35 KiB
Attachments Tutorial
Attachables
BOSL2 introduces the concept of attachables. Attachables are shapes that can be anchored,
spun, oriented, and attached to other attachables. The most basic attachable shapes are the
cube(), cylinder(), sphere(), square(), and circle(). BOSL2 overrides the built-in
definitions for these shapes, and makes them attachable.
Anchoring
Anchoring allows you to align a side, edge, or corner of an object with the origin as it is
created. This is done by passing a vector into the anchor= argument. For roughly cubical
or prismoidal shapes, that vector points in the general direction of the side, edge, or
corner that will be aligned to. For example, a vector of [1,0,-1] refers to the lower-right
edge of the shape. Each vector component should be -1, 0, or 1:
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
// Anchor at upper-front-left corner
cube([40,30,50], anchor=[-1,-1,1]);
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
// Anchor at upper-right edge
cube([40,30,50], anchor=[1,0,1]);
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
// Anchor at bottom face
cube([40,30,50], anchor=[0,0,-1]);
Since manually written vectors are not very intuitive, BOSL2 defines some standard directional vector constants that can be added together:
| Constant | Direction | Value |
|---|---|---|
LEFT |
X- | [-1, 0, 0] |
RIGHT |
X+ | [ 1, 0, 0] |
FRONT/FORWARD/FWD |
Y- | [ 0,-1, 0] |
BACK |
Y+ | [ 0, 1, 0] |
BOTTOM/BOT/BTM/DOWN |
Z- | [ 0, 0,-1] (3D only.) |
TOP/UP |
Z+ | [ 0, 0, 1] (3D only.) |
CENTER/CTR |
Centered | [ 0, 0, 0] |
If you want a vector pointing towards the bottom-left edge, just add the BOTTOM and LEFT vector
constants together like BOTTOM + LEFT. Ths will result in a vector of [-1,0,-1]. You can pass
that to the anchor= argument for a clearly understandable anchoring:
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cube([40,30,50], anchor=BACK+TOP);
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cube([40,30,50], anchor=FRONT);
For cylindrical type attachables, the Z component of the vector will be -1, 0, or 1, referring
to the bottom rim, the middle side, or the top rim of the cylindrical or conical shape.
The X and Y components can be any value, pointing towards the circular perimeter of the cone.
These combined let you point at any place on the bottom or top rims, or at an arbitrary
side wall:
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cylinder(r1=25, r2=15, h=60, anchor=TOP+LEFT);
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cylinder(r1=25, r2=15, h=60, anchor=BOTTOM+FRONT);
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cylinder(r1=25, r2=15, h=60, anchor=UP+spherical_to_xyz(1,30,90));
For Spherical type attachables, you can pass a vector that points at any arbitrary place on the surface of the sphere:
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
sphere(r=50, anchor=TOP);
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
sphere(r=50, anchor=TOP+FRONT);
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
sphere(r=50, anchor=spherical_to_xyz(1,-30,60));
Some attachable shapes may provide specific named anchors for shape-specific anchoring. These
will be given as strings and will be specific to that type of attachable. For example, the
teardrop() attachable has a named anchor called "cap":
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
teardrop(d=100, l=20, anchor="cap");
Some shapes, for backwards compatability reasons, can take a center= argument. This just
overrides the anchor= argument. A center=true argument is the same as anchor=CENTER.
