​I built this tool that lets you generate custom 3D-printable keychains using chemical element symbols from the Periodic Table. You input a word (e.g., Ge-Ni-U-S, Ir-O-N, La-B), and the script verifies if it's mathematically possible, auto-scales the text, and renders the tiles.

​I wanted to share it here to get your feedback and suggestions on how to improve the project. This is my first time coding in OpenSCAD, and I know I have a lot to learn. Any advice on optimizing the code or the physical model design is highly appreciated.

​If you like it, feel free to use it and share your prints. Support and constructive criticism from the community are the most rewarding parts of this process.

Today I realized that, beside the built in commands, modules and variables were suggested during typing. That’s a game changer for me! Next up CoPilot???

Version 2026.07.01.fp

I'm creating some thread organizers for crafting that have text in the design to note the name/number of the color. The SCAD file uses the constant "first_word" as the text to render.

The script loops through an input file and passes each line to OpenSCAD to render a STL.

Currently in the file I have first_word = "4240";
If I render in GUI or run the script without -D I get 4240 in the resulting file. But when I include -D I get no text at all in the output model, but I don't get any errors. Here is the way I have it in the PS script:

& "C:\Program Files\OpenSCAD\openscad.com" -o "generated\$floss.stl" -D "first_word=`"$floss`"" "stitchbows.scad"

I have the command echo to output before running, and this is my total result:

generate_stl.ps1 test.txt

Running:  C:\Program Files\OpenSCAD\openscad.com -o generated\9999.stl -D first_word="9999" stitchbows.scad
Geometries in cache: 4
Geometry cache size in bytes: 2443744
CGAL Polyhedrons in cache: 0
CGAL cache size in bytes: 0
Total rendering time: 0:00:00.033
   Top level object is a 3D object:
   Facets:      16968

Am I missing some quotes? Do I need escaped double-quotes around first_word or around the whole thing?

Thanks for any help you can give

hello all. i recently finished creating a software that can take .ork files as input and output all of the parts as step files. you can then open them in CAD and edit them however you like

ill attach the link to the github with full instructions. give it a shot and see if it works for you. it works best on mac and i havent tested it on linux or windows, so if you use linux or windows, lmk how it goes! it requires some terminal work but once you get it set up its really easy to use whenever. give it a star please! thanks!

https://github.com/max-h-25/ork2step

Can someone help me replicate this in openSCAD? I’m new to coding and I’m having a difficult time learning the basics. Thanks in advance for any assistance.

Hi folks,
I want to create an ultimately 3D object as it its pictured in the attached image.

I not even know how to name this object.
Would BOSL2 could help here?

I would think to create an 2D object first and then extrude it to a height of e.g 5mm.
Any help is much appreciated.

Hi everyone,

I’m building Forma3D, a free browser-based STL editor focused on quick edits for 3D printing.

The idea is not to replace Fusion/Blender/CAD software, but to make common STL fixes easier when you just need to modify a downloaded model without rebuilding it from scratch.

It runs locally in the browser: files are not uploaded to a server.

Current features include:

\- Open and export STL files
\- Select faces or whole connected bodies
\- Push/Pull flat faces
\- Shorten a model along X/Y/Z without scaling it
\- Split a model into two parts and export each side
\- Hollow / shell a model with wall thickness
\- Add/subtract simple solids: box, cylinder, cone, pyramid
\- Add 3D text
\- Create 2D profiles and push/pull them
\- Mechanical joint presets: arc, dovetail and T-slot
\- Object/body panel with select, rename, duplicate/pattern, export and delete
\- Basic mesh repair
\- Undo/redo with Ctrl+Z, Ctrl+Y and Ctrl+Shift+Z
\- English/Italian UI

A recent user here gave me a practical example: shortening a fridge door shelf bin STL without simply scaling it, because scaling would ruin the locking features and fillets. That feedback led to improving the Shorten tool so it now closes cut profiles better on rounded geometry.

I’d really appreciate feedback from people who often download STLs and need small functional edits before printing.

The project is here:
https://lukethehawk.github.io/Forma3D/

GitHub:
https://github.com/lukethehawk/Forma3D

Things I’m especially interested in:

\- Does the workflow feel understandable?
\- Which STL edit do you often need but current tools make annoying?
\- Does Shorten/Split/Hollow behave as you would expect?
\- Are there cases where the mesh result looks wrong or slicers complain?
\- What would make this useful enough to keep bookmarked?

It’s still early and mesh-based, so complex/non-manifold STLs can still be tricky, but I’m trying to improve it based on real print use cases rather than guessing.

