Suggestions

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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efyx
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Suggestions

Post by efyx »

First: Hello, and sorry for eventually english troubles ;).

FC0.14 looks really nice, I appreciate work you do guys! I am working with solidworks, and I see that FC needs more work to get to the level of others CAD systems.
I'll list most annoying things I spotted so far (I didn't play with FC too long)
Issues:
1) There are too many shortcuts (example for "l" line etc...) in SW you press one letter "s" for fast menu which appears where cursor is with the most usefull tools (list) please see link: http://blogs.solidworks.com/solidworksb ... b7970c.gif This is just perfect, and seems it isn't hard to perform (skript or smthg), but it save a lot of time, make program more friendly, and saves kilometers on riding the mouse ;)
2) Dimensioning tool in sketch, why there are 3 types of dimensioning instead of one. I mean horizontal, vertical and radius. Clicking on one line and for example center point, and by dragging mouse up or left, program should by it self choose is it horizontal or vertical. The same situation with circle - it should by it self put a diamiter distance.
3) Rotating objects is a pain in the ass. Pivot center should be on the center of screen, and seems it doesn't. Looks like object is standing on a big invisible ball and center is somewher outside. It should be ball but with center on the center of screen, and when you higlight object by pressing pivot should appear on the center of that object.
4) Mouse gestures. When I have to design something in FC I need to spend so long way to do that, I would have chance to choose everything from mouse gestures. By pressing RC on mouse should ring with the most important functions appear (customizable) http://rocksolidperspect.files.wordpres ... reicon.png

These are first pack of my suggestions. Can you assume an attitude. Cheers.
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bejant
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Re: Suggestions

Post by bejant »

Greetings efyx, welcome to FreeCAD and to the forum!
efyx wrote:I'll list most annoying things I spotted so far (I didn't play with FC too long)
Issues:
1) There are too many shortcuts (example for "l" line etc...)
I think this is the only time I've seen someone complain about too many shortcuts! They're optional, of course you don't have to use them. Anyway, changes to FreeCAD usually aren't made based on the opinions of one person. In the forum (and even in the bug tracker), if something seems to be a bad idea or not worthwhile, it gets dropped or abandoned.

Also, if you enclose the links to your images in image brackets (these can be selected by using the img button at the top of the text input window):

Code: Select all

[img]url_to_your_image[/img]
your image will appear in your post. For anyone else who reads this, here is the first image from efyx:
Image

In FreeCAD, with Sketcher, I can right-click in the 3D window, and then select whatever geometry I wish to create from the pop-up window, or I can just use the keyboard shortcut. I haven't used SW, so I don't know what the advantage might be in pressing "s" (instead of right-click) to get a pop-up menu. Why not just use the keyboard shortcut for the command, once you learn it?
efyx wrote:2) Dimensioning tool in sketch, why there are 3 types of dimensioning instead of one. I mean horizontal, vertical and radius. Clicking on one line and for example center point, and by dragging mouse up or left, program should by it self choose is it horizontal or vertical.
In Sketcher, these are not "dimensions". They are Constraints. Clicking on a line and a center point to apply a distance constraint doesn't work in FreeCAD, you must select two points. Some type of keyboard toggle between horizontal, vertical, and distance constraints could be considered, similar to the keyboard toggle in the Draft WB, to determine if it would be a worthwhile addition.
efyx wrote:The same situation with circle - it should by it self put a diamiter distance.
Why not radius, which works for both circles and arcs? But I think I did see something about adding a diameter constraint for circles too.
efyx wrote:3) Rotating objects is a pain in the ass. Pivot center should be on the center of screen, and seems it doesn't. Looks like object is standing on a big invisible ball and center is somewher outside. It should be ball but with center on the center of screen, and when you higlight object by pressing pivot should appear on the center of that object.
What mouse model / navigation style were you using?
efyx wrote:4) Mouse gestures. When I have to design something in FC I need to spend so long way to do that, I would have chance to choose everything from mouse gestures. By pressing RC on mouse should ring with the most important functions appear (customizable)
Image
(I enclosed your link in [img] brackets)
Where have you tried this in FreeCAD, and what were the results?
efyx wrote:These are first pack of my suggestions. Can you assume an attitude. Cheers.
Suggestions are welcome, but I think you should spend more time learning FreeCAD first. I also don't think a major goal of the FreeCAD developers is to create something that is a clone of SW (dev's can correct me if I'm wrong).
BTW, no attitude assumed, I don't mind reading useful input.
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quick61
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Re: Suggestions

