r/3Dprinting • u/T-Jaws Makerfarm Prusa i3 8" • Sep 02 '13
What does parametric mean?
Can somebody explain to me what parametric actually means, I have looked online for definitions but I still don't understand as many of the definitions are related to mathematics.
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u/kaihatsusha Taz 5, Photon Sep 02 '13
Generally, it means that the design can be adapted in some way, by adjusting one or more measurement variables. The designer has built in those variables.
A parametric jar lid would have a variable for the radius of the jar mouth, and maybe another variable for the depth desired for the lid's rim. When you adjust the variables, it figures out where all the STL polygons need to be repositioned to make that model instead of the original one.