Thanks!

I feel that I have gotten a reasonably good grip on the articulation parts :)

Did this in-between two other projects of porting LibreCAD and FreeCAD to also run in browsers, this one is probably the most practical of the 3, so want to get it out there.

The only real noticeable bug is that in preview mode Difference looks like Union, but the Render view is correct so just use that.

Edit: Works only on up-to-date Chrome based browsers, desktop and maybe Android too. That's because to run it requires some really fancy new browser features.

Hi everyone! I'm completely new to CAD and 3D printing, and I'd love some guidance on a project I want to build. My goal is a parametric 3D-printable enclosure that transforms a smartphone into a dedicated compact digital camera, inspired by the clean, minimalist design of early-2000s Sony Cyber-shot cameras.

The idea is to use a parametric phone case (such as Manufact3D_Hamburg's model) as the inner shell, then build a modular retro camera body around it. Features I'm considering include an ergonomic grip, a decorative or functional lens barrel that doesn't obstruct the phone's cameras, a housing for a Bluetooth shutter remote (commercial or DIY), optional tactile buttons/dials, and a thick rear bezel that intentionally masks part of the phone's display so only a smaller "camera screen" is visible—making it feel much closer to a real digicam. Ideally, only the inner phone insert would need changing for different phone models.

I'm not expecting one person to solve this entire project. If you can help with even one aspect—parametric CAD, Fusion 360/OpenSCAD, printable mechanisms, Bluetooth shutter integration, ergonomics, modular design, or know of an existing project that could be remixed—that would be incredibly helpful. Any advice, resources, workflows, or constructive criticism are welcome. Does something like this already exist, or is this a realistic project for a beginner willing to learn?

P.S. I used AI to help organize my thoughts into a concise post—this idea itself is mine. I just wanted to make it easier to read.

I always wanted to make one of these fidget toys, but one that can also be used as a playful learning tool.

i am fully blind myself, so naturally, it had to contain braille.

The entire piece is articulated, from jaw to legs, body to tail.

Fully print in place :)

Designed using openscad :)

Hi everyone,

I wanted to share a small project I've been working on: openscad-wasm-mcp. It's a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that runs OpenSCAD entirely via WebAssembly.

The main advantage is that you don't need to install OpenSCAD locally on your machine. You can directly let your AI assistants generate, compile, and render 3D models seamlessly. You can check out the source code and how to use it here:

• https://github.com/suapapa/openscad-wasm-mcp

I also recorded a quick demo video showing how it works in action:

• https://youtu.be/SMOajTSFkgk

I'd love to hear your feedback or any suggestions for improvement!

Hi. I am very old OpenSCAD user, but I often need export to .STEP files and exact solid geometry. So I started to develop an abandoned project from GitHub – bcad, that was an attempt to make this task, based on OpenCASCADE. It was in very early stage of development, but my fork is almost useful already. It is portable, with versions for Windows and Linux. The project page is here: https://asm32.info/johnfound/bcad-openscad-syntax-with-exact-geometry ( Source repository here: https://asm32.info/fossil/bcad/ )

bCAD is not yet fully compatible with OpenSCAD, but I am working on it. Also it has some new features, based on OpenCASCADE that I miss in OpenSCAD. All this is work in progress in early stage. But I hope it will be useful for someone.

Ever wanted to see all your SCAD parts together as an assembly — and pull it apart like an exploded engineering drawing?

https://scad-hologram.vercel.app

• Upload multiple .scad files — the real OpenSCAD engine (WASM build) compiles them **in your browser**. No server, no install, files never leave your machine.
• Each file becomes a part in one shared scene. Align parts with a drag gizmo or exact X/Y/Z mm inputs (Z-up, your SCAD code is never modified — placement is a separate layer).
• One slider explodes/reassembles the whole assembly proportionally.
• Autosaves locally; exports a single JSON with your layout + sources embedded.

v1 limits: self-contained files only (no include/use libraries yet — bundled libs are next), one part per file.

Fair disclosure: the idea is mine but the code was almost entirely written by Claude (Fable 5), from spec to deployment, in about 40 minutes. Happy to share the repo and take feature requests — library support? per-part explode direction overrides?

