OpenSCAD - utility - explode() module

This video will show you how to implement an explode module in OpenSCAD.
The code is available at:
github.com/mathcodeprint/open...
Using the children() module you will be able to distribute your parts in any direction at arbitrary distances.
Thank you for watching my videos, please subscribe, comment and like. Especially if you have already done a module like this
For this video, this is the version info:
OpenSCAD Version: 2016.12.22
System information: Linux 3.16.0-38-generic #52~14.04.1-Ubuntu SMP Fri May 8 09:44:48 UTC 2015 i686 Ubuntu 14.04.5 LTS 2 CPUs 16777216.00 TB RAM
Compiler: GCC "4.8.4" 32bit
Boost version: 1_54
Eigen version: 3.2.5
CGAL version, kernels: 4.2, Cartesian, Extended_cartesian, Epeck
OpenCSG version: OpenCSG 1.3.2
Qt version: 5.2.1
QScintilla version: 2.8.1
MingW build: No
GLib version: 2.40.2
libzip version: 0.10.1
Here are the various jump offs:
PART 1 - INTRO
00:00 Widgets to Explode
PART 2 - Basic Explode
02:20 Basic Explode
PART 3 - Distance Parameters and Enable
05:50 Add the basic distance parameter
06:40 Create an "enable" argument ( using the if statement )
09:12 Improve the distance parameter to take a vector.
PART 4 - Centering and Nesting
11:37 Nested Explode in Multiple Directions
12:40 Centering ( if statement and such )
15:50 Centering ( the math )
19:04 Effect of nested/un-nested Explode
PART 5 - Assemblies and Animation
20:20 Use explode on an assembly
22:45 Animate the assembly explode
CLOSING THOUGHTS
25:00 Closing and Advantages
NOTES: Jeremy Starcher points out, in the comments, that you could replace the third for loop by processing the 'enable' argument with a conditional operator.
Check out David McCulloughs Improved verison at :
gist.github.com/damccull/1a1d...

[@DavidMcCullough2]

I enjoyed this tutorial. I actually modified the 'explode' module while watching it to make it cleaner. This one also centers perfectly for any number of objects except for 1, in which case it seems to do nothing. Here is the code:
gist.github.com/damccull/1a1df5e785e56daf53e0d7b7d8ff219e
module explode(distance = [10, 0, 0], center = false, enable = true) {
if(enable){
offset = center ? (($children * distance) / 2 - distance / 2) * -1 : [0, 0 , 0];
for(i = [0 : 1 : $children - 1]) {
translate(i * distance + offset) {
children(i);
}
}
} else {
children();
}
}
A little vector math enables the use of a single 'offset' variable. Sane defaults prevent a user from unwittingly breaking the module, and I used an if/else rather than two if's.

[@DavidMcCullough2]

Paul Randall thanks. I love sharing my way of coding something with people because I find it interesting to see how others code things, so I assume they're interested too.

[@jhonny1392]

Fantastic Video !. Thanks a lot for sharing with us your knowledge on this program.
Every time I see a new feature of OpenSCAD *I like it MORE and MORE*
Thanks again, and many greetings from Santiago de Chile, South America. I´m John.

[@markwhitis]

3:00 - the reason you use $children-1 as the upper end of your loop is that you number children starting at 0. So, if you have five children, they are numbered 0,1,2,3, and 4. There is no child 5.

[@theman83744]

really nice tutorial, helped a lot

[@MichaelJeffers75]

Great content but I can't see the code clearly. Perhaps with future videos increasing font size? Just a suggestion.

[@jhonny1392]

Put it in 720p and use glasses. Issue solved !.

[@ericbuijs3043]

Nice how you separate the explode module from the parts.

[@gilbertodipietro8494]

The link to damccull at github is not working anymore

[@r3jjs]

In your explode module, rather than duplicating the `for` loop, you could do a
realDistance = enable ? distance : 0;
Then translate by `realDistance`. If it is 0, then no translation happens.

[@DavidMcCullough2]

Jeremy Starcher I had the same idea while watching this tutorial and Incorporated it into my modified example.

[@kernelsmith]

Great stuff. I was going to make a couple comments that were already made (if/else, the ternary operation blah ? true : false, and arrays start at index 0, therefore len is always count - 1). The only thing left might be functionality that was added to openSCAD after u made this video (I have no idea), u can access a vector's first 3 elements with vector.x vector.y and vector.z