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This OpenSCAD library was created to make it easy to create board game inserts with lids for either horizontal or vertical storage, without any programming required.

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dppdppd/The-Boardgame-Insert-Toolkit

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What

This:

Dune 1 Mice n Mystics 2

Why

This OpenSCAD library was designed to for quick design and iteration on board game inserts--specifically ones with lids. There are lots of great printable inserts out there, but very few for us vertical storers.

How

  • Download Openscad.
  • Create a new directory for the board game you're working on. It's best to keep the BIT file with the board game file because future BIT versions may not be backwards compatible and this way you will always be able to recreate the STLs.
  • Put boardgame_insert_toolkit_library.2.scad and a copy of example.2.scad in the directory.
  • You'll be working entirely in your copy of the example.
  • The first line should be include <boardgame_insert_toolkit_lib.2.scad>; and the last should be MakeAll(); All of your 'code' goes in-between.
  • Open your new scad file in your favorite text editor and also in Openscad.
  • In Openscad, set "Automatic Reload and Preview" on in the Design menu. Now openscad will update the display whenever you save the scad file in the text editor.
  • Measure, build, measure again.
  • When you're done, in Openscad, Render final geometry, then Export and STL file for your slicer.
  • I also recommend making a little script that will split your STL into separate STLs (one per object) using Slic3r's command line '--split' feature.
  • If you post it on Thingiverse, make it a remix of BIT and I'll get notified and eventually add it to the list of game inserts.

Pay attention to your dimensions.

  • Note that the box dimensions (BOX_SIZE_XYZ) are exterior dimensions and are as such to guarantee that the box you're defining fits inside the game's cardboard box.
  • Also note that the compartment dimensions are interior dimensions and are as such to guarantee that the game pieces will fit inside them.
  • This means that you'll want to make sure that those exterior and interior values don't get too close to each other or your box walls will be thin and/or nonexistant.
  • By default you'll want to leave 3mm in depth and length, and 2mm in height, when designing your inserts.
  • Note that all dimensions represent mm.

Key Values

Everything in BIT is defined using key-value pairs, i.e. [ key , value ]. Sometimes the value is an array of other key-value pairs, so it's important to use indentation to keep track of the pairing. That's where a good text editor comes in handy. See the following example.

[   "example 0: minimal",                            // our box. name is just for code organization.
    [
        [ BOX_SIZE_XYZ, [46.5, 46.5, 15.0] ],        // one kv pair specifying the x, y, and z of our box exterior.
        [ BOX_COMPONENT,                             // our first component.
            [
                [ CMP_NUM_COMPARTMENTS_XY, [4, 4] ],               // it's a grid of 4 x 4
                [ CMP_COMPARTMENT_SIZE_XYZ, [ 10, 10, 13.0] ],   // each compartment is 10mm x 10mm x 13mm
            ]
        ]
    ]
]

That made this:

example1

Some Explanation

The first key-value pair is [ "example 0: minimal", one_big_array_of_keyvalues ], and its value is an array of all of the details of the box. One of those key-pairs is BOX_COMPONENT which defines the one type of compartment we want. It's key-values all the way down. See https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3435429 for an example of lots of compartments of lots of components in lots of boxes.

Here is an example of some compartments designed to hold cards, with holes to get our fingers in on the side. Many of these parameters are just the default values and are not necessary, but are included for easy modification:

[   "example 1",
    [
        [ BOX_SIZE_XYZ,             [110.0, 180.0, 22.0] ],
        [ ENABLED_B,                t],

         [ BOX_LID,
            [
                [ LID_FIT_UNDER_B,      f],
                [ LID_CUTOUT_SIDES_4B, [f,f,t,t]],
                [ LID_SOLID_B, f],
                [ LID_HEIGHT, 15 ],
            ]
         ]

