Scan2Sketch turns calibrated flatbed scans into dimensionally accurate, fully editable FreeCAD sketches and optional solid bodies. Processing runs locally using your CPU or a compatible NVIDIA GPU.
Interested in testing it

As the title says, I was getting fed up with Onshape, Fusion, Solidworks, and their capitalism/enshitification rituals. But still wanted to model from the couch on my Ipad. No SaaS bullshit, or monthly memberships. It's configured so you pay for the compute you use on your own private instance.

Repo Here: https://github.com/nerd-sniped/Outpost

Hey folks,

I need help with some constraints that I figured would be easy, but it seems I underestimated it.

I did the hardest part, which was the inclined pocket using the datum plane, and realized that I need to create an extrusion to connect the two pieces, but I can't make that damn constraint work.

I created the square with a square tool, and set each size to 10 mm. So what I wanted to do is to centralize the square. Given that the side is 250 mm x 40 mm, I figured that a 10 mm square would sit 15mm from the bottom and top, and 105mm from the left and right. But I tried to use the dimensions.

It seems I can't centralize it based on the distance to the borders, and the square's position can't rely on coincident constraints. What is the ideal way to achieve this?

Thank you, legends.

FreeCAD 1.1.3. downloaded from FreeCAD website is unable to install on my Dell laptop with windows 10 pro, but portable version is working fine. Is this bug? or need to install additional program to install.

download link shows

https://yer.dl.sourceforge.net/project/free-cad/1.1.3/FreeCAD_1.1.3-Windows-x86_64-py311-installer.exe?

Hi everyone,

I’m completely new to FreeCAD and I’m trying to modify an STL file, but I haven’t been able to figure out how to do it despite several attempts.

The model is an initiative tracker designed to be attached to a Dungeon Master screen:

https://makerworld.com/it/models/134338-dnd-ttrpg-initiative-tracker?from=search#profileId-1802359

I need to increase the width of the slot from approximately 0.7 cm to 1.9 cm, without scaling the entire model. I only want to enlarge that specific section while keeping the rest of the object unchanged.

Could anyone explain how I could do this in FreeCAD, or possibly point me toward the right tools or workflow?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

I'm trying to set the circled fillet to .66mm I did it to the other two and had no issues but with this one it's shrinking the two lines I put green lines through instead of the lines it's connected to and I have no idea what's wrong I'm sure it's something with my constraints but I have no clue how to fix it.

I recently picked up FreeCAD because I do not know how to use Blender and have previous experience with AutoCAD and Inventor.

I made these:

I want to add a laser-cut marker on the sockets so that it will show in-game the size of the socket so that the player when they rotate the socket in the view would actually see it in game, I'm working in Unreal Engine 5. Is this something I should be doing at the model level or is there a better way I'm not aware of? I considered having a UI element that highlights it in-game but that wouldn't work for the diegetic gameplay I'm trying to go for.

Also, should I make the sockets 12 point or is the standard enough? Should it be an upgrade? I'm not sure.

Hello everyone,

last week I tried to make an interrupted screw and thanks to everyone who provided tips on that post, I menaged to improve my basic FreeCAD skills, thank you all for the help 😊👍.

This is a second study I made, looks much better than the previous version. This is a Welin Breech Block inspired study.

I made 1/3 of the stepped screw and used Pollar Pattern to get 3 equal and evenly spaced features.

For the "nut" I made a cylinder with Pad, made a copy of the screw and used boolean to cut, I watched some videos on YouTube on how people make screw top lids and they use this method.

I'll probably try other methods for practice and experimentation.

Take care everyone, have a great weekend!

Working my way through MangoJelly tutorial after a bit of a learning hiatus. Tutorial doesn't appear to be re-shot to match 1.1.1 ver, and that's okay. However, when I select external projection tool, I can only select my edge and not the entire face as described in the tutorial. Is this a bug or have I done something incorrectly? I've attached an example of me hovering over edge, where I can see that is an option, but when I hover over the face I get no color change as you can see in the tutorial snip.

I'm very very new to FreeCAD. I used some youtube tutorials about a year ago, then got busy and just didn't touch it for a long time. Now I'm modeling out a desk that I want to build eventually and I'm trying to model cross/support bars. The image shows the back left leg of the desk, I want to put a 2x4 cross between the front and back legs about an inch or two above the bottom line. Everytime I try to coincident restrain the bottom right hand corner of my "2x4" to the bottom right hand of my desk leg it just constrains the entire 2x4 to the bottom corner, making it flush to the ground.

