Parts library browser

Info about new community or project announcements, implemented features, classes, modules or APIs. Might get technical!
PLEASE DO NOT POST HELP REQUESTS OR OTHER DISCUSSIONS HERE!
Forum rules
Be nice to others! Respect the FreeCAD code of conduct!
User avatar
yorik
Founder
Posts: 13640
Joined: Tue Feb 17, 2009 9:16 pm
Location: Brussels
Contact:

Parts library browser

Post by yorik »

I added a few objects to the Parts library on http://github.com/yorikvanhavre/FreeCAD-library (shouldn't we clone that repo on the official freecad github account?) that were since a very long time in the mantis tracker, and I also took the opportunity to quickly make a little browser for it:

Image

It's pretty simple really, you must edit the macro to set the path to your library folder (where you doenloaded or cloned the library), then activating it opens a browser window that displays the library contents. Just double-click the item to add it to the current document.

This library seems a bit dumb now, compared to BOLTS, but it might still be useful anyway...

The macro is included in the library repo.
User avatar
NormandC
Veteran
Posts: 18588
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 9:52 pm
Location: Québec, Canada

Re: Parts library browser

Post by NormandC »

yorik wrote:I added a few objects to the Parts library on http://github.com/yorikvanhavre/FreeCAD-library (shouldn't we clone that repo on the official freecad github account?) that were since a very long time in the mantis tracker
Are you talking about the stuff the guy added which had been produced with Autodesk Inventor?

Might there not be a licensing problem?

I agree the repo should be cloned to the official FreeCAD github account.
User avatar
yorik
Founder
Posts: 13640
Joined: Tue Feb 17, 2009 9:16 pm
Location: Brussels
Contact:

Re: Parts library browser

Post by yorik »

At least the freecad files are modeled with freecad. But I didn't look much into the stp files. Are you sure they are modeled with inventor? Anyway, I don't know if that is a problem?
User avatar
NormandC
Veteran
Posts: 18588
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 9:52 pm
Location: Québec, Canada

Re: Parts library browser

Post by NormandC »

You can open a STP file with a text editor. There's a field for the name of the software used to create it.

The problem is that not all of those parts were modeled by the guy, he downloaded quite a few from different places. I'll try to locate the original topic.
User avatar
yorik
Founder
Posts: 13640
Joined: Tue Feb 17, 2009 9:16 pm
Location: Brussels
Contact:

Re: Parts library browser

Post by yorik »

normandc wrote:You can open a STP file with a text editor. There's a field for the name of the software used to create it.
Why didn't I think of it... Indeed you are right, all the step files are made with inventor.

The freecad files seem to be hand-modeled, though, you can see all the modeling history. Maybe we should strip the step files? I don't know if it's really necessary...
User avatar
jriegel
Founder
Posts: 3369
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 5:29 pm
Location: Ulm, Germany
Contact:

Re: Parts library browser

Post by jriegel »

We should keep track on the authors and licenses of parts we use in FreeCAD. If someone contribute library parts from commercial products, step or not, in can become ugly...

As a rule of thumb I would say: All modelled in FreeCAD is pretty save. Contributed STEP parts are a bit dangerous and need a additional eye...
Stop whining - start coding!
User avatar
yorik
Founder
Posts: 13640
Joined: Tue Feb 17, 2009 9:16 pm
Location: Brussels
Contact:

Re: Parts library browser

Post by yorik »

Maybe it's best to remove them then... If the library grows, it will become hard to find them back.
User avatar
r-frank
Veteran
Posts: 2180
Joined: Thu Jan 24, 2013 6:26 pm
Location: Möckmühl, Germany
Contact:

Re: Parts library browser

Post by r-frank »

Hello yorik.

Just stumbled across this post and evaluated your little application and had to state a few things.

1) It is AWESOME and VERY COOL ! I like the idea of easily setting up some user specific Library. Great Work !

2) On Windows you have to install Pyside but hopefully with the next stable release/compilation under Windows
that is included so maybe this point would be obsolete in the future

3) I have to admit that i am a long-time Windows user (from DOS to Win 3.11 up to Win7 nowadays ...)
so i didn't like the Idea of manually editing the macro to adjust the Library-Path.
Would it be possible to
a) include the (obvious) remark to move the macro to the macro-directory of Freecad in the install-Readme ?
Besides: The Readme.md contains some errors (missing spaces) and is pointing AFAIK to the wrong (old)
Forum-Thread for discussion/contributing
b) include in the macro a scan of the Library-Path on startup, and if the scan returns no hits please pop up
an error message saying "No Library Parts found. Please verify/adjust Library-Path by editing the Macro"

4) maybe i am a little greedy ... :mrgreen:
but would it be possible to add a small thumbnail to the files ?
That would make things easier for the Users ...
And it would be the cream topping on the cake :D

Have a nice Time.

Roland
Deutsche FreeCAD Tutorials auf Youtube
My GrabCAD FreeCAD-Projects
FreeCAD lessons for beginners in english

Native german speaker - so apologies for my english, no offense intended :)
jmaustpc
Veteran
Posts: 11207
Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2011 6:28 am
Location: Australia

Re: Parts library browser

Post by jmaustpc »

yorik wrote:Maybe it's best to remove them then... If the library grows, it will become hard to find them back.
Hi Yorik
I think if there is any doubt at all about licences etc. or where these came from ...then you really should remove them.

If they are standard parts, like standard nuts etc. we could just remodel them all ourselves from scratch, so there is totally clear licensing etc.

Perhaps we could post a list somewhere and get some of our users out there to contribute by modelling them and posting back the versions they made themselves?

Jim
User avatar
yorik
Founder
Posts: 13640
Joined: Tue Feb 17, 2009 9:16 pm
Location: Brussels
Contact:

Re: Parts library browser

Post by yorik »

jmaustpc wrote:I think if there is any doubt at all about licences etc. or where these came from ...then you really should remove them.
Yeah... I think I agree with that. I'll remove them, they'll stay in the history in case someone wants to push them back.
r-frank wrote:3) I have to admit that i am a long-time Windows user (from DOS to Win 3.11 up to Win7 nowadays ...)
so i didn't like the Idea of manually editing the macro to adjust the Library-Path.
Would it be possible to
a) include the (obvious) remark to move the macro to the macro-directory of Freecad in the install-Readme ?
Besides: The Readme.md contains some errors (missing spaces) and is pointing AFAIK to the wrong (old)
Forum-Thread for discussion/contributing
b) include in the macro a scan of the Library-Path on startup, and if the scan returns no hits please pop up
an error message saying "No Library Parts found. Please verify/adjust Library-Path by editing the Macro"
Honestly I'm still not too sure about how to do this. The library can be installed anywhere by the user, so we cannot simply "scan" (it could take hours). Of course editing the path manually is a provisory dirty hack, but give me some time to think about the best way to do it. About thumbnails, well it is possible to extract thumbnails from the fcstd files (provided they were saved with thumbnails) but not from step files I'm afraid... Anyway, this might be a good idea indeed.
Post Reply