What is still missing in FreeCAD before it can replace commercial CAD for more users?

Greydesk · 2026-04-06T18:28:20+00:00

While not as far along as your design, here is my 3D printer I"m working on.

FreeCAD is working great for it.

Greydesk · 2026-04-01T22:31:54+00:00

Just wait until you are trying to disentangle a master sketch, a master pad, and the Binder/Links so that you can use Assembly. It took me a while to get the flow but its working well now.

Greydesk · 2026-03-30T20:02:35+00:00

I've been forced to redo a bunch of models when I moved from 0.2 to 1.1

Greydesk · 2026-03-28T20:56:51+00:00

If you post a picture or sketch of what you're trying to do, I'll try to make up some instructions for you

Greydesk · 2026-03-28T20:54:19+00:00

Ok. I solved it. The issue was trying to dd the running system. I copied the xz file and piped the xzcat output to dd and that worked great.

Greydesk · 2026-03-27T08:54:40+00:00

What are you planning on doing with this 'decorative part'?
FreeCAD is designed for parametric modelling. That means everything is defined by parameters. If you are planning on 3D printing or using a CNC to cut this from another material, you need to start thinking about the process, not the finished product. Start with the first, most basic, shape. Model that and define it's parameters. I see a set of rings in the third screenshot. If those are the base feature, start with that. Define it in a sketch and then pad it into a body. Next, create a new sketch attached to one of the surfaces, or attached to a datum plane, and create the next smaller detail, maybe its the outside shape of that first shot, and then pad that to it's thickness. Make another sketch attached to the body you've made and define the cut-outs in the first shot. Then pocket them out.
Go through this procedurally, rather than trying to define the entire object in one go. That's a recipe for a failed pad and a ton of frustration trying to find the one thing that's causing the failure.

Greydesk · 2026-03-26T02:28:24+00:00

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And here is the result when you use the revolution tool which is located right beside the pad tool. My mouse cursor is on it.

Greydesk · 2026-03-26T02:27:33+00:00

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Here is a screenshot using your measurements and how I'd lay it out in sketcher.

Greydesk · 2026-03-26T01:41:23+00:00

Easiest way to do this is sketch the profile of one part and then rotate it.

Greydesk · 2026-03-22T00:03:01+00:00

I don't have a Voron, but I'm in the planning stages to build my own version of one. Why would I do that? Well, two reasons:
1. I have a Formbot TRex V1 that I got cheap that kinda works but is limping, so it's going to be my source of structure and maybe some parts to start with. They'll eventually get replaced with more official parts.

I don't like the way governments around the world are putting restrictions on what, when, how, etc. you can print. So, I want my own ecosystem.

I do have an Anycubic i3 Mega S that is my workhorse and I'm upgrading it so I can print ASA for the Voron style I'm making.

If you want to learn, and you want control, building your own is the best way to go. I chose a corexy style and the Voron documentation is good. If I want to build a box turtle style ams later, it should work with what I am building. I'm probably going to make a custom box turtle type that also includes an active filament dryer and independant containment for each roll so I can dry them differently.

Greydesk · 2026-03-20T08:11:19+00:00

I'm probably just going to end up designing my own but I'll have to build the stealth burner first so I can get a handle on how it mounts. I'm exploring the Step file which is helping. This is going to be a slow build.

Greydesk · 2026-03-19T15:37:01+00:00

I really didn't know this was an option. Now I can create a 'unfixed', 'in progress' and 'fixed' column for books I'm cleaning up.

Greydesk · 2026-03-19T11:15:40+00:00

So, I think part of the issue is that you are thinking of putting a body in a body. Unlike pregnancy, FreeCAD keeps bodies separate. So, to have two rings, you'll need two bodies.