Post by quick61 »

bejant wrote:I think this is the only time I've seen someone complain about too many shortcuts!
The thing that put me off my feed at first about keyboard shortcuts in Sketcher / Part Design was that all the good shortcut keys were taken up by Constraints and not Construction. But with any tool, one learns a comfortable grip to use on the good ones.
bejant wrote:Why not radius, which works for both circles and arcs? But I think I did see something about adding a diameter constraint for circles too.
We can already enter diameter into the circle and arc constraints. Just pick the radius tool and enter the diameter and divide by 2. We can even scale the diameter of a circle or arc. It we want to scale up a 20 mm dia circle by 27%, just enter 20*1.27/2 into the radius and you have a 25.4 mm dia circle (12.7 radius). Ah, the power of FreeCAD :geek:
efyx wrote:3) Rotating objects is a pain in the ass. Pivot center should be on the center of screen, and seems it doesn't. Looks like object is standing on a big invisible ball and center is somewher outside. It should be ball but with center on the center of screen, and when you higlight object by pressing pivot should appear on the center of that object.
This takes a little getting use to. The orbit center "snaps" (is that the right word?) to ViewFit. A simple example - there are 2 cubes, one at 0,0,0 and the other at 500,500,0. The orbit will be at 250, 250,0. Orbit axis does not follow the mouse, it follows the ViewFit objects displayed in the 3D view. To move the view orbit to the cube at 500,500,0. you would hide the cube at 0,0,0 and ViewFit (zoom all). Now the orbit axis is focused on the cube at 500,500,0, even if you unhide the other cube. It will stay there until you activate the ViewFit again for the visible object(s).

Having an option to set the orbit style between view and cursor might make for a good feature request.
bejant wrote:Suggestions are welcome, but I think you should spend more time learning FreeCAD first. I also don't think a major goal of the FreeCAD developers is to create something that is a clone of SW (dev's can correct me if I'm wrong).
BTW, no attitude assumed, I don't mind reading useful input.
+1 (on all of it) ;)

Mark
This post made with 0.0% Micro$oft products - GOT LINUX?
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r-frank
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Re: Suggestions

Post by r-frank »

@Work I've been using Solidworks every day now for more than twelve years.
FreeCAD is my spare time-hobby for now more than one year.

+1 for bejant
+1 for mark (quick61)

I'm still learning new things about FreeCAD every day and am now starting to encourage discussions
for improvements/feature requests.
Don't under-estimate that here are only few people contributing in their spare time (thanks guys ...)
and with Solidworks we have several years of programming from a lot of people on a work-time basis.

Also we use a different CAD-kernel (OpenCascade) so some things might be different or maybe impossible (yet).

That's why I choose to help with the wiki and doing my german video tutorials.
To help the project getting ahead ...

Oh, to clear things up a little bit:
@bejant: I remember talking about two years ago to a Solidworks-Official, who said that one of the design
principles of Solidworks is to make things as much context-sensitive as possible. That's why they camy up with
using right-click menues, this "S"-menu, mouse gestures and so on ...
@mark: I don't want to search for a video, so I'll try my best in explaining. In the Solidworks-Sketcher, when
doing revolution, you can click on a line and then on the rotation-axis, then you can enter the diameter as a constraint.
This will also show up in the drawing.
Since with rotated parts, you like to have the diameter more often than the radius.
This is one thing i am missing a little bit in FreeCAD.
But since FreeCAD is atm a long way from the fully integrated way of producing drawings like solidworks i would
give this a VERY LOW priority.

