Freecad 0.21.2

[WobblyHand]

I am becoming a bit more comfortable with working in the program.
My biggest problem comes when tools go missing from my tool bar..........like PAD and POCKET go away,
and I do not as yet understand how come they do that, or how to get them back........

Sometimes the SKETCH icon is gone............
I keep re-watching the early lessons and can't seem to translate them into use......

Can you explain "where you are" when the tools go missing?  Hard for me to understand what is happening.  Some buttons are context sensitive, they come and go depending on what you are doing.  If you are in sketcher mode, pad and pocket will not be present.  Pads and pockets are 3D concepts, not 2D, which is the mode during sketcher.

Please don't get irritated with me, I'm trying to help, but it's unclear to me what is happening.  Can you do a screen capture when something is gone and post it?

Now, I have to admit, I messed up the configuration once and had to reset all of FreeCAD.  That's pretty drastic, as it totally blows away all of your customization.

[Ronno6]

No irritation on my part.......
I will re-examine my steps... I may still be in sketcher mode...I forget to right click to exit the current tool....

Thanks!

[WobblyHand]

It's great that you have a good attitude about asking for help online.

On a different forum, not airgun related, was trying to help someone.  They got bent out of shape because we asked for pictures of their set up.  Don't really know why, but that fellow felt like we thought he was an idiot.  Gentleman withdrew and left the thread, without getting any help.  We didn't think the person was an idiot, but just someone who had a problem to solve.  But that guy had preconceived notions that the issue was X, and didn't want to take the time to tell us the essential background information.  It was his loss.

It's my experience that photos or screenshots reveal more of the underlying issues than verbal descriptions.  I often use the expression, "help us help you by posting pictures".  Sometimes it leads to sidetracks and dead ends, but most often it helps folks converge on the issues and solutions.

All of the above is not directed at you, but is based on my experience both learning machining and helping others to learn.  Similarly for me learning CAD.  There's no question too dumb to ask.  If you ask and learn something from it, your question was successful.

 I don't profess to be any kind of expert or know the answers, but will try to help the best way I can.  If I don't know, I'll tell you that.  If it's a technical question, or a bug, I'm willing to post it on the FreeCAD forum for you, or you can do that yourself.

CAD was a struggle for me, it took a while to learn the basics.  Then one day it started to make sense.  So it's normal for it to be tough sledding for a while.

[HunterWhite]

I have used cad programs in the past. I didn’t like autocad, but I found Solidworks impressive. It was much easier to do the simple stuff that I did.  I downloaded the 0.19, no joy. I downloaded 1.0 it’s much better.
Ronno, you are right, sometimes the task window just disappears, with no apparent way to get it back.
I have noticed that the sketcher does have a “leave sketch” icon, but “leave sketch” is not in the drop down menu. I haven’t learned how to edit the menus yet. It doesn’t come up if I “right click” when a menu or sub menu.


I am just trying to draw a disk with a subtractive center cylinder, and 4 through holes between the center cylinder and the outer limit.


I have started over many times because the undo doesn’t place me back to where I was before.


You are also right about mono-Tony’s voice inducing zzzzzzzzzzz




Hunter


p.m.s. ( I mean p.s. )
I have a new I-phone, it is a total pain to use compared to my old galaxy S9.

[TorqueMaster]

Just curious if any of you have tried TinkerCAD?  tinkercad.com
3D solid modelling, simple but effective interface.

No doubt FreeCAD will blow it out of the water if you need to do really complicated/high precision stuff, but for most of what I've seen here, TinkerCAD could knock it out very quickly.  It's good to 0.01mm, which is quite adequate for anything going to a 3D printer. 

[WobblyHand]

Speaking only for myself, I've only tried FreeCAD.  I've heard that Tinker CAD is easy to get going with, but limited.  That might not be the case though. 

But, since I put in the time to learn FreeCAD, don't really see the need to try something else.  It was a tough ramp up to speed for me to learn it, but really the main thing was to put in enough un-interrupted time to learn the basics.  After that, it was just practice.  Since then I've done over 200 designs, so I've gotten used to it.  I use FreeCAD to model stuff for me to machine, as well as doing 3D prints.  I did a partial model of my lathe so I could figure out how to add and electronic lead screw to it.  That was really helpful, my machined parts all fit, and everything lined up.  Printed up some brackets to hold the read heads on the DRO that I installed. 

Nowadays, it's mostly AG stuff.  Moderator adapter, SSG for my 2240, occasional moderator or shroud, things like that.  It's not beautiful stuff, (not that good of an artist) but it is all functional.

[HunterWhite]

Thank you very much Bruce, Bob and Ron. I started down this path to try to create a drawing of a little widget for the air rifle that I could send to a machinist. I now think that it may have been easier to carve it with an exacto knife. L.o.l


I will endeavor to persevere!


Now whwew in creation is that "how to" video?

[WobblyHand]

Thank you very much Bruce, Bob and Ron. I started down this path to try to create a drawing of a little widget for the air rifle that I could send to a machinist. I now think that it may have been easier to carve it with an exacto knife. L.o.l


I will endeavor to persevere!


Now whwew in creation is that "how to" video?

It takes a while to become proficient in many things.  Anyways, here's a view of the SSG model I made.  I could have made it without any CAD, but it was fun to stretch my (limited) skills.

[HunterWhite]

Nice Bruce.


F.Y.I. I used long brake line fittings for the bolt with the through hole.


Hunter

[WobblyHand]

Nice Bruce.


F.Y.I. I used long brake line fittings for the bolt with the through hole.


Hunter

Thanks. 

I made the "bolt" from a piece of 12L14 hex stock, and machined it round.  Then I drilled a hole through and reamed it to 3/16".  After that, the threads were single pointed to 3/8"x24 on the lathe.  Pretty much machined everything, rather than using bolts, using what stock I had.  Bought the spring at the hardware store though.  I don't know how to wind my own springs yet.

