BOSL

The Belfry OpenScad Library - A library of tools, shapes, and helpers to make OpenScad easier to use.

This library is a set of useful tools, shapes and manipulators that I developed while working on various projects, including large ones like the Snappy-Reprap printed 3D printer.

Terminology

For purposes of the BOSL library, the following terms apply:

• Left: Towards X-

• Right: Towards X+

• Front/Forward: Towards Y-

• Back/Behind: Towards Y+

• Bottom/Down/Below: Towards Z-

• Top/Up/Above: Towards Z+

• Axis-Positive: Towards the negative end of the axis the object is oriented on. IE: X-, Y-, or Z-.

• Axis-Negative: Towards the negative end of the axis the object is oriented on. IE: X-, Y-, or Z-.

• Fillet: A rounding of an interior or exterior edge.

• Chamfer: A bevelling of an interior or exterior edge.

• Orientation: The axis a part should be oriented to.

• Alignment: The side of the origin that the part should be on. Given as a vector.

Examples

A lot of the features of this library are to allow shorter, easier-to-read, intent-based coding. For example:

BOSL/transforms.scad Examples	Raw OpenSCAD Equivalent
up(5)	translate([0,0,5])
xrot(30,cp=[0,10,20])	translate([0,10,20]) rotate([30,0,0]) translate([0,-10,-20])
xspread(20,n=3)	for (dx=[-20,0,20]) translate([dx,0,0])
zring(n=6,r=20)	for (zr=[0:5]) rotate([0,0,zr*60]) translate([20,0,0])
skew_xy(xa=30,ya=45)	multmatrix([[1,0,tan(30),0],[0,1,tan(45),0],[0,0,1,0],[0,0,0,1]])

BOSL/shapes.scad Examples	Raw OpenSCAD Equivalent
upcube([10,20,30]);	translate([0,0,15]) cube([10,20,30], center=true);
rcube([20,20,30],r=5,$fn=32);	minkowski() {cube([10,10,20], center=true); sphere(r=5, $fn=32);}
prismoid([30,40],[20,30],h=10);	hull() {translate([0,0,0.005]) cube([30,40,0.01], center=true); translate([0,0,9.995]) cube([20,30,0.01],center=true);}
xcyl(l=20,d=4);	rotate([0,90,0]) cylinder(h=20, d=4, center=true);
rcylinder(h=100,d=40,fillet=5);	translate([0,0,50]) minkowski() {cylinder(h=90, d=30, center=true); sphere(r=5);}

BOSL/masks.scad Examples	Raw Openscad Equivalent
chamfer_mask_z(l=20,chamfer=5);	rotate(45) cube([5*sqrt(2), 5*sqrt(2), 20], center=true);
fillet_mask_z(l=20,fillet=5);	difference() {cube([10,10,20], center=true); for(dx=[-5,5],dy=[-5,5]) translate([dx,dy,0]) cylinder(h=20.1, r=5, center=true);}
fillet_hole_mask(r=30,fillet=5);	difference() {cube([70,70,10], center=true); translate([0,0,-5]) rotate_extrude(convexity=4) translate([30,0,0]) circle(r=5);}

The Library Files

The library files are as follows:

Commonly Used

• transforms.scad: The most commonly used transformations, manipulations, and shortcuts are in this file.
• shapes.scad: Common useful shapes and structured objects.
• masks.scad: Shapes that are useful for masking with difference() and intersect().
• threading.scad: Modules to make triangular and trapezoidal threaded rods and nuts.
• paths.scad: Functions and modules to work with arbitrary 3D paths.
• beziers.scad: Functions and modules to work with bezier curves.

Standard Parts

• involute_gears.scad: Modules and functions to make involute gears and racks.
• joiners.scad: Modules to make joiner shapes for connecting separately printed objects.
• sliders.scad: Modules for creating simple sliders and rails.
• metric_screws.scad: Functions and modules to make metric screws, nuts, and screwholes.
• linear_bearings.scad: Modules to make mounts for LMxUU style linear bearings.
• nema_steppers.scad: Modules to make mounting holes for NEMA motors.
• phillips_drive.scad: Modules to create Phillips screwdriver tips.
• torx_drive.scad: Functions and Modules to create Torx bit drive holes.
• wiring.scad: Modules to render routed bundles of wires.

Miscellaneous

• math.scad: Useful helper functions.
• constants.scad: Useful constants for vectors, edges, etc.
• quaternions.scad: Functions to work with quaternion rotations.
• debug.scad: Modules to help debug creation of beziers, polygons()s and polyhedron()s

Documentation

The full library docs can be found at https://github.com/revarbat/BOSL/wiki