I am just tinkering around and have only a few hours in FreeCad but I am tying to modify an STL. the original is two parts that combine in the middle, but I want it to be all one solid piece. Part → Boolean → Union combines the two pieces when lined up how I want, but the channel groove and two smaller holes on either side are still there, so what's the best way to get rid of them so the faces are flush?

Hello all,

First time poster - been trying to recreate a mirror cap. Im running into the issue that either the Gordon Surface generation tells me i dont have enough guide rails, or it keeps loading indefinetely. What to do?

Yes i made the sketch with Intersected Projection, and the top guide rails and bottom guide rails are separate splines.

Hello FreeCAD community!

I am a mechanical engineer and solo developer. I picked up software development about 8 years ago and found tools I wish I had back when I was making physical designs. Something to prevent the old issue where Bracket.FCStd turns into Bracket_v5_final_final.FCStd and I would probably would not have lost some of my designs from a decade ago.

Software developers have a tool called Git and a hosting service built on it that most of them use called GitHub. Git has been around for about 20 years. If you are unfamiliar, it tracks changes in files so every save point records who changed what and why. It can get quite complicated but it is how just about every major (and minor) piece of software is built and collaborated on.

Unfortunately, the people who move atoms and not just electrons did not get the same opportunity unless you have enough money for a PLM seat. (Don't get me wrong, there are reasons. Merging text is rather simple while merging binaries is nearly impossible.)

I spent the past few months building Nurbly, version control for CAD built on a real Git backbone, made for people focused on physical designs. I have attached a video showing a FreeCAD plugin I have been working on so people who are uncomfortable on the command line don't have to use it as often.

I am looking for a small group of alpha users to run real projects through it and tell me what breaks. If this is interesting to you, please message me and I will send you an invite code.

I do not want to blindside anyone about the business model. The system is designed for open source hosting and there will always be a free tier for open source, plus at least one private repository if you do not want to open source your designs. Unfortunately, CAD files are large compared to text files and when teams get large or need multiple private repositories, there will be a small cost to keep the servers spinning.

Thank you again u/tehfink, u/hagbard2323, u/Kkremitzki, and u/drmacro1, for letting me post here!

https://reddit.com/link/1v3g2xq/video/d85dad72zreh1/player

https://reddit.com/link/1v39fdj/video/hxy2p71biqeh1/player

Can anyone explain this ( please click on post to view video). I'm very new to freecad and I have no clue as to what is going on, for reference I was following a video by Deltahedra titled
New to FreeCAD? Start HERE (Ultimate Beginner Tutorial)

Hello everyone,

As a long-time SketchUp user, I decided a few months ago to try switching to FreeCAD, mostly for financial reasons since I was on SketchUp’s Make plan.

I won’t sugarcoat it, but the transition has been really painful so far, and as I write this, I’m still not sure if I’m going to stick with it. Despite watching hours of video tutorials, I just can’t grasp the logic behind this damn software. Right now, I’m simply trying to design mortise and tenon joints, and I’ve tried three different approaches, all of which ended in total failure.

I took a quick look at the Woodworking workbench, but I’d rather avoid adding another layer on top of FreeCAD. I want to properly understand the fundamentals first, and I’m not in a hurry with my designs anyway.

I started by creating just the tenons, thinking I could create the mortises using a boolean operation later. But trying to align the tenon with the future mortise turned out to be absolute hell. End of game.

Next, I tried using the Assembly workbench, but boolean operations aren’t allowed there. Failure.

Then I tried using LCS (Local Coordinate Systems) to position the studs relative to one another, but I ended up with dependency loops. Failure.

It feels like my only remaining option is to build each part individually with its own tenon and mortise (pocket), and then bring them together in the Assembly workbench. It’s super tedious.

What I completely fail to understand with this software is how and when you are supposed to position elementary parts relative to each other if you actually want to use Boolean operations… assuming that’s even a viable workflow. It totally boggles my mind. How do you guys do it? What approach would you recommend?

Thanks!

Hello wise ones!
I am trying to create a cone with several 1mm high ribs on the internal face of a cone?
has me beat, any help appreciated, thanks

UPDATE - SOLVED:

u/SoulWager and u/DesignWeaver3D hooked it up with what I needed. This video particulary from SoulWager is what got me to a solution. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtkJWGZm6Fs

I'm working on a new design for a drone, I want to add a similar shape as this, but I want it to be seamless, and with control over the thickness and overall shape. Currently I used a pipe function to create the more vertical piece, and a helix function to create the other part. I originally had the idea to pad out a curved shape, and then using the hole function to cut it out, but I wasn't able to get it exactly how I wanted. Does anyone have any tips or a video they could point me too to make a pipe essentially that curves on two axis so I can make a more organic truss. Any help is appreciated.

I have been working for yeafs with industry stadard programms, sometimes with or without a databank.

(SolidEdge, SiemensNx, Solidworks, Creo)

As assembies and drawings seemingly funktion in one thing, I don't know how to order my datastrultire aswell how parts who are used in different assemblies work.