[TorqueMaster]

Bruce,
I respect your taking the time to learn the more traditional CAD, in the long run you can do a lot more.  Tinkercad is somewhat limited -- but still quite capable.  On your SSG, only the threaded rod would be a challenge in Tinkercad -- but I could import that from a McMaster-Carr STL file and knock it out.  Or just simulate it with an unthreaded rod if it's not critical for prototyping the project part dimensions.

Hunter, I wish I could make a short video of how easy it is in Tinkercad to plop down a cylinder, size it, plop down another hole cylinder on the same center to core the first one, and add 4 more hole cylinders to make your through holes.  Done.  No offense intended when I add that elementary kids use Tinkercad.

The downside is you now have an object you want, and a few filetypes to download it in (obj, stl, glb), but not a traditional dimensioned drawing to send off -- Tinkercad doesn't do that. 

I used to use Autocad, but so infrequently, it was very frustrating.  Much like trying to remember how to use MS Word -- I spend more time googling how to do things than actually doing them.  Wordpad for the win 99% of the time.  I feel like I'm insulting Tinkercad, comparing it to Wordpad, but it's a pretty good analogy. 

[WobblyHand]

There's many ways to skin a cat.  That being said, I wanted to learn CAD, something that wasn't limited.  So that's what I did.  It took me three weeks to learn.  And I can (and have) done finite element analysis with it.  Others may be able to get by with lesser tools.  What ever works for you is good.

I want to be limited only by my imagination. I want to be able to do more sophisticated things with the tool.  Might not succeed, (due to my limitations) but I want to at least be able to try.

Perhaps someone can tell me if TinkerCAD can do multi-start threads?  I'd like to try that sometime.

I can do Hunter's kind of thing in a couple of minutes, using a couple of different methods.  It's not hard (to me) because I've internalized the tool's basics.  "Stuff is usually hard when you don't understand something."  I suspect a couple of misconceptions could be cleared up to help people, but at the moment, I don't know what the issue is.  The model I posted with slots and holes in it took me about a minute to make.  I don't want to come across as a knowitall, not my intent.  It was hard for this old dog to learn, but well worth while.  Just some basic concepts that you have to know - pretty much like any program that you have to use.

[TorqueMaster]

Perhaps someone can tell me if TinkerCAD can do multi-start threads?  I'd like to try that sometime.

Yes, but no.  As far as I know that specific object does not exist.  There is an adjustable screw thread object with a trapezoidal cross-section, and I can place 2 180 degrees apart, so that looks like a yes.  You'll need to know your dimensions -- it does not have a library of thread types.  If you already have an STL of your threads, it can be imported.  You could create a thin disk, with the exact contours you want, duplicate it, raise it one thickness, and rotate it the degrees appropriate for that height change, and repeat a multitude of times (literally hit the repeat button, and it duplicates, raises, and rotates same as was done the previous one.)  That would be inefficient, and somewhat faceted, but if fine enough, at the 3D print level the facets would smooth out.

It also has codeblocks for parametric design -- I'm pretty sure that was used on the screw threads mentioned above -- very powerful, but I've not needed to learn how to create them, just use pre-fab ones sometimes.

[WobblyHand]

As far as I know there isn't a multi-start thread object in FreeCAD, but all this stuff is pretty easy to implement.  For normal screws, I just pick a screw from the fastener workbench, although sometimes I just make one from a helix. 

I create a profile, like an ISO vee, or acme, or trapezoidal and tell the helix how many turns and what the pitch is.  Then I select the helix and click polar pattern, which 1) keeps the original helix and 2) creates as many copies as I like at whatever angular rotation I select.  It's easier than that, you just say how many helices you want total.  So 4 would give you a 4 start thread.  The helix can be additive or subtractive, which is kind of neat.  Polar pattern works on pockets (holes) or pads. 

FreeCAD also supports parametric design.  I added a spreadsheet to one of my designs and FreeCAD automatically updates the model with whatever is in the spreadsheet which is very nice indeed.  You can also write scripts in python to automate stuff, but I haven't done that yet.  I've written a lot in python, (wrote radar simulations) but haven't figured out how to work with it in FreeCAD.

In the end, it's what you get used to.  I somewhat "get" FreeCAD at this point, so I continue to use it.  If you are productive in a different tool, keep using it.

[Ronno6]

I'll try this:
The current state of my spacer drawing...
The two small wings at the top are actually upper corners of a rectangle that I want to "pocket" into the circle (actually a solid cylinder.)
But, I can't locate the POCKET tool.....

I want that to be a groove down the side........

What am I not doing??

[WobblyHand]

What version are you running?  0.21.2 or 1.0.0?
In 1.0, it's Under the Tasks window, Modeling Tools, right under Pad.  I just so happened to have 1.0 open.  For 0.21.2 I need to open up a file.

[WobblyHand]

In 0.21.1 (that's my older version) its in the Combo View under tasks.

Sketch tools
Create sketch
Pad
Pocket
...

[WobblyHand]

@Ronno6
Ok, you have 1.0.  When you finish your sketch, there are some tools.  What I don't see on your display is the Tasks Panel.

You can make that visible by going to View > Panels > Tasks
The default view of FreeCAD includes this.

When you click your notch or key sketch, then the Tasks Panel should be visible.  Then click Pocket.  HTH.
The Tasks Panel is context dependent.  If a sketch is selected in the tree, then all the valid options are displayed in the task panel.

[Ronno6]

Just not there........part of my frustration

[WobblyHand]

You can make that visible by going to View > Panels > Tasks

Tasks should be checked.  If it is checked, then the panel is underneath your panel on the left hand side, or minimized somewhere.