        [ LABEL,
            [
                [ LBL_TEXT,     "Skull     and"],
                [ LBL_SIZE,     AUTO ],
                [ ROTATION,     45 ],
                [ POSITION_XY, [ 2,-2]],
            ]
        ],

        [ LABEL,
            [
                [ LBL_TEXT,     "Crossbones"],
                [ LBL_SIZE,     AUTO ],
                [ ROTATION,     315 ],
                [ POSITION_XY, [ -4,-0]],
            ]
        ],        


        [   BOX_COMPONENT,
            [
                [CMP_COMPARTMENT_SIZE_XYZ,              [ 22, 60.0, 20.0] ],
                [CMP_NUM_COMPARTMENTS_XY,               [2,2] ],
                [CMP_SHAPE,                             SQUARE],
                [CMP_SHAPE_ROTATED_B,                   f],
                [CMP_SHAPE_VERTICAL_B,                  f],
                [CMP_PADDING_XY,                        [15,12]],
                [CMP_PADDING_HEIGHT_ADJUST_XY,          [-5, 0] ],
                [CMP_MARGIN_4B,                         [t,f,f,f]],
                [CMP_CUTOUT_SIDES_4B,                   [f,f,f,t]],
                [ROTATION,                              5 ],
                [POSITION_XY,                           [CENTER,CENTER]],
                [LABEL,               
                    [
                        [LBL_TEXT,        [   
                                            ["backleft", "backright"],
                                            ["frontleft", "frontright"],
                                        ]
                        ],
                        [LBL_PLACEMENT,     FRONT],
                        [ ROTATION,         10],
                        [ LBL_SIZE,         AUTO],
                        [ POSITION_XY,      [ -4,-2]],
                        [ LBL_FONT,         "Times New Roman:style=bold italic"],

                    ]
                ],  
            ]
        ],
       [ BOX_COMPONENT,
            [
                [CMP_NUM_COMPARTMENTS_XY,       [1,1]],
                [CMP_COMPARTMENT_SIZE_XYZ,      [ 60.0, 10.0, 5.0] ],
                [POSITION_XY,                   [CENTER,2]],
            ]
        ],                              

    ]
]

And this is the result: example2

Dividers

As of v2.04, there is also the ability to create card dividers in addition to boxes. A dividers definition looks like this:

[ "divider example 1",
    [
        [ TYPE,                     DIVIDERS ],
        [ DIV_TAB_TEXT,             ["001","002","003"]],
        [ DIV_FRAME_NUM_COLUMNS,    2 ]
    ]
]

And produces something like this: dividers

Customizable Lid Patterns

As of v2.10, one can now tweak the lid pattern parameters. The default is still a honeycomb, but here are some alternatives:

[   "lid pattern 1",
    [
        [ BOX_SIZE_XYZ,             [50.0, 50.0, 20.0] ],
        [ BOX_COMPONENT,
            [
                [CMP_COMPARTMENT_SIZE_XYZ,  [ 47, 47, 18.0] ],
            ]
        ],  

         [ BOX_LID,
            [
                [ LID_PATTERN_RADIUS,         10],        

                [ LID_PATTERN_N1,               3 ],
                [ LID_PATTERN_N2,               3 ],
                [ LID_PATTERN_ANGLE,            0 ],
                [ LID_PATTERN_ROW_OFFSET,       10 ],
                [ LID_PATTERN_COL_OFFSET,       140 ],
                [ LID_PATTERN_THICKNESS,        1 ]
            ]
        ]
    ]
],   

lid pattern 1

[   "lid pattern 2",
    [
        [ BOX_SIZE_XYZ,             [50.0, 50.0, 20.0] ],
        [ BOX_COMPONENT,
            [
                [CMP_COMPARTMENT_SIZE_XYZ,  [ 47, 47, 18.0] ],
            ]
        ],  

