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3D Primitives

cube

Create a box (rectangular prism) in the first octant. When center is true, the cube is centered at the origin.

Syntax:

cube(size=1, center=False)

Parameters:

Parameter Type Default Description
size number or [x, y, z] 1 A single number creates a cube; a list creates a box with those dimensions
center bool or string False True centers on origin; a 3-char string controls per-axis centering

PythonSCAD extensions:

The center parameter accepts a 3-character string where each character controls centering on one axis (X, Y, Z):

  • |, 0, _, or space: center on this axis
  • <, [, (, or -: align to negative side (default, same as center=False)
  • >, ], ), or +: align to positive side

Examples:

from openscad import *

cube(10).show()

cube([10, 20, 30]).show()

cube([10, 20, 30], center=True).show()

# Per-axis centering: center X and Y, keep Z at bottom
cube([10, 20, 30], center="||<").show()

OpenSCAD reference: cube

sphere

Create a sphere centered at the origin.

Syntax:

sphere(r=1)
sphere(d=2)
sphere(func, fn=..., fa=..., fs=...)

Parameters:

Parameter Type Default Description
r number or function 1 Radius of the sphere, or a Python function f(v) -> radius
d number — Diameter (alternative to r; cannot specify both)
fn int — Number of segments for full circle
fa float — Minimum angle per segment
fs float — Minimum segment size

PythonSCAD extensions:

The r parameter can be a Python function that receives a 3D direction vector and returns a radius, creating a deformed sphere:

from openscad import *

def rfunc(v):
    cf = abs(v[0]) + abs(v[1]) + abs(v[2]) + 3
    return 10 / cf

sphere(rfunc, fs=0.5, fn=10).show()

Examples:

from openscad import *

sphere(10).show()

sphere(d=20).show()

sphere(5, fn=100).show()

OpenSCAD reference: sphere

cylinder

Create a cylinder or cone centered on the Z axis. The base sits on the XY plane unless center is true.

Syntax:

cylinder(h=1, r=1, center=False)
cylinder(h=1, r1=1, r2=1, center=False)
cylinder(h=1, d=2, center=False)
cylinder(h=1, d1=2, d2=2, center=False)
cylinder(h=1, r=1, angle=360)

Parameters:

Parameter Type Default Description
h number 1 Height of the cylinder
r number 1 Radius (both top and bottom)
r1 number — Bottom radius (for cones)
r2 number — Top radius (for cones)
d number — Diameter (alternative to r)
d1 number — Bottom diameter
d2 number — Top diameter
center bool False Center vertically on origin
angle float 360 Arc angle in degrees (PythonSCAD extension)
fn int — Number of segments
fa float — Minimum angle per segment
fs float — Minimum segment size

PythonSCAD extensions:

The angle parameter creates a partial cylinder (pie/wedge shape):

from openscad import *

cylinder(r=5, h=6, angle=90).show()

Examples:

from openscad import *

cylinder(h=10, r=5).show()

cylinder(h=10, r1=5, r2=2).show()

cylinder(h=10, d=8, center=True).show()

# High-resolution cylinder
cylinder(h=10, r=5, fn=100).show()

OpenSCAD reference: cylinder

polyhedron

Create a 3D solid from a list of vertices and face indices.

Syntax:

polyhedron(points, faces, convexity=2)

Parameters:

Parameter Type Default Description
points list of [x, y, z] — Vertex coordinates
faces list of index lists — Each face is a list of vertex indices (counterclockwise when viewed from outside)
convexity int 2 Maximum number of front/back faces a ray can intersect
triangles list — Deprecated alias for faces (triangles only)
colors list — Per-face colors

Examples:

from openscad import *

pts = [
    [0, 0, 0], [10, 0, 0], [10, 10, 0], [0, 10, 0],
    [0, 0, 10], [10, 0, 10], [10, 10, 10], [0, 10, 10]
]
faces = [
    [0, 1, 2, 3],  # bottom
    [4, 5, 6, 7],  # top
    [0, 1, 5, 4],  # front
    [1, 2, 6, 5],  # right
    [2, 3, 7, 6],  # back
    [3, 0, 4, 7],  # left
]
polyhedron(pts, faces).show()

You can also reconstruct a solid from its mesh data:

from openscad import *

c = cube(10)
pts, tris = c.mesh()
polyhedron(pts, tris).show()

OpenSCAD reference: polyhedron