A center=false argument can mean anchor=[-1,-1,-1] for a cube, or anchor=BOTTOM for a
cylinder, to make them behave just like the builtin versions:
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cube([50,40,30],center=true);
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cube([50,40,30],center=false);
Many 2D shapes provided by BOSL2 are also anchorable. Even the built-in square() and circle()
modules have been overridden to enable attachability and anchoring. The anchor= options for 2D
shapes can accept 3D vectors, but only the X and Y components will be used:
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
square([40,30], anchor=BACK+LEFT);
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
circle(d=50, anchor=BACK);
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
hexagon(d=50, anchor=LEFT);
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
ellipse(d=[50,30], anchor=FRONT);
Spin
Attachable shapes also can be spun in place as you create them. You can do this by passing the
spin angle (in degrees) into the spin= argument. A positive number will result in a counter-
clockwise spin around the Z axis (as seen from above), and a negative number will make a clockwise
spin:
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cube([20,20,40], center=true, spin=45);
You can even spin around each of the three axes in one pass, by giving 3 angles (in degrees) to
spin= as a vector, like [Xang,Yang,Zang]. Similarly to rotate(), the axes will be spun in
the order given, X-axis spin, then Y-axis, then Z-axis:
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cube([20,20,40], center=true, spin=[10,20,30]);
You can also apply spin to 2D shapes from BOSL2, though only by scalar angle:
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
square([40,30], spin=30);
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
ellipse(d=[40,30], spin=30);
Orientation
Another way to specify a rotation for an attachable shape, is to pass a 3D vector via the
orient= argument. This lets you specify what direction to tilt the top of the shape towards.
For example, you can make a cone that is tilted up and to the right like this:
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cylinder(h=100, r1=50, r2=20, orient=UP+RIGHT);
You can not use orient= with 2D shapes.
Mixing Anchoring, Spin, and Orientation
When giving anchor=, spin=, and orient=, they are applied anchoring first, spin second,
then orient last. For example, here's a cube:
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cube([20,20,50]);
You can center it with an anchor=CENTER argument:
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cube([20,20,50], anchor=CENTER);
Add a 45 degree spin:
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cube([20,20,50], anchor=CENTER, spin=45);
Now tilt the top up and forward:
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cube([20,20,50], anchor=CENTER, spin=45, orient=UP+FWD);
Something that may confuse new users is that adding spin to a cylinder may seem nonsensical. However, since spin is applied after anchoring, it can actually have a significant effect:
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cylinder(d=50, l=40, anchor=FWD, spin=-30);
For 2D shapes, you can mix anchor= with spin=, but not with orient=.
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
square([40,30], anchor=BACK+LEFT, spin=30);
Attaching 3D Children
The reason attachables are called that, is because they can be attached to each other. You can do that by making one attachable shape be a child of another attachable shape. By default, the child of an attachable is attached to the center of the parent shape.
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cube(50,center=true)
cylinder(d1=50,d2=20,l=50);
To attach to a different place on the parent, you can use the attach() module. By default,
this will attach the bottom of the child to the given position on the parent. The orientation
of the child will be overridden to point outwards from the center of the parent, more or less:
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cube(50,center=true)
attach(TOP) cylinder(d1=50,d2=20,l=20);
If you give attach() a second anchor argument, it attaches that anchor on the child to the
first anchor on the parent:
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cube(50,center=true)
attach(TOP,TOP) cylinder(d1=50,d2=20,l=20);
By default, attach() places the child exactly flush with the surface of the parent. Sometimes
it's useful to have the child overlap the parent by insetting a bit. You can do this with the
overlap= argument to attach(). A positive value will inset the child into the parent, and
a negative value will outset out from the parent:
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cube(50,center=true)
attach(TOP,overlap=10)
cylinder(d=20,l=20);
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cube(50,center=true)
attach(TOP,overlap=-20)
cylinder(d=20,l=20);
If you want to position the child at the parent's anchorpoint, without re-orienting, you can
use the position() module:
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cube(50,center=true)
position(RIGHT) cylinder(d1=50,d2=20,l=20);
You can attach or position more than one child at a time by enclosing them all in braces:
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cube(50, center=true) {
attach(TOP) cylinder(d1=50,d2=20,l=20);
position(RIGHT) cylinder(d1=50,d2=20,l=20);
}
If you want to attach the same shape to multiple places on the same parent, you can pass the
desired anchors as a list to the attach() or position() modules:
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cube(50, center=true)
attach([RIGHT,FRONT],TOP) cylinder(d1=50,d2=20,l=20);
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cube(50, center=true)
position([TOP,RIGHT,FRONT]) cylinder(d1=50,d2=20,l=20);
Attaching 2D Children
You can use attachments in 2D as well, but only in the XY plane:
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
square(50,center=true)
attach(RIGHT,FRONT)
trapezoid(w1=30,w2=0,h=30);
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
circle(d=50)
attach(BACK,FRONT,overlap=5)
trapezoid(w1=30,w2=0,h=30);
Anchor Arrows
One way that is useful to show the position and orientation of an anchorpoint is by attaching an anchor arrow to that anchor.
