners

cuboid() Example 9 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cuboid([30,40,50], rounding=10);



Example 10: Rounded Edges and Corners with Teardrop Bottoms

cuboid() Example 10 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cuboid([30,40,50], rounding=10, teardrop=true);



Example 11: Rounded Edges and Corners with Clipped Bottoms

cuboid() Example 11 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cuboid([30,40,50], rounding=10, clip_angle=40);



Example 12: Rounded Edges, Untrimmed Corners

cuboid() Example 12 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cuboid([30,40,50], rounding=10, trimcorners=false);



Example 13: Chamferring Selected Edges

cuboid() Example 13 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cuboid(
    [30,40,50], chamfer=5,
    edges=[TOP+FRONT,TOP+RIGHT,FRONT+RIGHT],
    $fn=24
);



Example 14: Rounding Selected Edges

cuboid() Example 14 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cuboid(
    [30,40,50], rounding=5,
    edges=[TOP+FRONT,TOP+RIGHT,FRONT+RIGHT],
    $fn=24
);



Example 15: Negative Chamferring

cuboid() Example 15 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cuboid(
    [30,40,50], chamfer=-5,
    edges=[TOP,BOT], except=RIGHT,
    $fn=24
);



Example 16: Negative Chamferring, Untrimmed Corners

cuboid() Example 16 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cuboid(
    [30,40,50], chamfer=-5,
    edges=[TOP,BOT], except=RIGHT,
    trimcorners=false, $fn=24
);



Example 17: Negative Rounding

cuboid() Example 17 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cuboid(
    [30,40,50], rounding=-5,
    edges=[TOP,BOT], except=RIGHT,
    $fn=24
);



Example 18: Negative Rounding, Untrimmed Corners

cuboid() Example 18 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cuboid(
    [30,40,50], rounding=-5,
    edges=[TOP,BOT], except=RIGHT,
    trimcorners=false, $fn=24
);



Example 19: Roundings and Chamfers can be as large as the full size of the cuboid, so long as the edges would not interfere.

cuboid() Example 19 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cuboid([40,20,10], rounding=20, edges=[FWD+RIGHT,BACK+LEFT]);



Example 20: Standard anchors

cuboid() Example 20 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cuboid(40) show_anchors();



Function/Module: prismoid()

Synopsis: Creates a rectangular prismoid shape with optional roundovers and chamfering. [Geom] [VNF]

Topics: Shapes (3D), Attachable, VNF Generators

See Also: cuboid(), rounded_prism(), trapezoid(), edge_profile()

Usage:

  • prismoid(size1, size2, [h|l|height|length], [shift], [xang=], [yang=], ...) [ATTACHMENTS];

Usage: Chamfered and/or Rounded Prismoids

  • prismoid(size1, size2, h|l|height|length, [chamfer=], [rounding=]...) [ATTACHMENTS];
  • prismoid(size1, size2, h|l|height|length, [chamfer1=], [chamfer2=], [rounding1=], [rounding2=], ...) [ATTACHMENTS];

Usage: As Function

  • vnf = prismoid(...);

Description:

Creates a rectangular prismoid shape with optional roundovers and chamfering. You can only round or chamfer the vertical(ish) edges. For those edges, you can specify rounding and/or chamferring per-edge, and for top and bottom separately. If you want to round the bottom or top edges see rounded_prism() or edge_profile()

Specification of the prismoid is similar to specification for trapezoid(). You can specify the dimensions of the bottom and top and its height to get a symmetric prismoid. You can use the shift argument to shift the top face around. You can also specify base angles either in the X direction, Y direction or both. In order to avoid overspecification, you may need to specify a parameter such as size2 as a list of two values, one of which is undef. For example, specifying size2=[100,undef] sets the size in the X direction but allows the size in the Y direction to be computed based on yang.

The anchors on the top and bottom faces have spin pointing back. The anchors on the side faces have spin point UP. The anchors on the top and bottom edges also have anchors that point clockwise as viewed from outside the shapep. The anchors on the side edges and the corners have spin with positive Z component, pointing along the edge where the anchor is located. A degenerate prismoid with a line segment for the top or bottom has its top or bottom edge anchors set to provide an anchor for that top or bottom edge. So for example, if the top is [0,10] then the top edge is parallel to the Y axis and you can anchor to that edge using the TOP+RIGHT or TOP+LEFT anchors; these anchors point in the direction that divides the edge in half and provide the $edge_angle and $edge_length values generally provided by edge anchors. The UP or DOWN anchor is in the same location but always points in the Z direction and provides no edge data.

Arguments:

By Position What it does
size1 [width, length] of the bottom end of the prism.
size2 [width, length] of the top end of the prism.
h / l / height / length Height of the prism.
shift [X,Y] amount to shift the center of the top end with respect to the center of the bottom end.
By Name What it does
xang base angle in the X direction. Can be a scalar or list of two values, one of which may be undef
yang base angle in the Y direction. Can be a scalar or list of two values, one of which may be undef
rounding The roundover radius for the vertical-ish edges of the prismoid. If given as a list of four numbers, gives individual radii for each corner, in the order [X+Y+,X-Y+,X-Y-,X+Y-]. Default: 0 (no rounding)
rounding1 The roundover radius for the bottom of the vertical-ish edges of the prismoid. If given as a list of four numbers, gives individual radii for each corner, in the order [X+Y+,X-Y+,X-Y-,X+Y-].
rounding2 The roundover radius for the top of the vertical-ish edges of the prismoid. If given as a list of four numbers, gives individual radii for each corner, in the order [X+Y+,X-Y+,X-Y-,X+Y-].
chamfer The chamfer size for the vertical-ish edges of the prismoid. If given as a list of four numbers, gives individual chamfers for each corner, in the order [X+Y+,X-Y+,X-Y-,X+Y-]. Default: 0 (no chamfer)
chamfer1 The chamfer size for the bottom of the vertical-ish edges of the prismoid. If given as a list of four numbers, gives individual chamfers for each corner, in the order [X+Y+,X-Y+,X-Y-,X+Y-].
chamfer2 The chamfer size for the top of the vertical-ish edges of the prismoid. If given as a list of four numbers, gives individual chamfers for each corner, in the order [X+Y+,X-Y+,X-Y-,X+Y-].
anchor Translate so anchor point is at origin (0,0,0). See anchor. Default: BOTTOM
spin Rotate this many degrees around the Z axis after anchor. See spin. Default: 0
orient Vector to rotate top toward, after spin. See orient. Default: UP

Example 1: Truncated Pyramid

prismoid() Example 1 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
prismoid(size1=[35,50], size2=[20,30], h=20);



Example 2: Rectangular Pyramid

prismoid() Example 2 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
prismoid([40,40], [0,0], h=20);



Example 3: Prism

prismoid() Example 3 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
prismoid(size1=[40,40], size2=[0,40], h=20);



Example 4: Wedge

prismoid() Example 4 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
prismoid(size1=[60,35], size2=[30,0], h=30);



Example 5: Truncated Tetrahedron

prismoid() Example 5 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
prismoid(size1=[10,40], size2=[40,10], h=40);



Example 6: Inverted Truncated Pyramid

prismoid() Example 6 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
prismoid(size1=[15,5], size2=[30,20], h=20);



Example 7: Right Prism

prismoid() Example 7 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
prismoid(size1=[30,60], size2=[0,60], shift=[-15,0], h=30);



Example 8: Shifting/Skewing

prismoid() Example 8 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
prismoid(size1=[50,30], size2=[20,20], h=20, shift=[15,5]);



Example 9: Specifying bottom, height and angle

prismoid() Example 9 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
prismoid(size1=[100,75], h=30, xang=50, yang=70);



Example 10: Specifying top, height and angle, with asymmetric angles

prismoid() Example 10 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
prismoid(size2=[100,75], h=30, xang=[50,60], yang=[70,40]);



Example 11: Specifying top, bottom and angle for X and using that to define height. Giving yang here would likely give a conflicting height calculation, which is not allowed.

prismoid() Example 11 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
prismoid(size1=[100,75], size2=[75,35], xang=50);



Example 12: The same as the previous example but we give a shift in Y. Note that shift.x must be undef because you cannot give combine an angle with a shift, so a shift.x value would conflict with xang being defined.

prismoid() Example 12 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
prismoid(size1=[100,75], size2=[75,35], xang=50, shift=[undef,20]);

Example 13: The X dimensions defined by the base length, angle and height; the Y dimensions defined by the top length, angle, and height.

prismoid() Example 13 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
prismoid(size1=[100,undef], size2=[undef,75], h=30, xang=[20,90], yang=30);

Example 14: Rounding

prismoid() Example 14 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
prismoid(100, 80, rounding=10, h=30);



Example 15: Chamfers

prismoid() Example 15 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
prismoid(100, 80, chamfer=5, h=30);



Example 16: Gradiant Rounding

prismoid() Example 16 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
prismoid(100, 80, rounding1=10, rounding2=0, h=30);



Example 17: Per Corner Rounding

prismoid() Example 17 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
prismoid(100, 80, rounding=[0,5,10,15], h=30);



Example 18: Per Corner Chamfer

prismoid() Example 18 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
prismoid(100, 80, chamfer=[0,5,10,15], h=30);



Example 19: Mixing Chamfer and Rounding

prismoid() Example 19 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
prismoid(
    100, 80, h=30,
    chamfer=[0,5,0,10],
    rounding=[5,0,10,0]
);



Example 20: Really Mixing It Up

prismoid() Example 20 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
prismoid(
    size1=[100,80], size2=[80,60], h=20,
    chamfer1=[0,5,0,10], chamfer2=[5,0,10,0],
    rounding1=[5,0,10,0], rounding2=[0,5,0,10]
);



Example 21: How to Round a Top or Bottom Edge

prismoid() Example 21 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
diff()
prismoid([50,30], [30,20], shift=[3,6], h=15, rounding=[5,0,5,0]) {
    edge_profile([TOP+RIGHT, BOT+FRONT], excess=10, convexity=20) {
        mask2d_roundover(h=5,mask_angle=$edge_angle);
    }
}

Example 22: Standard anchors

prismoid() Example 22 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
prismoid(size1=[50,30], size2=[20,20], h=20, shift=[15,5])
    show_anchors();



Example 23: When the top or bottom is degenerate, you can anchor to and round the degenerate edge by using either one of the edge anchors that correspond to that edge. But note that edge_profile() does not work for this degenerate case. We used TOP+RIGHT below as the anchor point, but TOP+LEFT produces an identical result.

prismoid() Example 23 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
diff()
prismoid([10,14],[0,8], shift=[4,3], h=7)
  attach(TOP+RIGHT, FWD+LEFT, inside=true)
    rounding_edge_mask(r=2,l=$edge_length+6);



Function/Module: regular_prism()

Synopsis: Creates a regular prism with roundovers and chamfering [Geom] [VNF]

Topics: Textures, Rounding, Chamfers, Shapes (3D), Attachable

See Also: cyl(), rounded_prism(), texture(), linear_sweep(), EDGE(), FACE()

Usage: Normal prisms

  • regular_prism(n, h|l=|height=|length=, r, [center=], [realign=]) [ATTACHMENTS];
  • regular_prism(n, h|l=|height=|length=, d=|id=|od=|ir=|or=|side=, ...) [ATTACHMENTS];
  • regular_prism(n, h|l=|height=|length=, r1=|d1=|id1=|od1=|ir1=|or1=|side1=,r2=|d2=|id2=|od2=|ir2=|or2=|side2=, ...) [ATTACHMENTS];

Usage: Chamferred end prisms

  • regular_prism(n, h, r, chamfer=, [chamfang=], [from_end=], ...);
  • regular_prism(n, h, r, chamfer1=, [chamfang1=], [from_end=], ...);
  • regular_prism(n, h, r, chamfer2=, [chamfang2=], [from_end=], ...);
  • regular_prism(n, h, r, chamfer1=, chamfer2=, [chamfang1=], [chamfang2=], [from_end=], ...);

Usage: Rounded end prisms

  • regular_prism(n, h, r, rounding=, ...);
  • regular_prism(n, h, r, rounding1=, ...);
  • regular_prism(n, h, r, rounding2=, ...);
  • regular_prism(n, h, r, rounding1=, rounding2=, ...);

Usage: Textured prisms

  • regular_prism(n, h, r, texture=, [tex_size=]|[tex_reps=], [tex_depth=], [tex_rot=], [tex_samples=], [style=], [tex_inset=], ...);

Usage: Called as a function to get a VNF

  • vnf = rounded_prism(...);

Description:

Creates a prism whose ends are similar n-sided regular polygons, with optional rounding, chamfers or textures. You can specify the size of the ends using diameter or radius measured either inside or outside. Alternatively you can give the length of the side of the polygon. You can specify chamfers and roundings for the ends, but not the vertical edges. See rounded_prism() for prisms with rounded vertical edges. You can also specify texture for the side faces, but note that texture is not compatible with any roundings or chamfers. See Texturing for more details on how textures work.

Anchors are based on the VNF of the prism. Especially for tapered or shifted prisms, this may give unexpected anchor positions, such as top side anchors being located at the bottom of the shape, so confirm anchor positions before use. Additional named face and edge anchors are located on the side faces and vertical edges of the prism. You can use EDGE(i), EDGE(TOP,i) and EDGE(BOT,i) as a shorthand for accessing the named edge anchors, and FACE(i) for the face anchors. The "edge0" anchor identifies an edge located along the X+ axis, and then edges are labeled counting up in the clockwise direction. Similarly "face0" is the face immediately clockwise from "edge0", and face labeling proceeds clockwise. The top and bottom edge anchors label edges directly above and below the face with the same label. If you set realign=true then "face0" is oriented in the X+ direction.

This module is similar to cyl(). It differs in the following ways: you can specify side length or inner radius/diameter, you can apply roundings with different $fn than the number of prism faces, you can apply texture to the flat faces without forcing a high facet count, anchors are located on the true object instead of the ideal cylinder and you can anchor to the edges and faces. Chamfers and roundings for this module are always evaluated relative to the faces of the prism and never at corners as is done by default in cyl().

Fully specifying the shape requires a height and the radius at each end. You can replace one of those three parameters with an angle. If you give the height, angle, and one radius then the other radius is calculated so that the internal angle at the base of the prism is the specified angle. If you give the angle and the radius at each end then the height is calculated so that the internal angle at one of the ends is the angle you specified. Which end gets the specified angle depends on the relative sizes of the ends and whether the angle is smaller or larger than 90 degrees.