         [ BOX_LID,
            [
                [ LID_PATTERN_RADIUS,         10],        
                [ LID_PATTERN_N1,               8 ],
                [ LID_PATTERN_N2,               8 ],
                [ LID_PATTERN_ANGLE,            22.5 ],
                [ LID_PATTERN_ROW_OFFSET,       10 ],
                [ LID_PATTERN_COL_OFFSET,       130 ],
                [ LID_PATTERN_THICKNESS,        0.6 ]
            ]
        ]
    ]
],

lid pattern 2

[   "lid pattern 3",
    [
        [ BOX_SIZE_XYZ,             [50.0, 50.0, 20.0] ],
        [ BOX_COMPONENT,
            [
                [CMP_COMPARTMENT_SIZE_XYZ,  [ 47, 47, 18.0] ],
            ]
        ],  

         [ BOX_LID,
            [
                [ LID_PATTERN_RADIUS,         10],        

                [ LID_PATTERN_N1,               6 ],
                [ LID_PATTERN_N2,               3 ],
                [ LID_PATTERN_ANGLE,            60 ],
                [ LID_PATTERN_ROW_OFFSET,       10 ],
                [ LID_PATTERN_COL_OFFSET,       140 ],
                [ LID_PATTERN_THICKNESS,        0.6 ]
            ]
        ]
    ]
],    

lid pattern 3

Keys

TYPE

value is expected to be one of the following:

  • BOX (default) a box.
  • DIVIDERS a set of dividers.

Box keys

BOX_SIZE_XYZ

value is expected to be an array of 3 numbers, and determines the exterior dimensions of the box as width, depth, height.
e.g. [ BOX_SIZE_XYZ, [ 140, 250, 80 ] ]

BOX_COMPONENT

value is expected to be an array of components key-value pairs. Box can have as many of these as desired.

BOX_VISUALIZATION

describe me

BOX_STACKABLE_B

value is expected to be a bool and determines whether the base of the box is cut to fit on top of an identically sized box. Note that this requires a printer that can print a 45 degree overhang without supports.

Lid keys

as of v2.09, all lid parameters are specified in a BOX_LID container. This makes it easy to reuse box lid parameters across multiple boxes.

BOX_LID

value is expected to be an array of lid key-value pairs.

LID_INSET_B

value is expected to be a bool and determines whether the box will have an inset lid or a cap lid. Considerations:

  • Inset lids are required if the boxes are intended to snap fit as a stack ( BOX_STACKABLE_B true ).
  • Cap lid is preferred for printers that are sloppier, since the cap lid is more forgiving.
  • Cap lid is preferred if the cap will be used to hold pieces during play, since the inset lid does not have walls.

LID_NOTCHES_B

value is expected to be a bool, "true", "false", "t", or "f", and determines whether the box will have notches that make pulling the lid off easier. Only applies to cap lids ( LID_INSET_B false ) e.g. [ LID_NOTCHES_B, f ]

LID_TABS_4B

value is expected to be an array of 4 bools, and determines on what sides the lid will have tabs when the lid is inset. The default is [ t,t,t,t ].

LID_PATTERN_RADIUS

value is expected to be a number, and determines the radius of the hexes in the lid.
e.g. [ LID_PATTERN_RADIUS, 5 ]

LID_PATTERN_N1

value is expected to be a number, and determines the number of sides that the pattern outer shape has.

LID_PATTERN_N2

value is expected to be a number, and determines the number of sides that the pattern inner shape has.

LID_PATTERN_ANGLE

value is expected to be a number, and determines the angle of the pattern shape.

LID_PATTERN_ROW_OFFSET

value is expected to be a number, and determines the percent of height that each row will offset from each other.

LID_PATTERN_COL_OFFSET

value is expected to be a number, and determines the percent of width that each column will offset from each other.

LID_PATTERN_THICKNESS

value is expected to be a number, and determines the thickness of the shape, i.e. the difference between the inner and outer shapes` radius.

LID_FIT_UNDER_B

value is expected to be a bool, and determines whether the box bottom is formed to allow the box to sit in the lid when open. Note that this requires a printer that can print a 45 degree overhang without supports.

