How to add auxiliary circles?

[andriin]

Hi

I was using techdraw in v0.18 for a larger project in the beginning of the year. It is really cool that this is now possible with FreeCAD!

One feature that I was missing, though, was the possibility to add auxiliary circles, so I needed to do that afterwards with Inkscape. An example is shown in the screenshot below, where I added two gray circles that have a radius of 11.4 and 29 mm.

Screenshot_2020-09-12_11-00-13.png (65.86 KiB) Viewed 1770 times

It would be really cool if one could add such circles already in the techdraw module and then also add dimensions as for any circle object. Or have I maybe overlooked something here and it could somehow be done? (I tried and failed with a workaround by adding circles in the 3D model)

[domad]

Hi

I was using techdraw in v0.18 for a larger project in the beginning of the year. It is really cool that this is now possible with FreeCAD!

One feature that I was missing, though, was the possibility to add auxiliary circles, so I needed to do that afterwards with Inkscape. An example is shown in the screenshot below, where I added two gray circles that have a radius of 11.4 and 29 mm.

It would be really cool if one could add such circles already in the techdraw module and then also add dimensions as for any circle object. Or have I maybe overlooked something here and it could somehow be done? (I tried and failed with a workaround by adding circles in the 3D model)

Hi andriin, welcome to FreeCad

Unfortunately, now, what you ask for cannot be done.
You can only insert views (single object) of non-editable Draft objects in TechDraw (FC v.0.19)
I asked the developers to extend the Draft and Snaps tools in TechDraw.
In this regard read what I wrote this post and possibly support it: https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=50020
Also here https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=49976
and here https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=45953

[Stq_Niko]

Hello Andriin,

If you can use FreeCAD 0.19 you can use cosmetic elements to add circles
A few months ago I did macros to add lines an circles (in order to learn python)
This is the link :

https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic. ... 20#p416195

If can help you ...

[domad]

Hello Andriin,

If you can use FreeCAD 0.19 you can use cosmetic elements to add circles
A few months ago I did macros to add lines an circles (in order to learn python)
This is the link :

https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic. ... 20#p416195

If can help you ...

Hi Stq_Niko
It is commendable what you have done a good thing and I give you many compliments you have been really good!
But the problem must be solved at the root it makes no sense to invent the same things that are already available in FC I refer to the Draft tools and the snaps bar. They have to be integrated into TechDraw to make technical drawing fast and precise and very flexible.
These discussions may be useful to you, please read them:
https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic. ... 9&start=30
https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=50020
https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=49976
https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=45953
and then give your evaluation
Hello and good evening

[jmaustpc]

Hi

I was using techdraw in v0.18 for a larger project in the beginning of the year. It is really cool that this is now possible with FreeCAD!

Hi and welcome to FreeCAD.

Please in future post your version data in the manner explained in the Forum Rules link above the Help forum.

If you want to use a workbench like TechDraw that is under current development, you quite quickly get to a point where you need to be using the development branch releases. TechDraw is more bug free and feature rich in FreeCAD 0.19, as a previous post said what you ask for already exist in 0.19.

Also pretty much ignore domad's posts, which are factually wrong in some ways and at best off topic.

[domad]

.....
Also pretty much ignore domad's posts, which are factually wrong in some ways and at best off topic.

Hi jmaustpc pleasure of knowledge.

Welcome to the world of industrial technical drawing.

I don't know you, I have nothing against you, I don't know how and why you use FC (I don't want to know), I don't want to argue, I don't want to offend, I just want to bring you to reason.

I understand that you are very conservative, this certainly does not help to develop TechDraw's functional production efficiency.

If you were to produce technical drawings in a large company that pays your time for it, then you would find that TechDraw needs to be much much improved in terms of quality and speed.

In a serious constructive (not polemical) technical discussion you should explain the reasons for what you say with valid theses, I tried to explain them in the posts suggested to "Stq_Niko" and that I invite you to read carefully.

If you say it is off topic then I have doubts that you are a technical designer.

The 3D modeler may not be a technical designer!

To become a technical designer you need academic qualifications and years of apprenticeship because you learn to "write" in the technical sense using precise and rigid rules on technical drawing.