Named Anchors:

Anchor Name Position
"edge0", "edge1", etc. Center of each side edge, spin pointing up along the edge. Can access with EDGE(i)
"face0", "face1", etc. Center of each side face, spin pointing up. Can access with FACE(i)
"top_edge0", "top_edge1", etc Center of each top edge, spin pointing clockwise (from top). Can access with EDGE(TOP,i)
"bot_edge0", "bot_edge1", etc Center of each bottom edge, spin pointing clockwise (from bottom). Can access with EDGE(BOT,i)
"top_corner0", "top_corner1", etc Top corner, pointing in direction of associated edge anchor, spin up along associated edge
"bot_corner0", "bot_corner1", etc Bottom corner, pointing in direction of associated edge anchor, spin up along associated edge

Arguments:

By Position What it does
l / h / length / height Length of prism
r Outer radius of prism.
center If given, overrides anchor. A true value sets anchor=CENTER, false sets anchor=DOWN.
By Name What it does
r1 / or1 Outer radius of the bottom of prism
r2 / or2 Outer radius of the top end of prism
d Outer Diameter of prism
d1 / od1 Outer diameter of bottom of prism
d2 / od2 Outer diameter of top end of prism
ir Inner radius of prism
ir1 Inner radius of bottom of prism
ir2 Inner radius of top of prism
id Inner diameter of prism
id1 Inner diameter of bottom of prism
id2 Inner diameter of top of prism
side Side length of prism faces
side1 Side length of prism faces at the bottom
side2 Side length of prism faces at the top
ang specify the prism angle instead of height or instead of the dimension at one of the two ends.
shift [X,Y] amount to shift the center of the top end with respect to the center of the bottom end.
chamfer The size of the chamfers on the ends of the prism. (Also see: from_end=) Default: none.
chamfer1 The size of the chamfer on the bottom end of the prism. (Also see: from_end1=) Default: none.
chamfer2 The size of the chamfer on the top end of the prism. (Also see: from_end2=) Default: none.
chamfang The angle in degrees of the chamfers away from the ends of the prismr. Default: Chamfer angle is halfway between the endcap and side face.
chamfang1 The angle in degrees of the bottom chamfer away from the bottom end of the prism. Default: Chamfer angle is halfway between the endcap and side face.
chamfang2 The angle in degrees of the top chamfer away from the top end of the prism. Default: Chamfer angle is halfway between the endcap and side face.
from_end If true, chamfer is measured along the side face from the ends of the prism, instead of inset from the edge. Default: false.
from_end1 If true, chamfer on the bottom end of the prism is measured along the side face from the end of the prism, instead of inset from the edge. Default: false.
from_end2 If true, chamfer on the top end of the prism is measured along the side face from the end of the prism, instead of inset from the edge. Default: false.
rounding The radius of the rounding on the ends of the prism. Default: none.
rounding1 The radius of the rounding on the bottom end of the prism.
rounding2 The radius of the rounding on the top end of the prism.
realign If true, rotate the prism by half the angle of one face so that a face points in the X+ direction. Default: false
teardrop If given as a number, rounding around the bottom edge of the prism won't exceed this many degrees from vertical. If true, the limit angle is 45 degrees. Default: false
clip_angle If given as a number, rounding around the bottom edge of the prism won't exceed this many degrees from vertical, with the rounding stopping at the bottom of the prism. Default: (no clipping)
texture A texture name string, or a rectangular array of scalar height values (0.0 to 1.0), or a VNF tile that defines the texture to apply to vertical surfaces. See texture() for what named textures are supported.
tex_size An optional 2D target size (2-vector or scalar) for the textures. Actual texture sizes are scaled somewhat to fit evenly on the available surface. Default: [5,5]
tex_reps If given instead of tex_size, a scalar or 2-vector giving the number of texture tile repetitions in the horizontal and vertical directions.
tex_inset If numeric, lowers the texture into the surface by the specified proportion, e.g. 0.5 would lower it half way into the surface. If true, insets by exactly its full depth. Default: false
tex_rot Rotate texture by specified angle, which must be a multiple of 90 degrees. Default: 0
tex_depth Specify texture depth; if negative, invert the texture. Default: 1.
tex_samples Minimum number of "bend points" to have in VNF texture tiles. Default: 8
style vnf_vertex_array() style used to triangulate heightfield textures. Default: "min_edge"
anchor Translate so anchor point is at origin (0,0,0). See anchor. Default: CENTER
spin Rotate this many degrees around the Z axis after anchor. See spin. Default: 0
orient Vector to rotate top toward, after spin. See orient. Default: UP

Example 1: Simple prism

regular\_prism() Example 1 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
regular_prism(5,r=10,h=25);



Example 2: With end rounding

regular\_prism() Example 2 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
regular_prism(5,r=10,h=25,rounding=3,$fn=32);



Example 3: With teardrop end rounding

regular\_prism() Example 3 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
regular_prism(5,r=10,h=25,rounding=3,teardrop=40,$fn=32);



Example 4: With clipped end rounding

regular\_prism() Example 4 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
regular_prism(5,r=10,h=25,rounding=3,clip_angle=40,$fn=32);



Example 5: By side length at bottom, inner radius at top, shallow chamfer

regular\_prism() Example 5 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
regular_prism(7, side1=10, ir2=7, height=20,chamfer2=2,chamfang2=20);

Example 6: By angle and base radius

regular\_prism() Example 6 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
regular_prism(4, r1=10, height=7, ang=45);



Example 7: By angle and top radius

regular\_prism() Example 7 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
regular_prism(4, r2=10, height=7, ang=45);



Example 8: By angle with height omitted; the specified 70 deg agle appears at the bottom in this case

regular\_prism() Example 8 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
regular_prism(4, r1=10, r2=7, ang=70);



Example 9: By angle with height omitted; we interchanged r1 and r2 and now the specified 70 deg angle is at the top

regular\_prism() Example 9 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
regular_prism(4, r1=7, r2=10, ang=70);



Example 10: With shift

regular\_prism() Example 10 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
regular_prism(4, d=12, h=10, shift=[12,7]);



Example 11: Attaching child to face

regular\_prism() Example 11 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
regular_prism(5, d1=15, d2=10, h=20)
  recolor("lightblue")
    attach("face1",BOT) regular_prism(n=4,r1=3,r2=1,h=3);



Example 12: Attaching child to edge

regular\_prism() Example 12 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
regular_prism(5, d1=15, d2=10, h=20)
  recolor("lightblue")
    attach("edge2",RIGHT) cuboid([4,4,20]);



Example 13: Placing child on top along an edge of a regular prism is possible with the top_edge anchors, but you cannot use align() or attach(), so you must manually anchor and spin the child by half of the polygon angle (180/n) to get to face0 and then 360/n more for each subsequent face. If you set realign=true then you don't need the initial angle for face0.

regular\_prism() Example 13 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
regular_prism(5, d1=25, d2=20, h=15, realign=false) color("lightblue"){
   position("top_edge1") prismoid([5,5],[2,2],h=3,spin=-360/5*1.5,anchor=RIGHT+BOT);
   position("top_edge3") prismoid([5,5],[2,2],h=3,spin=-360/5*3.5,anchor=RIGHT+BOT);
}

Example 14: Textured prism

regular\_prism() Example 14 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
regular_prism(5, side=25, h=50, texture="diamonds", tex_size=[5,5], style="concave");

Function/Module: textured_tile()

Synopsis: Creates a cube or trapezoidal prism with a textured top face for attaching to objects. [Geom] [VNF]

Topics: Shapes (3D), Attachable, VNF Generators, Textures

See Also: cuboid(), prismoid(), texture(), cyl(), rotate_sweep(), linear_sweep(), plot3d()

Usage:

  • textured_tile(texture, [size], [w1=], [w2=], [ang=], [shift=], [h=/height=/thickness=], [atype=], [diff=], [tex_extra=], [tex_skip=], ...) [ATTACHMENTS];
  • vnf = textured_tile(texture, [size], [w1=], [w2=], [ang=], [shift=], [h=/height=/thickness=], [atype=], [tex_extra=], [tex_skip=], ...);

Description:

Creates a cuboid or trapezoidal prism and places a texture on the top face. See Texturing for more details on how textures work. You can specify the size of the object by giving a size scalar or vector as is usual for a cube. If you give a scalar, however, it applies only to the X and Y dimensions: the default is to create a thin tile, not a cube. The Z size specifies the size of the shape not including the applied texture (in the same way that other textured objects work). If you omit the Z value then for regular textures, the default thickness is 0.1, which provides a thin backing layer. A zero thickness base layer can produce invalid geometry when the texture contacts the bottom layer, so some non-zero base is necessary. If you use a positive inset then the texture actually sinks into its base, so the default is set to the 0.1 more than the inset depth. To ensure a valid geometry, with a positive inset or a texture that has negative values you must select a thickness strictly larger than the depth the texture extends below zero.

Textures are meant to be between 0 and 1 so that tex_depth and tex_inset behave as expected. If you have a custom textures that has a different range you can still use it directly, but you may find it more convenient to rescale a height map texture using {{fit_to_range()}] or a VNF texture using fit_to_box().

You can also specify a trapzoidal prism using parameters equivalent to those accepted by trapezoid(), with one change: ysize specifies the width of the prism in the Y direction, and h, height or thickness are used to specify the height in the Z direction. When you texture a trapezoid, the texture is scaled to the w1 length if you specify it by size using tex_size. The scaling transformation that maps the texture onto the trapezoid is not linear and results in curvature of your texture.

Two anchor types are available. The default atype is "tex", which assumes you want to place the texture on another object using attach(). It provides anchors that ignore the base object and place the BOTTOM anchor at the bottom of the texture. The TOP anchor is at the top face of the texture. Note that if your texture doesn't span the range from [0,1] these anchors won't be correctly located. For an inset texture, the "tex" anchors are all at the top of the texture. This anchor type works with attach(face,BOT) where face is some face on a parent object that needs a texture. If you want to use the textured object directly the "std" anchors are probably more useful. These anchors are the usual anchors for the base object, ignoring the applied texture. If you want the anchors to be on top of the texture, set tex_inset=true.

To aid in the application of inset anchors into parent objects with the module form, you can set diff=true, which causes the module to create a "remove" tagged cuboid or prism to carve out space for the texture so that inset textures are cut into the parent object. The texture itself is given a "keep" tag. For this to work you must specify diff() above the parent; if you don't do that, the tags are ignored and the tile appears as a solid object with no texture visible. The cutout object extends 0.1 units above the surface of the texture to prevent problems with exactly aligned faces. The cutout does not extend out beyond the sides, so if the parent shape has the exact same dimensions as the texture tile, you have exactly aligned faces along the edges.

Most of the heightfield textures are designed to repeat in a way that requires one extra line of the texture to complete the pattern. The tex_extra parameter specifies the number of extra lines to repeat at the end of the texture and it defaults to 1 because most textures do requires this extra line. There is one exception: if you specify only a single tile, then you are probably using an image for your texture and do not want a repeated line, so in this case, tex_extra defaults to zero. If you need to adjust the number of extra lines you can set the tex_extra parameter to 0, or you can set it to a list of two integers to control the extra line of texture in the X and Y directions independently. The tex_extra parameter is ignored for VNF textures. A heightfield texture may also have extra margin along a starting side that makes the texture unbalanced. You can removed this using the tex_skip parameter, which defaults to zero and similarly specifies the number of lines to skip in the X and Y directions at the starting edges of the tile. You must have enough tile repetitions to accomodate the specified skip.

Anchor Types:

Anchor Type What it is
"tex" Anchors around the texture, ignoring the base object. (default)
"std" Standard object anchors that ignore any applied texture.

Arguments:

By Position What it does
texture A texture name string, or a rectangular array of scalar height values (0.0 to 1.0), or a VNF tile that defines the texture to apply to vertical surfaces. See texture() for what named textures are supported.
size The size the object when a cube is desired, a scalar, 2-vector or 3-vector. If you give a scalar or 2-vector the default height is 0.1 or 0.1 more than the inset depth
By Name What it does
ysize The Y axis length of the trapezoidal prism
w1 The X axis width of the front end of the trapezoidal prism.
w2 The X axis width of the back end of the trapezoidal prism
ang Specify the front angle(s) of the trapezoidal prism. Can give a scalar for an isosceles trapezoidal prism or a list of two angles, the left angle and right angle. You must omit one of h, w1, or w2 to allow the freedom to control the angles.
shift Scalar value to shift the back of the trapezoidal prism along the X axis by. Cannot be combined with ang. Default: 0
h / height / thickness The thickness in the Z direction of the base that the texture sits on. Default: 0.1 or for inset textures 0.1 more than the inset depth
tex_size An optional 2D target size (2-vector or scalar) for the textures. Actual texture sizes are scaled somewhat to fit evenly on the available surface. Default: [5,5]
tex_reps If given instead of tex_size, a scalar or 2-vector giving the integer number of texture tile repetitions in the horizontal and vertical directions.
tex_inset If numeric, lowers the texture into the surface by the specified proportion, e.g. 0.5 would lower it half way into the surface. If true, insets by exactly its full depth. Default: false
tex_rot Rotate texture by specified angle, which must be a multiple of 90 degrees. Default: 0
tex_depth Specify texture depth; if negative, invert the texture. Default: 1.
diff if set to true then "remove" and "keep" tags are set to cut out a space for the texture so that inset textures can be attached. Default: false
tex_extra number of extra lines of a hightfield texture to add at the end. Can be a scalar or 2-vector to give x and y values. Default: 0 if tex_reps=[1,1], 1 otherwise
tex_skip number of lines of a heightfield texture to skip when starting. Can be a scalar or two vector to give x and y values. Default: 0
style vnf_vertex_array() style used to triangulate heightfield textures. Default: "min_edge"
anchor Translate so anchor point is at origin (0,0,0). See anchor. Default: BOTTOM if astyle is "tex", CENTER otherwise
spin Rotate this many degrees around the Z axis after anchor. See spin. Default: 0
orient Vector to rotate top toward, after spin. See orient. Default: UP

Example 1: Basic textured tile

textured\_tile() Example 1 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
textured_tile("trunc_diamonds", 10, tex_reps=[5,5]);



Example 2: Attaching a tile to a cube

textured\_tile() Example 2 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cuboid([12,12,4]) attach(TOP,BOT)
  textured_tile("trunc_pyramids", 10, tex_reps=[5,5],
                style="convex");



Example 3: This inset texture doesn't look obviously different, but you can see that the object is below the XY plane.

textured\_tile() Example 3 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
textured_tile("trunc_pyramids_vnf", 10, tex_reps=[5,5],
              tex_inset=true);



Example 4: Here we use the diff option combined with diff() to attach the inset texture to the front of a parent cuboid.

textured\_tile() Example 4 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
diff()
  cuboid([12,5,10]) attach(FRONT, BOT)
    textured_tile("trunc_pyramids_vnf", [10,8],
                  tex_reps=[5,5], tex_inset=true, diff=true);



Example 5: Tile shaped like a rhombic prism

textured\_tile() Example 5 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
textured_tile("ribs", w1=10, w2=10, shift=4, ysize=7,
              tex_reps=[5,1]);



Example 6: A tile shaped like a trapezoidal prism. Note that trapezoidal tiles always distort the texture, resulting in curves

textured\_tile() Example 6 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
textured_tile("diamonds", w1=10, w2=7, ysize=7, tex_reps=5);



Example 7: An inset trapezoidal tile placed into a cube

textured\_tile() Example 7 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
diff()cuboid([10,10,2])
  attach(TOP,BOT)
    textured_tile("trunc_diamonds", tex_reps=[5,5],
                  tex_inset=true, diff=true,
                  w1=8, w2=4, ysize=8);



Example 8: This example shows what happens if you set tex_extra to zero for the "pyramids" texture. Note that the texture doesn't finish. The default of tex_extra=1 produces the correct result.

textured\_tile() Example 8 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
textured_tile("pyramids", 10, tex_reps=[5,5], tex_extra=0);