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cube(40, center=true)
attach(LEFT+TOP)
anchor_arrow();
For large objects, you can change the size of the arrow with the s= argument.
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
sphere(d=100)
attach(LEFT+TOP)
anchor_arrow(s=30);
To show all the standard cardinal anchorpoints, you can use the show_anchors() module.
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cube(40, center=true)
show_anchors();
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cylinder(h=40, d=40, center=true)
show_anchors();
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
sphere(d=40)
show_anchors();
For large objects, you can again change the size of the arrows with the s= argument.
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cylinder(h=100, d=100, center=true)
show_anchors(s=30);
Tagged Operations
BOSL2 introduces the concept of tags. Tags are names that can be given to attachables, so that
you can refer to them when performing diff(), intersect(), and conv_hull() operations.
Each object can have no more than one tag at a time.
diff([remove], [keep])
The diff() operator is used to difference away all shapes marked with the tag(s) given to
remove, from the other shapes.
For example, to difference away a child cylinder from the middle of a parent cube, you can do this:
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
diff("hole")
cube(100, center=true)
tag("hole")cylinder(h=101, d=50, center=true);
The keep= argument takes tags for shapes that you want to keep in the output.
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
diff("dish", keep="antenna")
cube(100, center=true)
attach([FRONT,TOP], overlap=33) {
tag("dish") cylinder(h=33.1, d1=0, d2=95);
tag("antenna") cylinder(h=33.1, d=10);
}
Remember that tags are inherited by children. In this case, we need to explicitly untag the first cylinder (or change its tag to something else), or it will inherit the "keep" tag and get kept.
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
diff("hole", "keep")
tag("keep")cube(100, center=true)
attach([RIGHT,TOP]) {
tag("") cylinder(d=95, h=5);
tag("hole") cylinder(d=50, h=11, anchor=CTR);
}
You can of course apply tag() to several children.
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
diff("hole")
cube(100, center=true)
attach([FRONT,TOP], overlap=20)
tag("hole") {
cylinder(h=20.1, d1=0, d2=95);
down(10) cylinder(h=30, d=30);
}
Many of the modules that use tags have default values for their tags. For diff the default remove tag is "remove" and the default keep tag is "keep". In this example we rely on the default values:
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
diff()
sphere(d=100) {
tag("keep")xcyl(d=40, l=120);
tag("remove")cuboid([40,120,100]);
}
The parent object can be differenced away from other shapes. Tags are inherited by children, though, so you will need to set the tags of the children as well as the parent.
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
diff("hole")
tag("hole")cube([20,11,45], center=true)
tag("body")cube([40,10,90], center=true);
Tags (and therefore tag-based operations like diff()) only work correctly with attachable
children. However, a number of built-in modules for making shapes are not attachable.
Some notable non-attachable modules are text(), linear_extrude(), rotate_extrude(),
polygon(), polyhedron(), import(), surface(), union(), difference(),
intersection(), offset(), hull(), and minkowski().
To allow you to use tags-based operations with non-attachable shapes, you can wrap them with the
force_tag() module to specify their tags. For example:
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
diff("hole")
cuboid(50)
attach(TOP)
force_tag("hole")
rotate_extrude()
right(15)
square(10,center=true);
intersect([intersect], [keep])
To perform an intersection of attachables, you can use the intersect() module. This is
specifically intended to address the situation where you want intersections involving a parent
and a child, something that is impossible with the native intersection() module. This module
treats the children in three groups: objects matching the intersect tags, objects matching
the tags listed in keep and the remaining objects that don't match any listed tags. The
intersection is computed between the union of the intersect tagged objects and the union of
the objects that don't match any listed tags. Finally the objects lsited in keep are union
ed with the result.
