FreeCAD Guide (version 0.

17)

This document is a collection of notes on the operation of the open-source, 3-D design and analysis
software package, FreeCAD, which is available for download at
https://www.freecadweb.org/wiki/Download . Extensive documentation is available on-line, but I found
the need to keep a growing set of notes on how I performed various operations and reached certain
objectives. FreeCAD is a very big and growing package, and it is a challenge to keep everything learned
in one’s head while learning new features. The following notes apply to the Windows operating system,
but they should be similar on a Mac or Linux.

Open FreeCAD either from the task bar or the desk top icon. The executable is \Program Files\FreeCAD

0.17\bin\FreeCAD.exe Choose one of the “Recent Files” to open or open a new document

with “New” from the “File” menu or the new file icon . After opening a new document, select
either the “Part” or “Part Design” workbench with the top-center pulldown menu. The “Part”
workbench contains a number of pre-defined 3D objects (box, sphere, cone, cylinder, etc.) while “Part
Design” allows the creation of more complex parts by extruding 2-D sketches.
Note that when a workbench is selected, the title of the sixth, top-row, pull-down menu from the left
changes to the name of the selected workbench.

This pull-down menu then lists the available functions/options available in that workbench. Each of
these options corresponds to an icon on the bottom row of icons just above the drawing/work area. In
the pull-down list, if there’s an arrow ( > ) to the right of an item, hover the mouse over the arrow to see
icon sub-options. Dwelling the cursor over any icon in the FreeCAD window will show a brief description
of that icon’s function. Note, that the number of icons in the bottom icon row, just above the blue
graphics area, may be fewer than the number of items in the pull-down menu. Left-click on the double
arrow ( >> ) at the right end of the icon row to see and select the hidden icons. If an icon has a
downward pointing arrow next to it, left-click on this arrow to see sub-options for this icon.

After opening a new document and the sketcher with in the Part Design workbench, select a 2D
plane on which to sketch, say the XY plane, and click OK. You will then see a “Combo View” panel and
“Tasks” subpanel with a few grid options for guiding your sketch. The defaults ae usually fine.

------------------- Aside ---------------------

The “Model” subpanel of the Combo View shows the tree of objects in your project model beginning
with the “Body” of your object. Left clicking on the “Body” entry in the tree will show the properties of
your model in the sketch. Initially, there will be few properties. There are two subpanel tabs at the
bottom of the Combo View, “View” and “Data” that allow you to control your sketch with numerical
parameters. This gives you more precise control of your sketch than might be possible with the mouse
cursor. Use the scroll bar on the “Property” table to see all the table contents. Clicking on a table entry
allows you to change a parameter value. You can turn the Combo View on or off from the main screen
“View” pull-down menu, the “Panels” selection, and clicking on the “Combo View” item. There will be a
check mark next to active panels.

Note that there is a “Sketcher” workbench, but opening the sketcher from the Part Design workbench
lets you transfer a 2-D sketch directly into the 3-D part environment when the sketcher is closed.

FreeCAD very often gives you several ways to do the same thing to your model, and you are free to
develop your own style. This can be both liberating and somewhat overwhelming. It’s easy to forget
how you last successfully performed a sequence of operations. The only antidote is lots of experience
on useful projects – small ones at first. “Trial, error and experience” is a perfectly valid and efficient way
to learn a complex environment.
---------------- End of aside -------------------

Back to the sketcher in the Part Design workbench… Draw a large rectangle in the middle of the
sketcher area. Then draw a circle in the center of the rectangle with a diameter of about 1/3 of the
rectangle’s small dimension. Close the sketcher in the combo view. This will turn off the sketch grid and
transfer the sketch to the 3-D part environment.

Click on the “Pad” icon , which will extrude the sketch in the coordinate orthogonal to the sketch
plane and open a new combo panel. In the combo panel enter the extrusion length, say 5 mm, and click

“OK”. Then click on the “axonometric” view icon, , to show a 3D view of the extruded object. Click

the ‘Fits whole content…’ icon to resize the 3D view. This should show a block with a hole through
it. Hold the shift key down , hold down the right mouse button, and move the mouse to turn the 3-D
object on the screen.