We all know about the linear_extrude(...) function that turns 2d things into 3d things.

I sometimes have found myself wishing for a similar function which could make a more rounded, result.

Just to illustrate what I'm hoping to achieve, my dream solution would, given this 2d outline:

!Capsule-shaped 2d outline.

would give me something like the following:

!The same outline "pillowed" up into the third dimension.

!Another angle of demonstrating the "back"/"bottom" is flat.

Just to further illustrate, the code I used to generate outline above:

hull() { for (i=[-1:1]) translate([i*15, 0]) circle(d=10); }

And the "pillowed" version that shows the desired result giving the above outline:

$fn=64; rotate([0, 90, 0]) linear_extrude(30, center=true) scale([4, 10]) difference() { circle(d=1); translate([0.5, 0]) square(1, center=true); } for (i = [-1, 1]) translate([i*15, 0, 0]) scale([10, 10, 4]) difference() { sphere(d=1); translate([0, 0, -0.5]) cube(1, center=true); }

The outline I actually want to pillow for my particular current use case looks like this:

!A pattern in the style of a Talavera tile.

(Credit to this person on Printables for the Talavera tile pattern.)

I'm hoping there's a way to do this I'm not thinking of, or a library I'm not familiar with. The example above makes an elliptical curve, but I'm not married to elliptical in particular. Anything somewhat similar would be fine.

Thanks in advance for any help!

I want to post my design on Printables but my scad file uses a threads library found here. Should I just add a comment above the "use" statement with a link on where to get the library?

I made this partly as an exercise in learning OpenSCAD, and partly as a convenient way of adding rails to designs for 3d printable nerf blasters.

There's several OpenSCAD Picatinny rail generators on printables, but I think mine has the most features. I may have gotten a bit carried away in terms of adding more and more options - so I'm calling this done, at least for now.

I'd be happy to hear suggestions for more features, though it might be a little while before I get around to implementing them.

I created a lib for designing cabinets. I'm not a woodworker, but I can design some for myself and I found this lib useful enough to share. So enjoy.

We're happy to announce that we were successfully able to initiate a BusKill lockscreen trigger using a 3D-printed BusKill prototype!

| [!3D Printable BusKill (Proof-of-Concept Demo)](https://www.buskill.in/3d-print-2023-08/) | |:--:| | Watch the 3D Printable BusKill Proof-of-Concept Demo for more info youtube.com/v/Q-QjHelRvvk |

via @[email protected]

What is BusKill?

BusKill is a laptop kill-cord. It's a USB cable with a magnetic breakaway that you attach to your body and connect to your computer.

| [!What is BusKill? (Explainer Video)](https://www.buskill.in/#demo) | |:--:| | Watch the BusKill Explainer Video for more info youtube.com/v/qPwyoD_cQR4 |

If the connection between you to your computer is severed, then your device will lock, shutdown, or shred its encryption keys -- thus keeping your encrypted data safe from thieves that steal your device.

Why?

While we do what we can to allow at-risk folks to purchase BusKill cables anonymously, there is always the risk of interdiction.

We don't consider hologram stickers or tamper-evident tape/crisps/glitter to be sufficient solutions to supply-chain security. Rather, the solution to these attacks is to build open-source, disassembleable, and easily inspectable hardware whose integrity can be validated without damaging the device and without sophisticated technology.

Actually, the best way to confirm the integrity of your hardware is to build it yourself. Fortunately, printing your own circuit boards, microcontroller, or silicon has a steeper learning curve than a BusKill cable -- which is essentially just a USB extension cable with a magnetic breakaway in the middle.

Mitigating interdiction via 3D printing is one of many reasons that Melanie Allen has been diligently working on prototyping a 3D-printable BusKill cable this year. In our latest update, we hope to showcase her progress and provide you some OpenSCAD and .stl files so you can experiment with building your own and help test and improve our designs.

Print BusKill

[!Photo of the 3D-Printed BusKill Prototype](https://www.buskill.in/3d-print-2023-08)

If you'd like to reproduce our experiment and print your own BusKill cable prototype, you can download the stl files and read our instructions here:

• buskill.in/3d-print-2023-08/

Iterate with us!

If you have access to a 3D Printer, you have basic EE experience, or you'd like to help us test our 3D printable BusKill prototype, please let us know. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and we're eager to finish-off this 3D printable BusKill prototype to help make this security-critical tool accessible to more people world-wide!