buttfinity

# Basic Shapes Tutorial

<!-- TOC -->

## Primitives
There are 3 built-in 3D primitive shapes that OpenSCAD provides: `cube()`, `cylinder()`,
and `sphere()`.  The BOSL2 library extends and provides alternative to these shapes so
that they support more features, and more ways to simply reorient them.


### 3D Cubes
BOSL2 overrides the built-in `cube()` module.  It still can be used as you expect from the built-in:

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cube(100);
```

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cube(100, center=true);
```

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cube([50,40,20], center=true);
```

It is also enhanced to allow you to anchor, spin, orient, and attach it.

You can use `anchor=` similarly to how you use it with `rect()` or `oval()`,
except you can also anchor vertically in 3D, allowing anchoring to faces, edges,
and corners:

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cube([50,40,20], anchor=BOTTOM);
```

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cube([50,40,20], anchor=TOP+BACK);
```

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cube([50,40,20], anchor=TOP+FRONT+LEFT);
```

You can use `spin=` to rotate around the Z axis **after** anchoring:

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cube([50,40,20], anchor=FRONT, spin=30);
```

3D objects also can be given an `orient=` argument as a vector, pointing
to where the top of the shape should be rotated towards.

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cube([50,40,20], orient=UP+BACK+RIGHT);
```

If you use `anchor=`, `spin=`, and `orient=` together, the anchor is performed
first, then the spin, then the orient:

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cube([50,40,20], anchor=FRONT);
```

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cube([50,40,20], anchor=FRONT, spin=45);
```

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cube([50,40,20], anchor=FRONT, spin=45, orient=UP+FWD+RIGHT);
```

BOSL2 provides a `cuboid()` module that expands on `cube()`, by providing
rounding and chamfering of edges.  You can use it similarly to `cube()`,
except that `cuboid()` centers by default.

You can round the edges with the `rounding=` argument:

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cuboid([100,80,60], rounding=20);
```

Similarly, you can chamfer the edges with the `chamfer=` argument:

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cuboid([100,80,60], chamfer=10);
```

You can round only some edges, by using the `edges=` arguments.  It can be
given a few types of arguments. If you gave it a vector pointed at a face,
it will only round the edges surrounding that face:

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cuboid([100,80,60], rounding=20, edges=TOP);
```

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cuboid([100,80,60], rounding=20, edges=RIGHT);
```

If you give `edges=` a vector pointing at a corner, it will round all edges
that meet at that corner:

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cuboid([100,80,60], rounding=20, edges=RIGHT+FRONT+TOP);
```

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cuboid([100,80,60], rounding=20, edges=LEFT+FRONT+TOP);
```

If you give `edges=` a vector pointing at an edge, it will round only that edge:

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cuboid([100,80,60], rounding=10, edges=FRONT+TOP);
```

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cuboid([100,80,60], rounding=10, edges=RIGHT+FRONT);
```

If you give the string "X", "Y", or "Z", then all edges aligned with the specified
axis will be rounded:

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cuboid([100,80,60], rounding=10, edges="X");
```

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cuboid([100,80,60], rounding=10, edges="Y");
```

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cuboid([100,80,60], rounding=10, edges="Z");
```

If you give a list of edge specs, then all edges referenced in the list will
be rounded:

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cuboid([100,80,60], rounding=10, edges=[TOP,"Z",BOTTOM+RIGHT]);
```

The default value for `edges=` is `EDGES_ALL`, which is all edges.  You can also
give an `except_edges=` argument that specifies edges to NOT round:

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cuboid([100,80,60], rounding=10, except_edges=BOTTOM+RIGHT);
```

You can give the `except_edges=` argument any type of argument that you can
give to `edges=`:

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cuboid([100,80,60], rounding=10, except_edges=[BOTTOM,"Z",TOP+RIGHT]);
```

You can give both `edges=` and `except_edges=`, to simplify edge specs:

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cuboid([100,80,60], rounding=10, edges=[TOP,FRONT], except_edges=TOP+FRONT);
```

