OpenSCAD is soon to have color capabilities.
If you’re not familiar with OpenSCAD, it’s a popular open-source 3D modelling tool with a difference: instead of working visually, you “program” the design with a series of executable statements. It’s quite different, and programmers will find it somewhat familiar. However, those used to visual 3D modeling may find the paradigm a bit strange.
Because of the programmatic nature of OpenSCAD, it is inherently parametric: each program statement typically includes numerical directives. For example, a cylinder shape will be generated by specifying its diameter and height. This makes OpenSCAD ideal for designing mechanical parts, and it’s trivial to make changes: you just tweak the numbers.
But there have been changes in 3D printing in recent years. There has been huge growth in multicolor 3D printers, led by spool-swapping accessories like Prusa’s MMU, Bambu Lab’s AMS, and similar devices.
3D printers with these accessories are capable of 3D printing objects in several colors. The hardware works, but your slicing software must be able to handle multiple colors. Recent upgrades to PrusaSlicer and its offshoots have the ability to “paint” surfaces with different colors to prepare them for printing.
However, it’s easiest if the 3D model itself already has the coloring embedded in it. 3D designers typically have color schemes in mind when they create the object, so CAD tools should have this ability. Many do.
But OpenSCAD does not.
At least, not yet. It seems that the open-source project has been quietly working on multicolor capabilities. A post from OpenSCAD said:
“Over the last couple of months, people have been working on extending #OpenSCAD to finally support color for the rendered 3D meshes. Not just in preview.
The base of all this is the new geometry engine Manifold, so this needs to be selected in Preferences.
There is still a lot of work to do, but now it’s possible to export/import colored models via 3MF. OFF can handle colors a bit longer already.”
This is big news, and quite an accomplishment for the project, which doesn’t have a huge number of developers.
For 3D printer operators, these changes will eventually enable OpenSCAD designs to make full use of the latest multicolor desktop 3D print technology.
Via Mastodon