In this example the parent is intersected with a conical bounding shape.
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
intersect("bounds")
cube(100, center=true)
tag("bounds") cylinder(h=100, d1=120, d2=95, center=true, $fn=72);
In this example the child objects are intersected with the bounding box parent.
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
intersect("pole cap")
cube(100, center=true)
attach([TOP,RIGHT]) {
tag("pole")cube([40,40,80],center=true);
tag("cap")sphere(d=40*sqrt(2));
}
The default intersect tag is "intersect" and the default keep tag is "keep". Here is an
example where "keep" is used to keep the pole from being removed by the intersection.
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
intersect()
cube(100, center=true) {
tag("intersect")cylinder(h=100, d1=120, d2=95, center=true, $fn=72);
tag("keep")zrot(45) xcyl(h=140, d=20, $fn=36);
}
conv_hull([keep])
You can use the conv_hull() module to hull shapes together. Objects
marked with the keep tags are excluded from the hull and unioned into the final result.
The default keep tag is "keep".
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
conv_hull()
cube(50, center=true) {
cyl(h=100, d=20);
tag("keep")xcyl(h=100, d=20);
}
3D Masking Attachments
To make it easier to mask away shapes from various edges of an attachable parent shape, there
are a few specialized alternatives to the attach() and position() modules.
edge_mask()
If you have a 3D mask shape that you want to difference away from various edges, you can use
the edge_mask() module. This module will take a vertically oriented shape, and will rotate
and move it such that the BACK, RIGHT (X+,Y+) side of the shape will be aligned with the given
edges. The shape will be tagged as a "remove" so that you can use
diff() with its default "remove" tag. For example,
here's a shape for rounding an edge:
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
module round_edge(l,r) difference() {
translate([-1,-1,-l/2])
cube([r+1,r+1,l]);
translate([r,r])
cylinder(h=l+1,r=r,center=true, $fn=quantup(segs(r),4));
}
round_edge(l=30, r=19);
You can use that mask to round various edges of a cube:
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
module round_edge(l,r) difference() {
translate([-1,-1,-l/2])
cube([r+1,r+1,l]);
translate([r,r])
cylinder(h=l+1,r=r,center=true, $fn=quantup(segs(r),4));
}
diff()
cube([50,60,70],center=true)
edge_mask([TOP,"Z"],except=[BACK,TOP+LEFT])
round_edge(l=71,r=10);
corner_mask()
If you have a 3D mask shape that you want to difference away from various corners, you can use
the corner_mask() module. This module will take a shape and rotate and move it such that the
BACK RIGHT TOP (X+,Y+,Z+) side of the shape will be aligned with the given corner. The shape
will be tagged as a "remove" so that you can use diff() with its
default "remove" tag. For example, here's a shape for
rounding a corner:
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
module round_corner(r) difference() {
translate(-[1,1,1])
cube(r+1);
translate([r,r,r])
sphere(r=r, style="aligned", $fn=quantup(segs(r),4));
}
round_corner(r=10);
You can use that mask to round various corners of a cube:
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
module round_corner(r) difference() {
translate(-[1,1,1])
cube(r+1);
translate([r,r,r])
sphere(r=r, style="aligned", $fn=quantup(segs(r),4));
}
diff()
cube([50,60,70],center=true)
corner_mask([TOP,FRONT],LEFT+FRONT+TOP)
round_corner(r=10);
Mix and Match Masks
You can use edge_mask() and corner_mask() together as well:
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
module round_corner(r) difference() {
translate(-[1,1,1])
cube(r+1);
translate([r,r,r])
sphere(r=r, style="aligned", $fn=quantup(segs(r),4));
}
module round_edge(l,r) difference() {
translate([-1,-1,-l/2])
cube([r+1,r+1,l]);
translate([r,r])
cylinder(h=l+1,r=r,center=true, $fn=quantup(segs(r),4));
}
diff()
cube([50,60,70],center=true) {
edge_mask("ALL") round_edge(l=71,r=10);
corner_mask("ALL") round_corner(r=10);
}
2D Profile Mask Attachments
While 3D mask shapes give you a great deal of control, you need to make sure they are correctly
sized, and you need to provide separate mask shapes for corners and edges. Often, a single 2D
profile could be used to describe the edge mask shape (via linear_extrude()), and the corner
mask shape (via rotate_extrude()). This is where edge_profile(), corner_profile(), and
face_profile() come in.