Example 9: This texture has an asymmetry with the default tex_extra=1.

textured\_tile() Example 9 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
textured_tile("trunc_ribs", 10, tex_reps=[5,1]);



Example 10: It could be fixed by setting tex_extra=2, which would place an extra flat strip on the right. But another option is to use the tex_skip parameter to trim the flat part from the left. Note that we are also skipping in the y direction, but it doesn't make a difference for this texture, except that you need to have enough texture tiles to accommodate the skip, so we increased the Y reps value to 2. You can also set tex_skip to a vector.

textured\_tile() Example 10 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
textured_tile("trunc_ribs", 10, tex_reps=[5,2], tex_skip=1);



Example 11: Textures can be used to place images onto objects. Here we place a simple image into a cube, leaving a border around the image.

textured\_tile() Example 11 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
textured_tile("trunc_ribs", 10, tex_reps=[5,2], tex_skip=1);
 img = [
    [0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0],
    [0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0],
    [0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0],
    [0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0],
    [0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0],
    [0, 1, 0, 0, 0,.5,.5, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0],
    [0, 1, 0, 0, 0,.5,.5, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0],
    [0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0],
    [0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0],
    [0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0],
    [0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0],
    [0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0],
 ];
 cuboid(25) attach([TOP,FWD,RIGHT],BOT)
   textured_tile(img, [20,20], tex_reps=1);



Module: rect_tube()

Synopsis: Creates a rectangular tube. [Geom]

Topics: Shapes (3D), Attachable, VNF Generators

See Also: tube()

Usage: Typical Rectangular Tubes

  • rect_tube(h, size, isize, [center], [shift]);
  • rect_tube(h, size, wall=, [center=]);
  • rect_tube(h, isize=, wall=, [center=]);

Usage: Tapering Rectangular Tubes

  • rect_tube(h, size1=, size2=, wall=, ...);
  • rect_tube(h, isize1=, isize2=, wall=, ...);
  • rect_tube(h, size1=, size2=, isize1=, isize2=, ...);

Usage: Chamfered

  • rect_tube(h, size, isize, chamfer=, ...);
  • rect_tube(h, size, isize, chamfer1=, chamfer2= ...);
  • rect_tube(h, size, isize, ichamfer=, ...);
  • rect_tube(h, size, isize, ichamfer1=, ichamfer2= ...);
  • rect_tube(h, size, isize, chamfer=, ichamfer=, ...);

Usage: Rounded

  • rect_tube(h, size, isize, rounding=, ...);
  • rect_tube(h, size, isize, rounding1=, rounding2= ...);
  • rect_tube(h, size, isize, irounding=, ...);
  • rect_tube(h, size, isize, irounding1=, irounding2= ...);
  • rect_tube(h, size, isize, rounding=, irounding=, ...);

Usage: Attaching Children

  • rect_tube(...) ATTACHMENTS;

Description:

Creates a rectangular or prismoid tube with optional roundovers and/or chamfers. You can only round or chamfer the vertical(ish) edges. For those edges, you can specify rounding and/or chamferring per-edge, and for top and bottom, inside and outside separately.

By default if you specify a chamfer or rounding then it applies as specified to the outside, and an inside rounding is calculated to maintain constant width if your wall thickness is uniform. If the wall thickness is not uniform, the default inside rounding is calculated based on the smaller of the two wall thicknesses. Note that the values of the more specific chamfers and roundings inherit from the more general ones, so rounding2 is determined from rounding. The constant width default applies when the inner rounding and chamfer are both undef. You can give an inner chamfer or rounding as a list with undef entries if you want to specify some corner roundings and allow others to be computed.

Attachment to the rectangular tube places objects on the outside of the tube. If you need to anchor to the inside of a tube, use attach_part() with the part name "inside" to switch goeomtry to the inside.

Attachable Parts:

Attachable Part What it is
"inside" The inside of the tube

Arguments:

By Position What it does
h / l / height / length The height or length of the rectangular tube. Default: 1
size The outer [X,Y] size of the rectangular tube.
isize The inner [X,Y] size of the rectangular tube.
center If given, overrides anchor. A true value sets anchor=CENTER, false sets anchor=UP.
shift [X,Y] amount to shift the center of the top end with respect to the center of the bottom end.
By Name What it does
wall The thickness of the rectangular tube wall.
size1 The [X,Y] size of the outside of the bottom of the rectangular tube.
size2 The [X,Y] size of the outside of the top of the rectangular tube.
isize1 The [X,Y] size of the inside of the bottom of the rectangular tube.
isize2 The [X,Y] size of the inside of the top of the rectangular tube.
rounding The roundover radius for the outside edges of the rectangular tube.
rounding1 The roundover radius for the outside bottom corner of the rectangular tube.
rounding2 The roundover radius for the outside top corner of the rectangular tube.
chamfer The chamfer size for the outside edges of the rectangular tube.
chamfer1 The chamfer size for the outside bottom corner of the rectangular tube.
chamfer2 The chamfer size for the outside top corner of the rectangular tube.
irounding The roundover radius for the inside edges of the rectangular tube. Default: Computed for uniform wall thickness (see above)
irounding1 The roundover radius for the inside bottom corner of the rectangular tube.
irounding2 The roundover radius for the inside top corner of the rectangular tube.
ichamfer The chamfer size for the inside edges of the rectangular tube. Default: Computed for uniform wall thickness (see above)
ichamfer1 The chamfer size for the inside bottom corner of the rectangular tube.
ichamfer2 The chamfer size for the inside top corner of the rectangular tube.
anchor Translate so anchor point is at origin (0,0,0). See anchor. Default: BOTTOM
spin Rotate this many degrees around the Z axis after anchor. See spin. Default: 0
orient Vector to rotate top toward, after spin. See orient. Default: UP

Example 1:

rect\_tube() Example 1 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
rect_tube(size=50, wall=5, h=30);



Example 2:

rect\_tube() Example 2 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
rect_tube(size=[100,60], wall=5, h=30);



Example 3:

rect\_tube() Example 3 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
rect_tube(isize=[60,80], wall=5, h=30);



Example 4:

rect\_tube() Example 4 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
rect_tube(size=[100,60], isize=[90,50], h=30);



Example 5:

rect\_tube() Example 5 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
rect_tube(size1=[100,60], size2=[70,40], wall=5, h=30);



Example 6:

rect\_tube() Example 6 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
rect_tube(
    size1=[100,60], size2=[70,40],
    isize1=[40,20], isize2=[65,35], h=15
);



Example 7: With rounding

rect\_tube() Example 7 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
rect_tube(size=100, wall=5, rounding=10, h=30);



Example 8: With rounding

rect\_tube() Example 8 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
rect_tube(size=100, wall=5, chamfer=10, h=30);



Example 9: Outer Rounding Only

rect\_tube() Example 9 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
rect_tube(size=100, wall=5, rounding=10, irounding=0, h=30);



Example 10: Outer Chamfer Only

rect\_tube() Example 10 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
rect_tube(size=100, wall=5, chamfer=5, ichamfer=0, h=30);



Example 11: Outer Rounding, Inner Chamfer

rect\_tube() Example 11 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
rect_tube(size=100, wall=5, rounding=10, ichamfer=8, h=30);



Example 12: Inner Rounding, Outer Chamfer

rect\_tube() Example 12 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
rect_tube(size=100, wall=5, chamfer=10, irounding=8, h=30);



Example 13: Gradiant Rounding

rect\_tube() Example 13 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
rect_tube(
    size1=100, size2=80, wall=5, h=30,
    rounding1=10, rounding2=0,
    irounding1=8, irounding2=0
);



Example 14: Per Corner Rounding

rect\_tube() Example 14 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
rect_tube(
    size=100, wall=10, h=30,
    rounding=[0,5,10,15], irounding=0
);



Example 15: Per Corner Chamfer

rect\_tube() Example 15 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
rect_tube(
    size=100, wall=10, h=30,
    chamfer=[0,5,10,15], ichamfer=0
);



Example 16: Mixing Chamfer and Rounding

rect\_tube() Example 16 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
rect_tube(
    size=100, wall=10, h=30,
    chamfer=[0,10,0,20],
    rounding=[10,0,20,0]
);



Example 17: Really Mixing It Up

rect\_tube() Example 17 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
rect_tube(
    size1=[100,80], size2=[80,60],
    isize1=[50,30], isize2=[70,50], h=20,
    chamfer1=[0,5,0,10], ichamfer1=[0,3,0,8],
    chamfer2=[5,0,10,0], ichamfer2=[3,0,8,0],
    rounding1=[5,0,10,0], irounding1=[3,0,8,0],
    rounding2=[0,5,0,10], irounding2=[0,3,0,8]
);



Example 18: Some interiors chamfered, others with default rounding

rect\_tube() Example 18 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
rect_tube(
    size=100, wall=10, h=30,
    rounding=[0,10,20,30], ichamfer=[8,8,undef,undef]
);



Example 19: An example from above with a cube attached to the inside using attach_part().

rect\_tube() Example 19 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
rect_tube(
       size=100, wall=10, h=30,
       chamfer=[0,10,0,20],
       rounding=[10,0,20,0]
   )
   attach_part("inside")
   attach(BACK,BOT) cuboid(20);



Function/Module: wedge()

Synopsis: Creates a 3d triangular wedge. [Geom] [VNF]

Topics: Shapes (3D), Attachable, VNF Generators

Usage: As Module

  • wedge(size, [center], ...) [ATTACHMENTS];

Usage: As Function

  • vnf = wedge(size, [center], ...);

Description:

When called as a module, creates a 3D triangular wedge with the hypotenuse in the X+Z+ quadrant. When called as a function, creates a VNF for a 3D triangular wedge with the hypotenuse in the X+Z+ quadrant. The anchors for the wedge are the anchors of the wedge's bounding box. The named enchors listed below give the sloped face and edges, and those edge anchors have spin oriented with positive Z value in the direction of the sloped edge.

Arguments:

By Position What it does
size [width, thickness, height]. Default: [1,1,1]
center If given, overrides anchor. A true value sets anchor=CENTER, false sets anchor=UP.
By Name What it does
anchor Translate so anchor point is at origin (0,0,0). See anchor. Default: FRONT+LEFT+BOTTOM
spin Rotate this many degrees around the Z axis after anchor. See spin. Default: 0
orient Vector to rotate top toward, after spin. See orient. Default: UP

Named Anchors:

Anchor Name Position
"hypot" Center of angled wedge face, perpendicular to that face.
"hypot_left" Left side of angled wedge face, bisecting the angle between the left side and angled faces.
"hypot_right" Right side of angled wedge face, bisecting the angle between the right side and angled faces.
"top_edge" Top edge anchor which, unlike the UP anchor, points in direction that bisects the edge, and provides $edge_length and $edge_angle.
"bot_edge" The bottom tip edge with an anchor direction that properly bisects the edge and the $edge_length and $edge_angle parameters set.

Example 1: Centered

wedge() Example 1 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
wedge([20, 40, 15], center=true);



Example 2: Non-Centered

wedge() Example 2 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
wedge([20, 40, 15]);



Example 3: Standard Anchors

wedge() Example 3 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
wedge([40, 80, 30], center=true)
    show_anchors(custom=false);
color([0.5,0.5,0.5,0.1])
    cube([40, 80, 30], center=true);



Example 4: Named Anchors

wedge() Example 4 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
wedge([40, 80, 30], center=true)
    show_anchors(std=false);



Example 5: Rounding the top of the wedge using the "top_edge" anchor

wedge() Example 5 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
$fn=32;
diff()
  wedge([10,15,7])
    attach("top_edge", FWD+LEFT, inside=true)
    rounding_edge_mask(r=2, l=$edge_length+1);



Function/Module: octahedron()

Synopsis: Creates an octahedron with axis-aligned points. [Geom] [VNF]

Topics: Shapes (3D), Attachable, VNF Generators

See Also: prismoid()

Usage: As Module

  • octahedron(size, ...) [ATTACHMENTS];

Usage: As Function

  • vnf = octahedron(size, ...);

Description:

When called as a module, creates an octahedron with axis-aligned points. When called as a function, creates a VNF of an octahedron with axis-aligned points.

Arguments:

By Position What it does
size Width of the octahedron, tip to tip. Can be a 3-vector. Default: [1,1,1]
By Name What it does
anchor Translate so anchor point is at origin (0,0,0). See anchor. Default: CENTER
spin Rotate this many degrees around the Z axis after anchor. See spin. Default: 0
orient Vector to rotate top toward, after spin. See orient. Default: UP

Example 1:

octahedron() Example 1 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
octahedron(size=40);



Example 2: Anchors

octahedron() Example 2 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
octahedron(size=40) show_anchors();



Example 3:

octahedron() Example 3 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
octahedron([10,15,25]);



Section: Cylinders

Function/Module: cylinder()

Synopsis: Creates an attachable cylinder. [Geom] [VNF] [Ext]

Topics: Shapes (3D), Attachable, VNF Generators

See Also: cyl()

Usage: As Module (as in native OpenSCAD)

  • cylinder(h, r=/d=, [center=]);
  • cylinder(h, r1/d1=, r2/d2=, [center=]);

Usage: With BOSL2 anchoring and attachment extensions

  • cylinder(h, r=/d=, [center=], [anchor=], [spin=], [orient=]) [ATTACHMENTS];
  • cylinder(h, r1/d1=, r2/d2=, [center=], [anchor=], [spin=], [orient=]) [ATTACHMENTS];

Usage: As Function (BOSL2 extension)

  • vnf = cylinder(h, r=/d=, ...);
  • vnf = cylinder(h, r1/d1=, r2/d2=, ...);

Description:

Creates a 3D cylinder or conic object. This modules extends the built-in cylinder() module by adding support for attachment and by adding a function version. When called as a function, returns a VNF for a cylinder.

