Release notes 0.19

FreeCAD 0.19 was released on March 20th, 2021, get it from the Download page. This is a summary of the most interesting changes. The complete list of changes can be found in the MantisBT bugtracker FC 0.19 changelog.

Older FreeCAD release notes can be found in Feature list.



Simpson and Shipton short stroke steam engine circa 1845, using horizontal rotating piston, by "un1corn", Users Showcase.

General
With more than 8128 commits in the master branch since the 0.18 release, this is one of the most extensive releases ever, with several new components like the new "App::Link" object, as well as many new tools in the TechDraw Workbench that make FreeCAD even more powerful for 3D solid modelling and assembly. Beside that, the FreeCAD ecosystem has continued to grow with more specialized external workbenches.

Python 3 and Qt5
The effort to migrate from Python 2 and Qt4 to Python 3 and Qt5 is essentially complete and most developers have moved to the Python3/Qt5 toolchains.

Undoubtedly there are unforeseen bugs; these will be addressed as they are reported. Any existing dependence on Python 2 or Qt4 will not be supported beyond 1st January 2020 when Python 2 officially became unsupported by the Python Foundation. Please note that certain addons have not been ported yet to Python3/Qt5. This may be due to several reasons including lack of time by their developers, or broken dependencies that may not be easily fixed, or simply because the addon is considered obsolete. Individuals interested in the migration of a particular workbench or tool are encouraged to participate in the FreeCAD forum; see also, Python3 and Qt5 Compatible Addon Workbenches (in preparation for 0.18).

Some issues
Fixed issue with Std Part containers visibility when the viewport is displayed in full screen in Qt5:
 * Set for Qt 5.9 and above; forum discussion, commit 2a1dd8415, and commit 57b3ca6f77.
 * Disabled button support in  for Qt5 to avoid MDI view mode-related rendering artifacts; forum discussion, commit 960d612547.
 * Fixed bug in to avoid a crash when returning from full screen; forum discussion, commit c4e34ed9b.
 * Fixed issue #4088 about the visibility of the origin of a Part changing when undocking the 3D view; forum discussion, commit 1e19ef5be.
 * Fixed issue #3130 about Qt5 bugs when using a high resolution external monitor; forum discussion, commit 2f2d505359.

Development
To compile FreeCAD under Windows, there are different Libpacks (prepackaged libraries) available:
 * Libpack for Windows with Qt 5.12, OCC 7.3, and Python 3.6; forum discussion.
 * Libpack for Windows with Qt 5.12.6, OCC 7.4; forum discussion, pull request #2944.
 * Libpack 12.5.1 for Windows with Qt 5.15, OCC 7.5, and Python 3.8; forum discussion

Other development news:
 * There is a new Docker container to build FreeCAD, see Compile on Docker; forum discussion.
 * The infrastructure of the bug tracker as well as wiki was moved to a dedicated server, so that it is easier to manage by the project administrators; forum discussion.

Documentation

 * The Compile on Linux page was reviewed to better explain the requisites to compile on different Linux distributions. As many developers use Debian based systems, this section received the most attention. Users of other Linux distributions are encouraged to maintain the documentation for their particular distribution.
 * Compile on Windows was also rewritten to explain how to use the "LibPack" for compilation.
 * Compile on Docker was created to describe the compilation in this system.
 * The Source documentation page also received a clean-up to better explain how to produce the programming (API) documentation from C++ and Python sources.
 * The Doxygen page was reviewed and extended to give more details about the syntax that is used in C++ files to produce the programming documentation.
 * The Source code management page was also reworked with better descriptions and examples of using to manage branches and contribute code.
 * The External workbenches page was re-organized, so that all feature-rich, publicly available workbenches are listed. If you'd like to add a workbench to this page, showcase it in the forum, and provide supporting information like user manual, wiki pages, and a link to its repository. Then push for it to be included in the Addon Manager.
 * There have been improvements to the Tutorials and Video tutorials pages. In particular, it has been stressed to readers that they should consider only video tutorials that are made with versions 0.17 and above.

Known Limitations

 * Black screen due to video card drivers, while running FreeCAD inside a virtual machine; issue #3939.
 * Logitech Wingman USB joystick can cause erratic behavior when spinning and zooming in the view; forum discussion.
 * Gesture navigation is fully supported for Windows but yet to be maintained in Linux and MacOS. Problem: the developer, DeepSOIC, doesn't have a MacOS machine with its special trackpad, and hasn't tested it on Linux either; forum discussion.

App::Link and assembly


After 2.5 years in development, the "Link" object, or more formally App Link ( class), was introduced in FreeCAD. This is a special type of App DocumentObject with certain properties that will hopefully allow for doing assemblies easier.

