How do you remove clone dependencies?

[degarb]

Draft mode. star date, 456 days post covid:

I had to use clone. Now, I cant erase my dwarf original from the drawing.

I found nothing on google, which googles docs. So, I exported to dxf, and imported, which ruined my ability to change any item as they are now shapes, not lines and arcs.

1. I guess I need help getting rid of the dependencies.
2. I don't know how to copy a stack of lines without cloning short of opening another document and pasting and moving all the items, then copy and pasting back to the original.

[chrisb]

If you don't want the dependencies which make a clone a clone, don't use a clone. Use Part->Create simple copy instead.

[Bance]

Seem to be getting lots of questions about unnecessary features here.

And still nobody really knows much about the mystery pizza!

[degarb]

I have been working with draft bench until I finish the top view geometry that is optimized for the stresses and material.

I am getting this error in draft workbench, "12:46:44 Unable to scale objects: Arc, Circle016, Circle017, Circle020, Line, Line005, Line006, Circle019, Circle018, Line003, Circle007, Line012, Line014, Point, Line015, Line020, Line021, Line022, Line023, Line024, Line027, Line028, Line031, Line032, Line033, Line035, Line036, Line037, Line040, Line041, Line042, Line043, Point008, Circle024, Point013, Point014, Array, Array001, Circle025 - This object type cannot be scaled directly. Please use the clone method."


I am not done with the part in 2d. When I switch to part or part design, I am totally lost. Yes, I will eventually want to learn how to give my 2d view lines depth, duplicate the part and use the two pieces to sandwich other items, then rotate and grab 3d views. But, that is in the future.

I cant even find the clone when I go to part design. I don't currently understand the purpose of body.

[drmacro]

I have been working with draft bench until I finish the top view geometry that is optimized for the stresses and material.
...

Are you sending this to some other package for this analysis?

I am not done with the part in 2d. When I switch to part or part design, I am totally lost. Yes, I will eventually want to learn how to give my 2d view lines depth, duplicate the part and use the two pieces to sandwich other items, then rotate and grab 3d views. But, that is in the future.

This is where you will find out you have ignored the workflow recommended by thoroughly experienced users. Users who have guided many, many new comers. And you will find that you will, at best, be further confused because there is no "make it 3D now" button. And to discover much of the geometry you've created will need to be changed in some way to be useful. A process that you could avoid completely...by learning the work flow of FreeCAD.

I cant even find the clone when I go to part design. I don't currently understand the purpose of body.

Umm...because there IS no clone in Part workbench and there is a clone icon, typically, near the middle of the toolbar in Part Design workbench.

The purpose of a Body is very simple. It is a container for a single, solitary, contiguous solid. Imagine a lump of clay (created by a Pad operation or other operation that creates a solid; revolve, etc). (Even better imagine you went to the stock room and got a block of steel.) It is the material that you can carve, drill, groove (Pocket) away from and weld onto (Pad operation). These operations are cumulative and the resulting solid is contained and represented to the rest of FreeCAD as the Body. For another solid, you need another Body.

This is in contrast to the Part workbench where everything you create is a single solitary solid. Every cylinder, cube, or extruded sketch and single solitary solid. Each having no relation to each other...until the operator performs a Boolean operation, or compound operation between 2 or more of them.

Also, note, that Draft workbench is a notably different user experience. To some degree it is a different paradigm even to FreeCAD's different paradigm.

I'm not writing this to be critical, I just want to give you a heads up that you are creating frustration for yourself, with even more to come.

( I will point to the 3 pdf series I wrote (linked in my signature below), many have found it useful getting started in FreeCAD.)


PS: BTW, if you look at the Properties of the Clone you have, you will see a property called Objects. If you click in that field, you will see an ellipsis on the right of the field. Click the ellipsis and in the resulting dialog, click Clear and OK, Your clone is now un-linked from it's progenitor.

[degarb]

To be specific, I am trying to get a piece of sheet metal laser burned. This is only 2d, and the machine shop only needs a dxf file.....

The sheet metal will be bent and welded, duplicated and joined by other items that are off the shelf.

This object then needs to be 3D rendered in a drawing for the patent office, who will not accept photographs and will reject a patent if you send them photos. ..... My artist and original old fashioned draftsman is having difficulty drawing a 3d drawing that is intelligible..... I have tried to use programs to convert a photo of my model to a sketch, but it looks like a photo still. The patent office is run by attorneys (see aia/14 instructions for proof), more so than people interested in solutions to real world problems. I am sorry, but a color photo is so much easier to understand than a drawing. A video is even more understandable.

So, to recap, I am filing for a patent, I am currently needing to stick to the Freecad top mode and ultimately dfx mode. I will need to stay in draft mode until the lasered part is tested in the field. I have 1 year to file the non provisional.

As I see it, currently, I am confined to draft mode. Learning all the quirks of freecad , in draft mode alone, has taken days. Often, I must kill freecad for a few minutes just to be able to edit again. These quirks take hours to pin down and find the workaround. But to be honest, if I had months, I would do nothing but learn freecad.

After this project, which I intend to learn on, I have 14 other projects and other ideas I want to patent and draw up. It has been the draftsmen and patent attorney costs that have kept me from doing them in the past. However, I think the information age has brought in an era where pro se is possible. Just a learning curve which stands in the way.

I am open to the advice, after you read the above. I am on severe time constraints, as well. And I cannot put the drafting in the hands of another for the above reason.

[drmacro]

Well, I understand the bit about patents I used to run a invention prototype business.

I will say what others have noted.

You have chosen, during a time crunch, to attempt to learn a very complicated tool and you've chosen to use the one part of it that most use only for certain operations, because it is no longer used for general drawing tasks.

Your questions appear to be purposefully design to keep those who would help from gleaning what your intent is. I've seen it mentioned you may be better, since time crunch, learning curve, etc. to offer to hire someone who is competent and learn later at a more leisurely pace. It's simple enough with a nondisclosure agreement.

Your scaling, cloning, and dxf are difficult to trouble shoot, since you can't allow anyone to see your secrets. So, we can't duplicate or troubleshoot and we are left at guessing.

[chrisb]

Who says you have to stick to draft? Did you consider the k-factor needed for bending when lasering your part? Since you sort of refuse to go any of the suggested ways, and since you are no experienced modeler, you should be prepared to solve quite some problems yourself. As an alternative you could hire somebody with whom you can share your ideas.

[Bance]

Goddam free energy machine, I knew it

[Paula]

I think you'd make life much easier for yourself by learning the basics of the Part Design Workbench and Sketcher. Then use the Addon Manager to install the Sheet Metal Workbench, which may do what you want

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xidvQYkC4so