Opening an existing example model

OpenSCAD after starting

Open one of the many examples that come with OpenSCAD (File, Examples). Or you can copy and paste this simple example into the OpenSCAD window:

Usage example 1

difference() {
    cube(30, center=true);
    sphere(20);
}
translate([0, 0, 30]) {
    cylinder(h=40, r=10);
}

OpenSCAD after pasting the example code and pressing F5

Then press F5 to get a graphical preview of what you typed (or press F6 to get a graphical view).

You get three types of movement in the preview frame:

Drag with left mouse button to rotate the view. The bottom line changes the rotate values.
Drag with any other mouse button (or control-drag under OSX) to translate (move) the view. The bottom line changes translate values.
Use the mouse scroll to zoom in and out. Alternatively you can use the + and - keys, or right-drag with the mouse while pressing a shift key (or control-shift-drag under OSX). The Viewport line at the bottom of the window shows a change in the distance value.

See also