FreeCAD Cheatsheet

https://www.freecadweb.org

Tuturials

Intro Series: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=m49z0weonog

Casing: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JhPxrHwLFuc

Casing, also using programmatically openSCAD: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JhPxrHwLFuc

Recommended introduction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbNg3mzm84s&list=PL7eiW2bt21YU6QEbly78kUgQCNEiDUwSH

Draft Bench

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1iZNhJrm6lk
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-ivzKZm_W7g
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kmXnDcIqyjY

Search

• View menu -> Views ->Selection view
  Deutsch: Ansicht -> Paneele -> Auswahlansicht

Brainfucksafe

Generally use the simple options of the part workbench.

Transformations

Rotate around more than one axis:

• Edit -> Placement
• Checkbox "incremental steps"

Scale, also non-uniformly (squash)

• Draft Workbench
• Clone
• "Scale"
• Hide original object

Sketching

• Sketcher -> Create Sketch
• Fully constrain sketch!
• Fully close lines for rotation objects
• Reference other constraints with formular: Sketch001.Constraints.myradius

Revolve

• Use Part workbench
• Solution for solid 180 revolving?
• Workaround: Part Workbench -> Part -> Create Solid

Pad

• Use Part-Design workbench

Text

• -> Draft
• Select working plane, e.g. xy
• Text to form
• Font directories (Ubuntu)
  • /usr/share/fonts
  • ~/.local/share/fonts
  • Examples:
    • 16.04: /usr/share/fonts/truetype/ubuntu-font-family/Ubuntu-B.ttf
    • 18.04: /usr/share/fonts/truetype/ubuntu/Ubuntu-B.ttf
• Good Fonts
  • Source Sans Pro
    • Very bold: https://fonts.google.com/download?family=Source%20Sans%20Pro
    • /home/klemens/.local/share/fonts/SourceSansPro-Black.ttf
  • Stencil
    • https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Allerta+Stencil
    • /home/klemens/.fonts/AllertaStencil-Regular.ttf
    • /home/klemens/.fonts/FLAMANTE-STEN.ttf
• Pad

Global variables

No direct support. Workaround:

• Spreadsheet Workbench
• Create new spreadsheet
• Enter value in a cell
• Right click cell
• Alias: e.g. "wallwidth"

Now you can reference the variable anywhere via "Spreadsheet.wallwidth"

Expressions / Variables

Use reference in sketch:

• Name a constraint, eg. "width"
• Reference it in an other constraint with "Sketch.Constraints.width"
  where "Sketch" is the name of the sketch
• Placement:
  • <<mycube>>.Placement.Base.y

freecad wedge explained

https://www.freecadweb.org/wiki/Part_Wedge/de

The parallel faces are orientated perpenticular to the Y direction.

Wedge Settings as Cube

• Xmin, Ymin, Zmin are the coordinates of the point in the axis cross
• Xmax, Zmax are the coordinates of the top right point in the XZ plane
• Ymax is the "height" in the Y axis
• For a cube
  • X2min and Y2min need to be the same as Xmin and Ymin (0mm)
  • X2max and Y2max need to be the same as Xmax and Ymax (10mm)

Earlier Wedge Sketch

stl mesh to solid

• Import stl
• -> Part
• Form -> create shape from mesh
• Select object, export as .step
• Delete or hide object
• Import .step
• Form -> create solid

Sketch from Image/Photo

• Get image aspect ratio, e.g 4608x2592px:4608 / 2592 = 1,78
• Image Workbench -> Icon "Create planar Image in 3D space"
• Use formula for YSize with aspect ratio:
  • =XSize / 1,78
• Scale and move to the desired position
• Sketch Workbench -> Create sketch

A spoon with B-spline surface

• https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zE3ww54rkNc

Installation

• Download latest FreeCad appimg from https://www.freecadweb.org/wiki/Download/en
• Or Download latest dev version for Ubuntu: https://github.com/FreeCAD/FreeCAD/releases/tag/0.19_pre

Add Assembly2 Mod

• https://github.com/hamish2014/FreeCAD_assembly2
• Use manual method
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT2u1K3X17Q

Settings

• Edit -> Settings
  • Language: English
  • Startup bench: Part