Tapered Cylinder

Bambu Lab P Series Troubleshooting
1

Is there a way to draw a tapered cylinder using a primitive in Studio?
I’m familiar with doing that in OpenSCAD but when I asked the question of Google the AI that loads at the top of the hit list makes reference to setting the top radius and bottom radius which is how it is done in Openscad.
I am unable to locate any radius settings native to Studio to do that particular process.
As an associated question, is there discussion/article anywhere to add other custom primitive shapes to Studio?

I want a taper that is ever so slight that my cylinder will “lock” in place about the same time as the cylinder bottoms.

2

Not directly but you can use a cone as primitive, play with sizing checking off “uniform scale” make Z high enough to meet your need and then use a negative cylinder on top of the cone so that you effectively get your tapered cylinder.

I will certainly be sort of a hit or miss procedure but you would at least get that tapered cylinder in the end through bambu studio if you don’t have access to a CAD app

3

Thanks. I can do it in Openscad so making it not really the problem. The AI aggregator response says it can be done natively inside Studio which would save the import/export steps. Some of the processes in Studio are not where they might seem to go intuitively so just covering the bases.

4

As an alternative to @philch excellent idea, you can also use the cut tool once you scale the cone to the appropriate height. This will permanently create a modified STL without the need to manipulate two objects.

1 Like
5

Cut tool is best. I rarely use it, I do my cuts in CAD, so it didn’t come to mind but placing the cut at the right height is easier than manipulating a volume. :+1:

6

Is often wrong.

Not from base primatives.

Use OpenSCAD

Information:

The slicer (Bambu Studio) is not CAD (OpenSCAD etc), use CAD.

Primatives are for quick tests or for those with no CAD experience.

As you noted, OpenSCAD does this very easily, so use that.

cylinder(
    h = 10,
    d1 = 10,
    d2 = 5
);

For everyone else, this is the OpenSCAD code to create a cone with a base of 10mm, a tip of 5mm, and a height of 10mm.

  • d = diameter
  • r = radius (not shown)
  • h = height

Screenshot 2025-12-26 at 02.42.43
Screenshot 2025-12-26 at 02.42.43448×479 2.98 KB

Change d2 to 0 if you require a pointed cylinder.

7

I know the limitations of AI which is why I asked the question.
Printing a birdhouse and the exterior perch I want have an interference fit to avoid glue, hence the taper.
I have found myself using Merge/Mesh Boolean a bunch to do things like cut square holes in round pegs.
In this instance I made the very slightly tapered shaft in OpenSCAD, added the Disk primitive via Merge–>Mesh Boolean–>Union, then cut the square hole via Cube primitive—>Z-Move -.5–>Merge–>Mesh Boolean–>Subtraction.
Did “Center” on the square hole, disk, shaft to align everything. Fillets in Fusion.

$fn = 64;
cylinder(h = 100, r1 = 8.2, r2 = 7.95, center = false);

OpenSCAD Shaft
OpenSCAD Shaft673×777 48.5 KB

Shaft Pic
Shaft Pic1500×2000 197 KB

8

New information.

I beat you to it yesterday.

You could have done it in OpenSCAD.

differance() {
    cylinder(
        h = 10,
        d1 = 10,
        d2 = 5
    );
    translate([
        -5/2,
        -5/2,
        0 - 0.1
    ])
    cube([
        5,
        5,
        5 + 0.1
    ]);
}

Use your own parameters, of course.

This takes any subsequent parts from the first one.

In this case, the square is removed from the cone.

The 0.1 is only added to make previews look as the render does; it essentially moves the part being removed down slightly to break through the other part as you are making a whole. To maintain the correct height, the same amount that is lowered is added to the height of the removed part.

Let me know if you want to know how to achieve the bottom disc, as it is a little tricker for newcomers.

9

The question was more about whether this was some feature BL had slid into Studio for reasons unknown. They routinely relocate/change various processes with no advance warning.
I’ve built some more complex things in Openscad in the past. I knew how to do the shaft in Openscad when I asked the question. Was just hoping to do it natively and skip import/export steps.

I think it is in the Software Engineer Credo to not tell users everything that that they changed/tweaked in a given update.

10

As I mentioned yesterday in my previous reply.

As I keep saying on the forum, Bambu Lab MUST start providing…

CHANGE LOGS.

They do not do it for anything, not even Bambu Handy, which broke with the latest iPad update, not the parametric model maker, not on MakerWorld, not on the rules we must abide by - nothing, nada. It is so annoying.

Then, for shits and giggles, they use rules against people that were not in place when the designer did whatever it was they are now held responsible for.

My Aphantasia means everything I have ever built uses OpenSCAD, including my upcoming CyberBrick models. I have been really unwell for almost 2 months, but I have had a couple of good days. I am now trying to get through a backlog of over 30 models in various stages of:

  • Complete: Requires artwork
  • Complete: Requires photos and artwork
  • Complete: Requires assembly guides, photos and artwork
  • Complete: Requires final testing, photos and artwork
  • Complete: Requires final design, testing, photos and artwork
  • Complete: Requires more