openscad

Original：🇺🇸 English

Translated

1 scripts

Create versioned OpenSCAD (.scad) files for 3D printing, render previews, and compare iterations. Use this when designing or iterating on 3D models.

3installs

Sourceiancanderson/openscad-agent

Added on2026-02-28

NPX Install

npx skill4agent add iancanderson/openscad-agent openscad

SKILL.md Content

View Translation Comparison →

OpenSCAD Design Skill

Create versioned OpenSCAD files, render previews, and compare iterations for 3D printing designs.

Workflow

1. Determine the Next Version Number

Before creating a new .scad file, find existing versions:

bash

.claude/skills/openscad/scripts/version-scad.sh <name>

This returns the next version number and filename. For example, if

piano_001.scad

exists, it returns

piano_002

.

2. Create the Versioned .scad File

Write the OpenSCAD code to the versioned filename (e.g.,

piano_002.scad

).

3. Render the Preview

bash

.claude/skills/preview-scad/scripts/render-scad.sh <name>_<version>.scad --output <name>_<version>.png

This creates a PNG with the matching version number (e.g.,

piano_002.png

).

4. Compare with Previous Version

Read both the current and previous PNG images to visually compare:

Current:
```
piano_002.png
```
Previous:
```
piano_001.png
```
(if exists)

Evaluate what changed and whether the new version better matches requirements.

5. Iterate

If the design needs improvement:

Analyze what's wrong
Create the next version (e.g.,
```
piano_003.scad
```
)
Render and compare again

File Naming Convention

<model-name>_<version>.scad  ->  <model-name>_<version>.png

Examples:

```
phone_stand_001.scad
```
->
```
phone_stand_001.png
```
```
phone_stand_002.scad
```
->
```
phone_stand_002.png
```
```
gear_001.scad
```
->
```
gear_001.png
```

Use underscores in model names, and always use 3-digit zero-padded version numbers.

Example Session

User asks for a piano model:

Check for existing versions:

bash

.claude/skills/openscad/scripts/version-scad.sh piano

Output:

piano_001

(no existing files)

Write
```
piano_001.scad
```
with initial design

Render preview:

bash

.claude/skills/preview-scad/scripts/render-scad.sh piano_001.scad --output piano_001.png

Read
```
piano_001.png
```
to inspect the result
If improvements needed, create
```
piano_002.scad
```
, render to
```
piano_002.png
```
Read both
```
piano_001.png
```
and
```
piano_002.png
```
to compare iterations

Render Options

See

/preview-scad

for full rendering options:

```
--size <WxH>
```
- Image dimensions (default:
```
800x600
```
)
```
--camera <x,y,z,tx,ty,tz,d>
```
- Camera position
```
--colorscheme <name>
```
- Color scheme (default:
```
Cornfield
```
)
```
--render
```
- Full render mode (slower, more accurate)
```
--preview
```
- Preview mode (faster, default)

Next Steps

Once the design looks correct in PNG previews:

Export to STL: Use
```
/export-stl
```
to convert the final version to STL format
The export includes geometry validation to catch printability issues

Full Pipeline

/openscad → /preview-scad → /export-stl (with validation)

Tips

Start simple and add complexity in iterations
Use meaningful model names that describe the object
Keep each version's changes focused on specific improvements
Document what changed between versions in your response to the user
Only export to STL once the preview looks correct
Always run slice-check before considering a model print-ready

openscad

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content

OpenSCAD Design Skill

Workflow

1. Determine the Next Version Number

2. Create the Versioned .scad File

3. Render the Preview

4. Compare with Previous Version

5. Iterate

File Naming Convention

Example Session

Render Options

Next Steps

Full Pipeline

Tips