V 0.18 and add-ons

[Montoya88]

Hello,
I have downloaded v0.18 today and I've couldnt access BOLTS and Drawing Dimensioning.
Thinking it may have had something to do with with having ver 0.17 so I uninstalled it, also installing\update and uninstalling those multiple times.
still get a red message that disappears about "traceback"

Note for BOLTS I have followed the installation instructions that were on github

OS: Windows 8.1
Word size of OS: 64-bit
Word size of FreeCAD: 64-bit
Version: 0.18.16110 (Git)
Build type: Release
Branch: (HEAD detached at upstream/releases/FreeCAD-0-18)
Hash: f7dccfaa909e5b9da26bf50c4a22ccca9bb10c40
Python version: 3.6.6
Qt version: 5.6.2
Coin version: 4.0.0a
OCC version: 7.3.0
Locale: English/UnitedStates (en_US)

[vocx]

...
still get a red message that disappears about "traceback"

Why don't you post the error? Then it's easier for everybody to see what you are talking about.

BOLTS and Drawing Dimensioning Addon are pretty much obsolete, as nobody has maintained them in a couple of years. They are kept in the Addon Manager for convenience, but they being external workbenches or addons, aren't officially supported by the main FreeCAD team, so if they break, they will remain broken as nobody is actively keeping them up to date. As with any of the external workbenches, you should first contact the author of the addon for support.

Instead of BOLTS you probably can use "Fasterners".

Instead of Drawing Dimensioning, which works with the also deprecated Drawing Workbench, you should use TechDraw Workbench. It is meant to be a complete replacement. There are still some things that aren't implemented compared to Drawing Dimensioning, but new things are added every day.

[NormandC]

Why don't you post the error?

Maybe because Montoya88 doesn't know how? It would have been relevant to explain it in your reply.

The Report view is not visible by default. Montoya88 talks about a red message that disappears, that's in the Status bar at the bottom of the FreeCAD window.

@Montoya88
Go to View --> Panels --> Report view to display the report view at the bottom left of the FreeCAD window, you will see the full error and you'll be able to copy it and paste it here.

That being said, I can confirm that BOLTSFC installed from the addon manager no longer works if FreeCAD is compiled with Python 3. It works with a version of FreeCAD based on Python 2.

[NormandC]

BOLTS and Drawing Dimensioning Addon are pretty much obsolete, as nobody has maintained them in a couple of years.

The Addon manager proposes the BOLTSFC fork by forum member bernd and FEM workbench developer. If he was willing, maybe he could update it to work with Python 3. Or maybe a developer knowledgeable in Python could do a pull request.

https://github.com/berndhahnebach/BOLTSFC/issues/4

[bernd]

FreCAD 0.18.2 or highter is needed to run BOLTS with Python 3 ahh BOLTS is back to live ... https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic. ... 90#p312625

[Montoya88]

Hello, sorry for the late reply. Going off what Vocx said I went ahead with Tech Draw and Fasteners didn't the ability of making hollowed tube sections. So currently sketch and Pad method works for me as well.

NormandC: I see how the report view keeps a log of recent messages, however using Tech Draw i removed bolts from the Mod and Macros directory. So I can no longer try to execute BOLTS to see what that message was.

As Far as Drawing Dimension goes I installed via add-on manager and it works now, Big thanks to the folks involved in that

[chrisb]

Good to hear that it works, but can you elaborate why you need Drawing Dimensioning? I think the way to go in the future is surely the TechDraw way and there is some probability that your task can be reached using it. If not, it would still be interesting what you are missing.

[Montoya88]

Hi Chris, Drawing Dimensioning was suggested to me about one maybe two years ago. I had a thread about weld symbols I believe. Weld symbols and the extra annotation options are the things I like outside of Tech Draw. I'm aware that dimensions can be added via the Draft Workbench and then project them in the drawing workbench but I have yet to successfully done that.

[chrisb]

Drawing Dimensioning was indeed pretty good with all its symbols. You can include arbitrary SVG symbols, but that's not quite as comfortable.