Tons of quality of life improvementsCool release videohttps://youtu.be/a9biWv_M8p8Overview by mango jellyhttps://youtu.be/mSwvnZ1jsXgRelease noteshttps://blog.freecad.org/2026/03/25/freecad-version-1-1-released/https://wiki.freecad.org/Release_notes_1.1
>>108451017FreeCAD is actually pretty good.
It’s over for the proprietary software mafia now.
>>108451119right now it is, it got its kicad moment last year, its impressive how improved it islike i was following some dude making a git program designed for the freecad files and it pain me that he was still using an old version like 0.21, like why? its atrocious
another video explaining the numerous changeshttps://youtu.be/bYdobpjTypg
Haven't CADed in a while because of how subpar FreeCAD has been since my switch to Linux.Maybe I might start making real stuff again, and put my 3d printer to good use. Changes I've seen look good
>>108451017Based, I still use some old Debian version and it’s trash. Crashes everytime, weird bugs that breaks the extrusions, etcNow I’m going to try its new version.
>>108453321 >>108452803please do not use whatever is in the repos, it has advanced a ton, specially the usabilityat 5:40 of this video explains how to make the interface modern if you dont want the classic stylehttps://youtu.be/JjFh8vtMBC8
>>108454391there are way more quality of life shit that i expected.finally for fuck sake
>>108451017nice
>>108451017about timewhat it were 5 months of release candidates?
>>108451017Just seems to keep getting better.Hopefully this starts eating into the existing CAD marketshare more, it really needs a reckoning like what happened with kicad and blender.
The only thing keeping a single windows box in my life (all other systems are debian) is Vectric Cut2d Pro for cnc cad/cam. Let's see how this goes.
>>108454391this, i like freecad, use it for 3d modeling simple stuff for 3d prints but its super anoying to use. Had few months break and jewtube recomended me this video. Never know about trick with changing interface with addon. Have to say, 1.1 with stuff from this video looks and works pretty neat
>>108457943apparently the cam is getting way better, but its not a workbench i am much familiar
>>108451017> fem updateyay> try it out> it still sucks assanother two decades and maybe we might finally get a real alternative to fusion360
>>108454391>https://youtu.be/JjFh8vtMBC8gemanother one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEfNRST_3x8this guy's channel looks like the go to place to learn FreeCAD.
>>108458765its him, mango jelly, and AllVisuals4U then there are more for specialized fields
>>108451017Have they fixed the boolean code so that it doesn't crap the bed if you use to many of them in a project?
>>108459221wasnt that fixed already in 1.0? it should be better now anywaynot perfect, but no cad had completely fixed the topological problem
>>108459344It still creates artifacts.
I've been using FreeCAD for 3D print design for about a year, 1.0 was still full of random little bugs that were usually workaroundable. I'll try this.
>>108459494check this video >>108452230many of the new stuff needs to be activated, you know the old free software adage that make anything new optional so it doesnt break my work habits
>>108459362huh, i didnt got anything lately, but you get better results depending on your workflow
Can FreeCAD do architecture or is it best for parts?
>>108461126there is a complete bim workbench, as far i know it has a lot of interest and development but i am not an user.plenty of tutorials in youtube too
>>108459811Thanks, I see a couple new features in there I'll want to use.
>>108461126It feels primarily inspired by SolidWorks and best for parts.
Why use this instead of blender?
>>108463351CAD for part design has different requirements. Blender isn't intended for this purpose, and lacks features needed to do it well. There are plugins for blender to give it similar functionality (at least partially), but they're generally janky and have issues because it's working in a system and software architecture with completely different stipulations.
>>108463351that would be like using water for your cereals instead of milk
>>108451017When they'll made contracts without gaps in multi mesh cases ansys is over
What do you use CAD for, I wanted to learn it one day but realized that I have no use case for it at all
>>108463783I'm taking carpentry and I still haven't found a use for it... yet. I like to dabble with SketchUp and make my own dungeon layouts though.
>>1084633513d modeling is like a billboard - the art in the advertisements. It communicates with the everyday person.cad is like the facts that make up the structure that doesn't fall under hurricane force winds. It communicates with experts.
