Documentation
From idea to printable STL
The whole workflow: sketch, build, parameterize, test the extremes, export, slice.
1. Sketch it
Before the first line of code, draw the part on paper and decide:
- Which dimensions must be adjustable: those become parameters.
- Which are fixed, or follow from others: those become constants or derived values.
- Which booleans the shape needs: unions, differences, intersections.
2. Build the base shape
Work from the outside in: the main body first, then the holes taken away with difference, then the details added with union.
3. Add parameters
Replace the numbers that should move with param lines. Give each a range that keeps the geometry possible: a wall can never be more than half the width of the box it is in.
4. Test the extremes
Drag every slider to its minimum and to its maximum, and check that:
- The model never crosses itself or collapses to nothing.
- Every wall stays thick enough to print at every setting.
- The part looks intended across the whole range, not only at the default.
5. Export the STL
Press Download STL. The file is in millimetres, which is what a slicer expects.
6. Slice and print
Open the STL in your slicer. For a typical functional part:
- Layer height: 0.2 mm; 0.12 mm for fine detail.
- Infill: 15 to 20 percent for an enclosure, 30 to 50 for something that takes load.
- Perimeters: three at least, for strength.
- Material: PLA for a prototype, PETG where it gets warm, TPU where it must flex.
7. Share it
Save the design to get a short address. Whoever opens it can move the sliders and download an STL of their own, without an account.