Arguments:

By Position What it does
h The height of the cylinder.
r1 The bottom radius of the cylinder. (Before orientation.)
r2 The top radius of the cylinder. (Before orientation.)
center If given, overrides anchor. A true value sets anchor=CENTER, false sets anchor=BOTTOM. Default: false
By Name What it does
d1 The bottom diameter of the cylinder. (Before orientation.)
d2 The top diameter of the cylinder. (Before orientation.)
r The radius of the cylinder.
d The diameter of the cylinder.
anchor Translate so anchor point is at origin (0,0,0). See anchor. Default: CENTER
spin Rotate this many degrees around the Z axis after anchor. See spin. Default: 0
orient Vector to rotate top toward, after spin. See orient. Default: UP

Example 1: By Radius

cylinder() Example 1 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
xdistribute(30) {
    cylinder(h=40, r=10);
    cylinder(h=40, r1=10, r2=5);
}



Example 2: By Diameter

cylinder() Example 2 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
xdistribute(30) {
    cylinder(h=40, d=25);
    cylinder(h=40, d1=25, d2=10);
}



Example 3: Anchoring

cylinder() Example 3 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cylinder(h=40, r1=10, r2=5, anchor=BOTTOM+FRONT);

Example 4: Spin

cylinder() Example 4 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cylinder(h=40, r1=10, r2=5, anchor=BOTTOM+FRONT, spin=45);

Example 5: Orient

cylinder() Example 5 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cylinder(h=40, r1=10, r2=5, anchor=BOTTOM+FRONT, spin=45, orient=FWD);

Example 6: Standard Connectors

cylinder() Example 6 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
xdistribute(40) {
    cylinder(h=30, d=25) show_anchors();
    cylinder(h=30, d1=25, d2=10) show_anchors();
}

Function/Module: cyl()

Synopsis: Creates an attachable cylinder with roundovers and chamfering. [Geom] [VNF]

Topics: Cylinders, Textures, Rounding, Chamfers

See Also: regular_prism(), texture(), rotate_sweep(), cylinder()

Usage: Normal Cylinders

  • cyl(l|h|length|height, r, [center], [circum=], [realign=]) [ATTACHMENTS];
  • cyl(l|h|length|height, d=, ...) [ATTACHMENTS];
  • cyl(l|h|length|height, r1=, r2=, ...) [ATTACHMENTS];
  • cyl(l|h|length|height, d1=, d2=, ...) [ATTACHMENTS];

Usage: Chamferred Cylinders

  • cyl(l|h|length|height, r|d, chamfer=, [chamfang=], [from_end=], ...);
  • cyl(l|h|length|height, r|d, chamfer1=, [chamfang1=], [from_end=], ...);
  • cyl(l|h|length|height, r|d, chamfer2=, [chamfang2=], [from_end=], ...);
  • cyl(l|h|length|height, r|d, chamfer1=, chamfer2=, [chamfang1=], [chamfang2=], [from_end=], ...);

Usage: Rounded End Cylinders

  • cyl(l|h|length|height, r|d, rounding=, [teardrop=], [clip_angle=], ...);
  • cyl(l|h|length|height, r|d, rounding1=, [teardrop=], [clip_angle=], ...);
  • cyl(l|h|length|height, r|d, rounding2=, [teardrop=], [clip_angle=], ...);
  • cyl(l|h|length|height, r|d, rounding1=, rounding2=, [teardrop=], [clip_angle=], ...);

Usage: Textured Cylinders

  • cyl(l|h|length|height, r|d, texture=, [tex_size=]|[tex_reps=], [tex_depth=], [tex_rot=], [tex_samples=], [style=], [tex_taper=], [tex_inset=], ...);
  • cyl(l|h|length|height, r1=, r2=, texture=, [tex_size=]|[tex_reps=], [tex_depth=], [tex_rot=], [tex_samples=], [style=], [tex_taper=], [tex_inset=], ...);
  • cyl(l|h|length|height, d1=, d2=, texture=, [tex_size=]|[tex_reps=], [tex_depth=], [tex_rot=], [tex_samples=], [style=], [tex_taper=], [tex_inset=], ...);

Usage: Called as a function to get a VNF

  • vnf = cyl(...);

Description:

Creates cylinders in various anchorings and orientations, with optional rounding, chamfers, or textures. You can use h and l interchangably, and all variants allow specifying size by either r|d, or r1|d1 and r2|d2. Note: the chamfers and rounding cannot be cumulatively longer than the cylinder or cone's sloped side. The more specific parameters like chamfer1 or rounding2 override the more general ones like chamfer or rounding, so if you specify rounding=3, chamfer2=3 you get a chamfer at the top and rounding at the bottom. You can specify extra height at either end for use with difference(); the extra height is ignored by anchoring.

You can apply a texture to the cylinder using the usual texture parameters. See Texturing for more details on how textures work. When creating a textured cylinder, the number of facets is determined by the sampling of the texture. Any $fn, $fa or $fs values in effect are ignored. To create a textured prism with a specified number of flat facets use regular_prism(). Anchors for cylinders appear on the ideal cylinder, not on actual discretized shape the module produces. For anchors on the shape surface, use regular_prism().

Note that when chamfering or rounding, the angle of chamfers is done at the face of the facets of the shape. If circum=false (the default) then the radius or chamfer length is measured at the corner of the shape. If circum=true then the radius or chamfer length applies in the more usual way in the center of a facet. For cylinders with a large $fn the difference between these two things is negligible, but it can be quite sigificant when $fn is small.

Figure 2.2.1: Chamfers on cones can be tricky. This figure shows chamfers of the same size and same angle, A=30 degrees. Note that the angle is measured on the inside, and produces a quite different looking chamfer at the top and bottom of the cone. Straight black arrows mark the size of the chamfers, which may not even appear the same size visually. When you do not give an angle, the triangle that is cut off will be isoceles, like the triangle at the top, with two equal angles.

cyl() Figure 2.2.1

Figure 2.2.2: The cone in this example is narrow but has the same slope. With negative chamfers, the angle A=30 degrees is on the outside. The chamfers are again quite different looking. As before, the default features two congruent angles, and in this case it happens at the bottom of the cone but not the top. The straight arrows again show the size of the chamfer.

cyl() Figure 2.2.2

Arguments:

By Position What it does
l / h / length / height Length of cylinder along oriented axis. Default: 1
r Radius of cylinder. Default: 1
center If given, overrides anchor. A true value sets anchor=CENTER, false sets anchor=DOWN.
By Name What it does
r1 Radius of the negative (X-, Y-, Z-) end of cylinder.
r2 Radius of the positive (X+, Y+, Z+) end of cylinder.
d Diameter of cylinder.
d1 Diameter of the negative (X-, Y-, Z-) end of cylinder.
d2 Diameter of the positive (X+, Y+, Z+) end of cylinder.
circum If true, cylinder should circumscribe the circle of the given size. Otherwise inscribes. Default: false
shift [X,Y] amount to shift the center of the top end with respect to the center of the bottom end.
chamfer The size of the chamfers on the ends of the cylinder. (Also see: from_end=) Default: none.
chamfer1 The size of the chamfer on the bottom end of the cylinder. (Also see: from_end1=) Default: none.
chamfer2 The size of the chamfer on the top end of the cylinder. (Also see: from_end2=) Default: none.
chamfang The angle in degrees of the chamfers away from the ends of the cylinder. Default: Chamfer angle is halfway between the endcap and cone face.
chamfang1 The angle in degrees of the bottom chamfer away from the bottom end of the cylinder. Default: Chamfer angle is halfway between the endcap and cone face.
chamfang2 The angle in degrees of the top chamfer away from the top end of the cylinder. Default: Chamfer angle is halfway between the endcap and cone face.
from_end If true, chamfer is measured along the conic face from the ends of the cylinder, instead of inset from the edge. Default: false.
from_end1 If true, chamfer on the bottom end of the cylinder is measured along the conic face from the end of the cylinder, instead of inset from the edge. Default: false.
from_end2 If true, chamfer on the top end of the cylinder is measured along the conic face from the end of the cylinder, instead of inset from the edge. Default: false.
rounding The radius of the rounding on the ends of the cylinder. Default: none.
rounding1 The radius of the rounding on the bottom end of the cylinder.
rounding2 The radius of the rounding on the top end of the cylinder.
extra Add extra height at both ends that is invisible to anchoring for use with differencing. Default: 0
extra1 Add extra height to the bottom end
extra2 Add extra height to the top end.
realign If true, rotate the cylinder by half the angle of one face.
teardrop If given as a number, rounding around the bottom edge of the cylinder won't exceed this many degrees from horizontal. If true, the limit angle is 45 degrees. Default: false
clip_angle If given as a number, rounding around the bottom edge of the cylinder won't exceed this many degrees from horizontal, with the rounding stopping at the bottom of the cylinder. Default: (no clipping)
texture A texture name string, or a rectangular array of scalar height values (0.0 to 1.0), or a VNF tile that defines the texture to apply to vertical surfaces. See texture() for what named textures are supported.
tex_size An optional 2D target size (2-vector or scalar) for the textures. Actual texture sizes are scaled somewhat to fit evenly on the available surface. Default: [5,5]
tex_reps If given instead of tex_size, a scalar or 2-vector giving the integer number of texture tile repetitions in the horizontal and vertical directions.
tex_inset If numeric, lowers the texture into the surface by the specified proportion, e.g. 0.5 would lower it halfway into the surface. If true, insets by exactly its full depth. Default: false
tex_rot Rotate texture by specified angle, which must be a multiple of 90 degrees. Default: 0
tex_depth Specify texture depth; if negative, invert the texture. Default: 1.
tex_samples Minimum number of "bend points" to have in VNF texture tiles. Default: 8
tex_taper The tex_taper parameter to rotate_sweep(). If given as a number, tapers the texture depth to zero at the ends over the specified fraction of the height. You can also give a lookup table or function to create custom depth taperings across the height of the cylinder. The lookup table or function should be defined on the interval [0,1] where 0 gives the depth multiplier at the bottom and 1 the depth multiplier at the top. Default: no taper
style vnf_vertex_array() style used to triangulate heightfield textures. Default: "min_edge"
anchor Translate so anchor point is at origin (0,0,0). See anchor. Default: CENTER
spin Rotate this many degrees around the Z axis after anchor. See spin. Default: 0
orient Vector to rotate top toward, after spin. See orient. Default: UP

Example 1: By radius

cyl() Example 1 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
xdistribute(30) {
    cyl(l=40, r=10);
    cyl(l=40, r1=10, r2=5);
}



Example 2: By diameter

cyl() Example 2 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
xdistribute(30) {
    cyl(l=40, d=25);
    cyl(l=40, d1=25, d2=10);
}



Example 3: Chamferring

cyl() Example 3 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
xdistribute(60) {
    // Shown Left to right.
    cyl(l=40, d=40, chamfer=7);  // Default chamfang=45
    cyl(l=40, d=40, chamfer=7, chamfang=30, from_end=false);
    cyl(l=40, d=40, chamfer=7, chamfang=30, from_end=true);
}



Example 4: Rounding

cyl() Example 4 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cyl(l=40, d=40, rounding=10);



Example 5: Teardrop Bottom Rounding

cyl() Example 5 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cyl(l=40, d=40, rounding=10, teardrop=true);



Example 6: Clipped Bottom Rounding

cyl() Example 6 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cyl(l=40, d=40, rounding=10, clip_angle=40);



Example 7: Heterogenous Chamfers and Rounding

cyl() Example 7 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
ydistribute(80) {
    // Shown Front to Back.
    cyl(l=40, d=40, rounding1=15, orient=UP);
    cyl(l=40, d=40, chamfer2=5, orient=UP);
    cyl(l=40, d=40, chamfer1=12, rounding2=10, orient=UP);
}



Example 8: Putting it all together

cyl() Example 8 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cyl(
    l=20, d1=25, d2=15,
    chamfer1=5, chamfang1=60,
    from_end=true, rounding2=5
);



Example 9: External chamfers

cyl() Example 9 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cyl(l=50, r=30, chamfer=-5, chamfang=30, $fa=1, $fs=1);



Example 10: External Roundings

cyl() Example 10 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cyl(l=50, r=30, rounding1=-5, rounding2=5, $fa=1, $fs=1);



Example 11: Standard Connectors

cyl() Example 11 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
xdistribute(40) {
    cyl(l=30, d=25) show_anchors();
    cyl(l=30, d1=25, d2=10) show_anchors();
}



Example 12: Texturing with heightfield diamonds

cyl() Example 12 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cyl(h=40, r=20, texture="diamonds", tex_size=[5,5]);



Example 13: Texturing with heightfield pyramids

cyl() Example 13 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cyl(h=40, r1=20, r2=15,
    texture="pyramids", tex_size=[5,5],
    style="convex");



Example 14: Texturing with heightfield truncated pyramids

cyl() Example 14 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cyl(h=40, r1=20, r2=15, chamfer=5,
    texture="trunc_pyramids",
    tex_size=[5,5], style="convex");



Example 15: Texturing with VNF tile "dots"

cyl() Example 15 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cyl(h=40, r1=20, r2=15, rounding=9,
    texture="dots", tex_size=[5,5],
    tex_samples=6);



Example 16: Texturing with VNF tile "bricks_vnf"

cyl() Example 16 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cyl(h=50, r1=25, r2=20, shift=[0,10], rounding1=-10,
    texture="bricks_vnf", tex_size=[10,10],
    tex_depth=0.5, style="concave");



Example 17: No Texture Taper

cyl() Example 17 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cyl(d1=25, d2=20, h=30, rounding=5,
    texture="trunc_ribs", tex_size=[5,1]);



Example 18: Taper Texure at Extreme Ends

cyl() Example 18 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cyl(d1=25, d2=20, h=30, rounding=5,
    texture="trunc_ribs", tex_taper=0,
    tex_size=[5,1]);



Example 19: Taper Texture over First and Last 10%

cyl() Example 19 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cyl(d1=25, d2=20, h=30, rounding=5,
    texture="trunc_ribs", tex_taper=0.1,
    tex_size=[5,1]);



Example 20: Making a Clay Pattern Roller

cyl() Example 20 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
tex = [
    [0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,],
    [0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,],
    [1,1,1,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,],
    [1,1,1,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,],
    [0,1,1,0,0,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,],
    [0,1,1,0,0,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,],
    [0,1,1,0,0,1,1,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,],
    [0,1,1,0,0,1,1,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,],
    [0,1,1,0,0,1,1,0,0,1,1,0,0,1,1,0,],
    [0,1,1,0,0,1,1,0,0,1,1,0,0,1,1,0,],
    [0,1,1,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,1,1,0,],
    [0,1,1,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,1,1,0,],
    [0,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,0,],
    [0,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,0,],
    [0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,],
    [0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,],
    [0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,],
];
diff()
cyl(d=20*10/PI, h=10, chamfer=0,
    texture=tex, tex_reps=[20,1], tex_depth=-1,
    style="concave") {
        attach([TOP,BOT]) {
            cyl(d1=20*10/PI, d2=30, h=5, anchor=BOT)
                attach(TOP) {
                    tag("remove") zscale(0.5) up(3) sphere(d=15);
                }
        }
}

Function/Module: xcyl()

Synopsis: Creates a cylinder oriented along the X axis. [Geom] [VNF]

Topics: Cylinders, Textures, Rounding, Chamfers

See Also: texture(), rotate_sweep(), cyl()

Usage: Typical

  • xcyl(l|h|length|height, r|d=, [anchor=], ...) [ATTACHMENTS];
  • xcyl(l|h|length|height, r1=|d1=, r2=|d2=, [anchor=], ...) [ATTACHMENTS];

Description:

Creates an attachable cylinder with roundovers, chamfering, and optional texture, oriented along the X axis.

Used as a function, this is a shortcut for cyl() with orient=RIGHT, but otherwise using the same arguments excluding orient, which is not accepted. Used as a module, the difference from cyl() is in the anchors, which don't get reoriented with the cylinder but maintain the orientations you specify. For example, top and right anchors on xcyl() are on the top curved surface and the right (positive x) end, respectively, whereas with cyl() these anchors are associated with the top end and right side.

See [cyl()] for more detailed usage and arguments.

Example 1: By radius. The cone shows anchor arrows for TOP and RIGHT.

xcyl() Example 1 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
ydistribute(50) {
    xcyl(l=35, r=10);
    xcyl(l=35, r1=15, r2=5) {
        attach(TOP) anchor_arrow();
        attach(RIGHT) anchor_arrow();
    }
}



Example 2: By diameter

xcyl() Example 2 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
ydistribute(50) {
    xcyl(l=35, d=20);
    xcyl(l=35, d1=30, d2=10);
}



Function/Module: ycyl()

Synopsis: Creates a cylinder oriented along the y axis. [Geom] [VNF]

Topics: Cylinders, Textures, Rounding, Chamfers

See Also: texture(), rotate_sweep(), cyl()

Description:

Creates an attachable cylinder with roundovers, chamfering, and optional texture, oriented along the Y axis.