BOX_NO_LID_B

value is expected to be a bool, and determines whether a lid is ommitted. If ommitted, the box will not form an inset lip to support a lid.

LID_SOLID_B

value is expected to be a bool, and determines whether the lid is a hex mesh or solid.

LID_SOLID_LABELS_DEPTH

value is expected to be a number, and if the lid is solid, determines how deep the label cut is.

LID_LABELS_INVERT_B

value is expected to be a bool, and determines whether the lid label is a positive or negative shape.

LID_LABELS_BG_THICKNESS

value is expected to be a number, and determines the thickness of the lid label background.

LID_LABELS_BORDER_THICKNESS

value is expected to be a number, and determines the thickness of the lid label border. Default is 0.3 mm

LID_STRIPE_WIDTH

value is expected to be a number, and determines the thickness of the lines in the striped grid behind the label. Default is 0.5 mm

LID_STRIPE_SPACE

value is expected to be a number, and determines the spacing of the lines in the striped grid behind the label. Default is 1.0 mm

LID_HEIGHT

value is expected to be a number, and determines whether how deep the lid is. Default is 1mm for inset lids, and 2mm for cap lids.

LID_CUTOUT_SIDES_4B

value is expected to be an array of 4 bools, and determines whether finger cutouts are to be added to the lid. This allows the lid to be used as a card tray during play. The values represent [front, back, left, right ].
e.g. [ LID_CUTOUT_SIDES_4B, [ t, t, f, f ] ]

Dividers keys

as of v2.04, in addition to boxes, one can also create card dividers.

DIV_THICKNESS

value is expected to be a number, and determines the thickness of each divider.

DIV_FRAME_SIZE_XY

value is expected to be an array of 2 numbers, and determines the width and height of each divider (without the tab).

DIV_FRAME_TOP

value is expected to be a number, and determines the height of the top bar of the divider.

DIV_FRAME_BOTTOM

value is expected to be a number, and determines the height of the bottom bar of the divider.

DIV_FRAME_COLUMN

value is expected to be a number, and determines the width of the vertical bars of the divider.

DIV_FRAME_RADIUS

value is expected to be a number, and determines the radius of the frame corners of the divider.

DIV_FRAME_NUM_COLUMNS

value is expected to be a number, and determines the number of columns in the middle of the frame of the divider. 0 makes for a frame that has no middle columns. -1 makes for a solid divider with no holes.

DIV_TAB_SIZE_XY

value is expected to be an array of 2 numbers, and determines the width and height of each divider's tab.

DIV_TAB_RADIUS

value is expected to be a number, and determines the radius of the corner of the tab on the divider.

DIV_TAB_CYCLE

value is expected to be a number, and determines over how many dividers should the tab drift from left to right.

DIV_TAB_CYCLE_START

value is expected to be a number, and determines the starting position of the first divider. Default is 1.

DIV_TAB_TEXT

value is expected to be an array of strings, and determines what dividers get created. e.g. [ DIV_TAB_TEXT, [ "Tab-1", "Tab-2", "Tab-3", "Tab-4" ] ]

DIV_TAB_TEXT_SIZE

value is expected to be a number, and determines the font size of the tab text.

DIV_TAB_TEXT_FONT

value is expected to be a string, and determines the font of the tab text. More here.
e.g. [ LBL_FONT, "Times New Roman:style=bold italic" ]

DIV_TAB_TEXT_SPACING

value is expected to be a number, and determines the letter spacing of the tab text.

DIV_TAB_TEXT_CHAR_THRESHOLD

value is expected to be a number, and determines the number of characters above which the size of the font should be determined automatically.

