Display and Export

show

Render and display one or more objects in the PythonSCAD viewport. This is the primary way to make objects visible.

Syntax:

Python

show(obj)
show(obj1, obj2, ...)
show([obj1, obj2, ...])
obj.show()

Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Description
`obj`	solid, or list of solids	Object(s) to display

Passing a list of solids implicitly creates a union.

Examples:

Python

from pythonscad import *

cube(10).show()

show(cube(5), sphere(3).right(10))

show([cube(5).right(5 * i) for i in range(5)])

export

Export an object to a file. Supports STL, 3MF, OFF, AMF, and other formats based on the file extension.

Syntax:

Python

export(obj, file)
obj.export(file)

Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Description
`obj`	solid or dict	Object to export, or a dict of `{"name": solid}` for multi-object 3MF
`file`	string	Output file path (format determined by extension)

Examples:

Python

from pythonscad import *

cube(10).export("mycube.stl")

Multi-object 3MF export

Passing a dict instead of a single solid emits one 3MF part per entry, all packed into the output file:

Python

from pythonscad import *

c   = cube(10)
cyl = cylinder(r=4, h=4)
export({"cube": c, "cylinder": cyl}, "myfile.3mf")

Keys become part names in the 3MF metadata, so they must be str / Unicode -- non-string keys are not supported and may error or crash at runtime. Values are the solids. Insertion order is preserved (CPython 3.7+ dict semantics).
3MF only. For non-3MF extensions, dict values that aren't recognised as solids are filtered first; TypeError: This Format can at most export one object is raised only when more than one recognised value remains. STL / OFF / AMF / etc. therefore still work for a dict that yields zero or one recognised value after filtering.
dict only (including dict subclasses). Mapping types that do not subclass dict -- collections.UserDict, generic collections.abc.Mapping implementations, ... -- are rejected with TypeError: Object not recognized.
Value conversion. Recognised values are :class:PyOpenSCADObject instances and lists of them (the list is unioned). The sentinels behave specially: None and False resolve to the built-in empty object and True to the full universe -- they are not dropped, they pass through as parts. Other values (numbers, strings, ...) are silently filtered out. If no value is recognised at all, export() raises TypeError: Object not recognized rather than writing an empty file.

This pairs naturally with MultiToolExporter: the exporter computes cumulative-difference splits and you feed them through the multi-object form to land everything in one 3MF file (see the example on the multi-tool reference page).

render

Force full geometry evaluation of an object. This computes the exact geometry, which can be useful before export or when preview mode gives incorrect results.

Syntax:

Python

render(obj, convexity=2)
obj.render(convexity=2)

Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`obj`	solid	—	Object to render
`convexity`	int	`2`	Maximum number of front/back faces a ray can intersect

Examples:

Python

from pythonscad import *

cube(10).render().show()

OpenSCAD reference: render

projection

Project a 3D object onto the XY plane, producing a 2D shape.

Syntax:

Python

projection(obj, cut=False, convexity=2)
obj.projection(cut=False, convexity=2)

Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`obj`	solid	—	3D object to project
`cut`	bool	`False`	If `True`, only the cross-section at Z=0 is returned; if `False`, the entire silhouette is projected
`convexity`	int	`2`	Convexity for rendering

Examples:

Python

from pythonscad import *

# Silhouette projection
sphere(10).projection().show()

# Cross-section at Z=0
sphere(10).projection(cut=True).show()

OpenSCAD reference: projection

group

Group objects together without performing any boolean operation. The children remain separate but are treated as a single node in the CSG tree.

Syntax:

Python

group(obj)

Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Description
`obj`	solid	Object to group

Examples:

Python

from pythonscad import *

g = group(cube(5) | sphere(3))
g.show()

highlight

Mark an object for highlighting in the preview. The object is rendered in a distinct color (typically translucent red) to aid debugging. Equivalent to the # modifier in OpenSCAD.

Syntax:

Python

highlight(obj)
obj.highlight()
+obj

Examples:

Python

from pythonscad import *

show(highlight(cube(5)) | sphere(3).right(10))

# Operator form
show(+cube(5) | sphere(3).right(10))

OpenSCAD reference: Debug Modifier

background

Render an object transparently and exclude it from CSG operations. Useful for showing reference geometry. Equivalent to the % modifier in OpenSCAD.

Syntax:

Python

background(obj)
obj.background()
-obj

Examples:

Python

from pythonscad import *

show(background(cube(10)) | sphere(5))

# Operator form
show(-cube(10) | sphere(5))

OpenSCAD reference: Background Modifier

only

Show only this object, ignoring everything else in the scene. Equivalent to the ! modifier in OpenSCAD.

Syntax:

Python

only(obj)
obj.only()
~obj

Examples:

Python

from pythonscad import *

show(cube(10) | only(sphere(5)))

# Operator form
show(cube(10) | ~sphere(5))

OpenSCAD reference: Root Modifier