I'm trying to create a parabolic solid. I've run into a few issues on the way that I didn't figure out quite how to solve. To create the parabola itself, I laid aside my reservations about using the freecad scripting interface, and went ahead with the short script from here:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=137
The script looks like:
Code: Select all
import Part, math
# create a parabola
parabola=Part.Parabola()
# rotate the curve around the x-Axis and the origin (0,0,0)
revol=Part.SurfaceOfRevolution(parabola,App.Vector(0,0,0),App.Vector(1,0,0))
# create a shape out of the surface geometry in order to make it visible
shape=revol.toShape(0,math.pi, -5, 5)
Part.show(shape)
However, if I leave the parabola "on its side" as it is, I can always transform it later, or even rotate the mesh in blender before printing. But what's the best way to create a solid of a given thickness from this shape? I tried Part -> Extrude with X=1, Y=0, Z=0, Length=2, Along normal=False, Create solid=True, Taper angle=0. When I export the resulting solid as an STL, that STL is not manifold, so it doesn't seem to be well formed. I tried creating two parabolas where one was shifted a bit, and creating a solid using Part -> Loft, but the resulting STL is still non-manifold, for the same reason.
I'd appreciate any suggestions on what I might do to work around these issues, other than repairing the STL in blender afterwards, which is an option, but not ideal.