Sketch
Introduction
In FreeCAD the word "Sketch" is normally used to refer to a Sketcher SketchObject (Sketcher::SketchObject
class) that is defined by the Sketcher Workbench. This is a 2D drawing that uses mathematical constraints to describe 2D geometry precisely.
See Sketcher SketchObject for more information about this type of object.
Usage
There are two common ways to create a Sketch: using the Sketcher Workbench directly, or through the PartDesign Workbench.
Sketcher Workbench
- Switch to the
Sketcher Workbench.
- Press
Sketcher NewSketch.
PartDesign Workbench
- Switch to the
PartDesign Workbench.
- Press
PartDesign Body.
- Press
PartDesign NewSketch.
After you finish editing the sketch, close it to go out of edit mode. Double click on it to enter edit mode again.
Notes
A Sketch is very commonly used in conjunction with the PartDesign Workbench to create solids by extrusion, using the
PartDesign Pad operation.
Nevertheless, a Sketch can always be created by itself for any other purpose; it does not have to be tied to a PartDesign Body. For example, the Arch Window tool of the
Arch Workbench uses Sketches to define the shapes of windows and doors; in the same way, they can be used to define the shape of
Arch Walls.
- General: Create sketch, Edit sketch, Map sketch to face, Reorient sketch, Validate sketch, Merge sketches, Mirror sketch, Leave sketch, View sketch, View section, Toggle grid, Toggle snap, Configure rendering order, Stop operation
- Sketcher geometries: Point, Line, Arc, Arc by 3 points, Circle, Circle by 3 points, Ellipse, Ellipse by 3 points, Arc of ellipse, Arc of hyperbola, Arc of parabola, B-spline by control points, Periodic B-spline by control points, B-spline by knots, Periodic B-spline by knots, Polyline, Rectangle, Centered rectangle, Rounded rectangle, Triangle, Square, Pentagon, Hexagon, Heptagon, Octagon, Regular polygon, Slot, Fillet, Corner-preserving fillet, Trim, Extend, Split, External geometry, Carbon copy, Toggle construction geometry
- Sketcher constraints:
- Geometric constraints: Coincident, Point on object, Vertical, Horizontal, Parallel, Perpendicular, Tangent, Equal, Symmetric, Block
- Dimensional constraints: Lock, Horizontal distance, Vertical distance, Distance, Radius or weight, Diameter, Auto radius/diameter, Angle, Refraction (Snell's law)
- Constraint tools: Toggle driving/reference constraint, Activate/deactivate constraint
- Sketcher tools: Select unconstrained DoF, Select associated constraints, Select associated geometry, Select redundant constraints, Select conflicting constraints, Show/hide internal geometry, Select origin, Select horizontal axis, Select vertical axis, Symmetry, Clone, Copy, Move, Rectangular array, Remove axes alignment, Delete all geometry, Delete all constraints
- Sketcher B-spline tools: Show/hide B-spline degree, Show/hide B-spline control polygon, Show/hide B-spline curvature comb, Show/hide B-spline knot multiplicity, Show/hide B-spline control point weight, Convert geometry to B-spline, Increase B-spline degree, Decrease B-spline degree, Increase knot multiplicity, Decrease knot multiplicity, Insert knot, Join curves
- Sketcher virtual space: Switch virtual space
- Additional: Sketcher Dialog, Preferences, Sketcher scripting
- Core: App DocumentObject
- Basic: App FeaturePython, App GeoFeature, Part Feature, Mesh Feature, Fem FemMeshObject
- Internal shapes: Part TopoShape, Mesh MeshObject, Fem FemMesh
- Structure: App DocumentObjectGroup (Std Group), App Part (Std Part), App Link (Std LinkMake)
- Derived: Part Part2DObject, Sketcher SketchObject, PartDesign Body, PartDesign Feature

- Getting started
- Installation: Download, Windows, Linux, Mac, Additional components, Docker, AppImage, Ubuntu Snap
- Basics: About FreeCAD, Interface, Mouse navigation, Selection methods, Object name, Preferences, Workbenches, Document structure, Properties, Help FreeCAD, Donate
- Help: Tutorials, Video tutorials
- Workbenches: Std Base, Arch, Draft, FEM, Inspection, Mesh, OpenSCAD, Part, PartDesign, Path, Points, Reverse Engineering, Robot, Sketcher, Spreadsheet, Start, Surface, TechDraw, Test Framework, Web
- Hubs: User hub, Power users hub, Developer hub