Specifically "Exploded Assembly" but more generally "FC-Active..?"

[Tilli]

Hi Again

After finding "Exploded Assembly" my interest was piqued. But it's well over a year since its forum thread was last active.

Too often I've read through long exchanges in FLOSS forums which seemed full of enthusiasm and innovation but which had ended without any apparent tangible outcome, usually months or years earlier. It's especially sad when it's been a conspicuous rejection by a project's in-group for what are sometimes somewhat arbitrary reasons. Using forum-tools searching for authors' last posts as per

Code: Select all

https://forum.freecadweb.org/search.php?author_id=${USER_NUMERICAL_ID}&sr=posts

usually supports the conclusion that the offered or attempted participation was a "flash in the pan." In fairness, at least some developers do helpfully and explicitly indicate their changing circumstances and announce their retreat or withdrawal from a project. I've also looked at the Development Roadmap which was "last modified on 9 March 2017, at 20:44" and at the even older Organization Chart.

Specifically in the case of "Exploded Assembly" its GitHub text indicated we would see the workbench in the list of installable add-ons using "Tools" menu >> "Addon Manager" but I don't see it listed. Instead, I only see "exploded_animation" which turned out to be not the same.

Is it merely some current-state technical-glitch temporarily preventing "Exploded Assembly" being offered?

Or is there some deeper reason (code-based or project-policies) for its non-inclusion in the list of available addons, such that it will never likely return?

Generalising, and hopefully avoiding each new individual coming to the project having to trawl myriad forum-posts and GitHub-issues for themselves, is there any other more-maintained and more-current summary documentation on what (and who) is actually "active" in the FreeCAD ecosystem, and what is definitively obsoleted/rejected, and thirdly what's deemed merely abandoned? ... maybe a semi-automated wiki-page with a compatibility matrix of dated and versioned components, plus indicators of the level of developer participation and activity.

Answers sought and comments welcome.

Thanks


OS: Linux Mint 18.1 Serena
Word size of OS: 64-bit
Word size of FreeCAD: 64-bit
Version: 0.17.13165 (Git)
Build type: None
Branch: master
Hash: acded1c954b54e5497a661b4b0c7524d345ce2fc
Python version: 2.7.12
Qt version: 4.8.7
Coin version: 4.0.0a
OCC version: 7.1.0
Locale: English/UnitedKingdom (en_GB)

[microelly2]

Thats the real life in an open project.
People come and go.
You can reuse all source because it is open.
You can contribute and improve it if it is not supported furthermore.

The Exploded Animation WB is in the git and you can install it the common way.
clone the git directory into your Mod folder, restart FreeCAD and it should work.

[Tilli]

Thats the real life in an open project.
People come and go.
You can reuse all source because it is open.
You can contribute and improve it if it is not supported furthermore.

The Exploded Animation WB is in the git and you can install it the common way.
clone the git directory into your Mod folder, restart FreeCAD and it should work.

Yep, too true, too true. It's a shame we can't increase the "come" and reduce the "go."

Sadly I'm way below the prerequisite threshold for any meaningful Code-modification.

And I didn't want to risk the Git route without at least seeking some degree of clarification/confirmation.

Thx

[Joel_graff]

Sadly I'm way below the prerequisite threshold for any meaningful Code-modification.

And I didn't want to risk the Git route without at least seeking some degree of clarification/confirmation.

It's perfectly understandable if you haven't the time or background to write code - but if you ever think you might be interested in contributing, don't count yourself out.

In any case, getting the code from git and installing it locally is a bit of a hassle the first time, but it's pretty easy afterwards. I'm sure most anyone here, myself included, won't mind helping out if you have questions.

[microelly2]

@JMG ist still here in the forum, so feel free to ask him.

[Tilli]

... if you ever think you might be interested in contributing, don't count yourself out ...
... sure most anyone here, myself included, won't mind helping out if you have questions.

That's very kind, thank you.

I definitely want to help, although it won't be much beyond basic Feedback/Bug-Reporting and occasional (hopefully intelligent) Questions from which others might glean something. I'm plagued by dissonance and often spot inconsistencies. And whilst not a cliché Grammar-Fascist I do frequently notice typos and spelling and such, so maybe an eventual Wiki role might be the best I could offer round here.

First things first, though; I've actually gotta get up to speed with FreeCAD itself.

[JMG]

Hi everyone!

I don't really know why the workbench is not in the add-ons manager (which, by the way, I've never used), but there was a issue about this some time ago and is still open, if someones points out ill correct it.

The ea workbench is in active development, but slowly (check testing branch). The final idea is to simulate industrial production processes inside FreeCAD.

As microelly2 points out, we are real people behind this projects and I currently have other projects ongoing (those that pay the bills )


Regards,
Javier.