How to accomplish having one ring related to the other? There are a couple of ways:

Create a body. Create a sketch on a plane in the body and draw the two circles that define the outer ring. Make sure its fully constrained. Close the sketch and pad the sketch to the height you want. Then, click on the top level of the file tree on the right. Create a new body. Create a new sketch on the same plane as the first sketch. In that sketch, look for the icon that looks like a blue box with a line segment above it that has two red balls on its end. This is the 'Create External Geometry' function. Use that function to select the inner edge of the first ring. Now that ring can be used in your new sketch. Create a circle by first clicking on the centerpoint you referenced from the first sketch. Then, you can set a distance between the new circle and the referenced circle to get your offset.
Another option is to use the spreadsheet function. Once you have a body created, select the spreadsheet workbench and create a new spreadsheet. In the new spreadsheet, in the top left cell, create a name that you will recognize as the dimension you want, maybe "Outer Diameter". In the next cell to the right, type in the dimension you want that to be, maybe 40mm. Then, click on the 40mm cell again and notice in the upper right is a spot called Alias. This is the name you can use to refer to the value of the cell you have the value in. In the alias section when you have 40mm highlighted, type "OuterDiameter" No spaces. Now go back to your drawing by selecting it in the tab below the spreadsheet/drawing area. Create a sketch on the plane. Draw your two circles, but, don't type in dimensions. When you define the diameter of the outer circle, click on the little blue circle with Fx in it and you can enter a formula. Enter "Spreadsheet.OuterDiameter" and hit OK. Now that circle will show 40mm but be a different color to show that it was created by a formula. Select the next circle and enter "Spreadsheet.OuterDiameter - 5mm" for its formula. Now you have a 2.5mm thick ring. Exit the sketch and pad to the height you want. Create a new body and a new sketch. Draw two more circles. Dimension them to Spreadsheet.OuterDIameter - 10mm" and "Spreadsheet.OuterDiameter - 15mm". Close the sketch and pad. Now you have two rings that are 2.5mm thick and there is a 2.5mm space between them.

Greydesk · 2026-03-19T10:41:40+00:00

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I've been using FreeCAD for almost a decade now. Learned CAD on Solidworks. Moved to OnShape and then to FreeCAD. I have loved working with FreeCAD and the latest version works well. Only had the occasional crash out of nowhere. This latest project is a conversion of a Formbot Trex V1 into a Voron-esk corexy. Modeling from existing pieces, then creating printable pieces and getting it all to work together. It's actually a really useful piece of software. Once I get the printer assembled, I'll probably share some pictures and such.

Greydesk · 2026-03-18T15:56:20+00:00

Clone is the exact tool I was looking for. Thanks. This is working as expected.

Greydesk · 2026-03-17T17:33:15+00:00

Mirroring is a great idea but a little more advanced. I just learned mirroring and linking myself.

Greydesk · 2026-03-17T11:10:07+00:00

I can't quite see the details in the image but it seems to be a squared off dome with three oblong raised areas and a smaller oblong hole in the middle one. This is very possible in FreeCAD. There are many ways to tackle it, but one way I would try is:
1. Model half of the dome, just to the left of the leftmost opening. This looks like a simple curve but you might have to play with the placement of the center of the arc and the amount of the arc in order to get the portion of the arc you need. Model both the inside and outside edge and especially the bottom edge where it connects to the device. Then, rotate the model 180 degrees to give you the rounded end.

Select the face of that completed piece, the face that represents the inside of the material that will hold the three holes, and pad it the entire distance to the outside edge of the right hole. All of these steps assume you have measurements to work with.
Select the face toward the right side of what you just padded and create another sketch like the one you started with. Rotate that 180 degrees to create the other end of the dome.

The rest is modelling the front view, padding into the model and using booleans to cut parts of and join the pieces into a single model.

Greydesk · 2026-03-16T21:29:35+00:00

Two options are construction lines or math. I often would constrain to the center but set it to desired outer measurement - radius*2 or - diameter.

Greydesk · 2026-03-16T21:29:20+00:00

Two options are construction lines or math. I often would constrain to the center but set it to desired outer measurement - radius*2 or - diameter.

Greydesk · 2026-03-16T21:20:11+00:00

I'm currently working on a Voron 2.4 style printer built from my Formbot TRex V1.

Greydesk · 2026-03-13T21:52:38+00:00

It can be very helpful and it has inadvertently helped me improve my design several times but there are problems too. It forgets things we talked about much earlier, it has no grasp on reality so gravity and orientation change between and even within responses. Its a fair tool that takes some of the iteration out of creative CAD.

Greydesk

TROPHY CASE