You can specify what edges to chamfer similarly:

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cuboid([100,80,60], chamfer=10, edges=[TOP,FRONT], except_edges=TOP+FRONT);
```


### 3D Cylinder
BOSL2 overrides the built-in `cylinder()` module.  It still can be used as you
expect from the built-in:

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cylinder(r=50,h=50);
```

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cylinder(r=50,h=50,center=true);
```

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cylinder(d=100,h=50,center=true);
```

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cylinder(d1=100,d2=80,h=50,center=true);
```

You can also anchor, spin, orient, and attach like the `cuboid()` module:

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cylinder(r=50, h=50, anchor=TOP+FRONT);
```

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cylinder(r=50, h=50, anchor=BOTTOM+LEFT);
```

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cylinder(r=50, h=50, anchor=BOTTOM+LEFT, spin=30);
```

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cylinder(r=50, h=50, anchor=BOTTOM, orient=UP+BACK+RIGHT);
```


BOSL2 provides a `cyl()` module that expands on `cylinder()`, by providing
rounding and chamfering of edges.  You can use it similarly to `cylinder()`,
except that `cyl()` centers the cylinder by default.

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cyl(r=60, l=100);
```

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cyl(d=100, l=100);
```

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cyl(d=100, l=100, anchor=TOP);
```

You can round the edges with the `rounding=` argument:

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cyl(d=100, l=100, rounding=20);
```

Similarly, you can chamfer the edges with the `chamfer=` argument:

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cyl(d=100, l=100, chamfer=10);
```

You can specify rounding and chamfering for each end individually:

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cyl(d=100, l=100, rounding1=20);
```

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cyl(d=100, l=100, rounding2=20);
```

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cyl(d=100, l=100, chamfer1=10);
```

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cyl(d=100, l=100, chamfer2=10);
```

You can even mix and match rounding and chamfering:

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cyl(d=100, l=100, rounding1=20, chamfer2=10);
```

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
cyl(d=100, l=100, rounding2=20, chamfer1=10);
```


### 3D Spheres
BOSL2 overrides the built-in `sphere()` module.  It still can be used as you
expect from the built-in:

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
sphere(r=50);
```

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
sphere(d=100);
```

You can anchor, spin, and orient `sphere()`s, much like you can with `cylinder()`
and `cube()`:

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
sphere(d=100, anchor=FRONT);
```

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
sphere(d=100, anchor=FRONT, spin=30);
```

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
sphere(d=100, anchor=BOTTOM, orient=RIGHT+TOP);
```

BOSL2 also provides `spheroid()`, which enhances `sphere()` with a few features
like the `circum=` and `style=` arguments:

You can use the `circum=true` argument to force the sphere to circumscribe the
ideal sphere, as opposed to the default inscribing:

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
spheroid(d=100, circum=true);
```

The `style=` argument can choose the way that the sphere will be constructed:
The "orig" style matches the `sphere()` built-in's construction. 

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
spheroid(d=100, style="orig", $fn=20);
```

The "aligned" style will ensure that there is a vertex at each axis extrema,
so long as `$fn` is a multiple of 4.

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
spheroid(d=100, style="aligned", $fn=20);
```

The "stagger" style will stagger the triangulation of the vertical rows:

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
spheroid(d=100, style="stagger", $fn=20);
```

The "icosa" style will make for roughly equal-sized triangles for the entire
sphere surface, based on subdividing an icosahedron.  This style will round the
effective `$fn` to a multiple of 5 when constructing the spheroid:

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
spheroid(d=100, style="icosa", $fn=20);
```

The "octa" style will also make for roughly equal-sized triangles for the entire
sphere surface, but based on subdividing an octahedron.  This is useful in that it
guarantees vertices at the axis extrema.  This style will round the effective `$fn`
to a multiple of 4 when constructing the spheroid:

```openscad-3D
include <BOSL2/std.scad>
spheroid(d=100, style="octa", $fn=20);
```