My dreams for FreeCAD -- the big picture

Have some feature requests, feedback, cool stuff to share, or want to know where FreeCAD is going? This is the place.
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julianfoad
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My dreams for FreeCAD -- the big picture

Post by julianfoad »

I have been thinking about the "big picture" of how I would like FreeCAD to work in the future: what would be needed to make FreeCAD my ideal CAD system for my hobbyist CAD purposes. I have recently started writing some of the ideas down. I am deliberately concentrating on the long term future -- "What would I really like, in the end?" -- you can call it blue-sky thinking, or dreaming, if you like. I *might* work on developing some of these one day, but no promises.

So far, I have these. I will be updating them and adding some more whenever I have time.

FreeCAD needs…
FreeCAD: Structured CAD
Constraints UI (FreeCAD)
Snapping is Constraint (FreeCAD)
FreeCAD: Undo
FreeCAD Usability Improvements

I would love to hear what you think of these, and how they fit with your own visions of what you want FreeCAD to become. I hope I will discover you have already thought about many of these ideas in more depth than I have.

Where I criticize existing features, I don't mean any offence: I appreciate the fantastic work that everyone has already put in to making FreeCAD as great as it already is, and I only wish to inspire more greatness.

- Julian

p.s. I suggest responding here in FreeCAD's forums rather than on the blog's commenting system, except perhaps for trivial notes.
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DeepSOIC
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Re: My dreams for FreeCAD -- the big picture

Post by DeepSOIC »

Hi!
I was very pleased to see good words about Lattice. Thanks ;)

There is too much to comment on. Some ideas seem too blurry. Some sound like very easy. Some seem like they are just how things work now.

One in particular. You talked about compound objects, and about my proposal of general-purpose body container. I think that general-purpose body isn't directly it (though related). The thing is, we already have support for compound objects: it's Part container. I hope we'll be able to scatter instances of Parts all over the place, maybe even make local libraries. It's just at the very birth now...
julianfoad
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Re: My dreams for FreeCAD -- the big picture

Post by julianfoad »

Yes, I know, some blurry ideas :-) Thank you for the note about compound objects. I hope to write more clearly, give examples, and think more deeply about the details. And I do not mean everything I mentioned is currently missing from FreeCAD.
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NormandC
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Re: My dreams for FreeCAD -- the big picture

Post by NormandC »

julianfoad wrote:There is a project called FreeCAD-library. It just provides some shapes that may be copied; they are not parametric, and there are no associated software enhancements to help with using them.
Reading blatant falsities like the one above strips me of interest in reading any further of your ramblings.
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microelly2
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Re: My dreams for FreeCAD -- the big picture

Post by microelly2 »

It's a lot to read, so some comments for today
From your blog (http://blog.foad.me.uk/2016/07/13/freecad-needs/)
A discussion of the following topics would greatly help.

compare with other modelling systems, especially Blender and AutoCAD
what can a FC file contain? a single 3D scene? with a single view (camera position and type)? with lighting, background, and other scene rendering metadata? plus zero or more 2D drawings?
The data model of the files is open, you can put any kind of data into when you define your own data structures. I use it for example to calculate animation data and store them into the file to get fast animation. It's something like the bake function in blender.
You can add multible 2D drawings into one file
a scene is composed of what classes of object — CSG objects and mesh objects? can plug-in modules define new types of object?
yes, you can combine different sources of data and create your own types. In my reconstruction workbench I work with images and parametric operations on them. Sometime support for (scanned) 3D point data will follow.
what kinds of object can be combined with or converted to other kinds? what groups of operation can be used on what kinds of object? is there a group of operations that work on every kind of object?
to what extent are surface or solid properties supported (colour, texture, stiffness, …)? can arbitrary additional properties be attached to the model even though FreeCAD does not know how to interpret them unless a plug-in extension is loaded?
See the possibilities of Open Inventor.
is there any kind of animation support or are we always building a static model?
See the Animation workbench and the Exploded Animation Workbench and some functionality in the Assembly2 Workbench
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Re: My dreams for FreeCAD -- the big picture

Post by julianfoad »

NormandC wrote:
julianfoad wrote:There is a project called FreeCAD-library. It just provides some shapes that may be copied; they are not parametric, and there are no associated software enhancements to help with using them.
Reading blatant falsities like the one above strips me of interest in reading any further of your ramblings.
I am sorry what I said offended you. I don't know the FreeCAD world very intimately, and may well make many mistakes. I welcome corrections and assistance.

In this case probably we have different interpretations of "parametric". I was referring to the fact that for instance the Fasteners:Nuts:Metric section of the library contains the following objects:
  • ISO4032 hex nut M3
  • ISO4032 hex nut M4
  • ISO4032 hex nut M5
  • ISO4032 hex nut M6
  • ISO4032 hex nut M8
  • ISO4032 hex nut M10
rather than just one object "ISO4032 hex nut" with one parameter which is the nominal diameter.
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Re: My dreams for FreeCAD -- the big picture

Post by julianfoad »

julianfoad wrote:I was referring to the fact that for instance the Fasteners:Nuts:Metric section of the library...
Ugh, that's a bad example because the ISO4032 dimensions are AFAIK (I haven't checked) only defined for certain discrete values of diameter. Did I miss some objects in the library that are para... um... what I meant in the first place? I browsed through the library and didn't spot any, and combined this with an (possibly incorrect?) understanding that there is no way yet to define such an object, to come to the conclusion that there aren't any... but would be happy to learn I was wrong.
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Re: My dreams for FreeCAD -- the big picture

Post by ulrich1a »

julianfoad wrote:Ugh, that's a bad example because the ISO4032 dimensions are AFAIK (I haven't checked) only defined for certain discrete values of diameter.
Have a look at http://www.freecadweb.org/wiki/index.ph ... w_maker1_2
There you can get screws and nuts on demand.

FreeCAD is kind of an ecosystem. A lot of usability is available by additional macros and workbenches which have to be installed additionally.
See a list of macros here: http://www.freecadweb.org/wiki/index.ph ... os_recipes


Ulrich
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NormandC
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Re: My dreams for FreeCAD -- the big picture

Post by NormandC »

julianfoad wrote:I am sorry what I said offended you.
You didn't offend me, you annoyed me.
julianfoad wrote:Did I miss some objects in the library that are para... um...
Maybe? Like, the fact that all objects in that library are parametric?
julianfoad wrote:I browsed through the library and didn't spot any, and combined this with an (possibly incorrect?) understanding that there is no way yet to define such an object, to come to the conclusion that there aren't any... but would be happy to learn I was wrong.
What exactly is your definition of "parametric", that's the real question. It seems to be very, very pointed, not in line with the general consensus on what parametric means (at least in the CAD community), and specific to your own views.
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microelly2
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Re: My dreams for FreeCAD -- the big picture

Post by microelly2 »

NormandC wrote:What exactly is your definition of "parametric", that's the real question. It seems to be very, very pointed, not in line with the general consensus on what parametric means (at least in the CAD community), and specific to your own views.
I agree.
it depends on our experience. Some values never change but others must.
the eierlegende wollmilchsau (panacea) is not the goal of FreeCAD.
FreeCAD should help to design models in a way that they are modifiable in the ways the constructor expects.

And this is possible. Properties, Expressions and scripted dependencies are possible.
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