FreeCAD Managing Expectations/de

Zweck
Diese Wiki-Seite ist für neue FreeCAD-Nutzer gedacht, die von anderen CAD/CAM-Anwendungen kommen.

Opening statement
Many hobbyists, freelance designers and small businesses often seek refuge from the high costs and licensing restrictions of commercial software, or perhaps you merely choose FreeCAD because you believe in the philosophy behind FOSS. In either case, WELCOME! There are many users, just like you who have successfully made the transition to FreeCAD for their personal and professional needs. This wiki page is designed to help set you on the path to success and establish some realistic expectations while diving into the FreeCAD Way, which is most likely quite a bit different from what you may have grown accustomed to with other popular CAD software.



Was kann ich erwarten?
Im Kern ist FreeCAD ein leistungsfähiger parametrischer Modellierer. Sein Konzept basiert auf der Verwendung von modularen Arbeitsbereichen, wobei jeder Arbeitsbereich für bestimmte Aufgaben und Funktionen verantwortlich ist. Dieses Konzept ist sehr flexibel und kann für viele Zwecke erfolgreich eingesetzt werden. FreeCAD wird aktiv weiterentwickelt, produktiv eingesetzt und ist ziemlich stabil; aber wie jedes andere CAD-Programm ist auch FreeCAD nicht zu 100% stabil.

Wenn man von einem anderen CAD-Programm kommt, muss man sicherlich seine Arbeitsabläufe anpassen, einen Workaround anwenden oder ein Makro benutzen, aber in vielen Fällen wird man erreichen, was man möchte. Und wenn man Hilfe braucht: Wir haben ein sehr aktives und hilfsbereites Forum. Und unter den Mitgliedern im Forum sind auch viele (ehemalige) Anwender anderer CAD-Programme. Es gibt keinen Grund zu zögern, diese Quelle anzuzapfen.



Wie kann ich unterstützen?
Es gibt viele Wege: Man kann spenden, bei Fragen im Forum helfen, die Dokumentation ergänzen oder Programmieren. Siehe Hilf FreeCAD.

Official

 * This Wiki
 * The Help Forum
 * Workarounds for known problems

Un-official
The following YouTube Channels have reasonably good quality content focused around FreeCAD (it is recommended to ignore any tutorials based on version 0.17 or earlier):
 * MangoJelly Solutions (several beginner, intermediate and advanced video playlists)
 * Joko EngineeringHelp (intermediate/advanced videos)
 * Brodie Fairhall (A couple of videos helping Fusion 360 users transition to FreeCAD)
 * And more...

"Can FreeCAD do XYZ?"
FreeCAD already has the ability to do the following types of work:
 * Spline-based parametric modeling using the Part, Part Design and Sketcher workbenches
 * Surface/Curves modeling using NURBS
 * Mesh import/modifications
 * Assembly simulation (3 different approaches, A2+, ASM3, and ASM4, are all actively developed)
 * Architectural/BIM design
 * Mechanical Stress Analysis (FEM/FEA)
 * Computational Fluid Dynamic Analysis (CFD)
 * Technical Drawings/Drafting
 * And more core and external workbenches...

"User interface (UI/UX) is ugly, odd, confusing or not like XYZ Software!"
FreeCAD allows for extensive customization of the user interface. While we realize the default colors or arrangement of elements may not be pleasing to everyone, we encourage you to tailor it to your own specific needs and work-flows. If you feel you've come up with what could be a popular arrangement/theme/customized toolbars etc. please feel free to look into leveraging the recently added Preference Pack feature and share it with the community. Perhaps your efforts will help someone else in their transition to FreeCAD. FOSS software thrives on all sorts of community contributions and this is a common topic of discussion.

"Why doesn't this feature work like in XYZ software?"
FreeCAD has a development pedigree spanning over 20 years. Functions and behaviors are heavily reviewed, debated and assessed before they are added or changed. Have an open mind, while it may not be apparent, there is likely a very good rationale behind such things. This isn't to say that FreeCAD is perfect, but please consider that what you've grown used to may not be the only or best way to get something done.

"I can't figure out the workflow of FreeCAD!"
FreeCAD has a philosophy to not dictate 'how' you use it. Rather it provides tools and a wide array of options under which you 'can' use them. This means two things. First, the software isn't going to necessarily 'guide' or 'steer' you toward a certain style or workflow. Second, this means you can experiment with the tools and find what works best for you. This doesn't mean there aren't general 'best practices' to keep in mind while using FreeCAD, but those best practices generally apply to any professional design software when creating stable models.

"What the heck is with all these workbenches?"
One of the powerful features of FreeCAD is it's modularity. This is done by compartmentalizing tool development into workbenches. Once you are familiar with the tools provided they can often work synergistically to create highly complex and advanced models. A great analogy is that FreeCAD is structured similar to a mechanics rolling tool-chest, and each workbench is a drawer of specific tools. You can use these tools to build a car, but it is up to the mechanic to understand how to use them to accomplish their goal.

"FreeCAD is fundamentally broken, my models blow-up!"
FreeCAD is built around an open-source Geometric Modeling Kernel called "OpenCascade Technology" (or OCC). It is the most feature rich and mature open source modeling kernel available. However it does have bugs, quirks and limitations. One of these is referred to as the "Topological Naming Problem" (or TNP). Whenever a model is modified, the internal names of faces and edges are changed by the kernel causing undesirable behavior for any model features that reference them. The current development cycle is focused around implementing a naming algorithm designed to mitigate this effect under most circumstances. However, be aware that TNP mitigation is not a replacement for good modeling practice and techniques.



OpenCascade-Kernel
OpenCascade (OCC) is an external CAD kernel that FreeCAD is utterly dependent on. There are many open 'upstream' bugs that the FreeCAD community has identified and tracks regarding OCC. See:
 * Bugtracker
 * OCC Bugs in the Bugtracker (forum thread)



Verweise

 * Discussion: FreeCAD is not ready for 1.0 (forum thread)
 * Why the GIMP Team Obviously* Hates You (*We Actually Love You. **Mostly) Pat David from GIMP team presentation at SCaLE16x California 2016
 * Earning Your Support Instead of Buying it: A How-to Guide to Open Source Assistance by Ian Turton at FOSS4G Seoul 2015