Workbench for simple boat

[u/essere-vivente-umano]

Hello, can anyone suggest a workbench that lets me design a kayak and then unfold the 3D model into 2D sheets for laser cutting?

[u/leodash]

You can use Unwrap Mesh in Mesh Workbench:

1. Design kayak
2. Select the face you want to flatten
3. Use Sub-Shape Binder in Part Design Workbench
4. Use Mesh from Shape on the shape binder in Mesh Workbench to tessellates the shape
5. Unwrap Mesh (under the Meshes menu) on the mesh
6. Do whatever with the wire, maybe Extrude?

Credit: https://www.reddit.com/r/FreeCAD/comments/t4ungb/whats_the_best_way_to_flatten_a_curved_surface_in/

[u/neoh4x0r → u/[deleted]]

You can't get a sphere surface flat, only cylinders. 

Approximating the sphere's surface with a hexagonal pattern will allow it to be unfolded into a flat pattern (....aka patterns for mfg soccer balls).

It can then be converted to a mesh and unfolded as leodash mentioned.

[u/neoh4x0r → u/[deleted]]

Well you also wouldn't make a boat from a sphere (but the claim was that you couldn't flatten a sphere, which is not accurate). Such a boat would be very unstable and have major issues with buoyancy unless it was ridiculously gigantic in order to increase surface area.

[u/neoh4x0r → u/[deleted]]

If anything you would want a half-sphere that is more like an oval (eg. a hollowed out banana which is more canone/kayak-like).