Since even very early days of desktop 3D printing, this free, open source parametric modeling software package, OpenSCAD, has found its way only to a great many 3D Makers’ laptops. With an interface looking more like the Arduino IDE than any interactive 3D modeling tool you have seen, OpenSCAD offers designers the opportunity to use a fairly straightforward language to build 3D objects through code rather than mouse drags — a real boon for those those wishing to build quick, precise CAD models for printing from the ground up.
This extremely handy parametric design tool has been used to make many of Thingiverse’s most popular items, from Emmett’s Blossoming Lamp and Screwless Heart Gears to Tony Buser’s wildly helpful pin connectors and Mars Exploration Rover. This app is particularly helpful for the huge influx of DIY electronics hobbyists joining the 3D community, looking to have the tools they need to make awesome mounts, bezels, cases, and interactive parts using a 3D printer.
The MakerBot Customizer app is at heart a hosted version of the open source OpenSCAD app, with GUI tools to allow users to adjust parametric factors within OpenSCAD designs to produce their own custom objects.
Adafruit publishes a wide range of writing and video content, including interviews and reporting on the maker market and the wider technology world. Our standards page is intended as a guide to best practices that Adafruit uses, as well as an outline of the ethical standards Adafruit aspires to. While Adafruit is not an independent journalistic institution, Adafruit strives to be a fair, informative, and positive voice within the community – check it out here: adafruit.com/editorialstandards
Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat – we’ll post the link there.