Just my 2 cents

Have a nice FreeCAD-time.
Roland
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jmaustpc
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Re: Suggestions

Post by jmaustpc »

r-frank wrote: In the Solidworks-Sketcher, when
doing revolution, you can click on a line and then on the rotation-axis, then you can enter the diameter as a constraint.
This will also show up in the drawing.
Since with rotated parts, you like to have the diameter more often than the radius.
This is one thing i am missing a little bit in FreeCAD.
But since FreeCAD is atm a long way from the fully integrated way of producing drawings like solidworks i would
give this a VERY LOW priority.
Mark is talking about rotating the view ....in other words changing from where you are standing looking at the project.

A Part Revolution, Part Design Revolve or rotating the orientation of an existing solid, can all operate on a defined axis.

Look at the Edit menu, Placement tool, it can work in absolute or relative mode. PartDesign revolve can work by selecting and edge or inserting a construction line to use as a axis (then you can set the radius with a constraint)...PartDesign revolve has more functionality in Assembly branch with Jan's other PartDesign improvements. With Part Revolve you can set the axis or select an edge of another solid to use as an axis.
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r-frank
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Re: Suggestions

Post by r-frank »

Hello Jim.

Sorry I should have quoted to be more clear.

My remark about the Solidworks-Sketcher was referring to this part of the discussion:
quick61 wrote:We can already enter diameter into the circle and arc constraints. Just pick the radius tool and enter the diameter and divide by 2. We can even scale the diameter of a circle or arc. It we want to scale up a 20 mm dia circle by 27%, just enter 20*1.27/2 into the radius and you have a 25.4 mm dia circle (12.7 radius). Ah, the power of FreeCAD :geek:
Attached a screenshot from Solidworks-Sketcher.
You can constrain a diameter as a diameter and it will remain and be displayed (in sketcher
and in drawing mode) as a diameter.

In FreeCAD I have not yet seen a possibility like this ...

Roland
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Solidworks-Sketcher-Diameter.jpg
Solidworks-Sketcher-Diameter.jpg (34.25 KiB) Viewed 3267 times
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jmaustpc
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Re: Suggestions

Post by jmaustpc »

Hi Roland

You can actually do both of those in FreeCAD, :) yeah, I know, not as conveniently though... :(

To get a diameter on a circle in FreeCAD you can add a construction line, with each of its points "point on edge" with the circle and centre point of circle use "point on edge' with the line, allow a horizontal (or vertical) auto constraint on the line during construction, then use a horizontal (or vertical) distance on the line. It sounds worse than it is because only the centre of circle and distance constraints need to be added manually because the others enter as auto constraints.


Regarding the axis for rotation, in FreeCAD you just us a generic construction line, you mark the distance as diameter in the way that you have would involve more complexity with a second construction line and some symmetry constraints. There are two ways that spring to mind, either two parallel construction lines or a perpendicular construction line of the length of the diameter and in both cases use a symmetry constraint to equalise the distances, thus giving you two radii hence the diameter.
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Re: Suggestions

Post by jmaustpc »

Here is a screen shot, these are not as convenient as a single icon specialised function, but they didn't take very long.

FreeCAD_diameters.jpg
FreeCAD_diameters.jpg (23.98 KiB) Viewed 3251 times
jmaustpc
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Re: Suggestions

Post by jmaustpc »

When you compare the two screen shot ....you have to admit that the FreeCAD one is more attractive, I mean just in terms of beauty. :)


Also FreeCAD displays the units, and of course takes intelligent input of different units and maths on the values.
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r-frank
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Re: Suggestions

Post by r-frank »

Hello Jim.

Thanks for mentioning these points.
But as i wrote above atm there are other things with higher priorities ...
jmaustpc wrote:When you compare the two screen shot ....you have to admit that the FreeCAD one is more attractive, I mean just in terms of beauty. :)
Of course I would not even dream about questioning the beauty of FreeCAD and its designs :D
jmaustpc wrote: Also FreeCAD displays the units, and of course takes intelligent input of different units and maths on the values.
I'm not quite sure if the Units can be display in SWX using some options (this is not very common with mechanical
engeneering ...) and intelligent input is a valuable feature of FreeCAD, but SWX has this too ...

Roland
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