Getting started

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Foreword
FreeCAD is a 3D CAD/CAE parametric modeling application. It is primarily

made for mechanical design, but also serves all other uses where you need to
model 3D objects with precision and control over modeling history.

FreeCAD is still in the early stages of development, so, although it already

offers you a large (and growing) list of features, much is still missing, spe-

cially comparing it to commercial solutions, and you might not find it developed enough yet for use in production environment. Still, there is a fast-

growing community of enthusiastic users, and you can already find many
examples of quality projects developed with FreeCAD.

Like all open-source projects, the FreeCAD project is not a one-way work

delivered to you by its developers. It depends much on its community to grow,

gain features, and stabilize (get bugs fixed). So don't forget this when starting
to use FreeCAD, if you like it, you can directly influence and help the project!

Installing
First of all (if not done already) download and install FreeCAD. See the Download page for information about current versions and updates, and the

Installing page for information about how to install FreeCAD. There are install
packages ready for Windows (.msi), Ubuntu & Debian (.deb) openSUSE (.rpm)
and Mac OSX. As FreeCAD is open-source, if you are adventurous, but want to

have a look at the brand-new features being developed right now, you can also
grab the source code and compile FreeCAD yourself.

Exploring FreeCAD
1. The 3D view, showing the contents of your document

2. The tree view, which shows the hierarchy and construction history
of all the objects in your document

3. The properties editor, which allows you to view and modify

properties of the selected object(s)

4. The output window, which is where FreeCAD prints messages,

warnings and errors

5. The python console, where all the commands executed by FreeCAD

are printed, and where you can enter python code

6. The workbench selector, where you select the active workbench

The main concept behind the FreeCAD interface is that it is separated into

workbenches. A workbench is a collection of tools suited for a specific task,

such as working with meshes, or drawing 2D objects, or constrained sketches.

You can switch the current workbench with the workbench selector (6). You
can customize the tools included in each workbench, add tools from other

workbenches or even self-created tools, that we call macros. There is also a

generic workbench which gathers the most commonly used tools from other
workbenches, called the complete workbench.

When you start FreeCAD for the first time, you are presented with the start
center:

The Start Center allows you to quickly jump to one of the most common workbenches, open one of the recent files, or see the latest news from the FreeCAD
world. You can change the default workbench in the preferences.

Navigating in the 3D space

FreeCAD has four different navigation modes available, that change the way
you use your mouse to interact with the objects in the 3D view and the view

itself. One of them is specifically made for touchpads, where the middle mouse
button is not used. The following table describes the default mode, called CAD
Navigation (You can quickly change the current navigation mode by rightclicking on an empty area of the 3D view):

Select Pan Zoom Rotate View Rotate View

Alternate Method
Press the left mouse button over an object you want to select. Holding down

ctrl allows the selection of multiple objects. Click the middle mouse button and
move the object around to pan Use the mouse wheel to zoom in and out.

Clicking the middle mouse button re-centers the view to the location of the

cursor. Click first with the middle mouse button, hold it down, and then click

the left mouse button and drag the mouse in the desired direction. The cursor
location at the middle mouse button click determines the center of rotation.
Rotation works like spinning a ball which rotates around its center. If the

buttons are released before you stop the mouse motion, the object continues

spinning, if this is enabled. A double click with the middle mouse button sets a

new center of rotation. Click first with the middle mouse button, hold it down,
and then click the right mouse button and drag the mouse in the desired

direction. This method works just like the previously described Rotate View
that uses Middle Mouse Button + Left Mouse Button, except that the middle

mouse button may be released after the right mouse button is pressed. Users
who use the mouse with their right hand may find this Rotate View method

easier than the previous method. Press and hold Ctrl key and click and

release right mouse button to pan (rev 0.14) Once in Pan mode, press and

release left mouse button to Zoom, to exit back to pan mode press and release
right mouse button (rev 0.14) Once in Pan mode, click and momentary hold

left mouse button to rotate, to exit back to pan mode press and release right
mouse button (rev 0.14)

You also have several view presets (top view, front view, etc) available in the

View menu and on the View toolbar, and by numeric shortcuts ( 1 , 2 , etc...),
and by right-clicking on an object or on an empty area of the 3D view, you

have quick access to some common operations, such as setting a particular

view, or locating an object in the Tree view.

