OpenSCAD: Design Parts by Writing Code

// Parametric phone stand in OpenSCAD
// Edit any of these to regenerate the model.

phone_width = 75;     // mm
phone_height = 150;   // mm
phone_thickness = 12; // mm
stand_thickness = 5;  // mm
tilt_angle = 70;      // degrees

// Outer outline
module stand_body() {
  hull() {
    // Bottom rectangle (where phone rests)
    translate([0, 0, 0])
      cube([phone_width + 20, stand_thickness, phone_thickness + 5]);
    // Tilted back support
    translate([0, 0, 0])
      rotate([0, 0, tilt_angle])
      cube([phone_width + 20, stand_thickness, phone_height]);
  }
}

// Phone slot (cut from the body)
module phone_slot() {
  translate([10, -1, 5])
    cube([phone_width, stand_thickness + 2, phone_height + 5]);
}

// Charging cable cutout
module cable_cutout() {
  translate([phone_width/2 + 10, -1, 0])
    rotate([90, 0, 0])
    cylinder(h = stand_thickness + 2, r = 5);
}

// Combine: body minus phone slot minus cable cutout
difference() {
  stand_body();
  phone_slot();
  cable_cutout();
}

// To get an STL:
//   Open in OpenSCAD; press F6 (render); File → Export → STL.

// To get variants:
//   Change phone_width to 80; rerun. Done.
//   Want 5 different sizes? Change the variable, save 5 STLs.
//   Hand 100 STLs to a printer for batch printing.

WHY THIS IS POWERFUL:
  - One file. One variable change. New model.
  - Version control: each commit is a working CAD model.
  - Reproducible: you can re-render the exact model from the file alone.
  - Parametric: change one number, everything updates.

WHY THIS IS LIMITED:
  - No 'click and drag' to design organic shapes.
  - Hard to design complex curves (you'd type 50 lines for a phone holder)
  - Visual feedback is delayed (F6 to render).
  - Slow to iterate vs traditional CAD.

WHEN OPENSCAD WINS:
  - Parametric tool: a customizable phone holder where each user changes 3 values
  - Generated designs: making 100 variants of a bracket
  - Open-source designs: easy to fork and modify
  - Educational: teaching CAD concepts via code

WHEN OPENSCAD LOSES:
  - Organic / artistic shapes (use Blender)
  - Complex parametric assemblies (Fusion is better)
  - Quick one-off designs (Tinkercad is faster)
  - Teamwork (no real-time collaboration)