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Extruding a square is exactly the same as SolidWorks though? You sketch a square on any plane, then extrude it (they call it the "pad" tool instead of "extrude

Extruding a square is exactly the same as SolidWorks though? You sketch a square on any plane, then extrude it (they call it the "pad" tool instead of "extrude" but otherwise it's identical). I think the only thing FreeCAD users have to know, which SolidWorks users don't, is that there is a "Part Design" workbench where this SolidWorks-style workflow is located. There are also many other workbenches for other things like drafting, architecture, or CSG, and it's not immediately obvious which workbench you want to choose for the SolidWorks-style experience.

Sophira 5y ago
I've only just begun using FreeCAD (and CAD in general, especially parametric CAD), but one of the problems I've seen when sketching on a plane has been the topological naming problem[0]. I don't know how it's changed since 0.19, but basically, making changes to your model after sketching on a plane can cause the sketch to anchor to another plane instead. I was fist introduced to this problem in a video[1] made by Flowwie, who makes some fantastic introductory videos for FreeCAD. I'd strongly suggest watching it, because this isn't something the tutorial on the wiki[2] warns you about. Flowwie goes on to suggest an alternate method of working around this problem which works by using reference measurements (measurements within a sketch that aren't specified, but calculated for use in other sketches). [0] https://wiki.freecadweb.org/Topological_naming_problem https://wiki.freecadweb.org/Topological_naming_problem [1] https://youtube.com/watch?v=FVKhejma69U https://youtube.com/watch?v=FVKhejma69U [2] https://wiki.freecadweb.org/Creating_a_simple_part_with_PartDesign https://wiki.freecadweb.org/Creating_a_simple_part_with_Part... [edit: I accidentally linked to a video I didn't mean to link to! This one is the one I intended.]
- jbay808 5y ago
  A fix is in progress -- developer realthunder has submitted a patch last year to solve the topological naming problem, and you can try it in their development branch.
IshKebab 5y ago
> they call it the "pad" tool instead of "extrude" but otherwise it's identical They call it something Illogic and non-standard which means you have to Google it but otherwise it's identical! To be honest extruding a square was meant to be an exaggerated example but it sounds like it wasn't such an exaggeration!
- jbay808 5y ago
  You don't have to google it. First of all, "pad" is not illogical, and it's arguably a more familiar word to non-native speakers than "extrude". Secondly, the tool's icon looks just like an extruded cube, so it's what you're likely to reach for first if you're just experimenting for the first time. It's also right next to the revolve tool, just like in SolidWorks. When you click on it you'll immediately see a preview of the extruded cube that you expected, so you did the right thing. And lastly, if the name of the pad tool bugs you a lot, you can submit a patch.
serf 5y ago
>You sketch a square on any plane, then extrude it (they call it the "pad" tool instead of "extrude" but otherwise it's identical). yeah , but that's exactly the complaint; a lexicon of terms is required to use FreeCAD whenever you're accustomed to (any) of the industry standards. I hop between F360 and SolidWorks routinely with little issue, FreeCAD is always the odd one that requires searching. I want to like FreeCAD; I keep trying it every year. I hate the anti-user tactic of Autodesk and I hate the cost of SolidWorks -- but it hasn't reached parity yet for my uses.

Sophira 5y ago

I've only just begun using FreeCAD (and CAD in general, especially parametric CAD), but one of the problems I've seen when sketching on a plane has been the topological naming problem[0]. I don't know how it's changed since 0.19, but basically, making changes to your model after sketching on a plane can cause the sketch to anchor to another plane instead. I was fist introduced to this problem in a video[1] made by Flowwie, who makes some fantastic introductory videos for FreeCAD. I'd strongly suggest watching it, because this isn't something the tutorial on the wiki[2] warns you about. Flowwie goes on to suggest an alternate method of working around this problem which works by using reference measurements (measurements within a sketch that aren't specified, but calculated for use in other sketches). [0] https://wiki.freecadweb.org/Topological_naming_problem https://wiki.freecadweb.org/Topological_naming_problem [1] https://youtube.com/watch?v=FVKhejma69U https://youtube.com/watch?v=FVKhejma69U [2] https://wiki.freecadweb.org/Creating_a_simple_part_with_PartDesign https://wiki.freecadweb.org/Creating_a_simple_part_with_Part... [edit: I accidentally linked to a video I didn't mean to link to! This one is the one I intended.]

jbay808 5y ago
A fix is in progress -- developer realthunder has submitted a patch last year to solve the topological naming problem, and you can try it in their development branch.

IshKebab 5y ago

> they call it the "pad" tool instead of "extrude" but otherwise it's identical They call it something Illogic and non-standard which means you have to Google it but otherwise it's identical! To be honest extruding a square was meant to be an exaggerated example but it sounds like it wasn't such an exaggeration!

jbay808 5y ago
You don't have to google it. First of all, "pad" is not illogical, and it's arguably a more familiar word to non-native speakers than "extrude". Secondly, the tool's icon looks just like an extruded cube, so it's what you're likely to reach for first if you're just experimenting for the first time. It's also right next to the revolve tool, just like in SolidWorks. When you click on it you'll immediately see a preview of the extruded cube that you expected, so you did the right thing. And lastly, if the name of the pad tool bugs you a lot, you can submit a patch.

serf 5y ago

>You sketch a square on any plane, then extrude it (they call it the "pad" tool instead of "extrude" but otherwise it's identical). yeah , but that's exactly the complaint; a lexicon of terms is required to use FreeCAD whenever you're accustomed to (any) of the industry standards. I hop between F360 and SolidWorks routinely with little issue, FreeCAD is always the odd one that requires searching. I want to like FreeCAD; I keep trying it every year. I hate the anti-user tactic of Autodesk and I hate the cost of SolidWorks -- but it hasn't reached parity yet for my uses.