Source shape is empty

[JohnShep]

I am one week in to using Freecad and I have ground to a halt. I am using the latest app image from the download page Version .019 revision 24366.
So far I have managed to create a fully contrained sketch of my part, file attached. But when I try to use Techdraw to insert a view I get the error message below ..

02:05:04 SE::getSourceShapes - source shape is empty!
02:05:04 Error: DVP::execute - Source shape is Null. - View

Any help much appreciated, sorry if it is something blindly obvious but I am out of my depth and the google oracle is not helping me.

[chrisb]

You have to select the Sketch before inserting the view. You had selected the Template.

[chrisb]

Like to hear some remarks on your sketch?
- In general it is well done!
- You should prefer geometric constraints over dimensions
- especially 0mm constraints should be replaced, in your case by horizontal and vertical constraints.
- You should (at least consider to) place the sketch symmetric to the origin and move the whole sketch or position it later using an appropriate attachment.

[Shalmeneser]

I've refactored your sketch.

[chrisb]

29/12 26/11

I've refactored your sketch.

And I refactored yours to avoid the partial redundancy. The number of constraints dropped from 29 to 26.

[drmacro]

And then taking advantage of symmetry...

Snip macro screenshot-d808df.png (65.08 KiB) Viewed 2689 times

[Shalmeneser]

True !
* Blue line was for pedagogic purpose.
* I wonder if it's easier/faster to draw half or all.

[drmacro]

...
* I wonder if it's easier/faster to draw half or all.

Hmm...almost always easier to draw half. Almost always simpler to constrain. Almost always easier on the eyes. Almost always easier to change.

Of course, there are always exceptions...

[chrisb]

In this case drawing half avoids the tricky stuff with symmetry and arcs.

[Shalmeneser]

I'm sometime reluctant to use mirror. Don't know why.