OpenSCAD Tutorial

Lesson 1 · Your First Shapes

Size a cube

An OpenSCAD model is a script. Each statement creates a shape and ends with a semicolon. The three basic 3D shapes are cube, sphere, and cylinder.

  • cube(10) makes a cube with all three sides 10.
  • cube([20, 10, 5]) is 20 wide (X), 10 deep (Y), and 5 tall (Z).
  • By default a cube sits with one corner at the origin.

OpenSCAD has no units. Treat one unit as one millimeter, which is what slicers assume when you print.

Common mistake: writing cube(20, 10, 5). A cube's size is one vector in square brackets; three loose numbers do not mean width, depth, and height.

Your task: change the cube so it is 20 wide, 10 deep, and 5 tall.

Lesson 1 in under a minute
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