Making lines for construction on an imported sketch

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chrisb
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Re: Making lines for construction on an imported sketch

Post by chrisb »

You could probably gain nearly the same speed with FreeCAD, but you have to invest the time for learning. Excuse me for being frank, but at your assumed age this is not an easy task. Your SW knowledge may help in some places, but you have to be very open minded to let it not be a hindrance. So I would recommend to stick to your old PC and export your files from SW in step or additional other formats and make frequent backups. Start with FreeCAD if you really have to.
A Sketcher Lecture with in-depth information is available in English, auf Deutsch, en français, en español.
lesthegringo
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Re: Making lines for construction on an imported sketch

Post by lesthegringo »

***EDIT**** images not where they should be ****EDIT*****

I have been trying to work at this, using online tutorials, videos etc, but I'm perplexed by the seemingly illogical behaviour of the sketching.

Take the following example, where first I have two shapes, the outer a rectangle and the inner a square. I have set them as symmetrical about the origin
Image

I then add a fillet, but of course you don't know what size fillet you are adding - however it creates it, then completely blows the symmetrical relationship of the square.

Image

I then dimension the radius to the desired 5mm, and it completely changes the position of the square again

Image

Now, I know that there will be a way to redefine it all to reposition, but this is not sensible; all the other programs ask what radius, add the radius, and simply change the line length to compensate for the radius, leaving all the other geometry intact. Essentially with three clicks (one to select fillet, one to select the first line and another to select the second) the radius is correctly placed and all the rest of the relations compensated accordingly. If you have to change the desired radius it adds a couple of clicks, and a simple trim function will clean up.

If every time I add a fillet I am then going to have to go back and reposition, or add more relations between points and lines, I will never finish the sketch, let alone the part!

If there was a working way of importing the dxf files then I would forgo the sketch part entirely, but every dxf file I have tried so far gives errors, even though they worked perfectly with other 3D CAD programs (SW, Fusion360, CAMBAM). I have tried the draft2sketch thing, it just creates a load of individual lines or shapes that leave me with as much work to recombine as to try and draw from scratch.

Someone commented that people are expecting too much of the sketcher function, but frankly that a bit like having pedals and a steering wheel on a car that don't actually help control the car; they are a fundamental part of the function.

Sorry to sound so negative, but I really wanted to be able to learn FreeCad to be able to take my projects further, not completely relearn everything I have spent years learning about CAD.

Cheers

Les
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lesthegringo
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Re: Making lines for construction on an imported sketch

Post by lesthegringo »

chrisb wrote: Thu Nov 25, 2021 9:04 am You could probably gain nearly the same speed with FreeCAD, but you have to invest the time for learning. Excuse me for being frank, but at your assumed age this is not an easy task. Your SW knowledge may help in some places, but you have to be very open minded to let it not be a hindrance. So I would recommend to stick to your old PC and export your files from SW in step or additional other formats and make frequent backups. Start with FreeCAD if you really have to.
Thanks for your assistance on this, and I don't take offence; my age is what it is, and I know that the problems are not your fault, you are just trying to help with the issues.

I think you are right and that I should stick to what I know, and that's what I shall be doing .

However, a final word before I leave you; just because I am unable to learn it because of my age or whatever does not necessarily mean that the way FreeCad is set up is not without flaws. Many other sketching type programs exist that don't have the complications FreeCad have, maybe the developers could learn by looking at what is common and works well, because often the reason that they are common is exactly because they work well.

Cheers

Les
drmacro
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Re: Making lines for construction on an imported sketch

Post by drmacro »

There is no doubt there are plenty of things in FreeCAD that could be different.

On the other hand there is no impetus to be "like" other CAD software.

And I doubt your learning FreeCAD has anything to do with age...I'm ancient and I figured it out. :mrgreen:
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan: Spock: "...His pattern indicates two-dimensional thinking."
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adrianinsaval
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Re: Making lines for construction on an imported sketch

Post by adrianinsaval »

If you click on the fillet tool dropdown there's a constraint preserving fillet tool, that will probably be more comfortable to you. Considering the issue with solidworks I think you do need to try to learn a new tool, it may not have all the conveniences of solidworks but it's still very powerful and you won't need a new license ever.
And don't worry is not your age that makes you find FreeCAD's UX wonky, most of us are aware that it is in fact lacking in many aspects. Thank you for being respectful about your criticism and comparisons, sometimes with get some rude people that for some reason feel offended that FreeCAD is not like their favorite proprietary CAD, forgetting that they're getting it for free from volunteer coders.
Also, that's a nice simulator, did you build it yourself?
lesthegringo
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Re: Making lines for construction on an imported sketch

Post by lesthegringo »

Thanks, yes, this is the very product of my years with Solidworks - 95% of the gauges, switches and panels work and are properly interactive with the simulator software and display the 'real' information. Despite being a mechanical engineer I am actually able to program the Arduinos and design, make and construct the PCB's and gauges myself. I have to admit I even surprised myself with that.

I just tried the constraint preserving tool, and it works great - for three of the four radii. The fourth one then completely distorts the square, no matter how many times I try. Bizarre...

As for a comment of there being no impetus for FreeCad to be 'like' other CAD software, surely that should not be confused with a reason to continue with something that is not user friendly or properly functional. Not improving some flaw just to be different doesn't seem a good strategy. Yes, FreeCad is free and I am, despite my troubles with it, grateful that it exists; but if correcting flaws and improving usability attracts more users, that sounds better still.

Les
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Shalmeneser
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Re: Making lines for construction on an imported sketch

Post by Shalmeneser »

adrianinsaval wrote: Thu Nov 25, 2021 1:21 pm If you click on the fillet tool dropdown there's a constraint preserving fillet tool, that will probably be more comfortable to you.
v 0.20 ?
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Shalmeneser
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Re: Making lines for construction on an imported sketch

Post by Shalmeneser »

lesthegringo wrote: Thu Nov 25, 2021 2:06 pm ... something that is not user friendly or properly functional...
Other tools, other way of thinking or doing.
Knowing other CAD can sometimes hinder your progress because you tend to reuse wha you know.

Setting dimension then doing fillet will cause more problem that fillet then dimension. Experience will make choose the best (for you) order of construction.
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adrianinsaval
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Re: Making lines for construction on an imported sketch

Post by adrianinsaval »

lesthegringo wrote: Thu Nov 25, 2021 2:06 pm I just tried the constraint preserving tool, and it works great - for three of the four radii. The fourth one then completely distorts the square, no matter how many times I try. Bizarre...
how so? what constraints are you using? I had no trouble:
fillet.gif
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Shalmeneser wrote: Thu Nov 25, 2021 6:37 pm v 0.20 ?
it's in 0.19.2
drmacro
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Re: Making lines for construction on an imported sketch

Post by drmacro »

lesthegringo wrote: Thu Nov 25, 2021 2:06 pm ...
but if correcting flaws and improving usability attracts more users, that sounds better still.
An off repeated remark.

I am fully competent in SW, confusion360, AutoCAD, and a few others, yet these "usability" issues don't hinder me. It could be my long time use of FreeCAD and just I've learned my workflow to point they aren't required, or whatever. There are different ways to do things in all the aforementioned software and I just consider it part of the learning curve of each that I had to suffer through.

I think FreeCAD, with all the things people find lacking, is an amazingly powerful, free offering, produced by a handful of volunteers working in their spare time.

And why is there is no impetus to be like other software? There is no marketing plan or sales goals or even desire to increase user base size. And certainly not enough hands to tackle such goals.
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan: Spock: "...His pattern indicates two-dimensional thinking."
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