FreeCAD Blog By MangoJelly Solutions

 A follow-up post on using the radial menu. I’ve been using the radial menu button on the mouse in FreeCAD, and before diving into my views so far, I want to discuss some additional configurations I’ve added. Along with setting up the Sketcher workbench, I also configured the Part Design workbench and added four tools—three from Part Design (New Sketch, Pad, and Loft) and one from the Draft workbench (Clone—not to be confused with the Part Design Clone, which is a very different tool). The Clone tool wasn’t available in the radial menus, as the menu seems to restrict itself to the workbench you’re currently in. However, you can set up key shortcuts, although most 3D packages require a sequence of key combinations that can’t be entered into a single shortcut field. This is where the radial menu shines. It allows you to create and assign macros to a button. This is achieved by supplying each key press, along with a custom millisecond pause, to build a flow. In my case, I was able to ...

  Let’s explore how we can use the mouse with FreeCAD. I decided to set it up for sketching. While I know I can use shortcuts, not everyone can remember the many key combinations. Clicking the menu button in the middle of the mouse while in the Sketcher opens the radial menu. This menu is customizable—simply select "Properties" to tailor it to your needs. Notice how the menu defaults to FreeCAD, the application you're currently using. The software intelligently switches between the applications you have running. Interestingly, it even detected Screenpresso, the tool I use for taking screenshots. This made documenting the process a bit tricky—after taking a screenshot, the mouse would switch to configuring Screenpresso instead of FreeCAD. Clicking on the buttons takes you directly to the configuration section for the specific part of FreeCAD you're working in—in this case, the Sketcher. This is where you can configure the radial menu and other mouse buttons. In tr...

I’ve completely dropped the ball on this one! The kind folks at 3Dconnexion sent me their mouse and device, and I’ve only managed to make two posts about it. So, what happened? Well, most of my work is done on a laptop in the living room. Even though I have a dedicated office, I rarely use it. I made a couple of posts when I first received the device, but I quickly got frustrated with how long it was taking me to learn how to use it, not just that but it was causing me pain in my shoulder? which I found out the reason why (explained later). But, I could of still reviewed the mouse! Eventually, I slipped back into my usual routine, laptop, sofa, touchpad. I’ve been dealing with some health issues that I’m hoping to overcome this year. Specifically, I’ve been struggling with sciatica in both legs. What I thought was helping—working on the sofa in a soft, comfortable nest—has actually been making things worse. I barely move from that spot, which only aggravates my condition. With the new ...

As you’ve probably seen from my Twitter posts, I recently started my journey with the SpaceMouse. I began with the initial setup a couple of days ago, and today I’m attempting to get it working with FreeCAD. I’m sharing my thoughts in real time as I go, so you’re getting my reactions as I discover how this new technology works. Each session lasts around 30-45 minutes. Currently, I’m still on Windows, and I noticed that a small 3Dconnexion Home window appears every time I turn on my laptop. I initially missed the “show at system startup” checkbox, so I unchecked it to prevent this pop-up. 3Dconnexion provides a knowledge base article on SpaceMouse settings for FreeCAD, but it only covers versions up to 0.21.2, and there doesn’t seem to be anything specific to FreeCAD v1 (RC) yet. Here’s the link: 3Dconnexion SpaceMouse Settings for FreeCAD . To get started, I powered on the SpaceMouse, opened FreeCAD v1 RC2, and loaded the BIM example found on the start page to explore the settings. Sur...

This diary entry will be followed by a video once I have the device set up and running, but for now, I’d like to share my learning journey with the device for anyone who is new to it. I have been given a 3Dconnexion SpaceMouse Wireless Kit 2 to test out with FreeCAD! 3Dconnexion reached out and asked if I’d like to try it, provide feedback, and incorporate it into my channel. My channel focuses on teaching FreeCAD, and I typically use a standard input device since it’s the norm for most viewers. However, I’ve always wanted to create a dedicated space to explore more professional tools and alternative input methods, like trackballs, graphics tablets, and now the SpaceMouse. When you reach the stage of using FreeCAD regularly for work or complex designs, it’s helpful to have coverage on tools that can enhance the experience. Additionally, with my other channel, MJ3D Solutions, which focuses on other 3D tools (currently Blender and CAD Sketcher), I think this device could be a worthwhile ...

This macro will take the selected objects i.e. a number of seperate extrudes that you have ctrl selected from screen, and export them out as individual step files into your chosen directory.  A demonstration of this macro can be found on my youtube channel  https://youtu.be/IapVaYQWN2M . To use the macro take a copy of the below text. from PySide import QtGui folder = str(QtGui.QFileDialog.getExistingDirectory(None, "Select Directory")) a = Gui.Selection.getSelection() count = 0 import ImportGui options = None if hasattr(ImportGui, "exportOptions"): options = ImportGui.exportOptions(".step") for b in a: objs = [] objs.append(b) file = folder+"/"+str(count)+".step" ImportGui.export(objs, file, options) count = count + 1 Load freeCAD and from the top menu select macro > macros.  You will see the Execute Macro popup. Click on the create button and give your macro a name in the popup that follows. Click OK.  A new window will ap...

Reference image for the video tutorial FreeCAD: Picture Frame / Tray Tracing, Modelling, Assembly . This image is loaded in through file > import (FreeCAD v0.21 and above) or via the image workbench (FreeCAD v0.20 and below and some earlier development versions of 0.21)

Learning how to turn real life objects into CAD Models. Using FreeCAD we explain at a beginner level how to break down a physical object into its primitive shapes to digitise it into a 3D model, with this episode we are looking at a multi-part assembly, modelling each piece individually. The series aims to open your eyes and mind giving you the ground skills to pick the correct profiles, geometry and workflow when it comes to modelling your parts. This is not just for FreeCAD but for all CAD packages out there. Part  1 ,  2 ,  3  and  4  have been released.  Part 5 will be coming soon. Part 4: Click here for video

Learning how to turn real life objects into CAD Models. Using FreeCAD we explain at a beginner level how to break down a physical object into its primitive shapes to digitise it into a 3D model, with this episode we are looking at a multi-part assembly, modelling each piece individually. The series aims to open your eyes and mind giving you the ground skills to pick the correct profiles, geometry and workflow when it comes to modelling your parts. This is not just for FreeCAD but for all CAD packages out there. Part  1 ,  2 ,  3  and  4  have been released.  Part 5 will be coming soon. Part 3: Click here for video