TechDraw Templates
Description
Every TechDraw page is based on a Template object. The Template controls paper size and contains fixed text graphics and text, for example, a page frame or border.
The Template can also contain editable text fields for attributes like Title, Subtitle, Author, Date, Scale, Weight, Drawing number and Sheet.
Templates are SVG files which can be created and modified outside of FreeCAD, with an application such as Inkscape.
Properties
- DataOrientation: Portrait or Landscape.
- DataWidth: Paper width in mm.
- DataHeight: Paper height in mm.
- DataPage Result: A copy of the original Template file including all changes to editable texts. This allows users who may not have a copy of the Template file to see the Page as intended. Not typically useful for end users.
- DataTemplate: a) A pointer to the copy of the original Template file which is incorporated into this *.FCStd file, or b) a filepath to a template accessible on the current machine. Use the file selection ellipsis (...) to change to a different template.
Select a different template file
To select a different template for a drawing:
- Locate the desired Page object in the Tree view.
- Expand the Page node if necessary.
- Select the Template object.
- In the Property editor click in the DataTemplate property field.
- Press the ... (ellipsis) button that appears.
- A file dialog opens the folder the current template is located in. If the Page was created in the current FreeCAD session this will be the default template folder (as set in the TechDraw Preferences).
- Optionally browse to another folder.
- Select a different template file.
- Press the OK button.
If you have modified a template file and want to update a Page created in the current FreeCAD session that uses this template, temporarily select a different file first, and then select the modified file again.
Custom Templates
A limited number of pre-formatted templates in various standard page sizes are included with FreeCAD. These are found in
$INSTALL_DIR/Mod/TechDraw/Templates/
Where $INSTALL_DIR
is the directory where FreeCAD was installed, for example
/usr/share/freecad/Mod/TechDraw/Templates/
Custom templates can also be specified as a default in the TechDraw Preferences.
See also How to make a custom TechDraw template, or, if you prefer script generated templates, TechDraw TemplateGenerator and Macro TemplateHelper.
Notes
- TechDraw Templates are not entirely interchangeable with Drawing Templates. In general, Drawing templates will work in TechDraw, but there may be problems with editable text.
- Svg transform clauses will cause problems in custom templates. See a Stackoverflow discussion on removing transform clauses in SVG files.
- The xml:space="preserve" clause sometimes causes problems with text size and positioning. It is best to avoid/remove this clause from your custom template's SVG code.
- Templates work best when they contain no extraneous SVG code (called "garbage SVG" by some). There is a good article on removing garbage from SVG here. The article is in Russian.
- Pages: Insert Default Page, Insert Page using Template, Redraw Page, Print All Pages
- Views: Insert View, Insert Active View, Insert Projection Group, Insert Section View, Insert Complex Section View, Insert Detail View, Insert Draft Workbench Object, Insert Arch Workbench Object, Insert Spreadsheet View, Move View, Share View, Project Shape
- Stacking: Move view to top of stack, Move view to bottom of stack, Move view up one level, Move view down one level
- Clips: Insert Clip Group, Add View to Clip Group, Remove View from Clip Group
- Decorations: Hatch Face using Image File, Apply Geometric Hatch to Face, Insert SVG Symbol, Insert Bitmap Image, Turn View Frames On/Off
- Dimensions: Insert Length Dimension, Insert Horizontal Dimension, Insert Vertical Dimension, Insert Radius Dimension, Insert Diameter Dimension, Insert Angle Dimension, Insert 3-Point Angle Dimension, Insert Horizontal Extent Dimension, Insert Vertical Extent Dimension, Link Dimension to 3D Geometry, Insert Balloon Annotation, Insert Axonometric Length Dimension, Insert Landmark Dimension, Adjust Geometric References of Dimension
- Annotations: Insert Annotation, Add Leaderline to View, Insert Rich Text Annotation, Add Cosmetic Vertex, Add Midpoint Vertices, Add Quadrant Vertices, Add Centerline to Faces, Add Centerline between 2 Lines, Add Centerline between 2 Points, Add Cosmetic Line Through 2 points, Remove Cosmetic Object, Change Appearance of Lines, Show/Hide Invisible Edges, Add Welding Information to Leader, Add Surface Finish Symbol, Add Hole or Shaft Tolerances
- Extensions:
- Attributes and modifications: Select Line Attributes, Cascade Spacing and Delta Distance, Change Line Attributes, Extend Line, Shorten Line, Lock/Unlock View, Position Section View, Position Horizontal Chain Dimensions, Position Vertical Chain Dimensions, Position Oblique Chain Dimensions, Cascade Horizontal Dimensions, Cascade Vertical Dimensions, Cascade Oblique Dimensions, Calculate the area of selected faces, Customize format label
- Centerlines and threading: Add Circle Centerlines, Add Bolt Circle Centerlines, Add Cosmetic Thread Hole Side View, Add Cosmetic Thread Hole Bottom View, Add Cosmetic Thread Bolt Side View, Add Cosmetic Thread Bolt Bottom View, Add Cosmetic Intersection Vertex(es), Add Cosmetic Circle, Add Cosmetic Arc, Add Cosmetic Circle 3 Points, Add Cosmetic Parallel Line, Add Cosmetic Perpendicular Line
- Dimensions: Create Horizontal Chain Dimensions, Create Vertical Chain Dimensions, Create Oblique Chain Dimensions, Create Horizontal Coordinate Dimensions, Create Vertical Coordinate Dimensions, Create Oblique Coordinate Dimensions, Create Horizontal Chamfer Dimension, Create Vertical Chamfer Dimension, Create Arc Length Dimension, Insert '⌀' Prefix, Insert '〼' Prefix, Remove Prefix, Increase Decimal Places, Decrease Decimal Places
- Export: Export Page as SVG, Export Page as DXF
- Additional: Line Groups, Templates, Hatching, Geometric dimensioning and tolerancing, Preferences

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