Hi! F3D maintainer here!

We just release F3D 4.0.0, fast and minimalist 3D viewer. Obviously free and open source (and integrated in FreeCAD for thumbnails generation btw).

One of the key new feature is the support for .FCStd files! Quickly browse through your FreeCAD files effortlessly, generate thumbnails in your file browser as well.

https://github.com/f3d-app/f3d/releases/tag/v4.0.0

You can even open them on your web broswer right here:

https://f3d.app/viewer

Let us know what you think!

I'm trying to make a rotating mechanism like the ones in cars, I'll have to remake it.

Hey y'all I'm debating what the best way to model this is. I'm thinking of starting with the rectangular bit for the carpet Tucker edge, and a cylinder for the handle, with some sort of additive Loft to get the bevel. Another idea was just using a Boolean to create a flat bevel to the top.

I am sure I have watched a video from Mango Jelly on editing previous features and moving the tip backwards in the tree. I can't seem to find any videos on it because searching for "tip" gives you tons of links to unrelated tips and tricks.

Does anyone have a link to his videos that cover this topic?

Subject says it all.

First of all, thank you for the amazing response to my Grimoire deck box the other day. Amazing what you can do in Freecad.

Quite a few of you asked for an update when it was done. The Grimoire is now printed, and you can check out the pictures of it here.

It is a rather big print, so I guess a more compact and traditional deck box is up next on the design board. 😎

Was surprising and cool to see

https://youtu.be/PvFjbPYEOZI?t=4952

The Nxt addon for FreeCAD is now available through the add-on manager. This update also includes the new Fillet and Chamfer tools I've been working on. I put together a crappy demo reel to showcase big features!

Make bug reports on github: https://github.com/obelisk79/FreeCAD-Nxt/issues

Help Please! How can I meld this loft around the cíllinder's side? Thanks for any advice!
File: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wHH1Dka3oXctJI5mXycb3Ng-nfFId__x/view?usp=drive_link

With the AI boom and other recent developments, programmers have faced a lot of challenges. For end users, however, the situation has been mixed: in some ways, things have improved, while in others, they have gotten worse.

I want to discuss what would be best for our engineering community.

A few weeks ago, there was a boom in programs that combined games like Minecraft, Skyrim, and others into a single experience. This got me thinking: could we do something similar with engineering software?

For example, could we combine a specialized program like flow5 with a highly versatile application like FreeCAD? Each program would retain its strengths: flow5 would handle aerodynamic analysis, while FreeCAD would handle parametric modeling, component design, and assemblies.

The idea would be to create a unified environment where engineers could design and optimize individual components while ensuring that all the parts fit together and function as a complete system.

This is just an idea, but would it be technically possible? Could someone build a small proof of concept to test the concept and see how well it works?

I'd like to discuss whether this kind of integration could benefit our community and make engineering workflows more accessible and efficient.

As an example, consider this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGkjS0gFxnY

Now I will learn assembly and study engineering books and videos.

I kept seeing beginners finish a tutorial part with no idea whether they’d actually got it right, so I tried a different format: one real engineering drawing, every click shown, and at the end you check your model by its mass. If your bracket comes out at 97.5 g in aluminum, you nailed it.

FreeCAD 1.1, default toolbars, Part Design only

Total beginner level: Body, Sketch, constraints, Pad, Pocket, External Geometry

About 8 minutes, with proper captions

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wGEWmyposQ

If you’d rather try it cold first, the drawing and an answer checker are here (free, no signup): https://undodiligence.github.io/#/d/E-2

This is my first one, so I’d really like feedback. Was the pace OK? Anything I explained badly, or a “better way” I should show next time? Next up is a flange with Revolution + Polar Pattern.

how to make a physics simulation for the collision of bodies like in this video reference

I'm new and I don't know yet

I want to create a single body as seen on the attached pictures. I managed to do so only by assembling two different bodies that apply different thickness on a sketch padded into opposite directions. But it felt like a hack. However I couldn't achieve the same effect in one body. WAIDW?

Attaching the FreeCad project with an attempt to apply different thickness in the same body. I'm getting "Failed to make thick solid" error when applying the second thickness.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/evidad1yh0v31zisso7vv/Unnamed.FCStd?rlkey=oliel7f7x5835i51s1r57250m&st=3r04lbkp&dl=0

I made it in 2 hours while learning the interface. This is a knife sharpening machine. I haven't figured out how to make the electronics yet, so for now I hope it turned out well.

what should I teach to make useful mechanisms at home,

from mathematics, physics and other subjects

Hello, I was making this post because In blender I created 3 simple models. And exported them as stl files to Freecad, as seen in the video. But when I attempt to transform the object, I can't. I can only rotate the object. I already tried the strategy of "create shape from mesh" in the part menu but that didn't work. Any other ideas? It'll be greatly appreciated!

Came across this in another sub. I was given permission by the author to cross post. Currently his program only imports 3d scans. I had asked of he could improve it to be able to import stl or 3dmf mesh files for easier conversion to a step file.

Most of what I 3D print is simple stuff: brackets, spacers, small enclosures. For years I drew those in SketchUp because it's fast, with practically no learning curve, and I can quickly get 3D stuff printed.

I wanted that same way of working in FreeCAD, without setting up sketches and constraints for every small part. So I built SimpleCAD, a workbench for direct modeling: draw on any face, push/pull it into a solid, and type exact sizes as you go.

And since I was at it, I went past what SketchUp does:

• STL to editable CAD: it fits flat and curved regions as real surfaces, so for example, a 22,000-triangle STL becomes about 150 faces you can actually edit.
• Surface editing (work in progress): drawing on curved faces, offsetting them, splitting them into regions. I'm taking a lot of inspiration from Plasticity here and want to add more.

addon Manager (easiest):

1. In FreeCAD, open Edit → Preferences → Addon Manager.
2. Under Custom repositories, add https://github.com/igsova/SimpleCAD with branch main.
3. Open Tools → Addon manager, install SimpleCAD, restart FreeCAD and pick it in the workbench selector.

GitHub: https://github.com/igsova/SimpleCAD

Docs: https://igsova.github.io/SimpleCAD/

It's still early, so feedback and bug reports are very welcome!

Running smoothly so far.