Compartment keys

CMP_NUM_COMPARTMENTS_XY

value is expected to be an array of 2 numbers, and determines how many compartments this component will have in the width and depth direction.
e.g. [ CMP_NUM_COMPARTMENTS_XY, [ 4, 6 ] ]

CMP_COMPARTMENT_SIZE_XYZ

value is expected to be an array of 3 numbers, and determines the interior dimensions of each compartment within the component.
e.g. [ CMP_COMPARTMENT_SIZE_XYZ, [ 10, 20, 5 ] ]

CMP_SHAPE

value is expected to be one of the following:

  • SQUARE
    default right angled compartment
  • HEX
    a 6-sided compartment
  • HEX2
    a 6-sided compartment that is rotated 30 degrees
  • OCT
    an 8-sided compartment
  • OCT2
    an 8-sided compartment that is rotated 22.5 degrees
  • ROUND
    a round compartment
  • FILLET
    a square compartment with rounded bottoms

e.g. [ CMP_SHAPE, HEX2 ]

CMP_SHAPE_ROTATED_B

value is expected to be a bool, and determines whether the shape is rotated along the Z axis. That is, whether it goes back and forth or side to side.

CMP_SHAPE_VERTICAL_B

value is expected to be a bool, and determines whether the shape is rotated for vertical stacks of pieces.

CMP_FILLET_RADIUS

value is expected to be a number, and determines the radius of the fillet, if shape is fillet.

CMP_PEDESTAL_BASE_B

value is expected to be a bool, and determines whether the base of the compartment is a pedestal. This allows for cards or tiles to be extracted by pushing down on one of the sides. Ideal for short stacks and for compartments that are interior and where finger cutouts aren't possible or ideal.

CMP_PADDING_XY

value is expected to be an array of 3 numbers, and determines how far apart the compartments in a component are, in the width and depth direction.
e.g. [ CMP_PADDING_XY, [ 2.5, 1.3 ] ]

CMP_PADDING_HEIGHT_ADJUST_XY

value is expected to be an array of 2 numbers, and determines how much to modify the height of the x and y padding between compartments. These should typically be negative values.
e.g. [ CMP_PADDING_HEIGHT_ADJUST_XY, [ -3, 0 ] ]

CMP_MARGIN_FBLR

value is expected to be an array of 4 floats, and determines the front, back, left, and right margins, respectively.
e.g. [ CMP_MARGIN_FBLR, [ 1, 10, 0, 20 ] ]

CMP_CUTOUT_SIDES_4B

value is expected to be an array of 4 bools, and determines whether finger cutouts are to be added to the compartments on the sides. The values represent [front, back, left, right ].
e.g. [ CMP_CUTOUT_SIDES_4B, [ t, t, f, f ] ]

CMP_CUTOUT_HEIGHT_PCT

value is expected to be an float between 0 and 100, and determines what percent of the box height is removed for finger cutouts, starting from the top. The default is 100. e.g. [ CMP_CUTOUT_HEIGHT_PCT, 100 ]

CMP_CUTOUT_DEPTH_PCT

value is expected to be an float between 0 and 100, and determines what percent of the box depth is removed for finger cutouts, when the cutout goes into the base of the box. The default is 25. e.g. [ CMP_CUTOUT_DEPTH_PCT, 25 ]

CMP_CUTOUT_WIDTH_PCT

value is expected to be an float between 0 and 100, and determines what percent of the box width is removed for finger cutouts. The default is 50. e.g. [ CMP_CUTOUT_WIDTH_PCT, 25 ]

CMP_CUTOUT_TYPE

value is expected to be one of the following keywords: BOTH, INTERIOR, or EXTERIOR, and determines whether where on the component the cutouts are applied. e.g. [ CMP_CUTOUT_TYPE, INTERIOR ]

CMP_CUTOUT_BOTTOM_B

value is expected to be a bool and determines whether the bottom of the compartment is cut out. Note that this is ignored if CMP_PEDESTAL_BASE_B is true or if CMP_SHAPE is set to FILLET. e.g. [ CMP_CUTOUT_BOTTOM, true ]

