FreeCAD [How-to]

Book description

A hands-on guided introduction to the most powerful and flexible open-source CAD application with this book and ebook.

  • Packed with simple and interesting examples of python coding for the CAD world.
  • Understand FreeCAD's approach to modeling and see how Python puts unprecedented power in the hands of users.
  • Dive into FreeCAD and its underlying scripting language.

In Detail

FreeCAD is a general purpose platform for CAD development. It can be extended to use different workbenches to solve different problems. Targeted squarely at the engineering community, FreeCAD is an open source design application built to be extended. Python, the powerful scripting language, is woven deeply into FreeCAD’s DNA and gives users unprecedented power to automate and invent.

"FreeCAD: Solid Modeling with the Power of Python [How to]" is a lean, fast tour of FreeCAD's major workbenches and design philosophy. The reader will get a hands-on introduction to several modeling techniques and learn how Python makes macro automation and design possible.

FreeCAD allows users to design in a variety of ways; from drawing 2D designs as lines and circles to combining primitive solids into complex 3D shapes. Objects can even be created or modified by code you write in Python. FreeCAD even allows power users to extend the application itself with new dialogs, panels, and scripts. This book will not only show you how to get started using FreeCAD in a traditional GUI mode, but will teach you how to harness its powerful scripting language for more power.

Table of contents

  1. FreeCAD [How-to]
    1. Table of Contents
    2. FreeCAD [How-to]
    3. Credits
    4. Foreword
    5. About the Authors
    6. About the Reviewers
    7. www.PacktPub.com
      1. Support files, eBooks, discount offers and more
        1. Why Subscribe?
        2. Free Access for Packt account holders
    8. Preface
      1. What this book covers
      2. What you need for this book
      3. Who this book is for
      4. Conventions
      5. Reader feedback
      6. Customer support
        1. Downloading the example code
        2. Errata
        3. Piracy
        4. Questions
    9. 1. FreeCAD [How-to]
      1. Getting and installing FreeCAD (Must know)
        1. Getting ready
        2. How to do it...
        3. There's more...
          1. Daily builds
          2. Building from source
          3. Third-party builds
      2. Understanding the FreeCAD interface (Must know)
        1. Getting ready
        2. How to do it...
        3. How it works...
        4. There's more...
          1. Default views
          2. Freezing and Saving views
          3. Python and Report views
      3. CSG modeling in the Part workbench (Must know)
        1. Getting ready
        2. How to do it...
        3. How it works....
        4. There's more...
          1. Create primitives
          2. Why doesn't my part look right?
      4. Recording and editing a macro (Should know)
        1. Getting ready
        2. How to do it...
        3. How it works...
        4. There's more...
          1. Taking advantage of the power of macros
          2. Learn a bit of Python programming by reading macro scripts
      5. Modeling a simple part with the Draft workbench (Must know)
        1. Getting ready
        2. How to do it...
        3. How it works...
        4. There's more....
          1. Create arrays
          2. Converting drafts and sketches
      6. Rotating and extruding to create parts (Should know)
        1. Getting ready
        2. How to do it...
        3. How it works...
        4. There's more...
          1. Lofting
      7. Creating 3D solids with Python (Become an expert)
        1. Getting ready
        2. How to do it...
        3. How it works...
        4. There's more...
          1. Learn more about part scripting online
      8. Creating a custom dialog to automate a task (Become an expert)
        1. Getting ready
        2. How to do it...
        3. How it works...
        4. There's more...
          1. Learn more about Python and PyQt programming
          2. Make things easier by using Qt Designer
      9. Modeling with constraints (Must know)
        1. Getting ready
        2. How to do it...
        3. How it works...
        4. There's more...
          1. Apply constraints carefully
          2. Use multiple simple sketches
      10. Using external constraints (Should know)
        1. Getting ready
        2. How to do it...
        3. How it works...
        4. There's more...
          1. Mapping a sketch to a face
      11. Adding or modifying constraints with Python (Become an expert)
        1. Getting ready
        2. How to do it...
        3. How it works...
          1. There's more...
            1. Add a length constraint to a line
      12. Creating a drawing of a part (Should know)
        1. Getting ready
        2. How to do it...
        3. How it works...
        4. There's more...
          1. Export a PDF file from your drawing
      13. Exporting DXF files for other applications (Should know)
        1. Getting ready
        2. How to do it...
        3. How it works...
      14. Importing data (Should know)
        1. Getting ready
        2. How to do it...
        3. How it works...
    10. Index

Product information

  • Title: FreeCAD [How-to]
  • Author(s): Daniel Falck, Brad Collette
  • Release date: September 2012
  • Publisher(s): Packt Publishing
  • ISBN: 9781849518864