An "App Link" allows objects to use another object's data, such as geometry or even their 3D visual representation, in the same or different files. It can be thought of as a thin, absolute clone, or as the same object living into two different "instances". Some functionality offered by an "App Link" is already present in some workbenches like Arch and BIM (clones, external references), but the "App Link" implementation is at the core level, and thus can be used by all workbenches in different ways.

The "App Link" component was thought and developed almost single-handedly by user. The motivations and design implementations behind this project are described in his GitHub page, Link. In order to accomplish this feature, several core changes to FreeCAD were made; these are also extensively documented in Core-Changes.

The history of "App Link" can be traced to some essential forum threads:
 * Why an object can only be inside one App::Part? (March 2017)
 * Introducing App::Link/XLink (March 2017)
 * Links (May 2017)
 * Realthunder Link implementation: Architecture discussion (June 2017)
 * PR #876: Link, stage one, context aware selection (July 2017)
 * Preview: Link, stage two, API groundwork (July 2017)
 * Assembly3 preview (December 2017)
 * Merging of my Link branch (June 2018)

Finally, the pull request and merge happened:
 * App::Link: the big merge, old thread (July 2019), pull request #2350 (the BIG merge), LinkMerge branch.
 * App::Link: the big merge, main thread (July 2019)
 * A simple path description of Link, 019, Link stage, Asm3, merge? (August 2019)
 * PR#2559: expose link and navigation actions, an introduction to the Link feature in 0.19 (September 2019).

The "App Link" object prepares FreeCAD for the phase that was scheduled to happen after the redesign of PartDesign in FreeCAD 0.17, which is working with assemblies.

Assembly3 is an assembly workbench written in Python by realthunder, that makes use of the "App Link" functionality. The workbench served as a testbed for this component during its development. While Assembly3 is still not officially part of FreeCAD, with the inclusion of "App Link" in the master branch, it is a matter of time for Assembly3 to be provided as an installable add-on, just like A2plus and Assembly4 are provided currently.

Core system, App, Base, and Gui namespaces
Beside the introduction of App Link, the "LinkMerge" branch also introduced some changes visible to the user with regards to object properties, expressions, visual selection, and the tree view. These are described in the Core-Changes page.


 * Added support for existing Python virtual environments; pull request #2021.
 * Pre-select name filter in the import/export dialog; forum discussion, commit e239994,
 * Fixed missing application ID and icon on GNOME/Wayland; pull request #2466.
 * Added support for Hertz as a physical unit, and added the Frequency property; forum discussion, commit 3500451a0, commit d7ca604c9.
 * Added Std TextDocument tool to insert an object to store arbitrary text in the document; commit 13db5b0560, commit 53b01f08f9.
 * Added support for further units, Gauss, Weber, Oersted; forum discussion, pull request #2863.
 * New commands to get information on the graphical commands, and the shortcuts;, , ; forum thread, pull request #3710.
 * New glTF support (requires OCC 7.5.0) commit
 * New WebGL exporter pull request #4025

Arch Workbench
Keep with the latest developments to the Arch Workbench, and the BIM Workbench that depends on it, by following the main author of this workbench, at Uncreated. The updates are also posted to the forum, BIM/Arch development news articles from Yorik's blog.

The developers of Draft, Arch, and BIM Workbenches also collaborate with the greater OSArch community, with the ultimate goal of improving building design by using entirely free software.

Further Draft Improvements

 * The Draft Wire tool now is called "Polyline" in the menu, instead of "DWire"; all options and functionality remain the same, so this doesn't break compatibility; commit 39e748229e.
 * A "DraftEditPickRadius" preference was added to control the area of influence of the pointer when picking vertices in edit mode Draft Edit; forum discussion, pull request #2642, issue #4162.
 * Undergoing efforts to document the Python source code (adding complete docstrings), in order to produce better programming documentation that can be used by both users and developers. See Source documentation for instructions on generating the documentation with Doxygen.
 * The "Toolbar mode" when launching the Draft tools has been removed. This was an interface that was used in the past but became obsolete as the task panel became the predominant interface; forum discussion, pull request #2973.
 * now works with any document object, thanks to the new method introduced with the LinkMerge; pull request #3658.

Further FEM Improvements

 * The Elmer project has developed a library for handling batch type pre-processing for the ElmerSolver, using the FEM Workbench. This includes creating mesh objects for FreeCAD, manipulating the mesh sizes of solids, creating finite element meshes using Gmsh, running ElmerGrid and exporting the mesh for ElmerSolver, and selecting and naming bodies and boundaries for ElmerSolver; forum discussion, elmerfem repository (Elmer main repository), FreeCADBatchFEMTools repository (library to interact with FEM Workbench, LGPL 2.1).
 * The integration of the OOFem solver, which started in 2018, is progressing, so it is now another option that can be used for structural analysis in FreeCAD. This solver is interesting in that it has interface elements, as well as arc-length control, in addition to many non-linear material models. The integration of OOFEM into FEM has been carried in various commits that together serve as documentation on how to integrate similar solvers; forum discussion, femoofem branch, OOFEM main website, oofem repository (LGPL 2.1).
 * Updated coding standards that strive for PEP8 compliance with Python; forum discussion, commit ad03ee9bdf, commit 27cb54009b.

