To keep working in openscad and rendering at the same time is easy, with a
little bit of openscad command line know how.

Here is my render script: (runs on linux and os x)
Sorry windows people, I have no windows computer to write a script for you.
But I am sure something could be whipped up there.

#!/usr/bin/env bash

if [ -z $1 ]; then
echo "usage: render <file>.scad"
exit 1
fi

of=${1%scad}stl    # substitute <inputfile>.scad with <inputfile>.stl

echo openscad -o $of $1
openscad -o $of $1

Jerry

--
Extra Ham Operator: K7AZJ
Registered Linux User: 275424
Raspberry Pi and Arduino developer

The most exciting phrase to hear in science - the one that heralds new
discoveries - is not "Eureka!" but "That's funny...".- Isaac. Asimov

I
*f you give someone a program, you will frustrate them for a day; if you
teach them how to program, you will frustrate them for a lifetime. *-
Anonymous

If writing good code requires very little comments, then writing really
excellent code requires no comments at all!- Ken Thompson

What would be handy for this approach, would be the ability to initiate a
script from the OpenSCAD GUI.
Say F7, with the script command line in preferences with a substitute
parameter of the scad filename.

Would need to make sure you saved changes of course.

Unless specifically shown otherwise above, my contribution is in the Public Domain; To the extent possible under law, I have waived all copyright and related or neighbouring rights to this work. This work is published globally via the internet. :) Inclusion of works of previous authors is not included in the above.

The TPP is no simple “trade agreement.”  Fight it! http://www.ourfairdeal.org/

View this message in context: http://forum.openscad.org/Sharing-how-to-render-on-command-line-tp12515p12588.html
Sent from the OpenSCAD mailing list archive at Nabble.com.