3D part design with OpenSCAD #139: Constraining minkowski() to a single axis.

In the last post I used resize() to make sure an object stayed the size I wanted it to after applying a minkowski sum to it. You can also apply the minkowski sum to just a single axis with resize, here is an example:

//

Round_x=0;//[0:.01:20]
Round_y=20;//[0:.01:20]
Round_z=20;//[0:.01:20]
amount=50;//[.1:.01:1000]

module Square(){
 linear_extrude(1)
 square(amount,center=true);
}

resize([44,44,15])
minkowski(){
 Square();
 resize([Round_x,Round_y,Round_z])
 sphere(.01,$fn=100);
}

%translate([40,0,0])
resize([Round_x,Round_y,20])
#sphere(12,$fn=100);

And some results:

I put a copy of the sphere off to the side (in red) so I could see how changing the settings of the sphere changes the shape of the object:

Now I can make some nice looking project enclosures that have rounded sides:

OpenSCAD tip:

If the 3d view doesn't seem to be responding properly just click "view all" and this will reset the mouse position: