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OpenSCAD is great for these things. A gasket would be the difference() between two cylinder()s for example. Check this out: https://www.google.de/amp/s/cubehero

OpenSCAD is great for these things. A gasket would be the difference() between two cylinder()s for example. Check this out: https://www.google.de/amp/s/cubehero.com/2013/11/19/know-only-10-things-to-be-dangerous-in-openscad/amp/?client=safari https://www.google.de/amp/s/cubehero.com/2013/11/19/know-onl...

grogenaut 10y ago
It's even easier in sketchup, inventor, or solidworks. And I don't have to feel like I'm wrestling with an HP calculator when I'm using it.
- ascorbic 10y ago
  Except Sketchup can't handle exotic shapes like the "circle".
  - grogenaut 10y ago
    Yeah that's why I take advantage of the student discount that taking a class at the local technical college offers and get full solid works for $170/year.
    - jjeaff 10y ago
      But then of course, that license is only valid while you are a student. So after the class, you might as well have just pirated it since either way, you are breaking the license.
- TD-Linux 10y ago
  I still frequently end up crawling back to OpenScad. It is often quicker than the rather click business of setting up constraints. Just don't ask me to make a rounded corner in it.
mbrock 10y ago
Awesome! I've been wondering exactly about language based CAD.
- mandor 10y ago
  check also iceSL, which is developped with 3D printing in mind: https://members.loria.fr/Sylvain.Lefebvre/icesl/ https://members.loria.fr/Sylvain.Lefebvre/icesl/
bambax 10y ago
OpenSCAD is fantastic and, somehow, very "intuitive" for some people (while other people hate it). But it's pretty difficult to export anything from it to continue working on it. The only solution that I have found is to import scad files to FreeCAD and then try to "refine shape" which sometimes works great and sometimes doesn't. But the import filter in FreeCAD is old and not maintained (for example, text/fonts were added to OpenSCAD after the filter was written, and the filter has not been upgraded to be able to deal with them). You can certainly print directly from OpenSCAD and it works well, but when you go from 3D print to an industrial process, factories won't accept scad files, and you usually want to do things to your parts that OpenSCAD won't let you do, such as filleting angles. In a plastic 3D-printed prototype fillets don't matter, but the same part in aluminum or steel will have very sharp edges that will cut the users' hands if they're not filleted.
IshKebab 10y ago
No it isn't. OpenSCAD is great for mathematically defined objects, like gears and fasteners. For everything else traditional parametric CAD is a million times better. If you don't mind closed source, give AutoCAD 360 a try (make sure you use it in parametric mode; direct modelling is a stupid): https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/fusion-360/troubleshooting/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/How-to-switch-between-a-parametric-or-direct-modeling-environment-in-Autodesk-Fusion-360.html https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/fusion-360/troublesho... If you can't stand closed source then there are not many options. Most open source CAD software is worthless. The only one I've found that works as it should is SolveSpace - http://solvespace.com/ http://solvespace.com/ - but it does have a slightly 80s interface and... well SolveSpace is to Solidworks what Notepad is to Word. But it does do constraint-based sketching and parametric modelling right.
Tepix 10y ago
Here is the non-Google link: https://cubehero.com/2013/11/19/know-only-10-things-to-be-dangerous-in-openscad/ https://cubehero.com/2013/11/19/know-only-10-things-to-be-da...

grogenaut 10y ago

It's even easier in sketchup, inventor, or solidworks. And I don't have to feel like I'm wrestling with an HP calculator when I'm using it.

ascorbic 10y ago
Except Sketchup can't handle exotic shapes like the "circle".
- grogenaut 10y ago
  Yeah that's why I take advantage of the student discount that taking a class at the local technical college offers and get full solid works for $170/year.
  - jjeaff 10y ago
    But then of course, that license is only valid while you are a student. So after the class, you might as well have just pirated it since either way, you are breaking the license.
TD-Linux 10y ago
I still frequently end up crawling back to OpenScad. It is often quicker than the rather click business of setting up constraints. Just don't ask me to make a rounded corner in it.

mbrock 10y ago

Awesome! I've been wondering exactly about language based CAD.

mandor 10y ago
check also iceSL, which is developped with 3D printing in mind: https://members.loria.fr/Sylvain.Lefebvre/icesl/ https://members.loria.fr/Sylvain.Lefebvre/icesl/

bambax 10y ago

OpenSCAD is fantastic and, somehow, very "intuitive" for some people (while other people hate it). But it's pretty difficult to export anything from it to continue working on it. The only solution that I have found is to import scad files to FreeCAD and then try to "refine shape" which sometimes works great and sometimes doesn't. But the import filter in FreeCAD is old and not maintained (for example, text/fonts were added to OpenSCAD after the filter was written, and the filter has not been upgraded to be able to deal with them). You can certainly print directly from OpenSCAD and it works well, but when you go from 3D print to an industrial process, factories won't accept scad files, and you usually want to do things to your parts that OpenSCAD won't let you do, such as filleting angles. In a plastic 3D-printed prototype fillets don't matter, but the same part in aluminum or steel will have very sharp edges that will cut the users' hands if they're not filleted.

IshKebab 10y ago

No it isn't. OpenSCAD is great for mathematically defined objects, like gears and fasteners. For everything else traditional parametric CAD is a million times better. If you don't mind closed source, give AutoCAD 360 a try (make sure you use it in parametric mode; direct modelling is a stupid): https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/fusion-360/troubleshooting/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/How-to-switch-between-a-parametric-or-direct-modeling-environment-in-Autodesk-Fusion-360.html https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/fusion-360/troublesho... If you can't stand closed source then there are not many options. Most open source CAD software is worthless. The only one I've found that works as it should is SolveSpace - http://solvespace.com/ http://solvespace.com/ - but it does have a slightly 80s interface and... well SolveSpace is to Solidworks what Notepad is to Word. But it does do constraint-based sketching and parametric modelling right.

Tepix 10y ago

Here is the non-Google link: https://cubehero.com/2013/11/19/know-only-10-things-to-be-dangerous-in-openscad/ https://cubehero.com/2013/11/19/know-only-10-things-to-be-da...