Camera Stand

This repository hosts the development of a 3D model for a 3D printed part that is used to mount my camera to use as a webcam behind my monitor.

Status & Goal

This part should be complete now provided the test print fits.

The goal of this part is to be a mount that fits into the VESA mount of my monitor and extends a flat platform onto which my camera can sit. The platform has hole for the dummy battery power plug as well as a recess in the shape of the camera's body so that the camera doesn't shift away from the central point when I turn it on and off. The recess/track that fits the camera's body in the flat of the platform also extends to make room for the camera's grip handle and the lens which both extend to contour of the camera as projected on the surface.

Process & Files

Note: this process is implemented in slice.sh. The simplified process now is to open OpenSCAD and VS Code side by side, make changes in VS Code and see them reflect in OpenSCAD and on each iteration I am happy with run ./slice.sh which generates STL, slices it to GCode and export a 3MF directory of the PrusaSlicer project file as well.

I use OpenSCAD to design the part. I split my screen into VS Code on the left and OpenSCAD on the right. OpenSCAD is configured to hide the editor and with this setting on, it will automatically refresh whenever the source file is changed in VS Code. In VS Code, I use the OpenSCAD extension for VS Code for syntax highlighting and auto-complete.

Once I am happy with the current iteration, I render the file out to an SLT in OpenSCAD (configured to put out ASCII STL by default) and drag it into a new project in PrusaSlicer. Next, I orient it for the speed of printing and less so for the strength of the resulting part (since it is just an iteration for now) and slice it there. Once sliced, I save the PrusaSlicer project and the GCode.

Since PrusaSlicer projects are 3MF files which are binary (they are OPC ZIP archives of several files), I use a hand-made script that I run after I have saved the 3MF file to extract it into a directory by the same name to help diff.

• slice.sh is the script that generates GCode and 3MF directory (not file)
• camera-stand.gcode is the GCode generated by PrusaSlicer for my Prusa MK3S
• camera-stand.png is the OpenSCAD render of the model generated in slice.sh
• camera-stand.scad is the source code authored by me
• camera-stand.stl is the ASCII STL rendered out by OpenSCAD
• camera-stand.3mf is the directory where ./3mf-zip-dir extracts PrusaSlicer project file by the same name (it is an OPC ZIP binary not fit for versioning)