Serval issues FreeCad

[Jee-Bee]

Hello I'm new to FreeCad (<3 days)
I have few years of experience with multiple other cadSoftware

For trying this software I was started with a box for some electrical equipment.
I run into serval issues/ difficulties/etc

1) The readability of the sketch module is quite bad. Everything is red and sometimes it is quite difficult to see the what is good and what is not good (yet). Is it possible to give the constraints who allready constraint another color. let say green for constraint red not (fully) constraint and black for dimensions).

Screen Shot 2015-06-16 at 12.59.45.png (51.55 KiB) Viewed 2280 times

2) is it possible to use the . or the, for decimals? i have a small keyboard so a lot of time no numerical pad so that screwed up every time.

3) Is it possible to create a linear pattern in 2 directions. Let say my hole. now i have now create two holes and one linear pattern a linear pattern on the linear pattern was not possible. Better is hole feature with a pattern over that ...

4) I think the inspection/ measurement part is not ready to use when i select a hole and a surface i want know the distance between them (and probably the angle). It start somewhere and it stops somewhere but i don't know what to do with that info…

5) Last point i miss some mathematical realtions… like the radius (in the corners of my figure) = 2 diameter hole.
Maybe for later

A lot of questins and request for the first question…

Keep up the work!!

[bejant]

Hello I'm new to FreeCad (<3 days)

Hi Jee-Bee, welcome to FreeCAD and the forum!

1) The readability of the sketch module is quite bad.

Right now in Sketcher there isn't a way to distinguish between geometry in a Sketch that is Fully Constrained compared to other geometry in the same Sketch that is not Fully Constrained. I'm pretty sure there already is a ticket in the bug tracker for that enhancement.

You can change the default Sketcher by running FreeCAD in the Part Design or Sketcher WB's, and then navigating to Edit (pulldown menu) > Preferences > Display (icon in left pane) > Sketcher tab.

2) is it possible to use the . or the, for decimals?

Yes, you'd use either . or , depending on that the default decimal point is in your computer. For a value less that 1 you need to enter the leading zero, so it's 0.5 and not .5. (I don't know how you would use FreeCAD without decimal places.)

3) Is it possible to create a linear pattern in 2 directions.

Sure, that's done by using the MultiTransform tool:

4) I think the inspection/ measurement part is not ready to use when i select a hole and a surface i want know the distance between them (and probably the angle).

In Sketcher (depending on which version of FreeCAD you're using) you can toggle numerical Constraints back and forth from a red numerical Constraint (which defines geometry) to a blue measurement (which is driven by the geometry).

5) Last point i miss some mathematical realtions… like the radius (in the corners of my figure) = 2 diameter hole.

In Sketcher you can use some mathematical operators and so if you have a 13 mm diameter circle, you click the Radius Constraint and can enter a value of 13/2 mm if you like.

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From the screen grab it looks like you only need to model one quadrant, then use Part WB > Mirror and Boolean Union (twice each), which is probably simpler that making complicated Sketches.

[triplus]

4) I think the inspection/ measurement part is not ready to use when i select a hole and a surface i want know the distance between them (and probably the angle). It start somewhere and it stops somewhere but i don't know what to do with that info…

In Sketcher (depending on which version of FreeCAD you're using) you can toggle numerical Constraints back and forth from a red numerical Constraint (which defines geometry) to a blue measurement (which is driven by the geometry).

He is probably referring to tools available in Part WB and not construction geometry and reference constraints available in the sketcher.

Is it possible to give the constraints who allready constraint another color. let say green for constraint red not (fully) constraint and black for dimensions).

As @bejant said you can customize the colors in preferences. When you will fully constrain the sketch it will become green and individual constraint usually can't do that.

[Jee-Bee]

In Sketcher you can use some mathematical operators and so if you have a 13 mm diameter circle, you click the Radius Constraint and can enter a value of 13/2 mm if you like.

I don't mean 13/2 (that is also nice) but the hole is R= 3 and i want the radius around the hole and that is 2*R… (Relationship nr or somthing like that) so that when the hole change in size the outher diameter of the radius change with it!!

