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FreeCAD 1.0 finally dropped! (www.freecad.org)

submitted 1 week ago by ad_on_is@lemm.ee to c/opensource@lemmy.ml

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[-] fellowmortal@lemmy.dbzer0.com 80 points 6 days ago

I have tried freecad a number of times to replace solidworks as a critical piece of closed source software in hardware development toolchains. I have always struggled. Yesterday someone spent an hour with me at a makespace saying... "FreeCAD has a different way of doing this/try realthunder branch/use symmetry condition/delete all conditions that coincide" ... it has been worth years of trying alone. When I started solidworks the reseller gave me a week of training - this is often why complex FOSS software gets a reputation for being clunky, because alone you will spend ages hunting a GUI button in a complex interface.

TLDR: Go outside, go to makespace or a FREECAD conference - meet other people who use open source software - its much easier to use/learn from others than alone.

[-] Mex@feddit.uk 5 points 5 days ago

The best thing about 1.0 is that it has ported most fo the topalogical fixes from realthunder!

[-] Damage@feddit.it 10 points 6 days ago

When I started using SOLIDWORKS I had 0 training, still managed to make it work. FreeCAD is still frustrating after a lot of effort. But I keep trying, because it's the only real open source option

[-] JustEnoughDucks@feddit.nl 2 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Interesting, when I started using FreeCAD I had 0 training, and I have managed to make it work just fine. Was mostly frustrated by the topological naming problem, but that is fixed now.

You can do quite complex things with it.

You just have to put in a bit of effort and think in an additive sketch-extrude workflow. But yeah, not easy to transition from solidworks.

[-] jagged_circle@feddit.nl 7 points 6 days ago

Well or use the forums. They have a wonderfully helpful community

[-] RoyaltyInTraining@lemmy.world 42 points 6 days ago

Both GIMP 3 RC1 and FreeCAD 1.0 in the same month, damn

[-] ad_on_is@lemm.ee 27 points 6 days ago

We got GIMP 3 and FreeCAD 1 before we got GTA VI

[-] brightandshinyobject@lemmy.world 18 points 6 days ago

And Inkscape 1.4!

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[-] sudoku@programming.dev 8 points 5 days ago

when is it getting a new UI? hopefully the blender 2.8 moment will come soon for FreeCAD.

[-] ad_on_is@lemm.ee 9 points 5 days ago

There is already OpenTheme, which you can install via the AdonManager... looks waaaay better than the default

[-] PresidentCamacho@lemm.ee 12 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Since I work with AutoCAD daily I feel like Ive been hearing about FreeCAD for what feels like a decade or two. I cant believe it has been pre 1.0 all this time.

[-] WbrJr@lemmy.ml 13 points 6 days ago

I just treid it a bit. And I have to say its quite incredible how good it got! Still a bit rough but I would say its 30% better than a year ago. But maybe ondsel just got me into the mindset of this program.

Its sad to see ondsel go because I doubt we would be here without them.

I hope the freecad team sees all the incredible feedback and the next few versions will be similar improvements for usabilty!

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[-] oyo@lemm.ee 15 points 6 days ago

I've tried it for a few hours, but basic stuff seems incredibly needlessly difficult. After thousands of hours in Solidworks it's just too painful.

[-] bluewing@lemm.ee 10 points 6 days ago

Oddly, despite the 1,000's of hours of SW myself, I had little difficulty in picking up FreeCAD. Or Fusion or OnShape, (even taught OnShape to high school students), or SolidEdge. Once you understand the design process of CAD, it's not all that hard. I do have preferences in UI's and workflows, but that doesn't mean I can't use something different.

[-] oyo@lemm.ee 6 points 6 days ago

All the others you listed are very similar to solidworks and no problem. FreeCAD decided sketching should be completely different. I can barely even draw a line and I don't understand how that's possible.

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[-] weststadtgesicht@discuss.tchncs.de 13 points 6 days ago

I loved the idea of FreeCAD but having no experience in CAD software at all I always struggled with fundamental basics that were not covered in the tutorials I watched. The huge amount of work benches (some of them 3rd party) did not help since most forum posts or tutorials were based on different or outdated versions.

Having a go with build123d now, trying to model stuff using python. At least the number of available API functions is manageable and everything else is just programming (which I already know).

