BezBlog

This is my fifth post in a series about the  open source split-flap display  I’ve been designing in my free time. Check out a  video of the prototype . Posts in the series: Scripting KiCad Pcbnew exports Automated KiCad, OpenSCAD rendering using Travis CI Using UI automation to export KiCad schematics OpenSCAD Rendering Tricks, Part 1: Animated GIF OpenSCAD Rendering Tricks, Part 2: Laser Cutting OpenSCAD Rendering Tricks, Part 3: Web viewer In addition to creating a nice animated rendering , I wanted to make sure I could consistently export the final vector design to be laser cut. There were three main challenges to this: Layout - All of the pieces that make up the 3D design need to be laid out flat so they can be cut out of a single sheet of wood. Kerf - When laser cutting, the beam burns away material, leaving a gap where cuts were made (referred to as kerf). This means that shapes will all be slightly smaller than desired if cut exactly to dimension, ...

This is my fourth post in a series about the open source split-flap display I’ve been designing in my free time. Check out a video of the prototype . Posts in the series: Scripting KiCad Pcbnew exports Automated KiCad, OpenSCAD rendering using Travis CI Using UI automation to export KiCad schematics OpenSCAD Rendering Tricks, Part 1: Animated GIF OpenSCAD Rendering Tricks, Part 2: Laser Cutting OpenSCAD Rendering Tricks, Part 3: Web viewer Early when designing the split flap 3D model using OpenSCAD I wanted to include a visualization in the project’s README so others could see what it looked like. It’s possible to capture an image manually (File→Export→Export as Image), but that’s an extra thing to remember to do after every change and it’s also not very consistent. The image that’s exported is basically a snapshot of the current preview window, so the image dimensions and camera angle would be different each time. Plus, a single static image doesn’t fully convey the 3D mo...