External workbenches

Introduction
External workbenches are those created by power users which haven't been integrated into the main FreeCAD source code.

Most extensions can be installed from the Addon Manager (menu ). If there are specific instructions for using these workbenches, these should be noted in each workbench's home page.

These workbenches aren't supported by the main FreeCAD development team, so they aren't tested to work with every version of FreeCAD. Questions, bug reports, and improvement requests should be made directly to the authors of the particular workbench.

The lists in this page are organized in topics, but not all of them are available in the Addon Manager. See external workbench list for an alphabetic list of those workbenches that really appear in the Addon Manager.

Architecture and construction

 * Civil Engineering is a proposed workbench that intends to combine and develop different tools of interest to civil engineers, including those working with road engineering, terrain topology and geographic data.

Assembly and animation
assembly workbenches are generally incompatible with each other. If you create an assembly with one of these workbenches, you should stick to the original workbench, and not use another assembly workbench in the same document.

Pseudo-assembly
These workbenches don't use constraints to keep relationships between parts, but simply re-position the parts in space.

Parts

 * parts_library (github link) is an extension that downloads a library of parts in Step format or in FreeCAD format  that can be imported into a FreeCAD document. Users can contribute content to this library by forking the repository, adding their own parts under a permissive CC-BY 3.0 license, and submitting a pull request to merge the new objects.
 * pcb (github link) is a workbench that allows the user to import and create printed circuit boards (PCB) in FreeCAD. It supports layers, colors, transparencies, importing Step and Iges models, and displaying holes and vias.
 * Pyramids and Polyhedrons Workbench or Pyramids_and_Polyhedrons (github link) is a workbench for generating pyramids and polyhedrons, fully scalable and usable like standard Parts.
 * reconstruction (github link) provides utilities to reconstruct models from images.
 * retr3D (github link) is a framework designed to model and manufacture 3D printable parts starting from electronic waste, in order to build more 3D printers. The intention of this project is to recycle e-waste, promote 3D printing, especially in developing economies, and in this way reduce the amount of waste that goes to landfills. Using locally built, and inexpensive 3D printers could also be a way of localizing manufacturing, thus stimulating the local economy of these regions.
 * Silk is a collection of NURBS surface modeling tools focused on low degree and seam continuity. Silk is the new name of the NURBSlib-EVM project.
 * SlopedPlanesMacro (github link) allows you to build figures controlling the slopes of the faces of objects.
 * symbols_library (github link) is an extension that downloads a library of SVG symbols that can be used in FreeCAD, particularly in the TechDraw Workbench to produce technical documentation. Users can contribute content to this library by forking the repository, adding their own symbols under a permissive CC-BY 3.0 license, and submitting a pull request to merge the new objects.
 * ThreadProfile (github link) allows to easily create parametric 2d thread profile object compatible in Part and Part Design workbenches.

Deprecated extensions

 * Assembly2 provides tools to create multi-part assemblies. It is unmaintained since 2016. Consider using A2plus instead.
 * cura_engine (github link) is an extension that integrates CuraEngine into FreeCAD in order to facilitate gcode generation for 3D printing. This addon is unmaintained since 2014 and no longer works with recent versions of CuraEngine.
 * Drawing Dimensioning adds powerful dimensioning and annotation tools to the Drawing Workbench. It was deprecated in FreeCAD 0.17. Consider using TechDraw Workbench instead.
 * NavigationIndicator (github link) is an extension that adds an indicator for the mouse navigation style in the status bar. Since FreeCAD 0.17 this extension is obsolete, as the indicator is included natively in FreeCAD.
 * persistenttoolbars (github link) is a small extension to keep the toolbars in their locations. Since FreeCAD 0.17 this extension is obsolete, as the functionality is included natively in FreeCAD.
 * pluginloader (github link) is a small extension that allows the user to install macros, external workbenches, and other extensions in FreeCAD. Since FreeCAD 0.17 this utility is obsolete, as this functionality is already provided by the Addon Manager.

Translating external workbenches
See the wiki page for more information Translating an external workbench

Missing documentation
TODO:
 * EaglePCB_2_FreeCAD