Thingiverse Broken use OpenSCAD 3d Modeling

Computer Aided Design (CAD)
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DrVAX posted this video in Jan 2021: [U]Thingiverse Broken use OpenSCAD 3d Modeling - YouTube. I think it is an excellent intro to how openSCAD can be used to create 3D object models.

The video talks about using openSCAD to design models. I tried openSCAD out & found 1 glaring obstacle: filleting. OpenSCAD is not good at it, especially compared to FreeCAD, Fusion 360, & other CAD packages.

Filleting is important. It isn’t just a “nice to have”. Curving joints in models helps spread stress forces over a larger surface area. This translates to stronger models. While this is true with more conventional manufacturing techniques, it is even more important with 3D filament printing. The layers in 3D prints make them more susceptable to failure than other methods of manufacturing. Strong prints need good filleting.

So, I pretty much abandoned openSCAD. However, @Irv_Shapiro’s video reminded me of something: I can export openSCAD models & import them into other CAD programs. After some conversion steps in the other CAD program I can use its facilities to fillet the model.

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You can have FreeCAD open up OpenSCAD files directly, too. There’s an OpenSCAD workbench that’s basically a front-end to OpenSCAD but in FreeCAD. Even better, if you open up an OpenSCAD file directly in FreeCAD, you have access to all of its parameters and you can use it without even knowing a thing about OpenSCAD. You just have to set up OpenSCAD for FreeCAD: Import OpenSCAD code - FreeCAD Documentation