ok landry@
OpenSCAD is a software for creating 3D CAD objects.
Unlike most free software for creating 3D models, it does not focus on
the artistic aspects of 3D modelling but instead on the CAD aspects.
Thus it is more suitable for creating 3D models of machine parts but
perhaps not when creating computer-animated movies.
OpenSCAD is not an interactive modeller. Instead it is something like
a 3D-compiler that reads in a script file that describes the object
and renders the 3D model from this script file. This gives designers
full control over the modelling process and enables them to easily
change any step in the modelling process or make designes that are
defined by configurable parameters.
ok landry@
OpenCSG is a library that does image-based CSG rendering using OpenGL.
OpenCSG is written in C++ and supports most modern graphics hardware.
CSG is short for Constructive Solid Geometry and denotes an approach
to model complex 3D-shapes using simpler ones. I.e., two shapes can be
combined by taking the union of them, by intersecting them, or by
subtracting one shape of the other. The most basic shapes, which are
not result of such a CSG operation, are called primitives. Primitives
must be solid, i.e., they must have a clearly defined interior and
exterior. By construction, a CSG shape is also solid then.
Image-based CSG rendering (also z-buffer CSG rendering) is a term that
denotes algorithms for rendering CSG shapes without an explicit
calculation of the geometric boundary of a CSG shape. Such algorithms
use frame-buffer settings of the graphics hardware, e.g., the depth
and stencil buffer, to compose CSG shapes. OpenCSG implements a
variety of those algorithms, namely the Goldfeather algorithm and the
SCS algorithm, both of them in several variants.
+ switch from using system sqlite to the bundled one because they have
many modifications that are needed
+ add a new mirror for the distfile because the google one is utterly slow
