Drafont is a font system for the OpenSCAD program to have Unicode characters from scalable TrueType fonts.

Example Usage:

To make the Hi! greeting at left, do as follows:

1. Download freeserif_basiclatin.scad and freeserif_cherokee.scad (see below for download links)
2. Type this into Openscad:

use <freeserif_basiclatin.scad>;
use <freeserif_cherokee.scad>;

d=12; // detail level - use 1 or 12
freeserif_H(d)
freeserif_i(d);

translate([-800,-1600,0])
freeserif_13a3(d)
freeserif_13cf(d)
freeserif_13f2(d);

Features

1. Each character is a module. Chain them together for auto-positioning
2. Each character can be referred to by unicode, or a 'shorthand' name
3. At the top of each .scad file is a list of the characters available
4. Two detail levels: 1 and 12
5. You can generate your own .scad font from a Truetype font, with any detail level you want. Download the .py files, edit settings at the end of ddump.py, and run it as follows:

python ddump.py FreeSerif.ttf 0x0041-0x007a > freeserif_basiclatin.scad
python ddump.py FreeSerif.ttf 0x13a0-0x13f4 > freeserif_cherokee.scad

Bugs

1. If you use the same char twice in a word, you have to use two _ (underscore)
2. Some complicated characters won't render properly
3. It is slow
4. CJK characters in FreeSerif not working
5. Some fonts don't work, at all (Sawasdee)

Licenses

Drafont python code & all .stl files are released under the Creative Commons Share-Alike Attribution license 3.0.

FreeSerif.ttf and the FreeSerif .scad files are under the GPL 3 license. See gnu.org/software/freefont/license.html

The Nixish .scad files are under the GUST public license:
gust.org.pl/projects/e-foundry/licenses

Name

This project is named in honor of Thomas Drake, NSA Whistleblower, whom you can read about by clicking here: bit.ly/mrm4q9

Sample .stl

"Anna Akhmatova" is an example of Cyrllic and Latin text in FreeSans.

1234567890 is the font Nixish, which is derived exactly from LMRomansUnsl10

See Also

freetype.org/freetype2/docs/glyphs/glyphs-6.html FreeType manual, David Turner et al
code.google.com/p/freetype-py/ Freetype-py by Nicolas Rougier
fileformat.info/info/unicode/block/index.htm Unicode Blocks
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Akhmatova

Fonts:

bit.ly/m9oJWh LMRomanUnsl10 from Polish LaTeX user group GUST
gnu.org/software/freefont/index.html GNU FreeFont

Bezier:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bezier_2_big.gif Bezier Curve, Phil Tregoning, Wikipedia
thingiverse.com/thing:8443 William Adam's pub domain Bezier Curves
thingiverse.com/thing:8931 Conic Bezier Curve, donb

Changelog

0.5 pre-rendering
0.4 enable 'ranges' of unicodes to be dumped. use 'advance' from font
0.3 move openscad code
0.2 fix chunking
0.1 started

Conic Bézier Curve for OpenSCAD
also known as Quadratic Bezier Curve
also known as Bezier Curve with 3 control points
also known as 'Conic Arcs' or 'Parabolic Segments'
By Don B, 2011, released into the Public Domain

What's it for

Bezier curves allow you to pick a small number of 'control points', then let the computer fill in a pretty curve between them. In this thing, 3 control points are used.

Notes

This is for 3-point bezier curves; there is another popular type, the 4-point 'Cubic', that this code doesn't do.

This is inspired by William Adam's cubic bezier Thingiverse OpenSCAD code. His code now also handles Conics; I guess I will leave this thing here as a sort of 'super simple' 'for dummies' version.

The first sample image shows a simple 3 control-point curved polygon, and a rod around which it can be rotated. The result of this rotation is shown in the big smooth object.

The next sample image shows the code itself; the module is only about 10 lines long thanks to OpenSCAD's built-in vector math.

Please see also

thingiverse.com/thing:8443 by William A Adams (Cubic Beziers)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bezier_2_big.gif by Phil Tregoning
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A9zier_curve by Wikipedia editors
freetype.org/freetype2/docs/glyphs/glyphs-6.html David Turner + Freetype team

Using the code

1. download the .scad file, below
2. copy/paste the BezConic module to your own code
3. call it like this:

p0=[15,0];
p1=[1,14];
p2=[7,30];
linear_extrude() BezConic(p0,p1,p2,steps=20);

Fun Facts

Bézier are named after Pierre Bézier, who used the work of Paul de Casteljau to make curves on car bodies. Casteljau worked at Citroen and Bezier worked at Renault.

They are named 'conic' because 3-point Bezier's are basically parabolas. A parabola is basically the intersection of a cone with a plane (i.e. a conic section). Please see wikipedia for more info.

Conic Arc Bézier Curves (3 control points) are used by TrueType fonts.

Happy Numbers 0.2 is a number system for use in OpenSCAD. I am releasing it into the Public Domain, so you can use and modify it completely freely.

Most OpenSCAD number sets on thingiverse consist of a separate .dxf file for each number. Happy Numbers works differently.