edge_profile()
Using the edge_profile() module, you can provide a 2D profile shape and it will be linearly
extruded to a mask of the apropriate length for each given edge. The resultant mask will be
tagged with "remove" so that you can difference it away with diff()
with the default "remove" tag. The 2D profile is
assumed to be oriented with the BACK, RIGHT (X+,Y+) quadrant as the "cutter edge" that gets
re-oriented towards the edges of the parent shape. A typical mask profile for chamfering an
edge may look like:
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
mask2d_roundover(10);
Using that mask profile, you can mask the edges of a cube like:
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
diff()
cube([50,60,70],center=true)
edge_profile("ALL")
mask2d_roundover(10);
corner_profile()
You can use the same profile to make a rounded corner mask as well:
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
diff()
cube([50,60,70],center=true)
corner_profile("ALL", r=10)
mask2d_roundover(10);
face_profile()
As a simple shortcut to apply a profile mask to all edges and corners of a face, you can use the
face_profile() module:
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
diff()
cube([50,60,70],center=true)
face_profile(TOP, r=10)
mask2d_roundover(10);
Coloring Attachables
Usually, when coloring a shape with the color() module, the parent color overrides the colors of
all children. This is often not what you want:
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
$fn = 24;
color("red") spheroid(d=3) {
attach(CENTER,BOT) color("white") cyl(h=10, d=1) {
attach(TOP,BOT) color("green") cyl(h=5, d1=3, d2=0);
}
}
If you use the recolor() module, however, the child's color overrides the color of the parent.
This is probably easier to understand by example:
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
$fn = 24;
recolor("red") spheroid(d=3) {
attach(CENTER,BOT) recolor("white") cyl(h=10, d=1) {
attach(TOP,BOT) recolor("green") cyl(h=5, d1=3, d2=0);
}
}
Making Attachables
To make a shape attachable, you just need to wrap it with an attachable() module with a
basic description of the shape's geometry. By default, the shape is expected to be centered
at the origin. The attachable() module expects exactly two children. The first will be
the shape to make attachable, and the second will be children(), literally.
Prismoidal/Cuboidal Attachables
To make a cuboidal or prismoidal shape attachable, you use the size, size2, and offset
arguments of attachable().
In the most basic form, where the shape is fully cuboid, with top and bottom of the same size,
and directly over one another, you can just use size=.
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
module cubic_barbell(s=100, anchor=CENTER, spin=0, orient=UP) {
attachable(anchor,spin,orient, size=[s*3,s,s]) {
union() {
xcopies(2*s) cube(s, center=true);
xcyl(h=2*s, d=s/4);
}
children();
}
}
cubic_barbell(100) show_anchors(30);
When the shape is prismoidal, where the top is a different size from the bottom, you can use
the size2= argument as well. While size= takes all three axes sizes, the size2= argument
only takes the [X,Y] sizes of the top of the shape.
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
module prismoidal(size=[100,100,100], scale=0.5, anchor=CENTER, spin=0, orient=UP) {
attachable(anchor,spin,orient, size=size, size2=[size.x, size.y]*scale) {
hull() {
up(size.z/2-0.005)
linear_extrude(height=0.01, center=true)
square([size.x,size.y]*scale, center=true);
down(size.z/2-0.005)
linear_extrude(height=0.01, center=true)
square([size.x,size.y], center=true);
}
children();
}
}
prismoidal([100,60,30], scale=0.5) show_anchors(20);
When the top of the prismoid can be shifted away from directly above the bottom, you can use
the shift= argument. The shift= argument takes an [X,Y] vector of the offset of the center
of the top from the XY center of the bottom of the shape.
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
module prismoidal(size=[100,100,100], scale=0.5, shift=[0,0], anchor=CENTER, spin=0, orient=UP) {
attachable(anchor,spin,orient, size=size, size2=[size.x, size.y]*scale, shift=shift) {
hull() {
translate([shift.x, shift.y, size.z/2-0.005])
linear_extrude(height=0.01, center=true)
square([size.x,size.y]*scale, center=true);
down(size.z/2-0.005)
linear_extrude(height=0.01, center=true)
square([size.x,size.y], center=true);
}
children();
}
}
prismoidal([100,60,30], scale=0.5, shift=[-30,20]) show_anchors(20);
In the case that the prismoid is not oriented vertically, (ie, where the shift= or size2=
arguments should refer to a plane other than XY) you can use the axis= argument. This lets
you make prismoids naturally oriented forwards/backwards or sideways.
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
module yprismoidal(
size=[100,100,100], scale=0.5, shift=[0,0],
anchor=CENTER, spin=0, orient=UP
) {
attachable(
anchor, spin, orient,
size=size, size2=point2d(size)*scale,
shift=shift, axis=BACK
) {
xrot(-90) hull() {
translate([shift.x, shift.y, size.z/2-0.005])
linear_extrude(height=0.01, center=true)
square([size.x,size.y]*scale, center=true);
down(size.z/2-0.005)
linear_extrude(height=0.01, center=true)
square([size.x,size.y], center=true);
}
children();
}
}
yprismoidal([100,60,30], scale=1.5, shift=[20,20]) show_anchors(20);
Cylindrical Attachables
To make a cylindrical shape attachable, you use the l, and r/d, args of attachable().
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
module twistar(l,r,d, anchor=CENTER, spin=0, orient=UP) {
r = get_radius(r=r,d=d,dflt=1);
attachable(anchor,spin,orient, r=r, l=l) {
linear_extrude(height=l, twist=90, slices=20, center=true, convexity=4)
star(n=20, r=r, ir=r*0.9);
children();
}
}
twistar(l=100, r=40) show_anchors(20);
If the cylinder is elipsoidal in shape, you can pass the inequal X/Y sizes as a 2-item vector
to the r= or d= argument.
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
module ovalstar(l,rx,ry, anchor=CENTER, spin=0, orient=UP) {
attachable(anchor,spin,orient, r=[rx,ry], l=l) {
linear_extrude(height=l, center=true, convexity=4)
scale([1,ry/rx,1])
star(n=20, r=rx, ir=rx*0.9);
children();
}
}
ovalstar(l=100, rx=50, ry=30) show_anchors(20);
For cylindrical shapes that arent oriented vertically, use the axis= argument.
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
module ytwistar(l,r,d, anchor=CENTER, spin=0, orient=UP) {
r = get_radius(r=r,d=d,dflt=1);
attachable(anchor,spin,orient, r=r, l=l, axis=BACK) {
xrot(-90)
linear_extrude(height=l, twist=90, slices=20, center=true, convexity=4)
star(n=20, r=r, ir=r*0.9);
children();
}
}
ytwistar(l=100, r=40) show_anchors(20);
Conical Attachables
To make a conical shape attachable, you use the l, r1/d1, and r2/d2, args of
attachable().
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
module twistar(l, r,r1,r2, d,d1,d2, anchor=CENTER, spin=0, orient=UP) {
r1 = get_radius(r1=r1,r=r,d1=d1,d=d,dflt=1);
r2 = get_radius(r1=r2,r=r,d1=d2,d=d,dflt=1);
attachable(anchor,spin,orient, r1=r1, r2=r2, l=l) {
linear_extrude(height=l, twist=90, scale=r2/r1, slices=20, center=true, convexity=4)
star(n=20, r=r1, ir=r1*0.9);
children();
}
}
twistar(l=100, r1=40, r2=20) show_anchors(20);
If the cone is ellipsoidal in shape, you can pass the inequal X/Y sizes as a 2-item vectors
to the r1=/r2= or d1=/d2= arguments.
