Draft to sketch

[degarb]

When I draw something in 20 minutes, I can do a draft to sketch. If I spend 20 days on it, draft to sketch doesn't work.

I have tried lines, shapes, holes arcs, wires. I really just need to verify coincidences, making sure all the constraints worked.


I can zoom, but how much is enough ? Plus I have hundreds and hundreds of lines and arcs, and holes.


I also don't understand why my file can't have random lines. I am just wanting a piece of sheet metal cut into slivers that will fall into hundreds of tiny parts, all connected, no borders.

[thomas-neemann]

that doesn't sound like a cad construction to me.

[chrisb]

When I draw something in 20 minutes, I can do a draft to sketch. If I spend 20 days on it, draft to sketch doesn't work.

There must be something between 20 minutes and 20 days where it just doesn't work. Can you provide such a minimal file showing the issue?

[degarb]

I finally got it to draft to sketch after using the modification tool in Draft called Shape to 2D. I am not sure why this helped, but it did.

I then was able to use sketcher to supposedly find and fix 154 coincidences, which I couldn't see zooming in. I have been careful to snap stuff too. But there are lots of lines, arcs, circles.

[degarb]

that doesn't sound like a cad construction to me.

Eventually, I need to extrude a side view of the part, add 4 middle parts, add a complimentary bottom, and 3 D model it. If not, I will try to use and artist. Currently, my 3 part is actually made up of bended sheet metal, attached by some hardware, and welding. I am currently trying to layout optimal shape to support loads and get as much hardware out of a 4x8 foot sheet of aluminum. Not only the field, but learning freecad has allowed me to understand the forces on the part and how to design it better.

At this point, as a newbie, I understand draft pretty well. Most its tools like polar array. How to create a sketch and extrude in the part workbench. I no longer freak out by the constant quirks and bugs in freecad. That is about I know. Personally, I like freecad, just wish for less bugs, and some more intuitive controls for newbies. For example, panning could work the same way as every windows or android panning works. However, I am past those complaints, and more think it advise so as not to scare away a larger user base, larger user knowledge base. I think the docs need to be rewritten from scratch, because they refer to defunct ui, all too often. However, I will be happy to get what I have and if I can build my hamburger of 3d parts, assemble them and rotate the object in 3 D, moving one of the middle parts.