First steps with FreeCAD

FreeCAD's focus is to allow you to make high-precision 3D models, to keep

tight control over those models (being able to go back into modelling history
and change parameters), and eventually to build those models (via 3D print-

ing, CNC machining or even construction worksite). It is therefore very different from some other 3D applications made for other purposes, such as

animation film or gaming. Its learning curve can be steep, specially if this is

your first contact with 3D modeling. If you are struck at some point, don't forget that the friendly community of users on the FreeCAD forum might be able
to get you out in no time.

The workbench you will start using in FreeCAD depends on the type of job you
need to do: If you are going to work on mechanical models, or more generally

any small-scale objects, you'll probably want to try the PartDesign Workbench.
If you will work in 2D, then switch to the Draft Workbench, or the Sketcher
Workbench if you need constraints. If you want to do BIM, launch the Arch

Workbench. If you are working with ship design, there is a special Ship Workbench for you. And if you come from the OpenSCAD world, try the OpenSCAD
Workbench.

You can switch workbenches at any time, and also customize your favorite
workbench to add tools from other workbenches.

Working with the PartDesign and Sketcher

workbenches

The PartDesign Workbench is specially made to build complex objects, starting

from simple shapes, and adding or removing pieces (that we call "features"),

until you get to your final object. All the features you applied during the modelling process are stored in a separate view called the tree view, which also
contains the other objects in your document. You can think of a PartDesign

object as a succession of operations, each one applied to the result of the preceding one, forming one big chain. In the tree view, you see your final object,
but you can expand it and retrieve all preceding states, and change any of
their parameter, which automatically updates the final object.

The PartDesign workbench makes heavy use of another workbench, the

Sketcher Workbench. The sketcher allows you to draw 2D shapes, which are

defined by applying Constraints to the 2D shape. For example, you might draw
a rectangle and set the size of a side by applying a length constraint to one of
the sides. That side then cannot be resized anymore (unless the constraint is
changed).

Those 2D shapes made with the sketcher are used a lot in the PartDesign

workbench, for example to create 3D volumes, or to draw areas on the faces of

your object that will then be hollowed from its main volume. This is a typical
PartDesign workflow:

1. Create a new sketch

2. Draw a closed shape (make sure all points are joined)

3. Close the sketch

4. Expand the sketch into a 3D solid by using the pad tool

5. Select one face of the solid

6. Create a second sketch (this time it will be drawn on the selected

face)

7. Draw a closed shape

8. Close the sketch

9. Create a pocket from the second sketch, on the first object

Which gives you an object like this:

At any moment, you can select the original sketches and modify them, or

change the extrusion parameters of the pad or pocket operations, which will
update the final object.

Working with the Draft and Arch workbenches

The Draft Workbench and Arch Workbench behave a bit differently than the
other workbenches above, although they follow the same rules, which are

common to all of FreeCAD. In short, while the Sketcher and PartDesign are

made primarily to design single pieces, Draft and Arch are made to ease your
work when working with several, simpler objects.

The Draft Workbench offers you 2D tools a bit similar to what you can find in

traditional 2D CAD applications such as AutoCAD. However, 2D drafting being

far away from the scope of FreeCAD, don't expect to find there the full array of
tools that these dedicated applications offer. Most of the Draft tools work not

only in a 2D plane but also in the full 3D space, and benefit from special helper
systems such as Work planes and object snapping.

The Arch Workbench adds BIM tools to FreeCAD, allowing you to build archi-

tectural models with parametric objects. The Arch workbench relies much on

other modules such as Draft and Sketcher. All the Draft tools are also present

in the Arch workbench, and most Arch tools make use of the Draft helper systems.

A typical workflow with Arch and Draft workbenches might be:

1. Draw a couple of lines with the Draft Line tool

2. Select each line and press the Wall tool to build a wall on each of
them

3. Join the walls by selecting them and pressing the Arch Add tool

4. Create a floor object, and move your walls in it from the Tree view
5. Create a building object, and move your floor in it from the Tree
view

6. Create a window by clicking the Window tool, select a preset in its

panel, then click on a face of a wall

7. Add dimensions by first setting the working plane if necessary, then

using the Draft Dimension tool

Which will give you this:

More on the Tutorials page.

Scripting
And finally, one of the most powerful features of FreeCAD is the scripting

environment. From the integrated python console (or from any other external
Python script), you can gain access to almost any part of FreeCAD, create or

modify geometry, modify the representation of those objects in the 3D scene

or access and modify the FreeCAD interface. Python scripting can also be used
in macros, which provide an easy method to create custom commands.