NEWBIE Question : Generate Shop Drawings

Hi,

I'd like to start using openscad to generate drawings I can use in my (tiny) machine shop. This would be basic stuff like isometric and orthographic views with dimension lines and dimensions, exploded orthographic views, etc. I'm using SolidyPython as my abstraction layer as this gives me ton's of functionality from the Python3 ecosystem. SolidPython also has support for holes and BOM generation via the @bom_part annotation.

So, to summarize, what facilities does openscad have for generating dimensioned isometric and orthograhic views?

-Todd

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I would be happy with scaled orthographic views with surfaces collapsed into 2D as an .svg (not a 2D outline of a slice which is what it can do now). Colour would be nice, as in F5 Preview. If it can render it on the GUI, how come it can't export that, and to a scale?

Cheers, Rob

On 26/4/20 11:53 am, Kevin Toppenberg wrote:

Short answer, is that OpenSCAD is not very good at this.  

Long answer is that there are libraries one can use to put in dimension lines -- i.e. lines that appear to be part of the 3D object you are creating.  The lines hang in space etc.

Many, including me, have asked for this feature.  But I think that OpenSCAD's approach makes automatic dimension lines hard.  FreeCAD starts with a 2D sketch, so it makes sense for dimension lines to be printable from that.  But imagine creating a loop that generates a start-burst shape in OpenSCAD.  How is the program going to know how to make dimension lines for that?

Kevin

On Sat, Apr 25, 2020 at 12:50 AM Todd <[hidden email]> wrote:

Hi,

I'd like to start using openscad to generate drawings I can use in my (tiny) machine shop. This would be basic stuff like isometric and orthographic views with dimension lines and dimensions, exploded orthographic views, etc. I'm using SolidyPython as my abstraction layer as this gives me ton's of functionality from the Python3 ecosystem. SolidPython also has support for holes and BOM generation via the @bom_part annotation.

So, to summarize, what facilities does openscad have for generating dimensioned isometric and orthograhic views?

-Todd

_______________________________________________
OpenSCAD mailing list
[hidden email]
http://lists.openscad.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss_lists.openscad.org

_______________________________________________
OpenSCAD mailing list
[hidden email]
http://lists.openscad.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss_lists.openscad.org

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[hidden email]
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You can export colored previews as PNG. Since you can specify the canvas size and camera position it should be possible to achieve a specified scale with some trig.

On Sun, 26 Apr 2020 at 04:40, Rob Ward <[hidden email]> wrote:

I would be happy with scaled orthographic views with surfaces collapsed into 2D as an .svg (not a 2D outline of a slice which is what it can do now). Colour would be nice, as in F5 Preview. If it can render it on the GUI, how come it can't export that, and to a scale?

Cheers, Rob

On 26/4/20 11:53 am, Kevin Toppenberg wrote:

Short answer, is that OpenSCAD is not very good at this.  

Long answer is that there are libraries one can use to put in dimension lines -- i.e. lines that appear to be part of the 3D object you are creating.  The lines hang in space etc.

Many, including me, have asked for this feature.  But I think that OpenSCAD's approach makes automatic dimension lines hard.  FreeCAD starts with a 2D sketch, so it makes sense for dimension lines to be printable from that.  But imagine creating a loop that generates a start-burst shape in OpenSCAD.  How is the program going to know how to make dimension lines for that?

Kevin

On Sat, Apr 25, 2020 at 12:50 AM Todd <[hidden email]> wrote:

Hi,

I'd like to start using openscad to generate drawings I can use in my (tiny) machine shop. This would be basic stuff like isometric and orthographic views with dimension lines and dimensions, exploded orthographic views, etc. I'm using SolidyPython as my abstraction layer as this gives me ton's of functionality from the Python3 ecosystem. SolidPython also has support for holes and BOM generation via the @bom_part annotation.

So, to summarize, what facilities does openscad have for generating dimensioned isometric and orthograhic views?

-Todd

_______________________________________________
OpenSCAD mailing list
[hidden email]
http://lists.openscad.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss_lists.openscad.org

_______________________________________________
OpenSCAD mailing list
[hidden email]
http://lists.openscad.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss_lists.openscad.org

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[hidden email]
http://lists.openscad.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss_lists.openscad.org

That is an option, but is not what I was after. SVG can preserve dimension accuracy and is a far better format than bit mapped images for scaling purposes. I could just do screen grabs if I wanted something like that. Not to sound disparaging, I have gratefully used them in many useful publications, and they are very handy

However if I was adding dimensions etc like the original post in this thread requested, I would much rather be working in Inkscape than GIMP, with the possibility of layers etc

Could not the graphic be produced at the very end of an F5, when the data structures would be available for interrogation In a stable state?

I think it could be feasible, unlike more unrealistic requests for OpenSCAD extensions that are click and drag on the GUI that are supposed to be mapped back to parts of the code far removed from any simple 1:1 co-ordinate geometry. Eg spiralling transformations from within a for-next loop.

I have programmed a lot of things in my time, but nothing like Open SCAD (complicated GUI+amazing maths) so I am happy to apologise, if my crude understanding offends anyone.

Cheers, RobW

On 26 April 2020 6:39:08 pm AEST, nop head <[hidden email]> wrote:

You can export colored previews as PNG. Since you can specify the canvas size and camera position it should be possible to achieve a specified scale with some trig.

On Sun, 26 Apr 2020 at 04:40, Rob Ward <[hidden email]> wrote:

I would be happy with scaled orthographic views with surfaces collapsed into 2D as an .svg (not a 2D outline of a slice which is what it can do now). Colour would be nice, as in F5 Preview. If it can render it on the GUI, how come it can't export that, and to a scale?

Cheers, Rob

On 26/4/20 11:53 am, Kevin Toppenberg wrote:

Short answer, is that OpenSCAD is not very good at this.  

Long answer is that there are libraries one can use to put in dimension lines -- i.e. lines that appear to be part of the 3D object you are creating.  The lines hang in space etc.

Many, including me, have asked for this feature.  But I think that OpenSCAD's approach makes automatic dimension lines hard.  FreeCAD starts with a 2D sketch, so it makes sense for dimension lines to be printable from that.  But imagine creating a loop that generates a start-burst shape in OpenSCAD.  How is the program going to know how to make dimension lines for that?

Kevin

On Sat, Apr 25, 2020 at 12:50 AM Todd <[hidden email]> wrote:

Hi,

I'd like to start using openscad to generate drawings I can use in my (tiny) machine shop. This would be basic stuff like isometric and orthographic views with dimension lines and dimensions, exploded orthographic views, etc. I'm using SolidyPython as my abstraction layer as this gives me ton's of functionality from the Python3 ecosystem. SolidPython also has support for holes and BOM generation via the @bom_part annotation.

So, to summarize, what facilities does openscad have for generating dimensioned isometric and orthograhic views?

-Todd

_______________________________________________
OpenSCAD mailing list
[hidden email]
http://lists.openscad.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss_lists.openscad.org

_______________________________________________
OpenSCAD mailing list
[hidden email]
http://lists.openscad.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss_lists.openscad.org

_______________________________________________
OpenSCAD mailing list
[hidden email]
http://lists.openscad.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss_lists.openscad.org

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[hidden email]
http://lists.openscad.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss_lists.openscad.org