If you say that it is very complex to do that (I could agree with you because I am not a programmer), if you are a programmer, you show that you do not have a winning spirit full of resourcefulness and inventiveness.

[chrisb]

It would be really cool if one could add such circles already in the techdraw module and then also add dimensions as for any circle object.

I was successful with Stq_Niko macros. I had to fiddle a bit with the preferences, they have to be set correctly before creating such a circle. My settings include "ShowCentermarks" and a grey color for centermarks. It was easy then to select the center of the big circle and one of the small and the cosmetic circle was created.

[chrisb]

In a serious constructive (not polemical) technical discussion you should explain the reasons for what you say with valid theses, I tried to explain them in the posts suggested to "Stq_Niko" and that I invite you to read carefully.

domad, the validation of jmaustpc's statement can be seen in my previous post. It prooves that you were wrong with your statement that this is not possible. And it prooves one thing more: You didn't really try Stq_Niko's macros, you were just hoping he would support your requests. I see that for whatever reason you really want to have these extensions and that is ok. You have opened a topic on it and it can be discussed there. But please stop spilling your request to numerous other posts.
You do yourself no favors if you want to teach others from above. You covered quite some arrogance in smooth words, yet I found your post rather repelling than motivating to enter some further discussion. Nevertheless you made me chuckle, when you welcomed jmaustpc here.
It doesn't matter here what a person has studied or what his or her profession is. It counts what - and yes, how - they contribute here. We have great workbenches here which have been developed by people who have not studied computer science and we have helpers here who don't have a degree in teaching.
So why not just accept it and move forward like others who have learned how to program too. Stq_Niko seems to have started learning Python when he needed some extensions for TechDraw, so why don't you do the same? Draft is written in Python too, so just have a look and marry these two if you feel it will be a good thing. Don't wait for someone else doing it in his spare time, invest yours.

[domad]

...... But please stop spilling your request numerous other posts.

I ask the administrators to remove this vulgar, illiberal and stupid provocation because it is contrary to the principles of free opinion.

Dear crisbh I haven't heard from you for a long time!
Greetings to you and to the whole community!

Your statement deserves no comment, but since I always respect others (I would also like it from others towards me), I answer to you briefly:

I have already told you repeatedly that I am not a programmer and I do not want to be (!) since I acknowledge, with great humility, that it is not my field, I have chosen to do something else!

Instead you who say "But please stop pouring your request on numerous other posts" and who define the technical drawing as something out of date, maybe you are not a bit presumptuous?

Maybe it annoys you that someone lays bare the limited power and flexibility that TechDraw has now and suggests solutions with respect for the rules, good manners and possibilities it has!

Know that I will not lose the opportunity, every day, to carry on my ideas, always respecting the good manners and the cordial dialectic, for a simple reason: I want the good and the best of FreeCad!

A simple example (to make you understand):
"The pilots, even if they are not technical-designers, sensitize the development with their" insistent and stubborn indications (!) "Is what I am trying to make you understand!"

Here I consider myself one of the many "pilot" of FreeCad, not a programmer (!)

Have you seen and read what I put in the post https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=45953, do you think I would have done it if I didn't want the good and the best of FreeCad?
It would have been easier for me to criticize and cite other software, or ask very technical questions to which you certainly would not have found answers.

You call me arrogant (?) When I write:

“Hi Stq_Niko
It is commendable what you have done a good thing and I give you many compliments you have been really good!
But the problem must be solved at the root it makes no sense to invent the same things that are already available in FC….. ”
or
“If you were to produce technical drawings in a large company that pays your time for it, then you would find that TechDraw needs to be much much improved in terms of quality and speed”
or
“The 3D modeler may not be a technical designer!”
or
“To become a technical designer you need academic qualifications and years of apprenticeship because you learn to "write" in the technical sense using precise and rigid rules on technical drawing.”

Isn't what I said the truth?

Time will give you the right answer.

[mendy]

Many thanks to Stq_Niko for his macro and chrisb for his hints on centermark and in other post with user1234 on exploring the properties tab. Starting to do that now. One issue I had was with radius till I figured out macro was working in FreeCad mm and I'm using Imperial decimal. No problem just have to enter radius in mm and when I select Diameter it shows correctly in inches. In image entered 9.525 for radius. More information to enter in my FreeCad calc sheet.Thanks again.