Used as a function, this is a shortcut for cyl() with orient=BACK, but otherwise using the same arguments excluding orient, which is not accepted. Used as a module, the difference from cyl() is in the anchors, which don't get reoriented with the cylinder but maintain the orientations you specify. For example, top and right anchors on ycyl() are on the top and right of the curved cylinder surface, respectively, whereas with cyl() these anchors are associated with the top end and right side.

See [cyl()] for more detailed usage and arguments.

Example 1: By radius. The cone shows anchor arrows for TOP and RIGHT.

ycyl() Example 1 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
xdistribute(50) {
    ycyl(l=35, r=10);
    ycyl(l=35, r1=15, r2=5) {
        attach(TOP) anchor_arrow();
        attach(RIGHT) anchor_arrow();
    }
}



Example 2: By diameter

ycyl() Example 2 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
xdistribute(50) {
    ycyl(l=35, d=20);
    ycyl(l=35, d1=30, d2=10);
}



Module: zcyl()

Synopsis: Creates a cylinder oriented along the y axis. [Geom] [VNF]

Topics: Cylinders, Textures, Rounding, Chamfers

See Also: texture(), rotate_sweep(), cyl()

Description:

Pass-through to [cyl()]. Creates an attachable cylinder with roundovers, chamfering, and optional texture, oriented along the Z axis.

This is a shortcut for cyl() with orient=UP (which is also the default for [cyl()]), but otherwise using the same arguments excluding orient, which is not accepted. Unlike xcyl() and ycyl(), anchoring for zcyl() works the same as for cyl().

See [cyl()] for more detailed usage and arguments.

Example 1: By radius. The cone shows anchor arrows for TOP and RIGHT, which for zcyl() work the same as for cyl().

zcyl() Example 1 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
xdistribute(50) {
    zcyl(l=35, r=10);
    zcyl(l=35, r1=15, r2=5) {
        attach(TOP) anchor_arrow();
        attach(RIGHT) anchor_arrow();
    }
}



Example 2: By diameter

zcyl() Example 2 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
xdistribute(50) {
    zcyl(l=35, d=20);
    zcyl(l=35, d1=30, d2=10);
}



Module: tube()

Synopsis: Creates a cylindrical or conical tube. [Geom]

Topics: Shapes (3D), Attachable, VNF Generators

See Also: rect_tube()

Usage: Basic cylindrical tube, specifying inner and outer radius or diameter

  • tube(h|l, or, ir, [center], [realign=], [anchor=], [spin=],[orient=]) [ATTACHMENTS];
  • tube(h|l, od=, id=, ...) [ATTACHMENTS];

Usage: Specify wall thickness

  • tube(h|l, or|od=|ir=|id=, wall=, ...) [ATTACHMENTS];

Usage: Conical tubes

  • tube(h|l, ir1=|id1=, ir2=|id2=, or1=|od1=, or2=|od2=, ...) [ATTACHMENTS];
  • tube(h|l, or1=|od1=, or2=|od2=, wall=, ...) [ATTACHMENTS];

Usage: Rounded and chamfered tubes

  • tube(..., [rounding=], [irounding=], [orounding=], [rounding1=], [rounding2=], [irounding1=], [irounding2=], [orounding1=], [orounding2=], [teardrop=], [clip_angle=]);
  • tube(..., [chamfer=], [ichamfer=], [ochamfer=], [chamfer1=], [chamfer2=], [ichamfer1=], [ichamfer2=], [ochamfer1=], [ochamfer2=]);

Description:

Makes a hollow tube that can be cylindrical or conical by specifying inner and outer dimensions or by giving one dimension and wall thickness.

Chamfering and rounding lengths are measured based on the corners of the object except for the inner diameter when circum=true, in which case chamfers and roundings are measured from the facets. This matters only when $fn is small.

Attachment to the tube places objects on the outside of the tube. If you need to anchor to the inside of a tube, use attach_part() with the part name "inside" to switch goeomtry to the inside.

Attachable Parts:

Attachable Part What it is
"inside" The inside of the tube

Arguments:

By Position What it does
h / l / height / length height of tube. Default: 1
or Outer radius of tube. Default: 1
ir Inner radius of tube.
center If given, overrides anchor. A true value sets anchor=CENTER, false sets anchor=DOWN.
By Name What it does
od Outer diameter of tube.
id Inner diameter of tube.
wall horizontal thickness of tube wall. Default 1
or1 Outer radius of bottom of tube. Default: value of r)
or2 Outer radius of top of tube. Default: value of r)
od1 Outer diameter of bottom of tube.
od2 Outer diameter of top of tube.
ir1 Inner radius of bottom of tube.
ir2 Inner radius of top of tube.
id1 Inner diameter of bottom of tube.
id2 Inner diameter of top of tube.
ifn Set the number of facets on the inside of the tube.
circum If true, the tube hole circumscribes the circle of the given size. Otherwise inscribes. Default: false
shift [X,Y] amount to shift the center of the top end with respect to the center of the bottom end.
rounding The radius of the rounding on the ends of the tube. Default: none.
rounding1 The radius of the rounding on the bottom end of the tube.
rounding2 The radius of the rounding on the top end of the tube.
irounding The radius of the rounding on the inside of the ends of the tube.
irounding1 The radius of the rounding on the bottom inside end of the tube.
irounding2 The radius of the rounding on the top inside end of the tube.
orounding The radius of the rounding on the outside of the ends of the tube.
orounding1 The radius of the rounding on the bottom outside end of the tube.
orounding2 The radius of the rounding on the top outside end of the tube.
rounding_fn Set $fn for roundings.
chamfer The size of the chamfer on the ends of the tube. Default: none.
chamfer1 The size of the chamfer on the bottom end of the tube.
chamfer2 The size of the chamfer on the top end of the tube.
ichamfer The size of the chamfer on the inside of the ends of the tube.
ichamfer1 The size of the chamfer on the bottom inside end of the tube.
ichamfer2 The size of the chamfer on the top inside end of the tube.
ochamfer The size of the chamfer on the outside of the ends of the tube.
ochamfer1 The size of the chamfer on the bottom outside end of the tube.
ochamfer2 The size of the chamfer on the top outside end of the tube.
teardrop If given as a number, rounding around the bottom edges won't exceed this many degrees from the endcap, altering to a chamfer at that angle. If true, the limit angle is 45 degrees. Default: false
clip_angle If given as a number, rounding around the bottom edges won't exceed this many degrees from the endcap, with the rounding stopping at the bottom of the shape. Default: (no clipping)
realign If true, rotate the inner and outer parts tube by half the angle of one face so that a face is aligned at the X+ axis. Default: False
anchor Translate so anchor point is at origin (0,0,0). See anchor. Default: CENTER
spin Rotate this many degrees around the Z axis after anchor. See spin. Default: 0
orient Vector to rotate top toward, after spin. See orient. Default: UP

Example 1: These all Produce the Same Tube

tube() Example 1 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
tube(h=30, or=40, wall=5);
tube(h=30, ir=35, wall=5);
tube(h=30, or=40, ir=35);
tube(h=30, od=80, id=70);



Example 2: These all Produce the Same Conical Tube

tube() Example 2 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
tube(h=30, or1=40, or2=25, wall=5);
tube(h=30, ir1=35, ir2=20, wall=5);
tube(h=30, or1=40, or2=25, ir1=35, ir2=20);



Example 3: Circular Wedge

tube() Example 3 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
tube(h=30, or1=40, or2=30, ir1=20, ir2=30);



Example 4: Standard Connectors

tube() Example 4 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
tube(h=30, or=40, wall=5) show_anchors();



Example 5: Chamfered tube

tube() Example 5 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
back_half()
  tube(ir=10,or=20, h=30, chamfer=2);



Example 6: Rounded tube

tube() Example 6 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
back_half()
  tube(ir=10,or=20,or2=5,ir2=2, h=30,
      rounding1=5, rounding2=1.5);



Example 7: Rounded conical tube, with negative rounding at base

tube() Example 7 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
back_half()
  tube(ir=10,or=20,or2=5,ir2=2, h=30, rounding1=-5,rounding2=1.5);

Example 8: Teardrop bottom rounding

tube() Example 8 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
back_half()
  tube(ir=10,or=20,or2=5,ir2=2, h=30,
      rounding1=5, rounding2=1.5, teardrop=true);



Example 9: Clipped bottom rounding

tube() Example 9 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
back_half()
  tube(ir=10,or=20,or2=5,ir2=2, h=30,
      rounding1=5, rounding2=1.5, clip_angle=40);



Example 10: Mixing chamfers and roundings

tube() Example 10 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
back_half()
  tube(ir=10,or=20,h=30, ochamfer1=-5,irounding1=-3, orounding2=6, ichamfer2=2);

Example 11: Tube with a square hole circumscribing its diameter

tube() Example 11 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
tube(od=22, id=9, h=10, $fn=48, ifn=4, circum=true);
half_of(v=[-1,1]) color("lightblue") cyl(d=9, h=12, $fn=32);



Example 12: Round ended hexagonal tube using rounding_fn to get sufficient facets on the roundings

tube() Example 12 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
tube(or=10, ir=7, h=10, $fn=6, rounding_fn=64, rounding=1.3, teardrop=true);

Example 13: This example shows a regular attachment to the outside of the tube in light blue and then using attach_part() to attach the pink cube to the inside of the tube.

tube() Example 13 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
tube(ir1=10,ir2=20,h=20, wall=3){
  color("lightblue")attach(RIGHT,BOT) cuboid(4);
  color("pink")
     attach_part("inside")
     attach(BACK,BOT) cuboid(4);
}



Function/Module: pie_slice()

Synopsis: Creates a pie slice shape. [Geom] [VNF]

Topics: Shapes (3D), Attachable, VNF Generators

See Also: wedge()

Usage: As Module

  • pie_slice(l|h=|height=|length=, r, ang, [center]);
  • pie_slice(l|h=|height=|length=, d=, ang=, ...);
  • pie_slice(l|h=|height=|length=, r1=|d1=, r2=|d2=, ang=, ...);

Usage: As Function

  • vnf = pie_slice(l|h=|height=|length=, r, ang, [center]);
  • vnf = pie_slice(l|h=|height=|length=, d=, ang=, ...);
  • vnf = pie_slice(l|h=|height=|length=, r1=|d1=, r2=|d2=, ang=, ...);

Usage: Attaching Children

  • pie_slice(l|h, r, ang, ...) ATTACHMENTS;

Description:

Creates a pie slice shape.

Arguments:

By Position What it does
h / l / height / length height of pie slice.
r radius of pie slice.
ang pie slice angle in degrees.
center If given, overrides anchor. A true value sets anchor=CENTER, false sets anchor=UP.
By Name What it does
r1 bottom radius of pie slice.
r2 top radius of pie slice.
d diameter of pie slice.
d1 bottom diameter of pie slice.
d2 top diameter of pie slice.
anchor Translate so anchor point is at origin (0,0,0). See anchor. Default: CENTER
spin Rotate this many degrees around the Z axis after anchor. See spin. Default: 0
orient Vector to rotate top toward, after spin. See orient. Default: UP

Example 1: Cylindrical Pie Slice

pie\_slice() Example 1 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
pie_slice(ang=45, l=20, r=30);



Example 2: Conical Pie Slice

pie\_slice() Example 2 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
pie_slice(ang=60, l=20, d1=50, d2=70);



Example 3: Big Slice

pie\_slice() Example 3 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
pie_slice(ang=300, l=20, d1=50, d2=70);



Example 4: Generating a VNF

pie\_slice() Example 4 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
vnf = pie_slice(ang=150, l=20, r1=30, r2=50);
vnf_polyhedron(vnf);



Section: Other Round Objects

Function/Module: sphere()

Synopsis: Creates an attachable spherical object. [Geom] [VNF] [Ext]

Topics: Shapes (3D), Attachable, VNF Generators

See Also: spheroid()

Usage: As Module (native OpenSCAD)

  • sphere(r|d=);

Usage: Using BOSL2 attachments extensions

  • sphere(r|d=, [anchor=], [spin=], [orient=]) [ATTACHMENTS];

Usage: As Function (BOSL2 extension)

  • vnf = sphere(r|d=, [anchor=], [spin=], [orient=]) [ATTACHMENTS];

Description:

Creates a sphere object. This module extends the built-in sphere() module by providing support for BOSL2 anchoring and attachments, and a function form. When called as a function, returns a VNF for a sphere.

Arguments:

By Position What it does
r Radius of the sphere.
By Name What it does
d Diameter of the sphere.
anchor Translate so anchor point is at origin (0,0,0). See anchor. Default: CENTER
spin Rotate this many degrees around the Z axis after anchor. See spin. Default: 0
orient Vector to rotate top toward, after spin. See orient. Default: UP

Example 1: By Radius

sphere() Example 1 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
sphere(r=50);



Example 2: By Diameter

sphere() Example 2 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
sphere(d=100);



Example 3: Anchoring

sphere() Example 3 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
sphere(d=100, anchor=FRONT);



Example 4: Spin

sphere() Example 4 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
sphere(d=100, anchor=FRONT, spin=45);



Example 5: Orientation

sphere() Example 5 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
sphere(d=100, anchor=FRONT, spin=45, orient=FWD);



Example 6: Standard Connectors

sphere() Example 6 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
sphere(d=50) show_anchors();



Function/Module: spheroid()

Synopsis: Creates an attachable spherical object with controllable triangulation. [Geom] [VNF]

Topics: Shapes (3D), Attachable, VNF Generators

See Also: sphere()

Usage: Typical

  • spheroid(r|d, [circum], [style]) [ATTACHMENTS];

Usage: As Function

  • vnf = spheroid(r|d, [circum], [style]);

Description:

Creates a spheroid object, with support for anchoring and attachments. This is a drop-in replacement for the built-in sphere() module. When called as a function, returns a VNF for a spheroid. The exact triangulation of this spheroid can be controlled via the style= argument, where the value can be one of "orig", "aligned", "stagger", "octa", or "icosa".

  • style="orig" constructs a sphere the same way that the OpenSCAD sphere() built-in does.
  • style="aligned" constructs a sphere where, if $fn is a multiple of 4, it has vertices at all axis maxima and minima. ie: its bounding box is exactly the sphere diameter in length on all three axes. This is the default.
  • style="stagger" forms a sphere where all faces are triangular, but the top and bottom poles have thinner triangles.
  • style="octa" forms a sphere by subdividing an octahedron. This makes more uniform faces over the entirety of the sphere, and guarantees the bounding box is the sphere diameter in size on all axes. The effective $fn value is quantized to a multiple of 4. This is used in constructing rounded corners for various other shapes.
  • style="icosa" forms a sphere by subdividing an icosahedron. This makes even more uniform faces over the whole sphere. The effective $fn value is quantized to a multiple of 5. This sphere has a guaranteed bounding box when $fn is a multiple of 10.

