STL is about all you can get out of OpenSCAD. However, FreeCAD has a useful feature that lets you paste OpenSCAD text files and generate solid objects in FreeCAD. At that point all kinds of file formats can be generated (to transfer to other cad systems).
OpenSCAD is a "programmer's 3d cad tool". You create a description of your part with a text editor and then "compile" it to generate your part. It is great for basic combinations of primitives, but does not have support for things like fillets and chamfers without going to a lot of trouble. I like to quickly make my part in OpenSCAD, then move that to FreeCAD where it is easy to apply things like fillets and chamfers. I just wish there was an open source CAM tool of equal sophistication for CNC work... -- Ralph ________________________________________ From: Gene Heskett [ghesk...@shentel.net] Sent: Tuesday, April 4, 2017 7:21 PM To: emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net Subject: Re: [Emc-users] Cast Bracket for FHA-25 Harmonic Actuator. On Tuesday 04 April 2017 06:22:26 Gregg Eshelman wrote: > 3D printing needs STL format. Any 3D modeling or CAD software that can > output STL can be made to work as a source for this. One thing though, > all the 3D slicer software assumes you're working in millimeters. > That's due to the original scanning laser and vat of resin 3D printers > only being able to do tiny things, and the guys who created the STL > format never thought about anyone ever wanting to use such giant units > as centimeters, let alone inches. > > I use Caligari trueSpace 6.6. I can work in millimeters or meters and > the resulting print is exactly the same size. If I try any other > units, it does not print the right size. > > On Monday, April 3, 2017, 9:10:07 PM MDT, Gene Heskett <ghesk...@shentel.net> wrote:On Tuesday 04 April 2017 02:51:22 Gregg Eshelman wrote: > > I wonder if they've heard about lost PLA casting? One off and short > > runs without needing to make expensive, reusable patterns, plus the > > ability to do casting shapes impossible with patterns that must be > > removable from a sand mold, could be a money maker for the foundry. > > 'Course they'd have to get and learn to use a 3D printing setup. > > That looks like something I could do, if I had a big enough printer > and could learn how to do the 3d model to feed the slicer software for > the printer. I'm thinking of the belt guards in particular which would > need at least one dimension in the 250mm by 100 by 100 range. > > Can we slice and print from a sketchup file, or do I had to learn > freecad? Looks like sketchup has gone commercial, I'd have to buy a license to make it usefull. Back to Openscad I guess. It can export .stl's. Or claims it can. Thanks Gregg. Cheers, Gene Heskett -- "There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order." -Ed Howdershelt (Author) Genes Web page <http://geneslinuxbox.net:6309/gene> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Check out the vibrant tech community on one of the world's most engaging tech sites, Slashdot.org! http://sdm.link/slashdot _______________________________________________ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Check out the vibrant tech community on one of the world's most engaging tech sites, Slashdot.org! http://sdm.link/slashdot _______________________________________________ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