CMP_CUTOUT_BOTTOM_PCT

value is expected to be an float between 0 and 100, and determines what percent of the box bottom is removed for bottom cutouts. The default is 80. e.g. [ CMP_CUTOUT_BOTTOM_PCT, 90 ]

CMP_CUTOUT_CORNERS_4B

value is expected to be an array of 4 bools, and determines whether finger cutouts are to be added to the compartments on the corners. The values represent [front-left, back-right, back-left, front-right ].
e.g. [ CMP_CUTOUT_CORNERS_4B, [ t, t, f, f ] ]

CMP_SHEAR

value is expected to be an array of 2 numbers, and determines the degrees to which the component should be sheared in the direction of width and depth. The shearing pivots around the center of the component. e.g. [ CMP_SHEAR, [ 45, 0 ] ]

LABEL

value is expected to be an array of key-values that define a label. Labels can be defined at the box level for box labels, inside BOX_LID arrays for labels that will appear on the lid, and inside BOX_COMPONENT arrays for labels that will appear on the compartments. Each supports as many labels as desired.

Label keys

Key-pairs that are expected in a LABEL container.

LBL_TEXT

value is expected to either be a string, or an array of strings matching the structure of the compartments. A single string will label every compartment with that string while an array will label each compartment with its respective string.
e.g. [ LBL_TEXT, "tokens" ]
or

[ LBL_TEXT,        
    [   
        ["back left", "back right"],        
        ["front left", "front right"],
    ]
]

LBL_IMAGE

value is expected to be a string specifying an SVG filename. LBL_TEXT takes priority over LBL_IMAGE, so if both are provided, only the string will be used. Warning: this option will slow things down considerably. e.g. [ LBL_IMAGE, "image.svg" ]

LBL_SIZE

value is expected to either be AUTO or a number. AUTO will attempt to scale the label to fit in the space according to width. This does not work will with very short words. A number will specify the font size (if LBL_TEXT) or the image width (if LBL_IMAGE). e.g. [ LBL_SIZE, 12 ]

LBL_SPACING

value is expected to be a number, and determines the letter spacing. e.g. [ LBL_SPACING, 1.1 ]

LBL_PLACEMENT

value is expected to be one of the following:

  • FRONT
  • BACK
  • LEFT
  • RIGHT
  • FRONT_WALL
  • BACK_WALL
  • LEFT_WALL
  • RIGHT_WALL
  • CENTER
  • BOTTOM

Front, back, left, and right, will place the label on the top surface, while the _wall values will place the label inside, on the compartment wall. Center will place the label on the compartment floor. Bottom is for labeling the bottom of the box.

LBL_FONT

value is expected to be a string that determines what font to use for the label. More here.
e.g. [ LBL_FONT, "Times New Roman:style=bold italic" ]

LBL_DEPTH

value is expected to be a number, and determines how deep the label should cut.
e.g. [ LBL_DEPTH, 0.5 ]

ROTATION

value is expected to be a number, and determines the degree to which the component or label is to be rotated.
e.g. [ ROTATION, 45 ]

POSITION_XY

value is expected to be an array of 2 numbers, although MAX is also valid, and determines the position of the label or component.

  • When used on a label, the values are relative to reasonable centers and can be used to adjust the positioning of the text.
  • When used on a component, it is always relative to the origin of the box, and almost always needs to be present.
  • When used on a component, the value MAX essentially aligns that value to opposite end, so 'right' when placed in the x position, and 'back' when placed in the y position.
    e.g. [ POSITION_XY, [ 20, MAX ] ]

ENABLED_B

value is expected to be a bool, and determines whether the box, component, or label, is used. This allows for easily turning features off temporarily or permanently without needing to delete lots of content.
e.g. [ ENABLED_B, f ]

Published inserts:

About

This OpenSCAD library was created to make it easy to create board game inserts with lids for either horizontal or vertical storage, without any programming required.

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