By default the object spheroid() produces is a polyhedron whose vertices all lie on the requested sphere. This means the approximating polyhedron is inscribed in the sphere. The circum argument requests a circumscribing sphere, where the true sphere is inside and tangent to all the faces of the approximating polyhedron. To produce a circumscribing polyhedron, we use the dual polyhedron of the basic form. The dual of a polyhedron is a new polyhedron whose vertices are obtained from the faces of the parent polyhedron. The "orig" and "align" forms are duals of each other. If you request a circumscribing polyhedron in these styles then the polyhedron looks the same as the default inscribing form. But for the other styles, the duals are completely different from their parents, and from each other. Generation of the circumscribed versions (duals) for "octa" and "icosa" is fast if you use the module form but can be slow (several minutes) if you use the functional form and choose a large $fn value.

With style="align", the circumscribed sphere has its maximum radius on the X and Y axes but is undersized on the Z axis. With style="octa" the circumscribed sphere has faces at each axis, so the radius on the axes is equal to the specified radius, which is the minimum radius of the circumscribed sphere. The same thing is true for style="icosa" when $fn is a multiple of 10. This enables you to create spherical holes with guaranteed on-axis dimensions.

The "octa" style has the property that it blends neatly with a cylinder of the same $fn along any of the coordinate axes. This is true for both the regular and circumscribed "octa" spheroid.

Arguments:

By Position What it does
r Radius of the spheroid.
style The style of the spheroid's construction. One of "orig", "aligned", "stagger", "octa", or "icosa". Default: "aligned"
By Name What it does
d Diameter of the spheroid.
circum If true, the approximate sphere circumscribes the true sphere of the requested size. Otherwise inscribes. Note that for some styles, the circumscribed sphere looks different than the inscribed sphere. Default: false (inscribes)
anchor Translate so anchor point is at origin (0,0,0). See anchor. Default: CENTER
spin Rotate this many degrees around the Z axis after anchor. See spin. Default: 0
orient Vector to rotate top toward, after spin. See orient. Default: UP

Example 1: By Radius

spheroid() Example 1 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
spheroid(r=50);



Example 2: By Diameter

spheroid() Example 2 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
spheroid(d=100);



Example 3: style="orig"

spheroid() Example 3 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
spheroid(d=100, style="orig", $fn=10);



Example 4: style="aligned"

spheroid() Example 4 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
spheroid(d=100, style="aligned", $fn=10);



Example 5: style="stagger"

spheroid() Example 5 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
spheroid(d=100, style="stagger", $fn=10);



Example 6: style="stagger" with circum=true

spheroid() Example 6 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
spheroid(d=100, style="stagger", circum=true, $fn=10);



Example 7: style="octa", octahedral based tesselation. In this style, $fn is quantized to a multiple of 4.

spheroid() Example 7 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
spheroid(d=100, style="octa", $fn=10);



Example 8: style="octa", with circum=true, produces mostly irregular hexagonal faces

spheroid() Example 8 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
spheroid(d=100, style="octa", circum=true, $fn=16);



Example 9: style="icosa", icosahedral based tesselation. In this style, $fn is quantized to a multiple of 5.

spheroid() Example 9 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
spheroid(d=100, style="icosa", $fn=10);



Example 10: style="icosa", circum=true. This style has hexagons and 12 pentagons, similar to (but not the same as) a soccer ball.

spheroid() Example 10 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
spheroid(d=100, style="icosa", circum=true, $fn=10);



Example 11: Joining "octa" style spheroid to a x-aligned cylinder

spheroid() Example 11 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
$fn=16;
spheroid(r=10, style="octa");
xcyl(r=10, h=15, anchor=RIGHT);



Example 12: Joining "octa" style spheroid to a x-aligned cylinder with circum=true. Here the sphere is green and the cylinder a tiny bit oversized to prevent z-fighting where the faces of the cylinder and sphere overlap.

spheroid() Example 12 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
$fn=16;
color("lightblue")spheroid(r=10, style="octa", circum=true);
xcyl(r=10.01, h=15, anchor=RIGHT, circum=true);



Example 13: Anchoring

spheroid() Example 13 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
spheroid(d=100, anchor=FRONT);



Example 14: Spin

spheroid() Example 14 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
spheroid(d=100, anchor=FRONT, spin=45);



Example 15: Orientation

spheroid() Example 15 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
spheroid(d=100, anchor=FRONT, spin=45, orient=FWD);



Example 16: Standard Connectors

spheroid() Example 16 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
spheroid(d=50) show_anchors();



Example 17: Called as Function

spheroid() Example 17 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
vnf = spheroid(d=100, style="icosa");
vnf_polyhedron(vnf);



Example 18: With "orig" the circumscribing sphere has the same form. The green sphere has a very high $fn so it is very close to spherical, and it is a tiny bit oversized so it pokes through the low points in the circumscribed sphere with low $fn. An equal sized green dot in the middle of every face demonstrates that these spheres are in fact circumscribing.

spheroid() Example 18 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
color("green")spheroid(r=10.01, $fn=256);
spheroid(r=10, style="orig", circum=true, $fn=16);



Example 19: With "aligned" the same is true: the circumscribing sphere is also aligned, if $fn is divisible by 4.

spheroid() Example 19 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
color("green")spheroid(r=10.01, $fn=256);
spheroid(r=10, style="aligned", circum=true, $fn=16);



Example 20: For the other styles, the circumscribing sphere is different, as shown here with "stagger"

spheroid() Example 20 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
color("green")spheroid(r=10.01, $fn=256);
spheroid(r=10, style="stagger", circum=true, $fn=16);



Example 21: The dual of "octa" that provides the circumscribing sphere has weird asymmetric hexagonal faces:

spheroid() Example 21 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
color("green")spheroid(r=10.01, $fn=256);
spheroid(r=10, style="octa", circum=true, $fn=16);



Example 22: The dual of "icosa" features hexagons and always 12 pentagons:

spheroid() Example 22 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
color("green")spheroid(r=10.01, $fn=256);
spheroid(r=10, style="icosa", circum=true, $fn=16);



Function/Module: torus()

Synopsis: Creates an attachable torus. [Geom] [VNF]

Topics: Shapes (3D), Attachable, VNF Generators

See Also: spheroid(), cyl()

Usage: As Module

  • torus(r_maj|d_maj, r_min|d_min, [center], ...) [ATTACHMENTS];
  • torus(or|od, ir|id, ...) [ATTACHMENTS];
  • torus(r_maj|d_maj, or|od, ...) [ATTACHMENTS];
  • torus(r_maj|d_maj, ir|id, ...) [ATTACHMENTS];
  • torus(r_min|d_min, or|od, ...) [ATTACHMENTS];
  • torus(r_min|d_min, ir|id, ...) [ATTACHMENTS];

Usage: As Function

  • vnf = torus(r_maj|d_maj, r_min|d_min, [center], ...);
  • vnf = torus(or|od, ir|id, ...);
  • vnf = torus(r_maj|d_maj, or|od, ...);
  • vnf = torus(r_maj|d_maj, ir|id, ...);
  • vnf = torus(r_min|d_min, or|od, ...);
  • vnf = torus(r_min|d_min, ir|id, ...);

Description:

Creates an attachable toroidal shape.

Figure 3.3.1:

torus() Figure 3.3.1

Arguments:

By Position What it does
r_maj major radius of torus ring. (use with 'r_min', or 'd_min')
r_min minor radius of torus ring. (use with 'r_maj', or 'd_maj')
center If given, overrides anchor. A true value sets anchor=CENTER, false sets anchor=DOWN.
By Name What it does
d_maj major diameter of torus ring. (use with 'r_min', or 'd_min')
d_min minor diameter of torus ring. (use with 'r_maj', or 'd_maj')
or outer radius of the torus. (use with 'ir', or 'id')
ir inside radius of the torus. (use with 'or', or 'od')
od outer diameter of the torus. (use with 'ir' or 'id')
id inside diameter of the torus. (use with 'or' or 'od')
anchor Translate so anchor point is at origin (0,0,0). See anchor. Default: CENTER
orient Vector to rotate top toward, after spin. See orient. Default: UP

Example 1:

torus() Example 1 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
// These all produce the same torus.
torus(r_maj=22.5, r_min=7.5);
torus(d_maj=45, d_min=15);
torus(or=30, ir=15);
torus(od=60, id=30);
torus(d_maj=45, id=30);
torus(d_maj=45, od=60);
torus(d_min=15, id=30);
torus(d_min=15, od=60);
vnf_polyhedron(torus(d_min=15, od=60), convexity=4);



Example 2: Standard Connectors

torus() Example 2 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
torus(od=60, id=30) show_anchors();



Function/Module: teardrop()

Synopsis: Creates a teardrop shape. [Geom] [VNF]

Topics: Shapes (3D), Attachable, VNF Generators, FDM Optimized

See Also: onion(), teardrop2d()

Usage: Typical

  • teardrop(h|l=|length=|height=, r, [ang], [cap_h], [chamfer=], [bot_corner=], ...) [ATTACHMENTS];
  • teardrop(h|l=|length=|height=, d=, [ang=], [cap_h=], [chamfer=], [bot_corner=], ...) [ATTACHMENTS];

Usage: Psuedo-Conical

  • teardrop(h|l=|height=|length=, r1=, r2=, [ang=], [cap_h1=], [cap_h2=], [bot_corner1=], [bot_corner2=], ...) [ATTACHMENTS];
  • teardrop(h|l=|height=|length=, d1=, d2=, [ang=], [cap_h1=], [cap_h2=], [bot_corner1=], [bot_corner2=], ...) [ATTACHMENTS];

Usage: As Function

  • vnf = teardrop(h|l=|height=|length=, r|d=, [ang=], [cap_h=], ...);
  • vnf = teardrop(h|l=|height=|length=, r1=|d1=, r2=|d2=, [ang=], [cap_h=], ...);
  • vnf = teardrop(h|l=|height=|length=, r1=|d1=, r2=|d2=, [ang=], [cap_h1=], [cap_h2=], ...);

Description:

Makes a teardrop extrusion along the Y axis, which is useful for 3D printable holes. Optional chamfers can be added with positive or negative distances. A positive distance specifies the amount to inset the chamfer along the front/back faces of the shape. The chamfer extends the same y distance into the shape. If the radii are the same then the chamfer will be a 45° chamfer, but in other cases it will not. With caps, the chamfer must not be so big that it makes the cap height illegal. Similarly the chamfer cannot be larger than bot_corner if it is set, and if you do set chamfer exactly equal to bottom corner, then $fn must be even if realign is false and odd otherwise.

Arguments:

By Position What it does
h / l / height / length Thickness of teardrop. Default: 1
r Radius of circular part of teardrop. Default: 1
ang Angle of hat walls from the Z axis. Default: 45 degrees
cap_h If given, height above center where the shape will be truncated. Default: undef (no truncation)
By Name What it does
circum produce a circumscribing teardrop shape. Default: false
r1 Radius of circular portion of the front end of the teardrop shape.
r2 Radius of circular portion of the back end of the teardrop shape.
d Diameter of circular portion of the teardrop shape.
d1 Diameter of circular portion of the front end of the teardrop shape.
d2 Diameter of circular portion of the back end of the teardrop shape.
cap_h1 If given, height above center where the shape will be truncated, on the front side. Default: undef (no truncation)
cap_h2 If given, height above center where the shape will be truncated, on the back side. Default: undef (no truncation)
chamfer Specifies size of chamfer as distance along the bottom and top faces. Default: 0
chamfer1 Specifies size of chamfer on bottom as distance along bottom face. Default: 0
chamfer2 Specifies size of chamfer on top as distance along top face. Default: 0
realign Passes realign option to teardrop2d, which shifts face alignment. Default: false
anchor Translate so anchor point is at origin (0,0,0). See anchor. Default: CENTER
spin Rotate this many degrees around the Z axis after anchor. See spin. Default: 0
orient Vector to rotate top toward, after spin. See orient. Default: UP

Named Anchors:

Anchor Name Position
"cap" The center of the top of the cap, oriented with the cap face normal.
"cap_fwd" The front edge of the cap.
"cap_back" The back edge of the cap.

Example 1: Typical Shape

teardrop() Example 1 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
teardrop(r=30, h=10, ang=30);



Example 2: Crop Cap

teardrop() Example 2 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
teardrop(r=30, h=10, ang=30, cap_h=40);



Example 3: Close Crop

teardrop() Example 3 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
teardrop(r=30, h=10, ang=30, cap_h=20);



Example 4: Psuedo-Conical

teardrop() Example 4 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
teardrop(r1=20, r2=30, h=40, cap_h1=25, cap_h2=35);



Example 5: Adding chamfers can be useful for a teardrop hole mask

teardrop() Example 5 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
teardrop(r=10, l=50, chamfer1=2, chamfer2=-1.5);



Example 6: This teardrop has a 1 unit clearance at the top and bottom using the cap and the bottom corner:

teardrop() Example 6 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
teardrop(r=10, l=50, cap_h=11, bot_corner=1);



Example 7: Getting a VNF

teardrop() Example 7 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
vnf = teardrop(r1=25, r2=30, l=20, cap_h1=25, cap_h2=35);
vnf_polyhedron(vnf);



Example 8: Standard Conical Connectors

teardrop() Example 8 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
teardrop(d1=20, d2=30, h=20, cap_h1=11, cap_h2=16)
    show_anchors(custom=false);



Example 9: Named Conical Connectors

teardrop() Example 9 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
teardrop(d1=20, d2=30, h=20, cap_h1=11, cap_h2=16)
    show_anchors(std=false);

Example 10: Creating holes using attachment

teardrop() Example 10 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
$fn=32;
diff()
  cuboid(15)
  attach([FWD,RIGHT],FWD,inside=true, shiftout=.1)
    tag("remove")teardrop(d=4, l=10);



Example 11: You can rotate the point using the spin option to attach(). Don't use the spin parameter to teardrop().

teardrop() Example 11 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
$fn=32;
diff()
  cuboid(15)
  attach(FWD,FWD,align=[TOP,BOT], inset=2,
         inside=true, shiftout=.1, spin=90)
    tag("remove")teardrop(d=4, l=10);



Function/Module: onion()

Synopsis: Creates an attachable onion-like shape. [Geom] [VNF]

Topics: Shapes (3D), Attachable, VNF Generators, FDM Optimized

See Also: teardrop(), teardrop2d()

Usage: As Module

  • onion(r|d=, [ang=], [cap_h=], [circum=], [realign=], ...) [ATTACHMENTS];

Usage: As Function

  • vnf = onion(r|d=, [ang=], [cap_h=], [circum=], [realign=], ...);

Description:

Creates a sphere with a conical hat, to make a 3D teardrop.

Arguments:

By Position What it does
r radius of spherical portion of the bottom. Default: 1
ang Angle of cone on top from vertical. Default: 45 degrees
cap_h If given, height above sphere center to truncate teardrop shape. Default: undef (no truncation)
By Name What it does
circum set to true to circumscribe the specified radius/diameter. Default: False
realign adjust point alignment to determine if bottom is flat or pointy. Default: False
d diameter of spherical portion of bottom.
anchor Translate so anchor point is at origin (0,0,0). See anchor. Default: CENTER
spin Rotate this many degrees around the Z axis after anchor. See spin. Default: 0
orient Vector to rotate top toward, after spin. See orient. Default: UP

Named Anchors:

Anchor Name Position
"cap" The center of the top of the cap, oriented with the cap face normal.
"tip" The position where an un-capped onion comes to a point, oriented in the direction the point is from the center.