Built a viewer where you upload OpenSCAD source files and they compile + render into one sci-fi hologram scene, with a slider that explodes the assembly apart:

https://scad-hologram.vercel.app

Pipeline, for the curious:

• openscad-wasm runs in a module Web Worker (fresh instance per compile — callMain is single-shot), STL out
• STL -> BufferGeometry, cached in IndexedDB keyed by SHA-256 of the source so reloads never recompile
• react-three-fiber + drei: TransformControls gizmo writes into a placement layer (stored in OpenSCAD's Z-up coords; one wrapper group does the Y-up conversion exactly once)
• Hologram look: custom ShaderMaterial with fresnel rim + EdgesGeometry overlay + modest Bloom
• Explode = home + t \* explodeVector, vectors distance-proportional from the assembly centroid, damped in useFrame

Zero backend — static hosting, everything stays in the browser.

Disclosure: idea mine, \~all code written by Claude (Fable 5) in about 40 min from spec to deploy. Repo available if anyone wants to dig in.

Inspired by OpenSCAD Playground, and empowered by Gemini and Claude, as I'm not much of a Javascript programmer, I vibe-coded a free and open source OpenSCAD PWA called SCADLite, for getting web-centric platforms like ChromeOS in on the fun. The main driver for this project was the long-time observation that K-12 education is dominated by Chromebooks, and I feel that OpenSCAD is an amazing tool that should get more use in K-12 education. I know in K-12, 3D modeling is dominated by Autodesk software, but free and open source software should get more representation too, especially considering the multidisciplinary aspects of OpenSCAD -- modeling and programming. My PWA is at...

scadlite.com

My GitHub page for it is here, where I have features listed...

https://github.com/myoung8223/scadlite

It certainly doesn't have all of the bells and whistles of OpenSCAD. Getting modifiers working properly was also quite the challenge. I think I got them working properly, using multiple passes, though in this project, it seems like bugs rear their heads at every corner. The most recent major frustration was CodeJar, the JS-based code editor I was using, acting very bizarre. Perhaps that was my use of it, or just a natural ceiling for its capabilities. Replaced that with customized CodeMirror and that seems to be working out well so far. Also recently added model encoding in URLs. Other nifty features are support for importing fonts, STLs, and SVGs. The PWA works completely offline and self-contained.

Ultimately, when I'm modeling on a desktop I'll probably still be using the full-blown OpenSCAD application. Though I think this PWA is featured enough to be a handy tool for web-based platforms.

I've made an angle guide for sharpening knifes using a whetstone. I'm having problems identifying good, idiomatic ways to write the OpenSCAD code, however, so I would really appreciate any feedback on the code.

Sure, if you want to comment on my design, feel free, but I'm primarily looking for opinions on the code and techniques used.

I'm using the BOSL2 library, so I guess at least knowing how attachments work is a prerequisite.

The code is available on github

A browser-based viewer for leaving \*\*comments anchored in 3D (or 2D) space\*\*on a wide range of assets. Drop in a model, switch to Annotate mode, click to drop a pin, and write a comment. Annotations are saved automatically and can be exported/imported as JSON.

https://github.com/zawawiAI/Open3DInspection

I've made a flat print design. I'd like to turn it into wirework, and make a 3d shape . I've used cad, but I have used sculptris, and used it as if it were a ball of clay. To make human esque curvy shapes.. Ive always approached these things as an artist with no real mathematics or digital skills. The design I'm working on requires the opposite of what sculptris offers. I'm just aiming to make a 4 sided pyramid shape with wire work . But I have no idea where to start. I have nade it in real life haha, but i realise that if i had it in CAD, i can play around with scale and duplication far quicker and easier. I'm not a student anymore, I'd prefer to not spend loaaaads of money on software or memberships. Any advice welcome. I'm from UK if that effects software aswell

No, not trying to print heels :-) I'm making a stand for my eInk device, and want to have the legs start as small round patches and then "swoop?" up to support the entire underside of the flat portion on top. Can this be done in Openscad?

One of my kid's first favourite toys was a set of stacking blocks, so I tried to make a version that grows with them. ShapeStack blocks interlock the raised shape on top nests into the engraved base of the next one so the tower clicks together as it gets taller.

It prints in three ready-made sets: numbers 0–10 (each numeral paired with a dice-dot count so they link the symbol to the quantity), animals (dog/cat/mouse/cheese), and geometric shapes. The whole thing is parametric and open source, though, so you can change the shape (14 of them), size, colours and every character; spell a name, build the alphabet, make a deck-of-cards stack, whatever.

No supports, no glue, rounded edges, no small detachable parts. The letters and numbers are raised and engraved, so they can be traced by touch too. Free to print and remix.

https://makerworld.com/en/models/2974742-shapestack-customizable-stacking-learning-blocks#profileId-3336729

Curious what people would make with it — what would you put on yours?