How to put a wire in a body?

Post here for help on using FreeCAD's graphical user interface (GUI).
Forum rules
and Helpful information
IMPORTANT: Please click here and read this first, before asking for help

Also, be nice to others! Read the FreeCAD code of conduct!
Pintuxgu
Posts: 25
Joined: Sat Oct 07, 2017 11:18 am

How to put a wire in a body?

Post by Pintuxgu »

I'm reconstructing a 3D object from flat DXF import files, and I'm having a lot of trouble with the draft workbench. Each workbench is a separate struggle to conquer for me.

I have: a DXF file with 4 lines and 4 arcs.
* Importing works as separate shapes.
* I can select the 8 shapes and upgrade them into a wire in the draft workbench.
* Then I switch to the part design workbench, and create a body, this creates a "Basefeature" in the body.
* Then I can pad the "Basefeature", but the "wire" is not a part of the "Body".

I would expect the wire to be inside the body. With a simlple thing as this it does not matter much, but as drawings become more complictated they turn into a mess.
Am I missing something obvious, or is this a bug?
box.png
box.png (245.2 KiB) Viewed 626 times
Attachments
Box.FCStd
(17.13 KiB) Downloaded 8 times
User avatar
onekk
Veteran
Posts: 6144
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2015 7:48 am
Contact:

Re: How to put a wire in a body?

Post by onekk »

Pintuxgu wrote: Wed Mar 22, 2023 3:27 pm ...
Search the Wiki for PartDesign WB and search official tutorial, you can't mix easily things as PartDesign is usually using Sketchs, and not wires (Draf WB wires?).

Regards

Carlo D.
GitHub page: https://github.com/onekk/freecad-doc.
- In deep articles on FreeCAD.
- Learning how to model with scripting.
- Various other stuffs.

Blog: https://okkmkblog.wordpress.com/
Pintuxgu
Posts: 25
Joined: Sat Oct 07, 2017 11:18 am

Re: How to put a wire in a body?

Post by Pintuxgu »

The next, and very much related issue is the second DXF file.
When imported, it is 80 shapes, I can upgrade them to 10 wires, but how do I make 10 pockets from this?
The final goal is to use the path workbench generate G-code for milling this out of some wood like material.
Box_02.png
Box_02.png (151.94 KiB) Viewed 597 times
I've attached the DXF files. They originate from a KiCad export. I am aware of the KiCad Stepup workbench, but do not want to use it for now.
I am also wondering whether the Draft workbench in FreeCAD is in proper shape and usable for things like this, or if it's a relic from the past.
Attachments
krimptang-User_8.dxf
(5.85 KiB) Downloaded 7 times
krimptang-Edge_Cuts.dxf
(1.42 KiB) Downloaded 8 times
User avatar
papyblaise
Veteran
Posts: 7869
Joined: Thu Jun 13, 2019 4:28 pm
Location: France

Re: How to put a wire in a body?

Post by papyblaise »

t is a constraint when you import a DXF you have to rebuild everything
one possibility is to use the Draft Wb "wire to skrtch" tool but the sketch created will have zero constraints, so not very usable except to constrain it manually
it is often faster to make sketches from zero with the image of the wire in the background
in the attached basic example, a rectangle with rounded corners is done with one mouse click
User avatar
Roy_043
Veteran
Posts: 8450
Joined: Thu Dec 27, 2018 12:28 pm

Re: How to put a wire in a body?

Post by Roy_043 »

papyblaise wrote: Wed Mar 22, 2023 3:50 pm will have zero constraints
This is not correct.
Pintuxgu
Posts: 25
Joined: Sat Oct 07, 2017 11:18 am

Re: How to put a wire in a body?

Post by Pintuxgu »

onekk wrote: Wed Mar 22, 2023 3:31 pm
Search the Wiki for PartDesign WB and search official tutorial, you can't mix easily things as PartDesign is usually using Sketchs, and not wires (Draf WB wires?).

Regards

Carlo D.
I've been using FreeCAD for some years now, and almost everything I did with it is creating sketches, padding them and putting the objects in a big tree with yellow "Parts" and blue "Bodies", and some of my drawings have 100+ objects. Reading the manuals is fine for filling in details, but I am struggling here with the general workflow from importing flat DXF files to reconstructing a 3D object.

I can upgrade things into sketches with the draft workbench. That would mean creating 10 separate sketches for the pockets. Is that supposted to be the general workflow?
(There are more DXF files, for milling things at different depths).
User avatar
papyblaise
Veteran
Posts: 7869
Joined: Thu Jun 13, 2019 4:28 pm
Location: France

Re: How to put a wire in a body?

Post by papyblaise »

When imported, it is 80 shapes/quote]
it is the materialization of what I said above
you redraw a pocket and use multitransform
the result will be much more precise and faster
User avatar
papyblaise
Veteran
Posts: 7869
Joined: Thu Jun 13, 2019 4:28 pm
Location: France

Re: How to put a wire in a body?

Post by papyblaise »

This is not correct.
yes you are right there are 12 there are only 16 to do manually
User avatar
onekk
Veteran
Posts: 6144
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2015 7:48 am
Contact:

Re: How to put a wire in a body?

Post by onekk »

Pintuxgu wrote: Wed Mar 22, 2023 3:56 pm ...
Ok agree.

I have seen that draft is not creating a proper sketch, I've had similar problem and I have rewrite some methods, but you have to make some constraints by hand, as FreeCAD could not guess what you have in mind.

if you have a wire you could use it to feed a Path WB operation without passing to a PD body as Path is accepting solids.

Regards

Carlo D.
GitHub page: https://github.com/onekk/freecad-doc.
- In deep articles on FreeCAD.
- Learning how to model with scripting.
- Various other stuffs.

Blog: https://okkmkblog.wordpress.com/
Pintuxgu
Posts: 25
Joined: Sat Oct 07, 2017 11:18 am

Re: How to put a wire in a body?

Post by Pintuxgu »

I can turn a wire into a sketch, then add some more constraints, and work further with multitransform, but it's quite a lot of extra work.
I am also looking for general workflow directions, and alternative methods.

I don't have much experience with multitransform yet, but it seems to mainly work with regular features. The pockets I want to make have two different sizes, and also their distances are not regular. A few of the pockets on the top row are shifted to make room for an allen key. (not shown yet).
Post Reply