Import

 * Improved import/export compatibility with proprietary CAD systems, when using compressed STEP, or STPZ; forum discussion, pull request #2323, commit 7de89cf62e.

Further improvements

 * It is now possible to take an OpenInventor mesh file, and export it to STL; forum discussion, commit 601ac707b2.
 * It is now possible to export a Mesh to Asymptote format ; forum thread, commits 4badaba5, 50bbd522, 58a92681, dd7afa72, b0f78f5a.
 * Most tools of the Mesh Workbench now have a proper icon so it is easier to recognize the function in the menu and toolbars; forum thread, pull request #3816, #3864.

Further improvements

 * The dialog to edit Prisms allows now to specify an angle in respect to the normal of the chosen attachment plane. This way one can create skew prisms. Forum discussion, pull request #3793
 * New Face method: to cut holes into a face. The face usually needs to be validated after operation.
 * The App Link merge introduced two new commands, Part TransformedCopy and Part ElementCopy. These commands create non-parametric copies of a body with a transformed placement, and of an element (vertex, edge, or face); commit 6da72b9859. These operations essentially make the Macro Repro Wire obsolete.
 * It is now possible to set expressions for all parameters of primitives. commit dd4874d2 and commit 7405dd0e.
 * Fixed broken support for "INCH" units when exporting to STEP/IGES formats; forum discussion, commit 1b26173580.

Further improvements

 * The hole dialog has been overhauled to create norm-conform clearance and threaded hole dimensions.
 * It is now possible to set expressions for all parameters of additive and subtractive primitives. Forum discussion, pull request #3225.
 * It is now possible to set expressions for the attachment angles of additive and subtractive primitives. Formerly, expressions were only available for the direction offsets. Forum discussion, commit 1cfe6d2cc7.
 * It is now possible to change the list items in the different dialogs. For example in this forum post there is a god example why the item list matters for transformations. Here is another example for the sketch order for lofts. Forum discussion, pull request #3760, commit 94ca4388e.

Path Workbench

 * New Tool Management system (Toolbits) Wiki Page, forum discussion


 * Added Path DressupPathBoundary for excluding parts of a path


 * PathPocket: Extensions (For milling open pockets).
 * New unified Profile operation: The pre-existing Contour, Profile Faces, and Profile Edges of version 0.18.x are now combined into a single Profile operation. The new Profile operation maintains features and capabilities of the three individual source operations. forum discussion, pull request #3443.
 * Profile Edges: Open Edges support added. Note: The Profile Edges operation is now merged into the Profile operation. forum discussion, pull request #3068.
 * First attempt of 4th-axis support: Profile (limited to full contour and profiling of faces), PathPocket, and Drilling


 * Fixed issue #3993, Python 3 memory leak; forum discussion, commit 3c205946e.
 * Ability to use an arbitrary number of an object as the base model for a Path.Job, each one being positionable individually; pull request #2056.
 * PathDeburr: Added direction selection. Fixed DressupLeadInOut problem.
 * MillFace
 * Clear edges feature added.
 * Exclude raised areas feature added; forum discussion, pull request #2367.
 * Added `Face Region` option to boundary options. This allows the cutter to access areas smaller than cutter diameter, but physically accessible within the part geometry. forum mention, pull request #3534.
 * Adaptive Clearing improvements.
 * Adaptive can now use feature outline
 * 3D Pocket: Reduction of air-milling above inclined pockets; forum discussion, pull request #2366.
 * 3D Surface
 * Improvements to general surfacing algorithm.
 * Initial 4th-axis support; forum discussion, pull request #2114.
 * Selection of individual faces; forum discussion, pull request #2849.
 * Fixes to and addition of various cut patterns: Line, Circular, CircularZigZag, Offset, Spiral, ZigZag. pull request #3327 and other pull requests.
 * New operation: Waterline.
 * The independent operation was split from 3D Surface; forum discussion, pull request #3268.
 * Experimental algorithm added using a combination of Path.Area offsets of model cross-sections.
 * Post Processing
 * Update of Post Processors (GRBL, LinuxCNC, Centroid).
 * Mach3/Mach4 Post Processor; pull request #3195.
 * Support tool height offset in the LinuxCNC Post Processor; pull request #2479.
 * Task Panel for LeadInOut Dressup


 * New operation: Slot. Allows for creation of a horizontal slotting operation based on two custom points; the selection of one or more faces or edges; or the selection of two vertices. forum discussion, initial pull request #3624.


