Dynamic Calculation of Dimensions

[WillAdams (William Adams (Carbide 3D))]

This is known as parametric design (but c.f., conversational CAM below).

I’ve been exploring it using OpenSCAD and pairing that w/ METAPOST to make projects:

tb125adams-3d.pdf

and also doing designs using BlockSCAD:

Design into 3D: Boxes: Coopered boxes

One distinctive form of box is the traditional steamer trunk or chest with a coopered lid, often depicted as a pirate’s treasure chest: [image] It should be possible to model one programmatically, and to then cut out the parts for the lid using Carbide Create Pro’s 3D modeling (or by using a V endmill of an appropriate angle — anyone know of a source for V endmills of arbitrary angles? Not just the 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120 typically available?) …

and it’s more-or-less the subject of my Kickstarter (which I’m running behind on, but hope to finish up this year):

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/designinto3d/design-into-3d-a-book-of-customizable-project-desi

Other tools which offer this sort of parametric design include:

• Autodesk Fusion360
• Rhino3D w/ Grasshopper
• CADquery — stand-alone tool or an (outdated?) workbench in FreeCAD

I tried doing it in Alibre Atom3D, but found not being able to center things problematic:

https://community.carbide3d.com/t/parametric-design-using-alibre-atom3d/17409

List at: https://wiki.shapeoko.com/index.php/Programming

If there were a scripting language which could directly make .c2d files (which are JSON format) I’d be in business.

As an alternative, for simpler projects there’s also conversational CAM:

https://wiki.shapeoko.com/index.php/Interactive_G-Code_Generators

which is more in-line w/ what you’re asking after.