Starting parts

About the development of the Part Design module/workbench. PLEASE DO NOT POST HELP REQUESTS HERE!
Forum rules
Be nice to others! Respect the FreeCAD code of conduct!
Post Reply
bajsi
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 6:36 pm

Starting parts

Post by bajsi »

Hi,

I thin it would be good to provide some standard parts (profiles, tubes...) with FreeCAD.
Parts should be fully parametric and so easy to change.

Attached are examples for U and L-profile and rectangular tube.
Attachments
tube-rectangular_v000.fcstd
(11.71 KiB) Downloaded 1137 times
profile-U_v000.fcstd
(8.52 KiB) Downloaded 867 times
profile-L_v000.fcstd
(6.77 KiB) Downloaded 875 times
User avatar
yorik
Founder
Posts: 13640
Joined: Tue Feb 17, 2009 9:16 pm
Location: Brussels
Contact:

Re: Starting parts

Post by yorik »

Hi,
Indeed it would be great to have a library of parts for FreeCAD, you are not the first person to raise the idea... What we would really need, IMHO, is some effort to setup such library outside of FreeCAD itself. There is no point in bundling a library like this inside FreeCAD,it is much better to keep it outside,o on the web (more easily updated) and have FreeCAD plug into it, which would probably be fairly easy. There were already many talks about that on this forum

Why not start with a github repository, or something like that? Anybody interested?
User avatar
rockn
Veteran
Posts: 1791
Joined: Wed Sep 28, 2011 10:39 am
Location: Toulouse, France
Contact:

Re: Starting parts

Post by rockn »

Hi, it is a good idea !
This could then be integrated as the "SketchUp 3DWareHouse" (for example).

@bajsi : do you want to make the github ? If not, I'd like to do ;)

I have some wood materials with french standard dimensions( Timber, decking, flooring, panels, ironsmith).
Formations - Assistance - Développement : https://freecad-france.com
User avatar
shoogen
Veteran
Posts: 2823
Joined: Thu Dec 01, 2011 5:24 pm

Re: Starting parts

Post by shoogen »

User avatar
rockn
Veteran
Posts: 1791
Joined: Wed Sep 28, 2011 10:39 am
Location: Toulouse, France
Contact:

Re: Starting parts

Post by rockn »

Yes, this post is interesting(the last message is a bit old though). But why not start with a github as proposed yorik ?
It's easy to set up (compared to openPLM) for a single user like me. It's also easy to use for users.
Formations - Assistance - Développement : https://freecad-france.com
User avatar
yorik
Founder
Posts: 13640
Joined: Tue Feb 17, 2009 9:16 pm
Location: Brussels
Contact:

Re: Starting parts

Post by yorik »

Yes I also think a good first start would be to build a collection of parts, on some easy-to-use and easy-to-collaborate structure like github. Then, all the rest will become easier, like mount a more advanced system, a sharing platform, etc...
User avatar
NormandC
Veteran
Posts: 18587
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 9:52 pm
Location: Québec, Canada

Re: Starting parts

Post by NormandC »

rockn wrote:It's easy to set up (compared to openPLM) for a single user like me. It's also easy to use for users.
I do agree that OpenPLM is hard to grasp. I did the demo and was baffled by all of it.

But Github is Git, and I'm sorry but Git is not so easy to use! Can you add files from the Web UI on GitHub? As far as I know you can only create a new text file.

I guess it would be the most convenient way for now.
rockn wrote:@bajsi : do you want to make the github ? If not, I'd like to do ;)
If bajsi doesn't manifest in the next day or so I say do it! :)

We need to set up a structure though. Also, since FreeCAD is open source and in the spirit of openness, this repo should also have STEP files so people who do not work on FreeCAD can use these files too. Or .BREP? It is the native file format for Open Cascade and all apps based on it can open .brep files (Heekscad, Salome Meca...)

I suggest this repo could have category folders (hardware, profiles...), then each folder would have a FCStd folder and a STEP folder.
bajsi
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 6:36 pm

Re: Starting parts

Post by bajsi »

Hi,

I have been looking a bit into openPLM and that might be a good idea to use in the future.
Never thought of Github - honestly I don't really know how to use it (I am a mechanical engineer by profession - but I also do some python programming for FEM codes).

If someone is willing to set up such a system, then I can manage/correct/improve the starting parts.
User avatar
yorik
Founder
Posts: 13640
Joined: Tue Feb 17, 2009 9:16 pm
Location: Brussels
Contact:

Re: Starting parts

Post by yorik »

Maybe there are solutions where it's easier to upload than github (a shared dropbox? google drive?) I don't really know, but github has the advantage of being easily readable, browsable and mirrorable by other people... Anyone has another idea?

If we go for github, I can setup a repository on my account or on the official freecad one, then who is interested in working on it just creates a github account and asks me, and I'll give you write access on the repo, a bit like we did with the freecad homepage.
User avatar
rockn
Veteran
Posts: 1791
Joined: Wed Sep 28, 2011 10:39 am
Location: Toulouse, France
Contact:

Re: Starting parts

Post by rockn »

But Github is Git, and I'm sorry but Git is not so easy to use! Can you add files from the Web UI on GitHub? As far as I know you can only create a new text file.
Yes you're right, for those who want to share its parts is relatively difficult. But at the beginning the users can download easily a part and we can share parts on this forum.
An example with folders : https://github.com/wood-galaxy/FC-Library
(in ironsmith folders, there is three folders brep, step, fcstd)
Yorik, this is my github account.
Formations - Assistance - Développement : https://freecad-france.com
Post Reply