[-] bluewing@lemm.ee 18 points 6 days ago

If you want the best tutorials on FreeCAD, check out mangojelly on youtube. He has a current 1.0 beginner series that starts right from the very beginning. And he goes slow enough to easily follow along.

Ignore the huge number of workbenches. You can even go to the Settings and turn the ones you don't need off so you never see them again. You are only going to use 2 workbenches 90% of the time-- Part Design and Sketcher. And as you get more experience, you might add another couple of workbenches as you go. Most of the third party workbenches are specialty things. For example, I sometimes need to design and make gears or do small sheetmetal work. So I have the Gear and sheetmetal workbenchs installed. You probably would never need it.

Learning CAD, no matter what flavor, does require effort. It's as much about learning how to think as it is about learning how to do.

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[-] jagged_circle@feddit.nl 6 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

I find the opposite. There's so many videos on FreeCAD its wonderful. And if you're stuck, ive posted to the forums and within a week someone literally took my file and made a video showing how to do what I couldn't figure out.

Such a fantastic community.

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[-] 7fb2adfb45bafcc01c80@lemmy.world 9 points 6 days ago

I use LibreCAD for architecture work and will take a look at FreeCAD.

Has anyone else tried both for architectural work? How did they compare for you?

[-] archomrade@midwest.social 8 points 6 days ago

I work as an architectural designer but I've never really been allowed to use anything other than Revit for BIM workflows. Our consultants basically only use Revit or Autodesk products, so our hands are kind of tied for projects where we need to collaborate.

My boss uses Vectorworks for our small projects that don't need BIM, I might suggest we switch to Libre or FreeCAD so that we all have access without needed another VW license. Do you enjoy using LibreCAD?

[-] 7fb2adfb45bafcc01c80@lemmy.world 4 points 6 days ago

I like LibreCAD, but it's a little too simple sometimes. I miss the power of AutoCAD, but I don't miss its price.

Three things I want are

being able to assign heights to objects and do 3D stuff
being able to assign labels to objects (instead of circle3761 I'd like to call it 'fountain' or something)
splines are really finicky, and you can't do things like a fillet on more complex objects

It took a couple of days to get used to and probably a week of use before I was 100% comfortable, but I find that it meets most of my needs now.

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[-] pineapplelover@lemm.ee 8 points 6 days ago

1.0? So which one have I been using?

[-] andyortlieb@lemmy.sdf.org 6 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

0.8, 0.9, etc...

[-] caseyweederman@lemmy.ca 6 points 6 days ago

0.9.final.revised.25BAK.lastbest.final

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[-] pineapplelover@lemm.ee 3 points 5 days ago

I'm just surprised that it's so new

[-] Cube6392@beehaw.org 5 points 5 days ago

new is a different concept from first api stable release. it's been in development since 2002. 0.21 was the most recent release, and the software has been pretty much usable since 2010 at least. but this 1.0 release is a big deal because it basically means any features you currently know and like can be expected to be there for forever. it's more of a promise than a time-based release measure

[-] pineapplelover@lemm.ee 2 points 5 days ago

Ah thanks for the explanation. That makes a lot of sense. Because using Freecad it certainly doesn't feel new. Looks late 90s or early 2000s

[-] Sir_Kevin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 12 points 6 days ago

Does it support 3D mice?

[-] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 18 points 6 days ago

yes

[-] LeLachs@lemmy.ml 5 points 6 days ago

You can even run some of them under linux with this driver: https://github.com/FreeSpacenav/spacenavd

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[-] sexual_tomato@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 6 days ago

In a past career, I was a mechanical design engineer; I've probably spent 10,000 hours of my life in SolidWorks. Not once did I feel like a 3d mouse would speed me up or otherwise solve my problems. I trialed a spacepilot for several months and just couldn't be arsed after awhile. What do others get out of them?

[-] B0rax@feddit.org 11 points 6 days ago

For some people it simply does not help with the workflow. For me it is a significant upgrade as it allows me to never use the normal mouse to move around in 3D, and allows me to quickly move the view to where I want it to be. Without it, moving in 3D just feels clunky to me.

But as I said, it is a preference.

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[-] Macallan@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago

How is it for Civil work?

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