FreeCAD

arhi

@Kolbi step works. Unfortunately, there's no (yet) option to detect features like what solidworks know how to do but ...

FreeCAD can import both mesh and solids by default without any additional "workspaces"

imports step, iges, inventor, dwg, dxf, 3d studio, obj, brep, svg, ply, pov, stl, obj ....

can export everything you can think of probably .. the file format's are not a problem... but for solidworks -> freeCAD I'd say step is the way to go

Kolbi

Thanks much @arhi!

arhi

@Kolbi you are welcome. I'm not an expert, still learning the tool myself, I'm normally a solidworks guy ... that's why I liked onShape ... but moved to f360 when onShape started ignoring free users completely and ramped up the price for paying users to "I'll rather pay for SW" heights ... now when f360 started playing the same tune, I'm done trusting any of them, if I'm not paying for solidworks I'l get by with FreeCAD and openSCAD... if nothing else FreeCAD at least properly supports my spacepilot

Kolbi

@arhi Yeah, I should have got the spacepilot too but I cheap'd out at the last minute and got the spacemouse wireless instead - figured it would be better with travel.

oliof

I like the JoKo Engineering FreeCAD tutorials and demos on YouTube (and I usually hate YouTube tutorials). He does a couple comparison between various tools as well, but for everyone that doubts FreeCADs capability, the demo where he builds something out of a Solidworks certification in FreeCAD, then exports it as step file and checks the result in Solidworks for full compliance is pretty amazing.

arhi

@oliof that's one of the major reasons I made this topic, would be cool if you put links to those good ones directly

zapta

Started to learn FreeCad, took me an hour to figure out how to add a line midpoint, and still not understanding the difference between sketches and drafts, but learning Fusion also took me some time, so still optimistic.

arhi

@zapta said in FreeCAD:

difference between sketches and drafts

AFAIK just a philosophy nothing else. I kinda always use sketch and never draft so I might be wrong but they say:

https://wiki.freecadweb.org/Sketcher Workbench

Traditional Drafting

The traditional way of CAD drafting inherits from the old drawing board. Orthogonal (2D) views are drawn manually and intended for producing technical drawings (also known as blueprints). Objects are drawn precisely to the intended size or dimension. If you want to draw an horizontal line 100mm in length starting at (0,0), you activate the line tool, either click on the screen or input the (0,0) coordinates for the first point, then make a second click or input the second point coordinates at (100,0). Or you will draw your line without regard to its position, and move it afterwards. When you've finished drawing your geometries, you add dimensions to them.

Constraint Sketching

The Sketcher moves away from this logic. Objects do not need to be drawn exactly as you intend to, because they will be defined later on by constraints. Objects can be drawn loosely, and as long as they are unconstrained, can be modified. They are in effect "floating" and can be moved, stretched, rotated, scaled, and so on. This gives great flexibility in the design process.

Kolbi

@oliof said in FreeCAD:

JoKo Engineering FreeCAD tutorial

Thanks @oliof, those tutorials will be helpful - I just opened FreeCad and realized it is much different then what I'm used to.

Link to the tutorials referenced: https://youtu.be/gbNg3mzm84s

oliof

Even though I never was able to do stuff in Fusion360, this video also was pretty good IMO: https://youtu.be/_GxJkB23ZHM

oliof

Here is a list of UI changes an acquaintance did to make FreeCAD less dated: https://pastebin.com/SkszvjqS

I only installed the glass UI and switched to a dark theme, which already made a huge difference to me.

droftarts

What is the mechanism for updating the latest 0.19-pre release from November 2019? It looks to me that it happens semi-automatically on Windows and Linux. But it looks like you have to compile on Mac? I looked at the compilation instructions on Mac, and they are out of date; make and homebrew don’t work, and looks like it’s currently compiled with Conda. There’s a thread with some detail here: https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=49769

native OS X build environment is kind of a trashfire.
(https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=49769&start=20#p431784)

... would seem to be the case!

Ian

arhi

@droftarts 0.19_pre looks like it's being compiled daily for macos too .. the release placeholder is old but windows, linux and macos binaries in assets are 22492, that's "current"

droftarts

@arhi ah, now I understand! Thanks! Not going to bother with the hassle of compiling, just get on and try it...

Ian

arhi

@droftarts yes, I too seen that 0.19 pre release was put there year ago and assumed assests are same but looks like they just made system to replace assets every day (or every few days) so the install images are recent hence no need to compile unless you wanna modify the code.. and tbh compilation takes time 12 core ryzen9 with super fast m2 ssd's and 128g of super fast ram and it takes a loooong time to compile (I prepare and eat lunch and it's not done)

oliof

@arhi some people say the realthunder fork is a better UX than FreeCAD with some modules, but I don't have a machine to compile it and it does not come with binaries ... but you should get by with your Ryzen box.

oliof

Also, the Mechatronic Workbench looks like it could be useful for people building 3d printers and similar machines.

arhi

@oliof I don't mind UX in the freeCAD, took a day to figure out the basics and so far so good ... as for the mechatronic - noticed, installed, didn't try it .. I see there is really a lot of wb's available, had no time to try them all

droftarts

Had a brief play around with FreeCAD last night, and was pleasantly surprised! Last version I tried was 0.16, 2 or 3 years ago, and couldn’t get on with it. Used the video @oliof linked. One other change to the UI I made was to change input method from ‘OpenInventor’ to ‘CAD’, as otherwise you have to use a modifier key to place a point.

Mostly moving from Fusion to FreeCAD feels like moving from Adobe Illustrator to Inkscape; a bit clunky and not as polished, but quickly useable, and with more familiarity, should do everything I need.

Ian

oliof

For beginners, this short series of intro tutorials by DrVax could be useful