when is it getting a new UI? hopefully the blender 2.8 moment will come soon for FreeCAD.
this post was submitted on 19 Nov 2024
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There is already OpenTheme, which you can install via the AdonManager... looks waaaay better than the default
Since I work with AutoCAD daily I feel like Ive been hearing about FreeCAD for what feels like a decade or two. I cant believe it has been pre 1.0 all this time.
How is it for Civil work?
Both GIMP 3 RC1 and FreeCAD 1.0 in the same month, damn
We got GIMP 3 and FreeCAD 1 before we got GTA VI
And Inkscape 1.4!
Oh lawd, another thing to check out
1.0? So which one have I been using?
0.8, 0.9, etc...
I'm just surprised that it's so new
new is a different concept from first api stable release. it's been in development since 2002. 0.21 was the most recent release, and the software has been pretty much usable since 2010 at least. but this 1.0 release is a big deal because it basically means any features you currently know and like can be expected to be there for forever. it's more of a promise than a time-based release measure
Ah thanks for the explanation. That makes a lot of sense. Because using Freecad it certainly doesn't feel new. Looks late 90s or early 2000s
0.9.final.revised.25BAK.lastbest.final
I have, 26bak. Must've been a nightly update
I use LibreCAD for architecture work and will take a look at FreeCAD.
Has anyone else tried both for architectural work? How did they compare for you?
I work as an architectural designer but I've never really been allowed to use anything other than Revit for BIM workflows. Our consultants basically only use Revit or Autodesk products, so our hands are kind of tied for projects where we need to collaborate.
My boss uses Vectorworks for our small projects that don't need BIM, I might suggest we switch to Libre or FreeCAD so that we all have access without needed another VW license. Do you enjoy using LibreCAD?
I like LibreCAD, but it's a little too simple sometimes. I miss the power of AutoCAD, but I don't miss its price.
Three things I want are
- being able to assign heights to objects and do 3D stuff
- being able to assign labels to objects (instead of circle3761 I'd like to call it 'fountain' or something)
- splines are really finicky, and you can't do things like a fillet on more complex objects
It took a couple of days to get used to and probably a week of use before I was 100% comfortable, but I find that it meets most of my needs now.
I imagine both Libre and Free are open-sourced and easily modifiable? I haven't looked into it, but if it's anything like Rhino there should be a standard way of writing custom plugins that should close the gap on some of those - at least the object naming would be easy.
I'll look into them though, thanks! BIM software is such a pain in the ass to work with and one of the most expensive design software I know of, I think open sourced projects would be amazing for BIM if they took off like FreeCAD did
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I have tried freecad a number of times to replace solidworks as a critical piece of closed source software in hardware development toolchains. I have always struggled. Yesterday someone spent an hour with me at a makespace saying... "FreeCAD has a different way of doing this/try realthunder branch/use symmetry condition/delete all conditions that coincide" ... it has been worth years of trying alone. When I started solidworks the reseller gave me a week of training - this is often why complex FOSS software gets a reputation for being clunky, because alone you will spend ages hunting a GUI button in a complex interface.
TLDR: Go outside, go to makespace or a FREECAD conference - meet other people who use open source software - its much easier to use/learn from others than alone.
The best thing about 1.0 is that it has ported most fo the topalogical fixes from realthunder!
When I started using SOLIDWORKS I had 0 training, still managed to make it work. FreeCAD is still frustrating after a lot of effort. But I keep trying, because it's the only real open source option
Interesting, when I started using FreeCAD I had 0 training, and I have managed to make it work just fine. Was mostly frustrated by the topological naming problem, but that is fixed now.
You can do quite complex things with it.
You just have to put in a bit of effort and think in an additive sketch-extrude workflow. But yeah, not easy to transition from solidworks.
Well or use the forums. They have a wonderfully helpful community
I just treid it a bit. And I have to say its quite incredible how good it got! Still a bit rough but I would say its 30% better than a year ago. But maybe ondsel just got me into the mindset of this program.
Its sad to see ondsel go because I doubt we would be here without them.
I hope the freecad team sees all the incredible feedback and the next few versions will be similar improvements for usabilty!
Wait, what happened to Ondsel? I've been using it for the last several months as it just seemed to make more sense than FreeCAD did...
I loved the idea of FreeCAD but having no experience in CAD software at all I always struggled with fundamental basics that were not covered in the tutorials I watched. The huge amount of work benches (some of them 3rd party) did not help since most forum posts or tutorials were based on different or outdated versions.
Having a go with build123d now, trying to model stuff using python. At least the number of available API functions is manageable and everything else is just programming (which I already know).
For me it's a bit different - just installing things to get build123d to work is an insurmountable obstacle. Because I'm not a programmer it's rage-inducing. But I guess that's how this stuff goes 😉
If you want the best tutorials on FreeCAD, check out mangojelly on youtube. He has a current 1.0 beginner series that starts right from the very beginning. And he goes slow enough to easily follow along.
Ignore the huge number of workbenches. You can even go to the Settings and turn the ones you don't need off so you never see them again. You are only going to use 2 workbenches 90% of the time-- Part Design and Sketcher. And as you get more experience, you might add another couple of workbenches as you go. Most of the third party workbenches are specialty things. For example, I sometimes need to design and make gears or do small sheetmetal work. So I have the Gear and sheetmetal workbenchs installed. You probably would never need it.
Learning CAD, no matter what flavor, does require effort. It's as much about learning how to think as it is about learning how to do.
Part, part design, arch, curves, draft, and sketcher for me. Everything I need for 3d print modeling as well as larger scale planning. I recently stumbled on to the spreadsheet/data tab and don't know how I've gone so long without it. Very handy for named dimension references all in one place
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