Possibly the most basic help ever required!

[Ordechrau]

Hi,

I've been asked by a joiner friend to see what software might be available for him to use and I haven't got a clue where to start. I have no idea if looking into CAD software is the place I should be starting so I wondered if someone might be able to guide me just a little bit.

My friend's business makes decking for mobile homes. He would like to be able to model the decking around the shape of the mobile home. I imagine this would be relatively simple with FreeCAD? He would also like then to be able to build a parts list or a cutting list that he can use to order and fabricate the decking.

So the question is would FreeCAD be a good candidate for this kind of task, and if not, what software, or class of software, would be?

Any guidance greatly appreciated,

Peter.

[kkremitzki]

FreeCAD would definitely be a good candidate for this sort of task. For example, take a look at the Arch Module documentation on the wiki to get an idea of just how much FreeCAD can do. One of the main developers of FreeCAD, Yorik van Havre, works a lot on the Arch module and is an architect himself.

I recommend downloading FreeCAD, opening it up, and on the start page, look at the bottom for "Load an Architectural example model". That will open up two tabs, the 3D view and the 2D plan of the model. You can mess around with that and come back here once you have more questions. There are also tons of tutorials on the wiki and Youtube. Just be prepared to give a good effort to learning it, and the rewards will be there.

[Ordechrau]

Thank you, I'm happy to put the work in to asses the product but didn't want to spend hours only to find that the tool doesn't do what is needed.

[kkremitzki]

With FreeCAD, in my opinion it's less likely that it doesn't do what is needed and more likely that it can do so much as to be overwhelming. Right now development is really picking up, so beyond willingness to learn in general, it helps to have some programming background or be willing to get better at it.

If you're ready to get started learning, an excellent place to begin is the Learn FreeCAD Youtube playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... 26cn9idJrj