Error: “Selection is not an Active Body. Select an edge, ...” trying to fillet 2 edges w/ Part-Design WB after sinning

[wisecad]

Dear FreeCAD team/community,

Hope everybody is doing well. Another chance for me to keep learning FreeCAD.

● Introduction (you can skip this detail and go directly to the problem section):
I was designing what I thought would be a simple model, when the need for a tapered variable-radius fillet arouse to make me pull my hair again. Started modeling with the Part-Design workbench. My go-to workbench so far. Got to the point when I had the basic geometry done and started adding a few fillets. Two of them would need to be variable-radius fillets, and since the Part-Design workbench does not seem to offer that option, I switched to the Part workbench and did them there. Everything seemed to be going well, until I came back to the Part-Design workbench to add a few more regular (constant radius) fillets. So, I selected the edges for the next fillet (highlighted pink in the uploaded image below), clicked on the fillet-icon, and then …

Software-Freecad-Issues-15-PartWorkbenchVariableRadiusFilletAppliedToPartDesignOjbect.jpg (304.3 KiB) Viewed 2137 times

● Problem:
… the horror!!!!!! My heart sank. I got an error. “Selection is not an Active Body. Select an edge, face, or body from an active body” However, I am selecting two edges from the active body. Clearly, the tapered variable-radius fillet that I added using the Part workbench is messing things up. If I undo the tapered variable-radius fillet that I added using the Part workbench, then I have no problem adding the next regular (constant radius) fillets I was planning to add on the highlighted selection.

I had been warned before not to mix procedures done with the Part-Design and the Part workbenches in the same model. However, I decided not to heed such wise advice and do it any way. The temptation was so great. Oh foolish me. Please, FreeCAD spirit, forgive my sins and have pity on my lost soul. Help me see the wise way to do what I want, so I can be back again to the fold with the straight-and-narrow brethren.

I have uploaded the model as well, in case a pious brother would like to inspect the details of my sinful ways.

Model-ShowerCaddyFeet-01d2.FCStd

(63.89 KiB) Downloaded 41 times

● QUESTION:
Is there a way to add a tapered variable-radius fillet the way it looks on the uploaded image above without causing conflicts with procedures done using the Part-Design workbench?


Thanks in advance for your time and for your answers.

Cheers

Raoul

[drmacro]

I think if you collapse the Body in the tree you'll see Fillet is NOT in the Body...

But I'm on a tablet so might not be seeing g it well.

[Bance]

There are rules for mixing Part and PartDesign WBs, but if you ignore the advice given is it really worth the effort to offer more?

If you switch to Part from PD you must make the part op on the body (not the feature.) Then the new Part (named fillet here) can be placed in a new body to form a base feature, You may continue to work in PD WB as normal after this.

[Bance]

Example.

[wisecad]

I think if you collapse the Body in the tree you'll see Fillet is NOT in the Body...

But the edges I am selecting (highlighted in pink) for the next fillet are supposed to be in the Body. I created them with the Part-Design workbench even before I did the variable-radius fillet using the Part workbench. What gives?

[wisecad]

There are rules for mixing Part and PartDesign WBs, but if you ignore the advice given is it really worth the effort to offer more?

If you switch to Part from PD you must make the part op on the body (not the feature.) Then the new Part (named fillet here) can be placed in a new body to form a base feature, You may continue to work in PD WB as normal after this.

Is there a reference (e.g.: video, webpage) where the rules for mixing Part and PartDesign WBs are explained in detail?

[wisecad]

Example.

Vance,
Thank you so much for the example. I will have to explore it a bit more to understand the implications of your approach for my own learning but it certainly works. As you can probably tell I am still new.

[drmacro]

I think if you collapse the Body in the tree you'll see Fillet is NOT in the Body...

But the edges I am selecting (highlighted in pink) for the next fillet are supposed to be in the Body. I created them with the Part-Design workbench even before I did the variable-radius fillet using the Part workbench. What gives?

No they are not. What you see at that point is a new solid created by your Part Fillet operation.

You are selecting edges of the new solid, not the body.

[chrisb]

The Part Fillet is a new object. You can select it and create a new body where this is used as a BaseFeature. You can then continue to use PartDesign tools.

[Shalmeneser]