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
module ovalish(l,rx1,ry1,rx2,ry2, anchor=CENTER, spin=0, orient=UP) {
attachable(anchor,spin,orient, r1=[rx1,ry1], r2=[rx2,ry2], l=l) {
hull() {
up(l/2-0.005)
linear_extrude(height=0.01, center=true)
ellipse([rx2,ry2]);
down(l/2-0.005)
linear_extrude(height=0.01, center=true)
ellipse([rx1,ry1]);
}
children();
}
}
ovalish(l=100, rx1=50, ry1=30, rx2=30, ry2=50) show_anchors(20);
For conical shapes that are not oriented vertically, use the axis= argument to indicate the
direction of the primary shape axis:
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
module ytwistar(l, r,r1,r2, d,d1,d2, anchor=CENTER, spin=0, orient=UP) {
r1 = get_radius(r1=r1,r=r,d1=d1,d=d,dflt=1);
r2 = get_radius(r1=r2,r=r,d1=d2,d=d,dflt=1);
attachable(anchor,spin,orient, r1=r1, r2=r2, l=l, axis=BACK) {
xrot(-90)
linear_extrude(height=l, twist=90, scale=r2/r1, slices=20, center=true, convexity=4)
star(n=20, r=r1, ir=r1*0.9);
children();
}
}
ytwistar(l=100, r1=40, r2=20) show_anchors(20);
Spherical Attachables
To make a spherical shape attachable, you use the r/d args of attachable().
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
module spikeball(r, d, anchor=CENTER, spin=0, orient=UP) {
r = get_radius(r=r,d=d,dflt=1);
attachable(anchor,spin,orient, r=r*1.1) {
union() {
sphere_copies(r=r, n=512, cone_ang=180) cylinder(r1=r/10, r2=0, h=r/10);
sphere(r=r);
}
children();
}
}
spikeball(r=50) show_anchors(20);
If the shape is an ellipsoid, you can pass a 3-item vector of sizes to r= or d=.
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
module spikeball(r, d, scale, anchor=CENTER, spin=0, orient=UP) {
r = get_radius(r=r,d=d,dflt=1);
attachable(anchor,spin,orient, r=r*1.1*scale) {
union() {
sphere_copies(r=r, n=512, scale=scale, cone_ang=180) cylinder(r1=r/10, r2=0, h=r/10);
scale(scale) sphere(r=r);
}
children();
}
}
spikeball(r=50, scale=[0.75,1,1.5]) show_anchors(20);
VNF Attachables
If the shape just doesn't fit into any of the above categories, and you constructed it as a
VNF, you can use the VNF itself to describe the geometry with the vnf= argument.
There are two variations to how anchoring can work for VNFs. When extent=true, (the default)
then a plane is projected out from the origin, perpendicularly in the direction of the anchor,
to the furthest distance that intersects with the VNF shape. The anchorpoint is then the
center of the points that still intersect that plane.
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
module stellate_cube(s=100, anchor=CENTER, spin=0, orient=UP) {
s2 = 3 * s;
verts = [
[0,0,-s2*sqrt(2)/2],
each down(s/2, p=path3d(square(s,center=true))),
each zrot(45, p=path3d(square(s2,center=true))),
each up(s/2, p=path3d(square(s,center=true))),
[0,0,s2*sqrt(2)/2]
];
faces = [
[0,2,1], [0,3,2], [0,4,3], [0,1,4],
[1,2,6], [1,6,9], [6,10,9], [2,10,6],
[1,5,4], [1,9,5], [9,12,5], [5,12,4],
[4,8,3], [4,12,8], [12,11,8], [11,3,8],
[2,3,7], [3,11,7], [7,11,10], [2,7,10],
[9,10,13], [10,11,13], [11,12,13], [12,9,13]
];
vnf = [verts, faces];
attachable(anchor,spin,orient, vnf=vnf) {
vnf_polyhedron(vnf);
children();
}
}
stellate_cube(25) {
attach(UP+RIGHT) {
anchor_arrow(20);
%cube([100,100,0.1],center=true);
}
}
When extent=false, then the anchorpoint will be the furthest intersection of the VNF with
the anchor ray from the origin. The orientation of the anchorpoint will be the normal of the
face at the intersection. If the intersection is at an edge or corner, then the orientation
will bisect the angles between the faces.
