Idea/Feature request on Pad a selected sketch

[Serchu]

Hi, I'm using Freecad to create models for FEA, and normally for appying boundary conditions is needed to divide/split a face. Normally while I model I have checked the preferences to refine the model (to keep surfaces continuos) after boolean operations, but for create this face splits what I do is to uncheck this preferences, and make a pad trough the material (that leads to a splited face). And after I has to check again the preferences to refine the operations and keep my modeling behavieur.

Can be added in the Pad task pannel directly the option to refine or not? Maybe could be turned on by default and then the user would have the possibility to uncheck it directly there to create a split on the face.

Regards, and thanks for this great software.

[DeepSOIC]

Can be added in the Pad task pannel directly the option to refine or not? Maybe could be turned on by default and then the user would have the possibility to uncheck it directly there to create a split on the face.

Good feature request, it can solve some other problems as well.

Generally, I highly recommend you switch off automatic refinement in preferences, and refine the model only when it's necessary, such as a final step (for presentation purposes), or before applying a fillet/chamfer that otherwise doesn't work.

[ickby]

I always hated the global refine option, as this totally breaks file compatibility. So imho it is a good idea to make this a part::feature property and use the global option only as a default value on feature creation. Maybe even change part::feature to apply refine whenever shape is assigned, this would lift the annoying burdon to implement this for every tool?

[Serchu]

I didn't do too much use of FreeCAD by the moment, but what kind of problems can give to have the refine preference turn on? I did it because after doing some pads starting with an in face sketch, then I finish with a splitted face, and normally in others CADs the faces gets combined automaticly.

If this feature is implemented, then for revolution, sweep and loft could have it also, because is the same logic.

[DeepSOIC]

If you attach sketches to faces of solids, or use vertices/edges of solids as external geometry in sketches, as soon as you switch the setting and force recompute your model, the links will break. This is because FreeCAD remembers face/edge/vertex index for these links, and if face/edge/vertex counting changes (as it happens when refinement is added or removed), the links are usually screwed.

If you are careful, in PartDesign Next you can avoid linking to solids, so you can make models that survive this option being toggled. But there is no such workaround for fillets and chamfers.

[Serchu]

I did some models last week and none of the fillets/chamfers survive an update of the model, guess that now I'm start to understand the reason, thanks for the advice and explanation.