Example 1: Typical Shape

onion() Example 1 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
onion(r=30, ang=30);



Example 2: Crop Cap

onion() Example 2 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
onion(r=30, ang=30, cap_h=40);



Example 3: Close Crop

onion() Example 3 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
onion(r=30, ang=30, cap_h=20);



Example 4: Onions are useful for making the tops of large cylindrical voids.

onion() Example 4 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
difference() {
    cuboid([100,50,100], anchor=FWD+BOT);
    down(0.1)
        cylinder(h=50,d=50,anchor=BOT)
            attach(TOP)
                onion(d=50, cap_h=30);
}



Example 5: Standard Connectors

onion() Example 5 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
onion(d=30, ang=30, cap_h=20) show_anchors();



Section: Text

Module: text3d()

Synopsis: Creates an attachable 3d text block. [Geom]

Topics: Attachments, Text

See Also: path_text(), text()

Usage:

  • text3d(text, [h], [size], [font], [language=], [script=], [direction=], [atype=], [anchor=], [spin=], [orient=]);

Description:

Creates a 3D text block that supports anchoring and single-parameter attachment to attachable objects. You cannot attach children to text.

Historically fonts were specified by their "body size", the height of the metal body on which the glyphs were cast. This means the size was an upper bound on the size of the font glyphs, not a direct measurement of their size. In digital typesetting, the metal body is replaced by an invisible box, the em square, whose side length is defined to be the font's size. The glyphs can be contained in that square, or they can extend beyond it, depending on the choices made by the font designer. As a result, the meaning of font size varies between fonts: two fonts at the "same" size can differ significantly in the actual size of their characters. Typographers customarily specify the size in the units of "points". A point is 1/72 inch. In OpenSCAD, you specify the size in OpenSCAD units (often treated as millimeters for 3d printing), so if you want points you need to perform a suitable unit conversion. In addition, the OpenSCAD font system has a bug: if you specify size=s you will instead get a font whose size is s/0.72. For many fonts this means the size of capital letters is approximately equal to s, because it is common for fonts to use about 70% of their height for the ascenders in the font. To get the customary font size, you should multiply your desired size by 0.72.

To find the fonts that you have available in your OpenSCAD installation, go to the Help menu and select "Font List".

Arguments:

By Position What it does
text Text to create.
h / height / thickness Extrusion height for the text. Default: 1
size The font is created at this size divided by 0.72. Default: 10
font Font to use. Default: "Liberation Sans" (standard OpenSCAD default)
By Name What it does
spacing The relative spacing multiplier between characters. Default: 1.0
direction The text direction. "ltr" for left to right. "rtl" for right to left. "ttb" for top to bottom. "btt" for bottom to top. Default: "ltr"
language The language the text is in. Default: "en"
script The script the text is in. Default: "latin"
atype Change vertical center between "baseline" and "ycenter". Default: "baseline"
anchor Translate so anchor point is at origin (0,0,0). See anchor. Default: "baseline"
center Center the text. Equivalent to atype="center", anchor=CENTER. Default: false
spin Rotate this many degrees around the Z axis. See spin. Default: 0
orient Vector to rotate top toward. See orient. Default: UP

Anchor Types:

Anchor Type What it is
baseline Anchor center is relative to text baseline
ycenter Anchor center is relative to the actual y direction center of the text

Example 1:

text3d() Example 1 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
text3d("Fogmobar", h=3, size=10);



Example 2:

text3d() Example 2 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
text3d("Fogmobar", h=2, size=12, font=":style=bold");



Example 3:

text3d() Example 3 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
text3d("Fogmobar", h=2, anchor=CENTER);



Example 4:

text3d() Example 4 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
text3d("Fogmobar", h=2, anchor=CENTER, atype="ycenter");



Example 5:

text3d() Example 5 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
text3d("Fogmobar", h=2, anchor=RIGHT);



Example 6:

text3d() Example 6 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
text3d("Fogmobar", h=2, anchor=RIGHT+BOT, atype="ycenter");



Module: path_text()

Synopsis: Creates 2d or 3d text placed along a path. [Geom]

Topics: Text, Paths, Paths (2D), Paths (3D), Path Generators, Path Generators (2D)

Usage:

  • path_text(path, text, [size], [thickness], [font], [lettersize=], [offset=], [reverse=], [normal=], [top=], [textmetrics=], [kern=])

Description:

Place the text letter by letter onto the specified path using textmetrics (if available and requested) or user specified letter spacing. The path can be 2D or 3D. In 2D the text appears along the path with letters upright as determined by the path direction. In 3D by default letters are positioned on the tangent line to the path with the path normal pointing toward the reader. The path normal points away from the center of curvature (the opposite of the normal produced by path_normals()). Note that this means that if the center of curvature switches sides, the text flips upside down. If you want text on such a path you must supply your own normal or top vector.

Text appears starting at the beginning of the path, so if the 3D path moves right to left, then a left-to-right reading language displays in the wrong order (for a 2D path text appears upside down). The text for a 3D path appears positioned to be read from "outside" of the curve (from a point on the other side of the curve from the center of curvature). If you need the text to read properly from the inside, you can set reverse to true to flip the text, or supply your own normal.

If you do not have the experimental textmetrics feature enabled then you must specify the space for the letters using lettersize, which can be a scalar or array. You can easily get good results by using a monospace font such as "Liberation Mono". Note that even with text metrics, spacing may be different because path_text() doesn't do kerning to adjust positions of individual glyphs. Also if your font has ligatures they won't be used.

By default letters appear centered on the path. The offset can be specified to shift letters toward the reader (in the direction of the normal).

You can specify your own normal by setting normal to a direction or a list of directions. Your normal vector should point toward the reader. You can also specify top, which directs the top of the letters in a desired direction. If you specify your own directions and they are not perpendicular to the path, then the direction you specify takes priority and the letters will not rest on the tangent line of the path. Note that the normal or top directions that you specify must not be parallel to the path.

Historically fonts were specified by their "body size", the height of the metal body on which the glyphs were cast. This means the size was an upper bound on the size of the font glyphs, not a direct measurement of their size. In digital typesetting, the metal body is replaced by an invisible box, the em square, whose side length is defined to be the font's size. The glyphs can be contained in that square, or they can extend beyond it, depending on the choices made by the font designer. As a result, the meaning of font size varies between fonts: two fonts at the "same" size can differ significantly in the actual size of their characters. Typographers customarily specify the size in the units of "points". A point is 1/72 inch. In OpenSCAD, you specify the size in OpenSCAD units (often treated as millimeters for 3d printing), so if you want points you need to perform a suitable unit conversion. In addition, the OpenSCAD font system has a bug: if you specify size=s you instead get a font whose size is s/0.72. For many fonts this means the size of capital letters is approximately equal to s, because it is common for fonts to use about 70% of their height for the ascenders in the font. To get the customary font size, you should multiply your desired size by 0.72.

To find the fonts that you have available in your OpenSCAD installation, go to the Help menu and select "Font List".

Arguments:

By Position What it does
path path to place the text on
text text to create
size The font is created at this size divided by 0.72.
thickness / h / height thickness of letters (not allowed for 2D path)
font Font to use. Default: "Liberation Sans" (standard OpenSCAD default)
By Name What it does
lettersize scalar or array giving size of letters
center center text on the path instead of starting at the first point. Default: false
offset distance to shift letters "up" (toward the reader). Not allowed for 2D path. Default: 0
normal direction or list of directions pointing toward the reader of the text. Not allowed for 2D path.
top direction or list of directions pointing toward the top of the text
reverse reverse the letters if true. Not allowed for 2D path. Default: false
textmetrics if set to true and lettersize is not given then use the experimental textmetrics feature. You must be running a dev snapshot that includes this feature and have the feature turned on in your preferences. Default: false
valign align text to the path using "top", "bottom", "center" or "baseline". You can also adjust position with a numerical offset as in "top-5" or "bottom+2". This works only with textmetrics enabled. You can give a simple numerical offset, which is relative to the baseline and works even without textmetrics. Default: "baseline"
kern scalar or array giving spacing adjusments between each letter. If it's an array it should have one less entry than the text string. Default: 0
language text language, passed to OpenSCAD text(). Default: "en"
script text script, passed to OpenSCAD text(). Default: "latin"

Example 1: The examples use Liberation Mono, a monospaced font. The width is 1/1.2 times the specified size for this font. This text could wrap around a cylinder.

path\_text() Example 1 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
path = path3d(arc(100, r=25, angle=[245, 370]));
color("red")stroke(path, width=.3);
path_text(path, "Example text", font="Liberation Mono", size=5, lettersize = 5/1.2);

Example 2: By setting the normal to UP we can get text that lies flat, for writing around the edge of a disk:

path\_text() Example 2 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
path = path3d(arc(100, r=25, angle=[245, 370]));
color("red")stroke(path, width=.3);
path_text(path, "Example text", font="Liberation Mono", size=5, lettersize = 5/1.2, normal=UP);

Example 3: If we want text that reads from the other side we can use reverse. Note we have to reverse the direction of the path and also set the reverse option.

path\_text() Example 3 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
path = reverse(path3d(arc(100, r=25, angle=[65, 190])));
color("red")stroke(path, width=.3);
path_text(path, "Example text", font="Liberation Mono", size=5, lettersize = 5/1.2, reverse=true);

Example 4: text debossed onto a cylinder in a spiral. The text is 1 unit deep because it is half in, half out.

path\_text() Example 4 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
text = ("A long text example to wrap around a cylinder, possibly for a few times.");
L = 5*len(text);
maxang = 360*L/(PI*50);
spiral = [for(a=[0:1:maxang]) [25*cos(a), 25*sin(a), 10-30/maxang*a]];
difference(){
  cyl(d=50, l=50, $fn=120);
  path_text(spiral, text, size=5, lettersize=5/1.2, font="Liberation Mono", thickness=2);
}

Example 5: Same example but text embossed. Make sure you have enough depth for the letters to fully overlap the object.

path\_text() Example 5 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
text = ("A long text example to wrap around a cylinder, possibly for a few times.");
L = 5*len(text);
maxang = 360*L/(PI*50);
spiral = [for(a=[0:1:maxang]) [25*cos(a), 25*sin(a), 10-30/maxang*a]];
cyl(d=50, l=50, $fn=120);
path_text(spiral, text, size=5, lettersize=5/1.2, font="Liberation Mono", thickness=2);

Example 6: Here the text baseline sits on the path. (Note the default orientation makes text readable from below, so we specify the normal.)

path\_text() Example 6 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
path = arc(100, points = [[-20, 0, 20], [0,0,5], [20,0,20]]);
color("red")stroke(path,width=.2);
path_text(path, "Example Text", size=5, lettersize=5/1.2, font="Liberation Mono", normal=FRONT);

Example 7: If we use top to orient the text upward, the text baseline is no longer aligned with the path.

path\_text() Example 7 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
path = arc(100, points = [[-20, 0, 20], [0,0,5], [20,0,20]]);
color("red")stroke(path,width=.2);
path_text(path, "Example Text", size=5, lettersize=5/1.2, font="Liberation Mono", top=UP);

Example 8: This sine wave wrapped around the cylinder has a twisting normal that produces wild letter layout. We fix it with a custom normal that is different at every path point.

path\_text() Example 8 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
path = [for(theta = [0:360]) [25*cos(theta), 25*sin(theta), 4*cos(theta*4)]];
normal = [for(theta = [0:360]) [cos(theta), sin(theta),0]];
zrot(-120)
difference(){
  cyl(r=25, h=20, $fn=120);
  path_text(path, "A sine wave wiggles", font="Liberation Mono", lettersize=5/1.2, size=5, normal=normal);
}

Example 9: The path center of curvature changes, and the text flips.

path\_text() Example 9 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
path =  zrot(-120,p=path3d( concat(arc(100, r=25, angle=[0,90]), back(50,p=arc(100, r=25, angle=[268, 180])))));
color("red")stroke(path,width=.2);
path_text(path, "A shorter example",  size=5, lettersize=5/1.2, font="Liberation Mono", thickness=2);

Example 10: We can fix it with top:

path\_text() Example 10 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
path =  zrot(-120,p=path3d( concat(arc(100, r=25, angle=[0,90]), back(50,p=arc(100, r=25, angle=[268, 180])))));
color("red")stroke(path,width=.2);
path_text(path, "A shorter example",  size=5, lettersize=5/1.2, font="Liberation Mono", thickness=2, top=UP);

Example 11: With a 2D path instead of 3D there's no ambiguity about direction and it works by default:

path\_text() Example 11 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
path =  zrot(-120,p=concat(arc(100, r=25, angle=[0,90]), back(50,p=arc(100, r=25, angle=[268, 180]))));
color("red")stroke(path,width=.2);
path_text(path, "A shorter example",  size=5, lettersize=5/1.2, font="Liberation Mono");

Example 12: The kern parameter lets you adjust the letter spacing either with a uniform value for each letter, or with an array to make adjustments throughout the text. Here we show a case where adding some extra space gives a better look in a tight circle. When textmetrics are off, lettersize can do this job, but with textmetrics, you'll need to use kern to make adjustments relative to the text metric sizes.

path\_text() Example 12 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
path = path3d(arc(100, r=12, angle=[150, 450]));
color("red")stroke(path, width=.3);
kern = [1,1.2,1,1,.3,-.2,1,0,.8,1,1.1];
path_text(path, "Example text", font="Liberation Mono", size=5, lettersize = 5/1.2, kern=kern, normal=UP);

Section: Miscellaneous

Module: fillet()

Synopsis: Creates a smooth fillet between two faces. [Geom] [VNF]

Topics: Shapes (3D), Attachable

See Also: mask2d_roundover()

Usage:

  • fillet(l|h=|length=|height=, r|d=, [ang=], [excess=], [rounding=|chamfer=]) [ATTACHMENTS];
  • fillet(l|h=|length=|height=, r1=|d1=, r2=|d2=, [ang=], [excess=], [rounding=|chamfer=]) [ATTACHMENTS];

Description:

Creates a shape that can be unioned into a concave joint between two faces, to fillet them. Note that this module is the same as rounding_edge_mask(), except that it does not apply the default "remove" tag and has a different default angle. It can be convenient to attach() the fillet to the edge of a parent object. Many objects propagate the $edge_angle and $edge_length, which are used as defaults for the fillet. If you attach the fillet to the edge, it will be hovering in space and you need to apply yrot() to place it on the parent object, generally either 90 degrees or -90 degrees dependong on which face you want the fillet.