There is a single .svg file that contains a set of numbers in a grid of 'character boxes'. This .svg file has been converted to a .dxf file. Then, in OpenSCAD, you call the char() module; it 'selects' the number you want by using an 'intersection box'. char(1) is the first number, char(2) is the second number, and so on. Thus you can:

*Change the font more easily
*Make your own number sets more easily
*Use numbers in scripts in new and creative ways

Currently it has numbers for these scripts/fonts:
Arabic (LMRomansUnsl10 - sorta resembles Nixie tubes)
Chinese
Devanagari (Hindi, Sanskrit)
Tengwar (Tolkien's Lord of the Rings)
Braille

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Making new numbers with your own fonts

If you just want to use this, you can skip down to 'Instructions'. But if you want to make your own kind of numbers, here is the method I used to make this thing.

Step 1. Getting an .svg and then saving as .dxf

The first step is getting the numbers.svg file to have the font you want. This can be as easy as opening up Inkscape and typing the numbers out. Or you could draw the numbers yourself, or find some on the web; as long as they are 'outline' shapes, it should work.

To do the process in Inkscape, here are the basic steps:

0. Open the numbers.svg file
0.1 Go to 'layers' and 'hide' the 'Grid' layer
0.5 Delete old numbers text
1. Create new numbers text
2. Select all of the new text
3. Click Path/Object to Path
4. Click Path/Break Apart
5. Click Object/Ungroup
6. For each character do the following:
6.1 Select the character
6.2 Click "Edit Paths by Nodes" tool
6.3 Hit Ctrl-A (select all nodes)
6.4 Hit the 'insert node' button 2-3 times (slow)
6.5 Hit the 'make straight paths' button
7. Go to 'layers' and 'show' the 'Grid' layer
8. Move each number so it fits in one grid box
9. Go to 'layers' and 'hide' the 'Grid' layer
10. File/Save-As/DXF

There is a great tutorial here (I skip the 'document properties' step):

repraprip.blogspot.com/2011/05/inkscape-to-openscad-dxf-tutorial.html

Step 2. Check alignment

The char() module has some parameters related to the DXF file. They include the x & y offsets to the first 'character box', and the width and height of the character boxes. You may need to check and tweak these if you change the font or characters. This can be done by running the adjustment_table() module and then manually tweaking the settings in char(). Example screenshots have been attached to this project; there are two screenshots with 'unaligned' settings, and one screenshot with 'aligned' settings.

Example

An example usage of these numbers is here, in my TeeTotum:

thingiverse.com/thing:8690

References

Arabic, Chinese, Devanagari, Braille:

Ubuntu Linux, Wikipedia, google image search

Tengwar:

acondia.com/fonts/tengwar/info/numbers.htm
freetengwar.sourceforge.net/

Bugs & Drawbacks

The numbers are currently only 1 through 12. You have to 'manually create' anything larger.

These are not 'scalable' - they are made out of small line segments. If you blow them up too big they will be 'chunky'.

In Openscad, if you don't have GL2 or whatever, the full array of numbers shows up in the preview, not just the char() you choose, making it confusing. When rendered, though, it comes out properly.

Braille is not 'bubbled', it's flat cylinders.

The Tengwar dxf file is too tall, fix with charh=9 (see scad code)

There is no 'size' parameter; you have to use scale().

Using adjustment_table() with GL2 might be confusing

This is a 'Teetotum'. It's like dice, but instead of rolling it, you spin it.

This Teetotum can have anywhere between 5 and 12 sides. The number is set when you run it in OpenSCAD (it's somewhat parametric). Example .stl files include:

12 sided, Arabic numbers
12 sided, Chinese numbers
6 sided, Braille numbers

The font is from Happy Numbers: thingiverse.com/thing:8691

This was inspired by the Teetotum page at Wikipedia:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teetotum

The drawing of the TeeTotum comes from "Every boy's book: a complete encyclopædia of sports and amusements", 1881, E. Routledge (editor), uploaded to Wikipedia by user Dicklyon

Thanks to Linkreincarnate for suggestions and support and to syvwlch for explaining what 'parametric' means.

See Also

user phooky has made some Dreidels! (sorta like a 4-sided teetotum)

thingiverse.com/thing:4922
thingiverse.com/thing:1421

This is an attempt to create an internally geared bicycle hub, based on the Sturmey Archer A-3 design from 1914. Because the schematics are so old, I am 99.9% sure that copyright has expired and that they are now public domain. It is very alpha quality. I have no way to test making it so I don't know if the files work. I also haven't drawn all the parts; I've run out of time so here is an upload of what I have so far. Theoretically the gears should at least mesh and spin, if you put the axle, the planetary gears and the ring gears together.

Why create it then? To test certain questions:
1. Can you make complicated stuff in openscad?
2. Are there interesting old designs that are not only patent-expired, but copyright expired? (early 20th century stuff)?
3. Can plastic prototype hubs help the understanding & design of a real metal hub?
4. Can public domain parts files help with re-use?

This project uses a modified form of the following public domain project:

Parametric Involute Spur Gear by Leemon Baird, 2011,
thingiverse.com/thing:5505

Old Sturmey Archer hub design schematics can be found here:
sturmey-archerheritage.com/index.php?page=history&type=technic&era=1

Cornell University has a great guide to Copyright and the Public Domain, discussing the expiration dates for copyright. It is here:
copyright.cornell.edu/resources/publicdomain.cfm