FreeCAD Blog By MangoJelly Solutions

In my 'Lofting Ribs with just two profiles: Part Loft Method' I went into detail how to create multiple profiles from two profiles and a single loft. The trouble is that if we want to lighten the profile we had to do this by creating separate sketches and lofts which were cut away from the loft. We are going to explore a shortcut which allows us to do this all in one go; the curves workbench multi loft tool. Let's take two profiles. Note compared to the previous tutorial all the lighting of the profile has been done in one sketch. We need to create a face from the sketch. Jump over to the part workbench and select one of the sketches and click top menu > part > make face from wires. You will see a face added to the treeview. Repeat for the other sketch. Jump over to the Curves workbench and ctrl select both faces. Click on the top menu > surfaces > multiloft. Our loft is complete and ready for cutting as in my 'Lofting Ribs with just two profiles: Part ...

Introduction to Lattice Workbench: Polar Array - Build a Parametric “Snowflake” One of the more advanced workbenches for manipulating objects into arrays and paths, the Lattice Workbench can be a tricky tool for the beginner. Using the workbench is quite complex due to the sheer amount of tools and features and the way you have to select sometimes three or more objects in a certain sequence before applying an action. Tools that allow you to split an array across a path, create a parametric collection etc the Lattice workbench is a powerful weapon. It even holds tools found on the draft workbench such as upgrade and downgrade but offers a parametric alternative. If you want a good example of how FreeCAD can perform parametric modeling then this tutorial which blends the tool with other workbenches will open your mind to the possibilities. As a side note the Lattice workbench is not just for circular patterns, it's for repeating patterns no matter what the shape. Whether it is ...

Lattice2 : Replicates a Part Design feature at every placement (Basic Pattern Approach) Lattice2 has a tool that is dedicated to creating part design patterns. This tool replicates a part design feature at every placement and creates it as a feature on your part design model. There are two approaches to this and we are going to first look at the basic approach. The other approach requires placement and a second sketch of right angle guides to place the pattern at the desired locations. To use this tool we will take a part design body. And add a feature, let say a latch. Jump over to the Lattice2 workbench and. Now hide the features that created the latch by moving up the treeview until the latch disappears. We need to find the feature that gives us a single edge to repeat the feature across. Select the edge (you can see it highlighted in green). create a Linear array on the top edge by clicking the top edge of the model and clicking on the top menu > lattice2 > linear arra...

FreeCAD stores user settings in configuration files that are often hidden from plain view. If your FreeCAD setup becomes unstable, like toolbars disappearing, settings not saving, or weird startup behavior, resetting these files can help return the program to its default state. This guide will walk you through how to reset your FreeCAD preferences on Windows and other platforms, plus how to move them between installations. 🔧 What Are FreeCAD Configuration Files? FreeCAD saves custom settings like: User interface layout (toolbars, themes) Recently opened files Preferences and tool configurations These are stored in small files called user.cfg and system.cfg . Sometimes, these files can get corrupted after updates or crashes. 💥 When Should You Reset FreeCAD Settings? You might want to reset your settings if: FreeCAD doesn’t open correctly Menus or workbenches are missing Custom UI changes have broken something You're troubleshooting a weird bugs Backup...

A Follow-Up on Using the Radial Menu with My 3Dconnexion Mouse in FreeCAD I’ve been using the radial menu button on my 3Dconnexion mouse in FreeCAD, and before diving into my overall impressions, I want to share 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 initially available in the radial menus since the menu restricts itself to the workbench you’re currently in. While you can set up key shortcuts, most 3D packages require sequences 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 by programming each key press along with custom millisecond pauses to build a flow. In my c...

  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...