Arguments:

By Position What it does
l / h / length / height Length of mask. Default: $edge_length if defined
r Radius of the rounding.
ang Angle between faces for rounding. Default: 180-$edge_angle if defined, otherwise 90
By Name What it does
r1 Bottom radius of fillet.
r2 Top radius of fillet.
d Diameter of the fillet.
d1 Bottom diameter of fillet.
d2 Top diameter of fillet.
excess Extra size for the fillet. Defaults: .1
rounding Radius of roundong along ends. Default: 0
rounding1 Radius of rounding along bottom end
rounding2 Radius of rounding along top end
chamfer Chamfer size of end chamfers. Default: 0
chamfer1 Chamfer size of chamfer at bottom end
chamfer2 Chamfer size of chamfer at top end
anchor Translate so anchor point is at origin (0,0,0). See anchor. Default: CENTER
spin Rotate this many degrees around the Z axis after anchor. See spin. Default: 0
orient Vector to rotate top toward, after spin. See orient. Default: UP

Example 1:

fillet() Example 1 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
union() {
  translate([0,2,-4])
    cube([20, 4, 24], anchor=BOTTOM);
  translate([0,-10,-4])
    cube([20, 20, 4], anchor=BOTTOM);
  color("green")
    fillet(
      l=20, r=10,
      spin=180, orient=RIGHT
    );
}



Example 2:

fillet() Example 2 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
fillet(l=10, r=20, ang=60);



Example 3:

fillet() Example 3 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
fillet(l=10, r=20, ang=90);



Example 4:

fillet() Example 4 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
fillet(l=10, r=20, ang=120);



Example 5: Using with Attachments

fillet() Example 5 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cube(50,center=true) {
  position(FRONT+LEFT)
    fillet(l=50, r=10, spin=-90);
  position(BOT+FRONT)
    fillet(l=50, r=10, spin=180, orient=RIGHT);
}



Example 6:

fillet() Example 6 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cuboid(50){
  align(TOP,RIGHT,inset=10) fillet(l=50,r=10,orient=FWD);
  align(TOP,RIGHT,inset=20) cuboid([4,50,20],anchor=BOT);
}



Example 7: Automatic positioning of the fillet at the odd angle of this shifted prismoid is simple using attach() with the inherited $edge_angle.

fillet() Example 7 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
$fn=64;
prismoid([20,15],[12,17], h=10, shift=[3,5]){
  attach(TOP+RIGHT,FWD+LEFT,inside=false)
    yrot(90)fillet(r=4);
  attach(RIGHT,BOT)
    cuboid([22,22,2]);
}



Function/Module: plot3d()

Synopsis: Generates a surface by evaluating a function on a 2D grid [Geom] [VNF]

Topics: Function Plotting

See Also: plot_revolution(), textured_tile()

Usage: As Module

  • plot3d(f, x, y, [zclip=], [zspan=], [base=], [convexity=], [style=]) [ATTACHMENTS];

Usage: As Function

  • vnf = plot3d(f, x, y, [zclip=], [zspan=], [base=], [style=]);

Description:

Given a function literal taking 2 parameters and a 2d grid, generate a surface where the height at any point is the value of the function. You can specify the grid using a range or using a list of points that need not be uniformly spaced. To create a valid polyhedron, the graph is closed at the sides and a base is added below the smallest value. By default this base has unit thickness, but you can adjust it by setting the base parameter. If you set base=0 then you get a a zero thickness sheet that is not a manifold without sides or a bottom.

Your function may have have excessively large values at some points, or you may not know exactly what its extreme values are. To manage these situations you can use either the zclip or zspan parameter (but not both). The zclip parameter is a 2-vector giving a minimum and maximum value, either of which can be infinite. If the function falls below the minimum it is set equal to the minimum, and if it rises above the maximum it is set equal to the maximum. The zspan parameter is a 2-vector giving a minum and maximum value that must both be finite. The function's values are scaled and shifted to exactly cover the range you specifiy in zspan.

Arguments:

By Position What it does
f function literal accepting two arguments (x and y) that defines the function to compute
x A list or range of values for x
y A list or range of values for y
By Name What it does
zclip A vector [zmin,zmax]' that constrains the output of function to these bounds. Cannot be used with zspan`.
zspan Rescale and shift the function values so the minimum value of f appears at zspan[0] and the maximum at zspan[1]. Cannot be used with zclip.
base Amount of extra thickness to add at the bottom of the model. If set to zero, produce a non-manifold zero-thickness VNF. Default: 1
style vnf_vertex_array() style used to triangulate heightfield textures. Default: "default"
convexity Max number of times a line could intersect a wall of the surface being formed. Module only. Default: 10
anchor Translate so anchor point is at origin (0,0,0). See anchor. Default: CENTER
spin Rotate this many degrees around the Z axis. See spin. Default: 0
orient Vector to rotate top toward. See orient. Default: UP
spin Rotate this many degrees around the Z axis after anchor. See spin. Default: 0
orient Vector to rotate top toward, after spin. See orient. Default: UP
atype Select "hull" or "intersect" anchor type. Default: "hull"
cp Centerpoint for determining intersection anchors or centering the shape. Determines the base of the anchor vector. Can be "centroid", "mean", "box" or a 3D point. Default: "centroid"

Anchor Types:

Anchor Type What it is
"hull" Anchors to the virtual convex hull of the shape.
"intersect" Anchors to the surface of the shape.

Named Anchors:

Anchor Name Position
"origin" Anchor at the origin, oriented UP.

Example 1: A basic function calculation

plot3d() Example 1 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
func = function (x,y) 35*cos(3*norm([x,y]));
plot3d(func, [-180:4:180], [-180:4:180]);



Example 2: Here we give the function inline and since it blows up we add clipping

plot3d() Example 2 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
plot3d(function (x,y) 1/norm([x,y]), [-2:.1:2], [-2:.1:2], zclip=[0,2],style="default");

Example 3: Clipped edges often don't look good and may be improved somewhat with more points. Here we give lists with varying point spacing to improve the point density around the clipped top of the shape.

plot3d() Example 3 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
range = concat(
         lerpn(-2,-1,10,endpoint=false),
         lerpn(-1,1,75,endpoint=false),
         lerpn(1,2,10)
        );
plot3d(function (x,y) 1/norm([x,y]), range, range, zclip=[0,2],style="default");

Example 4: Making a zero thickness VNF

plot3d() Example 4 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
fn = function (x,y) (x^2+y^2)/50;
plot3d(fn, [-50:5:50], [-50:5:50], base=0);



Example 5: Use zspan to fit the plot vertically to a range and use anchoring to center it on the origin.

plot3d() Example 5 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
f = function(x,y) 10*(sin(20*x)^2+cos(20*y)^2)/norm([2*x,y]);
plot3d(f, [10:.3:40], [4:.3:37],zspan=[0,25],anchor=BOT);



Function/Module: plot_revolution()

Synopsis: Generates a surface by evaluating a of z and theta and putting the result on a surface of revolution [Geom] [VNF]

Topics: Function Plotting

See Also: plot3d()

Usage: To create a cylinder or cone (by angle)

  • plot_revolution(f, angle, z, [r=/d=] [r1=/d1], [r2=/d2=], [rclip=], [rspan=], [horiz=], [style=], [convexity=], ...) [ATTACHMENTS];

Usage: To create a cylinder or cone (by arclength)

  • plot_revolution(f, arclength=, z=, [r=/d=] [r1=/d1], [r2=/d2=], [rclip=], [rspan=], [horiz=], [style=], [convexity=], ...) [ATTACHMENTS];

Usage: To create a surface of revolution

  • plot_revolution(f, [angle], [arclength=], path=, [rclip=], [rspan=], [horiz=], [style=], [convexity=], ...) [ATTACHMENTS];

Usage: As Function

  • vnf = plot_revolution(...);

Description:

Given a function literal, f, sets r=f(theta,z) over a range of theta and z values, and uses the computed r values to define the offset from a cylinder or surface of revolution. You can specify the theta range as a angle to give an angle range in degrees or with arclength to give an arc length range in distance units. Your function receives its parameters in the form you specify, as angle or as arclength. If you use angle then as the radius decreases, the function shrinks in the horizontal direction to fit. If you use arclength distance is preserved for the function and as you move toward the top of a cone, the function occupies a larger amount of total angle so that the arc length stays the same.

If the computed value produces a radius smaller than zero, it is rounded up to 0.01. You can specify a cylinder using the usual length and radius or diameter parameters, or you can give path, a path having strictly positive x values to define the textured surface of revolution.

Your function may have have excessively large values at some points, or you may not know exactly what its extreme values are. To manage these situations you can use either the rclip or rspan parameter (but not both). The rclip parameter is a 2-vector giving a minimum and maximum value, either of which can be infinite. If the function falls below the minimum it is set equal to the minimum, and if it rises above the maximum it is set equal to the maximum. The rspan parameter is a 2-vector giving a minum and maximum value, which must both be finite. The function's values are scaled and shifted to exactly cover the range you specifiy in rspan.

The default is to erect the function normal to the surface. You can also set horiz=true to erect the function perpendicular to the rotation axis. In the former case, the caps of the model are likely to be irregularly shaped and not exactly the requested size, unless the function evaluates to zero at the top and bottom of the path. When horiz=true the top and bottom will be flat.

Arguments:

By Position What it does
f function literal accepting two arguments (angle and z) that defines the function to compute
angle a list or range of angle values where the function is calculated
z a list or range of z values to where the function is calculated, used only with cylinders and cones, not allowed with path.
By Name What it does
r / d radius or diameter of cylinder (not allowed with path)
r1 / d1 radius or diameter of bottom end (not allowed with path)
r2 / d2 radius or diameter of top end (not allowed with path)
arclength list or range of arc length values where the function is calculated
path path to revolve to produce the shape. (If omitted you must supply cylinder parameters.)
rclip A vector [rmin,rmax]' that constrains the output of function to these bounds, which may be infinite. Cannot be used with rspan`.
rspan Rescale and shift the function values so the minimum value of f appears at rspan[0] and the maximum at rspan[1]. Cannot be used with rclip.
style vnf_vertex_array() style used to triangulate heightfield textures. Default: "default"
convexity Max number of times a line could intersect a wall of the surface being formed. Module only. Default: 10
anchor Translate so anchor point is at origin (0,0,0). See anchor. Default: CENTER
spin Rotate this many degrees around the Z axis. See spin. Default: 0
orient Vector to rotate top toward. See orient. Default: UP
spin Rotate this many degrees around the Z axis after anchor. See spin. Default: 0
orient Vector to rotate top toward, after spin. See orient. Default: UP
atype Select "hull" or "intersect" anchor type. Default: "hull"
cp Centerpoint for determining intersection anchors or centering the shape. Determines the base of the anchor vector. Can be "centroid", "mean", "box" or a 3D point. Default: "centroid"

Anchor Types:

Anchor Type What it is
"hull" Anchors to the virtual convex hull of the shape.
"intersect" Anchors to the surface of the shape.

Named Anchors:

Anchor Name Position
"origin" Anchor at the origin, oriented UP.

Example 1:

plot\_revolution() Example 1 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
f = function (x,y) 5*cos(5*norm([x*180/50,y*180/50]))+5;
plot_revolution(f, arclength=[-50:1:50], z=[-50:1:50], r=30);



Example 2: When specifying angle, the pattern shrinks at the top of the cone.

plot\_revolution() Example 2 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
g = function (x,y) 5*sin(4*x)*cos(6*y)+5;
plot_revolution(g, z=[-60:2:60], angle=[-180:4:180], r1=30, r2=16);

Example 3: When specifying arc length, the shape wraps around more cone at the top

plot\_revolution() Example 3 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
g = function (x,y) 5*sin(8*x)*cos(6*y)+5;
plot_revolution(g, z=[-60:.5:60], arclength=[-45:.5:45],r1=30,r2=16);

Example 4: Here we place a simple ridge function onto a cone using angle. Note how the ribs narrow with the radius.

plot\_revolution() Example 4 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
f = function(x,y) cos(20*x)+1;
plot_revolution(f,z=[0:.1:20], angle=[-45:.1:45], r1=20,r2=10, horiz=true);
cyl(h=20, r1=20,r2=10,anchor=BOT,$fn=64);

Example 5: Here using arc length to put the function on the cone results in relatively straight ridges that do not narrow at the top of the cone. Note that we had to adjust the function to be properly scaled for the arc length parameter instead of angle.

plot\_revolution() Example 5 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
f = function(x,y) cos(60*x)+1;
plot_revolution(f,z=[0:.1:20], arclength=[-15:.1:15], r1=20,r2=10, horiz=true);
cyl(h=20, r1=20,r2=10,anchor=BOT,$fn=64);

Example 6: Changing the arc length range position changes how the function maps onto the surface.

plot\_revolution() Example 6 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
f = function(x,y) cos(60*x)+1;
plot_revolution(f,z=[0:.1:20], arclength=[0:.1:30], r1=20,r2=10, horiz=true);
cyl(h=20, r1=20,r2=10,anchor=BOT,$fn=64);

Example 7: Here we construct a model using a circular arc for the path, resulting in a spherical shape. The left model has horiz=false and the right hand one has horiz=true.

plot\_revolution() Example 7 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
hcount=4;        // Number of ribs to create
vcount=2;        // How periods of oscillation for each rib
stretch_ang=200; // Angle extent of oscillations
g = function(x,y) sin(hcount * x + stretch_ang * sin(18 * vcount * y));
xcopies(spacing=30)
  plot_revolution(g, [0:3:360], path=arc(200, r=10, angle=[-89,89]),style="min_edge", horiz=$idx==1);

Module: ruler()

Synopsis: Creates a ruler. [Geom]

Topics: Distance

Usage:

  • ruler(length, width, [thickness=], [depth=], [labels=], [pipscale=], [maxscale=], [colors=], [alpha=], [unit=], [inch=]) [ATTACHMENTS];

Description:

Creates an attachable ruler for checking dimensions of the model. The rule appears only in preview mode (F5) and is not displayed when the model is rendered (F6).

Arguments:

By Position What it does
length length of the ruler. Default 100
width width of the ruler. Default: size of the largest unit division
By Name What it does
thickness thickness of the ruler. Default: 1
depth the depth of mark subdivisions. Default: 3
labels draw numeric labels for depths where labels are larger than 1. Default: false
pipscale width scale of the pips relative to the next size up. Default: 1/3
maxscale log10 of the maximum width divisions to display. Default: based on input length
colors colors to use for the ruler, a list of two values. Default: ["black","white"]
alpha transparency value. Default: 1.0
unit unit to mark. Scales the ruler marks to a different length. Default: 1
inch set to true for a ruler scaled to inches (assuming base dimension is mm). Default: false
anchor Translate so anchor point is at origin (0,0,0). See anchor. Default: LEFT+BACK+TOP
spin Rotate this many degrees around the Z axis. See spin. Default: 0
orient Vector to rotate top toward. See orient. Default: UP

Example 1:

ruler() Example 1 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
ruler(100,depth=3);



Example 2:

ruler() Example 2 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
ruler(100,depth=3,labels=true);

Example 3:

ruler() Example 3 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
ruler(27);



Example 4:

ruler() Example 4 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
ruler(27,maxscale=0);



Example 5:

ruler() Example 5 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
ruler(100,pipscale=3/4,depth=2);

Example 6:

ruler() Example 6 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
ruler(100,width=2,depth=2);

Example 7: Metric vs Imperial

ruler() Example 7 
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
ruler(12,width=50,inch=true,labels=true,maxscale=0);
fwd(50)ruler(300,width=50,labels=true);

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Indices

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Function Index
Topics Index
Glossary
Cheat Sheet
Tutorials

List of Files:

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Footnotes:

STD = Included in std.scad

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