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
module stellate_cube(s=100, anchor=CENTER, spin=0, orient=UP) {
s2 = 3 * s;
verts = [
[0,0,-s2*sqrt(2)/2],
each down(s/2, p=path3d(square(s,center=true))),
each zrot(45, p=path3d(square(s2,center=true))),
each up(s/2, p=path3d(square(s,center=true))),
[0,0,s2*sqrt(2)/2]
];
faces = [
[0,2,1], [0,3,2], [0,4,3], [0,1,4],
[1,2,6], [1,6,9], [6,10,9], [2,10,6],
[1,5,4], [1,9,5], [9,12,5], [5,12,4],
[4,8,3], [4,12,8], [12,11,8], [11,3,8],
[2,3,7], [3,11,7], [7,11,10], [2,7,10],
[9,10,13], [10,11,13], [11,12,13], [12,9,13]
];
vnf = [verts, faces];
attachable(anchor,spin,orient, vnf=vnf, extent=false) {
vnf_polyhedron(vnf);
children();
}
}
stellate_cube() show_anchors(50);
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
$fn=32;
R = difference(circle(10), right(2, circle(9)));
linear_sweep(R,height=10,atype="hull")
attach(RIGHT) anchor_arrow();
Making Named Anchors
While vector anchors are often useful, sometimes there are logically extra attachment points that
aren't on the perimeter of the shape. This is what named string anchors are for. For example,
the teardrop() shape uses a cylindrical geometry for it's vector anchors, but it also provides
a named anchor "cap" that is at the tip of the hat of the teardrop shape.
Named anchors are passed as an array of named_anchor()s to the anchors= argument of attachable().
The named_anchor() call takes a name string, a positional point, an orientation vector, and a spin.
The name is the name of the anchor. The positional point is where the anchorpoint is at. The
orientation vector is the direction that a child attached at that anchorpoint should be oriented.
The spin is the number of degrees that an attached child should be rotated counter-clockwise around
the orientation vector. Spin is optional, and defaults to 0.
To make a simple attachable shape similar to a teardrop() that provides a "cap" anchor, you may
define it like this:
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
module raindrop(r, thick, anchor=CENTER, spin=0, orient=UP) {
anchors = [
named_anchor("cap", [0,r/sin(45),0], BACK, 0)
];
attachable(anchor,spin,orient, r=r, l=thick, anchors=anchors) {
linear_extrude(height=thick, center=true) {
circle(r=r);
back(r*sin(45)) zrot(45) square(r, center=true);
}
children();
}
}
raindrop(r=25, thick=20, anchor="cap");
If you want multiple named anchors, just add them to the list of anchors:
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
module raindrop(r, thick, anchor=CENTER, spin=0, orient=UP) {
anchors = [
named_anchor("captop", [0,r/sin(45), thick/2], BACK+UP, 0),
named_anchor("cap", [0,r/sin(45), 0 ], BACK, 0),
named_anchor("capbot", [0,r/sin(45),-thick/2], BACK+DOWN, 0)
];
attachable(anchor,spin,orient, r=r, l=thick, anchors=anchors) {
linear_extrude(height=thick, center=true) {
circle(r=r);
back(r*sin(45)) zrot(45) square(r, center=true);
}
children();
}
}
raindrop(r=15, thick=10) show_anchors();
Sometimes the named anchor you want to add may be at a point that is reached through a complicated set of translations and rotations. One quick way to calculate that point is to reproduce those transformations in a transformation matrix chain. This is simplified by how you can use the function forms of almost all the transformation modules to get the transformation matrices, and chain them together with matrix multiplication. For example, if you have:
scale([1.1, 1.2, 1.3]) xrot(15) zrot(25) right(20) sphere(d=1);
and you want to calculate the centerpoint of the sphere, you can do it like:
sphere_pt = apply(
scale([1.1, 1.2, 1.3]) * xrot(15) * zrot(25) * right(20),
[0,0,0]
);