From the screen grab it looks like you only need to model one quadrant, then use Part WB > Mirror and Boolean Union (twice each), which is probably simpler that making complicated Sketches.

That is indeed more easy. I have some experience withe other software when i did that and i have to edit something before. i had to create again the mirror and that screwed up the assembly (numbering of planes and relations changes).

You can change the default Sketcher by running FreeCAD in the Part Design or Sketcher WB's, and then navigating to Edit (pulldown menu) > Preferences > Display (icon in left pane) > Sketcher tab.

I don't have the preference under the edit menu

He is probably referring to tools available in Part WB and not construction geometry and reference constraints available in the sketcher.

I used the function measuring distance what is the only option by the Inspection WB.
I had the feeling that my xis to my end planes are not equal. so i wanna select the radius so i get the center line and the plane … at least that was what i was suspecting...

[bejant]

I don't mean 13/2 (that is also nice) but the hole is R= 3 and i want the radius around the hole and that is 2*R… (Relationship nr or somthing like that) so that when the hole change in size the outher diameter of the radius change with it!!

I see. In your screen grab, instead of the 6 mm Radius Constraint in the upper left corner you could instead use a line segment from the edge of the hole to the edge of the arc. Make it Construction Geometry (blue) and assign a length to it, similar to this:

20150617a.png (10.4 KiB) Viewed 2201 times

i had to create again the mirror and that screwed up the assembly (numbering of planes and relations changes).

FreeCAD does have that problem too, until topological naming is implemented.

I don't have the preference under the edit menu

That's odd, what FreeCAD version are you using? Navigate to Help > About FreeCAD, Click the "Copy to Clipboard" button, and pate the results in your reply. I wonder if you're using a really old version...

[Jee-Bee]

I'm using Mac I found just out a few menus are just a bit different…
I had found About before so i go to there before i read your hole post… and i think i found the preference also

[triplus]

I don't mean 13/2 (that is also nice) but the hole is R= 3 and i want the radius around the hole and that is 2*R… (Relationship nr or somthing like that) so that when the hole change in size the outher diameter of the radius change with it!!

In development.

[Jee-Bee]

I was today make a dummy for a printed circuit board and i saw 2 things that i didn't get to work.

6) In sketcher isn't it possible to create snaps??
I needed a midpoint of a line/ surface but i didn't get it . I saw it was in draft availeble but i didn't get it in sketcher itself

7) The dimensions of the circuit board are imperial dimensions. so i had de converse them. and let say 2.77" * 25.4 mm doesn't work.
The multiplier can't be an decimal number…
Maybe not a big problem i have a calculator but i do now everything twice…

[triplus]

6) In sketcher isn't it possible to create snaps??
I needed a midpoint of a line/ surface but i didn't get it . I saw it was in draft availeble but i didn't get it in sketcher itself

No as Sketcher and Draft wb workflow (end result) is different. In Sketcher WB you add sketcher geometry and after you use datum constraints to define sketcher geometry (relations). In Draft WB you add draft geometry but there are no relations. Therefore in Draft WB it makes sense to have snap modes but changing for example a line length will not change the circle location. In Sketcher WB the idea is to be able to do that. For example 2 parallel lines of equal size coincident at the end point. Circle center point coincident to that "midpoint" is what you are after. Using snap wouldn't do that. On the other hand center point of a circle will "snap" or better "add constraint" when inserting (if auto constraints is set to on) to other points of existing sketcher geometry. Therefore we could argue "snap" is already available in Sketcher WB.

7) The dimensions of the circuit board are imperial dimensions. so i had de converse them. and let say 2.77" * 25.4 mm doesn't work.
The multiplier can't be an decimal number…
Maybe not a big problem i have a calculator but i do now everything twice…

You can input 2.77 * 25.4 and it will work just fine.

[sgrogan]

You can input 2.77 * 25.4 and it will work just fine.

I don't think so in sketcher see here:viewtopic.php?f=3&t=9701#p78691