Build & Render Tool¶

Interactive CLI for rendering Dilder FreeCAD models into publication-quality PNGs. Supports 19 render presets, 4 resolutions, custom component combos, and frame-by-frame assembly animations.

Usage¶

./tools/build-render/build_and_render.sh

The tool walks through 4 interactive screens:

Screen 1 — Model Picker¶

All .FCStd files sorted by date modified (newest first), with file sizes.

Model picker screen — Pick a model by number, or press r to rebuild from the parametric macro

Screen 2 — Render Set¶

19 options organized into full sets, individual bodies, peripherals, and special modes.

Render set screen — Choose from "Everything" (40+ images) down to a single component portrait

Screen 3 — Render Style¶

Resolution, background, and cover transparency.

Style picker screen — Four resolutions, four backgrounds, four transparency levels

Screen 4 — Confirmation¶

Review all selections before rendering.

Confirmation screen — Summary of model, render set, resolution, background, and cover transparency

After confirmation, FreeCAD GUI opens, renders all views, and copies PNGs to the website assets directory.

Render Sets¶

Full Sets¶

#	Set	Output
1	Everything	40+ images: all angles, components, exploded, opaque
2	Assembly only	10 images: hero, 6 orthographic, angled, cover-removed
3	Exploded views	3 images: iso, front, top
4	Component portraits	14 images: isolated render of every body and peripheral

Individual Bodies¶

#	Body	Views
5	Base plate	iso, top, bottom, front, sensors overlay
6	AAA cradle	iso, top, bottom, front
7	Top cover	transparent iso, opaque iso, bottom (anchor pad), top, front
8	Thumbpiece	iso close-up

Peripherals¶

#	Component	Description
9	Joystick PCB	K1-1506SN-01 5-way switch breakout
10	Pico 2 W	Board with procedural 2x20 pin headers
11	Piezo speaker	20 mm FT-20T brass + ceramic disc
12	IMU accelerometer	GY-6500 MPU-6500 module
13	TP4056 charger	USB-C charge module
14	Batteries + clips	AAA cells with Swpeet contact plates
15	E-ink display	Waveshare 2.13" module
16	Solar panel	AK 62x36 with wire leads

Special¶

#	Mode	Description
17	Detail close-ups	Joystick, thumbpiece, sensor pockets
18	Animation	13-step assembly with cosine ease-in-out drop
19	Custom combo	Pick exactly which components to include

Style Options¶

Resolution: 1920x1440 (default) | 2560x1920 | 1280x960 | 960x720

Background: Transparent | White | Black | Light gray

Cover transparency: 40% (default translucent) | 0% (opaque) | 70% | 85% (ghost)

Animation¶

Option 18 generates numbered PNGs of each component dropping into place. If ffmpeg is installed, a GIF is assembled automatically:

ffmpeg -framerate 12 -i renders/anim/frame-%04d.png \
       -vf "scale=960:720" -loop 0 renders/assembly-animation.gif

Technical Notes¶

Requires FreeCAD GUI (not freecadcmd) — saveImage needs the live OpenGL viewport
The render script uses pivy (Coin3D bindings) for custom camera angles
Each screenshot pumps the Qt event loop 5 times with 300ms delays to ensure the viewport finishes drawing before capture
Visibility toggling only affects top-level objects (Bodies and Part::Features), not internal PartDesign features — toggling those would make parent Bodies render blank

Source: tools/build-render/build_and_render.sh