From FreeCAD Documentation
Introduction
The goal of this article is to list the most important 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.
Missing features in the Sketcher
No. |
Missing feature |
Workarounds
|
1 |
Auto snapping to objects (midpoints, center points, quadrants, extensions, intersections) |
- manually applying constraints and using construction lines
- drawing in Draft Workbench where snapping to objects is available, then converting with Draft2Sketch tool
|
2 |
Chamfer tool |
- making chamfers on part level (after extrusion)
- adding fillet, turning it to construction geometry and then connecting the points with line to create a chamfer
|
3 |
Circular pattern |
- creating circular patterns on part level (after extrusion)
|
4 |
Offset tool |
|
5 |
Rotate tool |
|
6 |
Scale tool |
|
7 |
Adaptive dimension constraint |
|
8 |
Inputting coordinates and dimensions on go (when drawing an object) |
|
9 |
Tangency to B-spline edge |
|
10 |
Checking geometric and mass properties of the sketch (area, center of mass, second moments of area and so on) |
|
11 |
Possibility to use the results of the External Geometry tool directly for operations on the sketch |
- outlining the geometry created by this tool
|
12 |
Projecting multiple edges at once with the External Geometry tool when a face is selected |
- projecting edges individually
|
13 |
3D sketches |
- Draft Workbench but 3D drafts can’t be converted to sketches (however, they can be used for spatial frame analyses done internally or externally and for sweep paths)
|
14 |
Projection of cut edges when making a sketch on a plane cutting through the model |
|
15 |
View section tool showing filled cuts (not hollow ones) - directly related to the Clipping plane tool issue |
|
Missing features in the Part and Part Design workbenches
No. |
Missing feature |
Workarounds
|
1 |
Checking geometric and mass properties of the model |
|
2 |
Clipping plane that doesn't make the model look like it's hollow |
- changing lighting in part’s view settings to one side (very rough equivalent, problem with multicolored parts)
- Persistent section cut tool - deselect all planes before pressing Close, doesn’t work for intersecting parts in assemblies
|
3 |
Creation of an axis on the intersection of 2 planes and a plane midway between two faces/points, possibly more variants for datum creation |
- more manual datum creation
|
4 |
Automated midsurface extraction (for thin-walled parts) |
|
5 |
Projecting (mapping/wrapping) sketches on non-planar (e.g. cylindrical) faces |
|
6 |
Support for multiple solids within a body |
- creating a separate body for each solid
|
7 |
Selecting which part of the sketch to pad |
|
8 |
Fillets and chamfers that can consume adjacent faces/edges |
- making fillets with a slightly smaller radius (e.g. 6.4999 instead of 6.5 mm)
|
9 |
Parametric curves |
|
10 |
Cosmetic threads |
- modeling true threads, for holes those can be generated automatically using Hole tool
|
11 |
Partitions (splitting surfaces and volumes with sketches and datum planes while keeping the number of parts unchanged) |
|
12 |
Guide rails for Additive Pipe and Additive Loft or their equivalents in the Part Workbench |
|
13 |
Twist for Additive Pipe or Part Sweep |
|
14 |
Bending existing parts |
|
15 |
Pattern along a curve |
|
16 |
Cut scope - cut tools affecting only selected part of the model |
- different order of operations and using boolean cut on extruded bodies
|
17 |
Merging adjacent faces |
|
18 |
Hole tool using points from sketches |
- drawing circles for the Hole tool
|
19 |
Datum points from coordinates |
- basing datum points on existing geometry
|
Missing features in the TechDraw workbench
No. |
Missing feature |
Workarounds
|
1 |
Advanced section views (half, broken out, offset and aligned sections) |
- using the Slice apart tool to physically cut the model and creating its view
|
2 |
Surface quality annotations |
- importing symbols created in external software (e.g. Inkscape) and saved to svg format
|
3 |
Auto diameter dimension on side views |
- manual addition of the diameter symbol
|
4 |
Sketching in drawings |
- cosmetic line tools, limited
|
5 |
Shaded views in drawings |
|
Missing features in the FEM workbench
No. |
Missing feature |
Workarounds
|
1 |
Beams with arbitrary cross-section |
|
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 |
|
4 |
Applying torque to any surface |
- Transform constraint (only for circular faces)
|
5 |
Defining rigid bodies and virtual elements |
|
6 |
Advanced material models (hyperelasticity, creep and so on) |
|
7 |
Composite shells |
|
8 |
Simple creation of node and element sets |
|
9 |
CalculiX keyword editor |
|
General missing features
No. |
Missing feature |
Workarounds
|
1 |
Official assembly module |
- three different addon assembly modules
|
2 |
Improved appearance/rendering of 3D models |
|
3 |
Status bar instructions (“Now pick this …”) for many tools that would benefit from having them (e.g. Sketcher constraints) |
|
4 |
Consistent selection order - some tools require the user to pick the geometric entity first while others allow selection after enabling the tool |
|
5 |
More GUI customization options - pie menus, different icon styles and themes and so on |
- various customization packages created by community
|
6 |
Selection filter (picking only faces, edges, points and so on) |
- manual selection of proper geometric entities
|
7 |
Assembly module with an option to constrain parts to the origin and to datums |
|
8 |
Transform tool with an option to move and rotate with respect to edges and global coordinates |
- Manipulator add-on workbench
|
9 |
More texturing options |
|