Workarounds
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Introduction
The goal of this article is to list some currently missing features in FreeCAD and provide workarounds for them. It can be helpful for new users who can't find a particular functionality in FreeCAD.
Workarounds for the Sketcher Workbench
No. | Missing feature | Workarounds |
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1 | Auto snap to objects (midpoints, center points, quadrants, extensions, intersections) |
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2 | Chamfer tool |
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3 | Circular pattern |
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4 | Offset tool |
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5 | Rotate tool |
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6 | Scale tool | |
7 | Adaptive dimension constraint |
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8 | Input coordinates and dimensions on the go (when drawing an object) |
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9 | Tangency to B-spline edge |
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10 | Check geometric and mass properties of the sketch (area, center of mass, second moments of area and so on) |
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11 | Possibility to use the results of the External Geometry tool directly for operations on the sketch |
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12 | Project multiple edges at once with the External Geometry tool when a face is selected |
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13 | 3D sketches |
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14 | Projection of cut edges when making a sketch on a plane cutting through an object | |
15 | View section tool showing filled cuts |
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16 | Rectangle from 3 corners and rectangle from 3 points by center tools |
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17 | Diameter dimension with respect to a symmetry axis for revolved parts |
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18 | Curved slot tool |
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Workarounds for the Part Workbench and Part Design Workbench
No. | Missing feature | Workarounds |
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1 | Check the geometric and mass properties of the model |
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2 | Display the center of mass of the model (part or assembly) | |
3 | Clipping plane that doesn't make the model look like it's hollow |
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4 | Creation of an axis on the intersection of 2 planes and a plane midway between two faces/points, possibly more variants for datum creation |
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5 | Automated midsurface extraction (for thin-walled parts) |
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6 | Project (map/wrap) sketches on non-planar (e.g. cylindrical) faces |
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7 | Support for multiple solids within a body |
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8 | Select which part of the sketch to pad |
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9 | Fillets and chamfers that can consume adjacent faces/edges |
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10 | Variable radius for the PartDesign Fillet tool |
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11 | Parametric curves | |
12 | Cosmetic threads | |
13 | Partitions (splitting surfaces and volumes with sketches and datum planes while keeping the number of parts unchanged) |
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14 | Guide rails for Additive Pipe and Additive Loft or their equivalents in the Part Workbench |
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15 | Twist for PartDesign AdditivePipe or Part Sweep |
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16 | Bending existing parts |
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17 | Pattern along a curve |
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18 | Cut scope - cut tools affecting only selected part of the model |
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19 | Merging adjacent faces |
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20 | Hole tool using points from sketches |
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21 | Datum points from coordinates |
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22 | A tool for automatic creation of ribs (structural reinforcements) |
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23 | A tool for automatic creation of domes |
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24 | Extending faces up to other faces (useful e.g. when extracting midsurfaces, as mentioned above) |
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25 | Part Measure tool for radius or diameter measurement |
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26 | Fuzzy versions of Part Boolean operations (possibility to specify a tolerance for boolean union and other operations) |
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Workarounds for the Draft Workbench
No. | Missing feature | Workarounds |
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1 | Snap to apparent intersections of curved edges, perpendicular extensions, arc extensions, geometric centers and tangent points |
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2 | Keyboard shortcuts for Draft Snap tools |
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3 | Automatically change the colors of objects back to 'normal' when removing them from the construction geometry group |
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4 | An option to quickly switch between the three main working planes and their projections at the selected point (for 3D drafting) |
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5 | Remove one arrow from a radial dimension |
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6 | AutoCAD-like command line input |
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7 | Hatch a region enclosed by wires |
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Workarounds for the TechDraw Workbench
No. | Missing feature | Workarounds |
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1 | Broken out and rotated/removed section views |
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2 | Auto diameter dimension on side views |
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3 | Manually add geometry to generated views |
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4 | Shaded views in drawings |
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5 | Ordinate dimensions |
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6 | Broken (interrupted) views |
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7 | Exclude ribs from hatching |
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8 | Export of TechDraw pages as PDF without making the text from the template (path text) unmarkable/unsearchable. |
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9 | Box selection of TechDraw objects |
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10 | Modify regular and section views using sketching tools |
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11 | Auxiliary views |
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Workarounds for the FEM Workbench
No. | Missing feature | Workarounds |
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1 | Beams with arbitrary cross-section |
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2 | Pressure load on shells, distributed load on beams | |
3 | Support for multiple meshes and thus possibility to define contact between touching (not separated) faces |
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4 | Apply torque to any surface |
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5 | Define rigid bodies and virtual elements |
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6 | Advanced material models (hyperelasticity, creep and so on) |
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7 | Composite shells |
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8 | Simple creation of node and element sets as well as surfaces |
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9 | CalculiX keyword editor that can fold data lines and allow changes not only right before running the analysis |
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10 | Meshing with hexahedral elements |
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11 | Analyses with 2D (plane stress, plane strain, axisymmetric) elements |
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12 | Multistep analyses (e.g. preload for frequency/buckling analysis) |
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13 | Box selection of geometric entities for constraints |
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General workarounds
No. | Missing feature | Workarounds |
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1 | Official assembly workbench |
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2 | Improved appearance/rendering of 3D models |
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3 | Status bar instructions (“Now pick this …”) for many tools that would benefit from them (e.g. Sketcher constraints), more informative tooltips | |
4 | Consistent selection order - some tools require the user to pick the geometric entity first while others allow selection after enabling the tool |
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5 | More GUI customization options - pie menus, different icon styles and themes and so on |
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6 | Selection filter: picking only faces, edges, points and so on |
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7 | Advanced selection tools: selection by angle, inverting selection, selecting inside faces and so on |
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8 | Assembly workbench with an option to constrain parts to the origin and to datums |
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9 | Transform tool with an option to move and rotate with respect to edges and global coordinates |
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10 | More texturing options |
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11 | View normal to a face (useful for creating specifically aligned views in TechDraw) |
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12 | Highlight only the individual PartDesign feature in the 3D view when the corresponding operation is selected in the Tree view |
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13 | Select only the individual PartDesign feature in the Tree view when a corresponding element is selected in the 3D view. |
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14 | Freeform modeling |
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15 | Assembly component generators and calculators for: bolted and riveted connections, shafts, splines, keys, cams, gears (spur, bevel, worm), bearings, springs, belts and chains, pins, o-rings |
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16 | A tool for kinematic analysis on properly constrained sketches | |
17 | GD&T directly on 3D models - MBD approach |
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