Another probelm I am struggling with is changes. Revising parts seems to be quite alot of work as I need to make the drawing all over again when adding a feature?

Also changing joints in assemblies is quite hard as is need to check every joint and not able to clicl on the part to see witch joints are connected to this part.

Please if you lnow of spme guides or shortcuts I can read through I would be thankful.

Ps: I am working in sheet metal most of the time with assemblies and underassemblies. End Assemblie with 200+ individual Parts

Hi, please let me know if this is against the rules! I can delete it if so.

If you can make assemblies like this one in FreeCAD, or Class A surfaces in FreeCAD, I'm looking for someone to make me a few models. Paying $100/hr. DM me with examples of what you've made -- thanks :D

I don't remember hiding anything UI related or even. I just came back to this project after a few weeks and all UI panels were gone

Edit: Nevermind, I fixed it, thanks for the help

I thought for sure there would be some easy to find up- to- date List of hot keys and ways to easily find the key needed.

A search "dumped" but I've yet to find a PDF that is/claims to be up to date. I'm sure that one of them that was found in a search (circa 2020) is out of date.

Maybe it is just me but even plowing through the "Sandbox:Keyboard shortcuts LEAVES A LOT TO BE DESIRED.. last date seems to be a year old/ IS IT?

JUST a bloody list oF UP TO DATE shortcuts that can be printed, or ready to reference WHEN NEEDED would be nice.

I bring this up because suddenly in a a recent 1.X version the external geometry icon seems to have disappeared!

My first post here, so apologies for any missteps! I've created a small folded item in the Sheet Metal workbench. To reduce manufacturing cost I'd like to duplicate the item, offset it from the original, and join the two parts (side by side) with breakaway tabs. In that way the bending steps produce two parts simultaneously, saving time & $. What is a good approach to doing this?

I do realize there may be some distortion of the hole from the nearby bend. That isn't an issue.

A simple way to make a parametric miter cut on a part guided by attachments.

• 00:01 Intro
• 00:27 FreeCAD 1.1.0 is released!
• 00:43 Demo setup
• 00:50 Create sketch
• 01:02 Edit the attachment
• 01:48 Extrude and cut
• 02:00 Now in PartDesign
• 02:19 Pocket the sketch
• 02:38 About the attachment
• 04:02 It's parametric!

Hi. I have this problem in FreeCad 1.1.1 in the Sketcher, when i zoom in the numbers for the dimensions keep shrinking to infinity, and it becomes imposible to do anything. Does anyone know how to resolve this problem? Thank you.

I want to prepare two squares in CAM for the CNC for a test board (tolerance determination), and I'm stuck at this point. After several attempts, the AI indicates that it has detected a second body and a revolution. I’ve recreated the pad, job, and profile multiple times, but I keep running into the same problem. Is this a FreeCAD issue, or is the problem on my end?

9 mm multiplex

Sorotec 1005

FreeCAD 1.1.1

Windows 11

Claude, Gemini

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Hi,

I am looking for someone who knows how to use CAD and do 3D modeling. I need help fixing up a design and making it ready to 3D print.

I want to find someone I can work with for a long time. We can call on Discord to work on the design together. If the first model turns out good, we can make many more models together.

I will pay per job.

If you want to work with me, please reply and show me photos of your past 3D models.

I am very serious and this is not a joke at all. I am willing to pay.

Thanks!

in my last post i was trying to reference the apple watch wristband but with little success but i was bale to come across this tutorial by CADQuest though it's done in solidworks but i was able to replicate the features he was using but am kinda stuck after mirroring the sketch am getting an over-contained, am i doing it the wrong way

Hey, I‘m very new to freecad and need some help with the UI.

I want to make it look more like inventor, because that‘s what I was trained on. On top of that, I’m still going to have to use it (I have a school account for it, but don‘t want to be left stranded if and when it expires). Are there any tutorials I can watch to help me, or any UI mods to make it look more like inventor? I‘m sorry if this is some kind of taboo amongst designers, thank you for your help!

I'm not the best at planning. I usually manage to build my parts in a manner that allows changes down the line without causing too many problems, but I still often run into problems where the feature a sketch is attached to has changed, therefore breaking the attachment.

I can easily reposition a sketch on one of the origin planes, but I've never had any success repositioning a sketch on a specific face of a selected feature. Is this something that's possible currently, or am I out of luck in this regard?

I have reset all the settings in solidworks after updating and now whenever I exit a sketch I can't see it. When I hover over it and outline can be seen, but its hard to work with this issue. I have tried some of the common fixes like playing around with the display settings and made sure sketches were checked on the View/Hide button. Any help would be really great. Thanks

I made projected view of the part I have, but I can't move it around. Auto distribute is unsnecked, I'm dragging by the part, dragging by the text "Front", dragging by the frame, nothing works. It always appears in that corner no matter what (no matter what values and where I put them) and it's impossible to move it.