 * General:
 * Added cycle time calculations to operations and total cycle time to the job; forum discussion, pull request #3378.
 * Added ability to import Base Geometry from existing operations within the same Job; forum discussion, pull request #3537.
 * Added icons to section headings in the Tasks Editor window for Base Geometry, Depths, Heights, and Operation; pull request #3631.
 * Added support for conical entry helix in Adaptive Operation.
 * Prefernces to enable features which depend on openCAMLib
 * Prefernces to suppress common warnings


 * Job:
 * Added new group in Job to collect all ToolControllers
 * Support for gcode WCS (work coordinate system) offsets aka 'fixtures'
 * Gcode can be generated for any or multiple offsets
 * Output can be ordered by tool, operation, or fixture to minimize toolchanges or transit time.
 * Gcode can be split into multiple output files

Render Workbench
Added support for Blender's standalone "Cycles" renderer; commit 759067912f; FreeCAD-render repository. The Cycles standalone renderer usually needs to be compiled from source, as the binary is normally not provided by itself in a complete Blender distribution.

Besides this, the Render Workbench already has support for Pov-Ray, Luxrender and Appleseed.

Sketcher Workbench

 * It is now possible to decrease the knot multiplicity of B-Splines. commit fc89f4eb0.
 * The fillet tool preserves now all possible existing constraints of the touched lines. pull request #4296, forum discussion
 * New method to get the geometrical index of a sketch, ; forum discussion, pull request #3713.

Spreadsheet Workbench
The introduction of App Link also brought some improvements to the expressions capabilities of FreeCAD, which are visible in the property editor, and the Spreadsheet Workbench. These are described in Core-Changes and this forum thread.
 * A new expression syntax is introduced to unambiguously reference a property of the owner object, by omitting the object reference and starting with a leading dot, similar to Python relative import syntax. So instead of , now you can use.
 * You can refer to an object by its or by its . In the case of a, it must be enclosed in  and  symbols, such as . For example,.
 * Improved spreadsheet recomputation logic, and cell copy and paste functions. Pull request #2350, #2475.

The previous commits changed the way the autocompletion works with expressions, particularly when used with Sketcher constraints, which was seen as a regression for many use cases. A new set of commits were proposed to restore this functionality; forum discussion, pull request #3062.

Data entered into a cell is not tested anymore as an expression by default. Now an expression needs to start with an equal sign instead. Forum discussion, pull request #4215.

Further TechDraw Improvements

 * There has been discussions about changing the standard behavior of TechDraw. Instead of keeping the drawing pages updated automatically, they would be updated only on demand; this would mitigate the effects of TechDraw slowing down the rest of FreeCAD when modelling. Moreover, now that App Link is included in FreeCAD, TechDraw pages may be stored in a separate file, and loaded on demand; forum discussion (main discussion), forum discussion (alternatives).
 * Improvements on the handling of sectional views with TechDraw SectionView; Forum discussion, pull request #2737.
 * Fixed font size issues when exporting to SVG; forum discussion, pull request #2219.
 * Fixed regression in caption handling and hide caption property where not applicable; pull request #2228.
 * Added options for page size, line width and background when saving to SVG; this improves Draft/Arch and TechDraw integration; pull request #2455.
 * New panning of the page using the middle mouse button; forum discussion, pull request #2458.
 * Finer control of drawing updates; forum discussion, pull request #2468, commit 5bed53f858, commit b2d8eeeb65.
 * Also new TechDraw RedrawPage tool to force a drawing page update while ignoring the state of the options "Update with 3d", "Allow page override", or "KeepUpdated". This tool disappeared in 0.18, but was re-implemented for 0.19; forum discussion.
 * The new App Link object is now supported as a source for creating views; forum discussion, commit 37b578bf49.
 * The center marks created from circular edges, can now be printed; pull request #2335, #2962.
 * It is now possible to override displayed values for tolerances, for example to use text in tolerances. Furthermore, one can now use a custom display format for each, over- and undertolerance. pull request #4087
 * The LineGroup to set the default line widths for drawings can now be selected from the available groups in the preferences. pull request #4083

Web

 * QtWebEngine support for Qt 5.7 and above, and fallback to QWebkit for Qt 5.6 and below; pull request #1937.

Macros
See Macros recipes for many more macros.

Additional modules
these are the new workbenches created in this development cycle, or older workbenches that received updates. See external workbenches for more workbenches that can be installed, and which cover a wide variety of topics. If you want to see your workbench added, join the forum and present your code.