FreeCAD

[Piggiron]

This thread is to document my journey into learning FreeCAD, a free, open source, 3D CAD program. Here's the link to download it: https://www.freecad.org/

The video tutorial series I'm watching is located on the YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MangoJellySolutions/featured and the current playlist I'm following is found here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWuyJLVUNtc0UszswD0oD5q4VeWTrK7JC

Even though the videos in the tutorial series are less than a couple years old, I'm finding differences between the videos and the latest version of FreeCAD such as,

• The "Edit Controls" in the Combo View Box is no longer there in the newer version (V 0.21.2).
  I also found the toolbar for Padding (additive & subtractive) are not there, by default. To add them, hover mouse pointer over toolbar area, right click, and select "Customize". Select "Toolbars" and use the Category drop down box to select "Part Design". There you can select all the tools you want and name the toolbar what you want.
• The latest difference I've ID'd is with the "Geometry Tool" part at around the 21 minute mark in video #2.
  There is not a "Mode" selection in the Elements tab in the Combo View box, but it auto ID'd the point as an External point when I performed this step. I'm currently making a drawing while following along with the tutorial.

For anyone else using FreeCAD, feel free to post any issues/revelations you find.

[4GSR]

Have it downloaded and installed. Tried to open a .dwg file with no luck. Will go through the videos and see what I have to do to open it.

[Piggiron]

It seems it's possible to convert FreeCAD 3D renderings into 2D files: https://wiki.freecad.org/Manual:Generating_2D_drawings
This will be useful for me in transferring 2D files/drawings into my Plus enabled Touch DRO controller, the reason for which is posted here: https://www.homemachinistsjournal.com/index.php?topic=86.new#new

Look for the 8th post in the thread.

[Piggiron]

While trying to learn FreeCAD, I'm attempting to make a 3D drawing similar to the attached picture minus the piston and crank parts, just the Scotch Yoke. The pic is a screen capture from a YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzSKXl4SXpM

I have no problem with the rectangular part and slot, but the vertical extrusion part is kicking my back side.

[Piggiron]

There's a glitch in the matrix or I'm screwing up. Probably the latter.
This happens every time I try using the symmetry constraint tool on a slot feature. I select 2 points and the axis line between them and click the symmetry constraint tool, but I get a "Redundant Constrain" error every time (see attached pic).

When I click the error-ed constraint and delete it, it clears the error, sets the points symmetrically to the line and lock it down, as it should.
Can't figure out if I'm doing something wrong or if there's a problem with the program and find little to no instructions/direction on using the slot tool.

[Piggiron]

I might be starting to get the hang of this.
This is my first attempt at drawing a feature that isn't a carbon copy of what's done on the video tutorial.

[34_40]

I had downloaded it previously but installed it yesterday. Last night I opened it up and started looking around / reading and discovered that I am so lost! LOT's of new words... this is gonna take a while..   

[Piggiron]

I had downloaded it previously but installed it yesterday. Last night I opened it up and started looking around / reading and discovered that I am so lost! LOT's of new words... this is gonna take a while.. 

FWIW, my methodology has been to watch the video while copying the example by pausing and then seeing if I can do the steps.
Another thing I noticed that hasn't been mentioned in any of the videos (so far that I've watch anyway), just demonstrated, is that any of the parameter constraints (length, width, diameter/radius, etc.) can be changed/altered by double clicking on it in the Sketcher display.

[Piggiron]

It seems a new version of FreeCAD (v 0.22) is under construction with quite a few new features. I don't know of any projected release date, but it seems the Dev version can be downloaded.
Here's the video link talking about it and showing new features:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyBzEpantQ8

[Piggiron]

I did a bit more digging for an expected release date. Not even a guesstimate yet, but it seems the official release version supposdly will be FreeCAD 1.0 with v0.22 being the dev version.