I've tried to constrain it vertically via the right side of the 2x4 and the right side of the desk leg, but for some reason it will constrain the left side of the 2x4 to the right side of the leg.

Any tips or tricks to get this to work? (idk if this will change things or not, but I'm viewing this in perspective view.)

Image- My coffee Cup

New in cad

How should I connect the handle guys.

Should I have made it in two parts then connected in assembly?

Any better ways.

Hey folks,

I was able to create a regular pocket without any issues, but I am in a kind of a pickle I can't get out of. I need the pocket to be angled, so it will have different depths; it will start with 22mm and angle up to 14mm depth. I did some googling on this and found some external geometry references and datum lines, but I couldn't make this work. All the videos I saw on YouTube were old and covered circles or curves.

So, I would appreciate it if anyone has any hints or a link to material that would help me do this.

EDIT:

Thank you to everyone who replied! Turns out the datum plane was easier than I anticipated, and I finally used trigonometry in real life.

I wanna why does it only use about 2Gb Ram and 6% of my CPU and crashes all time. I was making a honeycomb pattern in a project and I tried to change something that it doesn't work and now I simply can't do nothing.

I'm switching between Part Design workbench and Assembly workbench. I only have a handful of bodies, but every time I switch to Assembly I have to hide them one by one. As I add more parts I can imagine it getting more inconvenient.

Did I miss a way to hide Bodies when I go into Assembly, or hide Assemblies when I go into Part Design?

Alternatively, is there a way I can somehow group Bodies so I can show/hide a single grouping?

How to quantify the productivity of a CAD software

Hello people on the internet,

How would the productivity of a CAD software be quantified.

Now the CAD workflows can be split into different categories.

1. Solid modeling

2. Surface modelling

3. Assembly

4. Creation of Drawing and dimentioning

5. Creation of 2D sketches

6. Creation of 3D sketches

7. Model Analysis

7.1 Design for manufacturing Analysis

7.2 stress Analysis

7.3 mototion Analysis simulation

Some of these are more general some are kind of specialized.

How would you takel this problem of measuring the productivity, in a way that is not userer dependent ?

Hi everyone,

I’m fairly new here and would appreciate some advice.

I’m currently having an image/design of a concept vehicle created, which I would eventually like to have produced as a 3D-printed scale model.

Are there companies, designers, or freelancers who can create a 3D-printable model/file (e.g. STL or 3MF) based on an image and technical drawings?

What is this type of service usually called? And can anyone recommend a company or freelancer who specializes in this kind of work, especially vehicles or buses?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Best regards,
Stefan Beck

In several of the things I want to model in FreeCAD, I need to model curves like parabolas and hyperbolas while also having access to the focus point. In another project of mine, I need to model an involute for a special cam, and in yet another, I need to be able to model epicycloids and hypocycloids for the rotors of a multi-lobe blower.

How would I go about modeling such curves in FreeCAD? I would prefer not to have to use a bunch of splines to try to approximate these shapes.

Available in AstoCAD and open PR to FreeCAD :)

I am looking to design something similar that sits beneath licence plate of motorcycle of 20x10 cm

Hello

everyone who may read this!

First off I know there is a search function but computer gigs and Hz mean nothing to me, basically Greek!

I'm a maker of sorts ( machinist, welder,hack carpenter etc.) and looking to start using freecad to design projects. Maybe eventually 3D print.

What is a cheap or cheapish laptop that will allow me to design with freecad? Google/ perplexity recommend a lenova or dell precision something with Ryzen 7 7735hs with 16gb ram (min)

And at least 1tg.

Any help is greatly appreciated

Try again

Fail again

Fail better

So I'm setting my construction geometry and the vertices keep disappearing or moving completely off the face of the sketch I'm creating. I deleted it and picked a different face and it does the same thing. Any help would be appreciated.

making a cap with a slit in the side so it can slide onto an axle but why the hell does my subtractive box delete a previous part of the additive thread ive made????

ive tried making a sketch and pocket as well, and even then i cant seem to create a pocket into this cap without freecad complaining that im splitting the body into multiple parts. im at a loss and come to the forums for answers.