[OpenSCAD] chamfers, fillets, and customizable designs

[k***@volksswitch.org]

I love OpenSCAD. I love the fact that it's open source and I love the fact
that Thingiverse has exposed a customizer based on it.

On the other hand, I lament the fact that there's no simple and high
performance way to add a simple chamfer or fillet - or at least I don't know
how.

I use OpenSCAD to design 3D printable, user customizable, assistive
technology devices. Devices that almost always will come into contact with
the user's skin. Such devices have to have "comfortable corners and edges".


Adding a fillet or chamfer in Fusion 360 is a piece of cake. You select an
edge and choose Chamfer or Fillet from the Modify menu - boom, it's there!
I recognize that OpenSCAD isn't Fusion 360 and that the two have vastly
different architectures and usage models. At the same time, Fusion 360
sucks when it comes to supporting user customization of a design - the user
has to have a copy of Fusion 360. That's a non-starter. Still, I REALLY
need to be able to add chamfers and fillets to my designs.

I've experimented with Minkowski and even the simplest object - sphere(r=1,
$fn=5) - applied to another very simple object can take interminably long to
render on my fairly decent PC. I have no idea how long it would take on
Thingiverse, using their servers rather than my PC, but I have to design on
my PC.

I look to you OpenSCAD gurus for help!

Thanks,
Ken

[TLC123]

I feel your pain. There are a few paths to ease your struggles.

1. Put Minkowski on the back burner for a last resort.

2. Work primarily in 2d where the dual or trippel offset trick get you a
long way
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2443544

3. Work primarily in 2d with Irev-Dev's polyround function.
https://github.com/Irev-Dev/Round-Anything/blob/master/polyround.scad

4. Get into the habit of constructing parts with hull() of rounder shapes
https://hackaday.com/2018/02/13/openscad-tieing-it-together-with-hull/
or my https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1827297
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2392188

5. Build your own tools. You can have "comfortable corners and edges" on
your devices
but the work flow wont have that.

I just finished this item.

https://openscadsnippetpad.blogspot.com/2018/08/cad-exercises-bracket.html
It was cumbersome ro say the least.

6. Minkowski sparingly on minimal parts. Only when no other tool works and
the feature is crucial.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2439428.

7. Reevaluate relation to remaining sharp and edgy. :D

/cheers




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Sent from: http://forum.openscad.org/