BIM still BONKERS
>>108463817you should ditch sketchup for blender for art stuff
>>108461126You can, but you will have to set up a workflow that can export models to whatever file format the next engineer requires, to continue the model becoming a building project. For instance, al least export the dxf, but Structural will shriek because they need a structural model not flat drawings. Consider that. At work I have to use Revit because bill of material tables connected to Tekla.For my personal projects (at home) I use Blender with the node editor plus python to set up the planar studies (setting distances with x y z and an int distance in cm) for staging the starter limits. It is much better for doing the client brief translation into starting volumes and sizes in general, that using the crap massing of Revit, but no bom direct to Excel. I might be using this FreeCad latest at the concept stage.>>108463351Different usecase. Why not both?
is freecad any good at sheet metal? i use it a lot>>108463351they aren't remotely similar, neither in operation nor purpose. in cad software the 3d model is mainly just for convenience/previewing, rather than being the "product", what you give to manufacturers isn't the 3d model (unless it's a multi-axis cnc machined part). while in blender the 3d model is the product. you can't design a machine in blender and give it to someone to make, or if you do, they'd have to use it as a reference to make a cad model fromyou could at most make 3d printable things in blender, but nothing more serious
>>108458855I found mango jelly very hard to follow, at least i had to put his videos on 1.5 to get somewhere. Delta is beyond and above in comparison.
>>108459811I'll give it another year tops will we see another Ondsel or "Dangercad".
>>108464319What are you talking about? About every figure, mini and statue(those things out of stone) is modelled in blender these days. You do know you can scale and measure to metric size inside Blender just fine?
>>108464319>is freecad any good at sheet metal? i use it a lotyou need to install the sheet metal workbench, its in the add-on managerbut not sure how good it is
>>108464395>Ondselone of its developers has made a paid fork of freecad.astocad https://www.astocad.com/but he is still contributing to the main, i would say its one of the main contributors of the new quality of life and ui improvements on the sketcher
>>108464406i'm not sure if you're being sarcastic or you really just don't know what people use cad for
>>108464406good luck making anything with precision in blederwhat you are meaning is overall sizing, as it is modeling, which of course blender is better, cad is for precision designing, for when you need blueprints and exact dimensions
>>108459221i thinks this video talks about how to adress that problemhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riXcI6ZW0A8
>open video about 1.1 changes>first thing mentioned is how you can now select individual enclosed sections from a sketchi don't know if i should be happy it can do such a basic task or worried that it's a new feature.my windows vm only exists for solidworks and it'd be nice to switch, but man
>>108464681>>108464781I'm saying he's a moron who's trying to dunk on another tool for all the wrong reasons. >you can't design a machine in blender and give it to someone to make, or if you do, they'd have to use it as a reference to make a cad modelIs just wrong and frankly borderline retarded.
>>108465632i didn't "dunk on" blender at all.if blender has tools to draw multi-part assemblies and turn them into technical drawings i sure haven't seen it.if you're making sculptures then i'm sure blender will do and likely be preferred for that kind of modelling, i'm not suggesting otherwise
>>108465469A reoccurring problem with FOSS products has long been the uneven coverage of the domain space. Sometimes a feature that is both basic and essential gets skipped because no one is interested in spending time on it. For COTS products, a manager assigns a wage slave to the task and it gets done. If the task is something interesting, until recently FOSS could end up with the feature years before the COTS product, as the release cycles were different. Things have converged some as COTS releases far more frequently than they used to and FOSS is more focused on consistency (plus corporate money sometimes ends up focusing the FOSS project on productive features).
>>108465769yea i've noticed this as well, and it's understandable. foss gets what people want to spend time adding, while commercial stuff focuses on what customers are asking for.the rest of the video showed some nice features. perhaps i can get away with FC but i'm just not super confident it will do everything i want it to. it has absolutely gotten far better than it was when i first looked into it and i'm glad we have what looks to be a reasonably competent foss 3d cad suite
>>108465469>my windows vm only exists for solidworks and it'd be nice to switch, but manhow did you manage to do that? all my kvm vms have atrocious performance when it comes to 3D or even refuse to open graphic-heavy programs altogether
>Freecad noone cares as long as your boss Heinrich Poopenfarten uses Siemens NX because das iz wat dey do in germany or Holden McBoomer uses AutoCad because that's what hes been using for 3 decades now you are bound to what they use
>>108467577GPU passtrough, mostly.
>>108451017I'll give it a try.Someday.Eventually.Maybe.
>>108465469>i don't know if i should be happy it can do such a basic task or worried that it's a new feature.as far i know its way more difficult that it seems to implement. probably needs the topological problem fixed firstmany shit in cad is like that, not that obvious how to reliably do something that is pretty easy to see how its done>>108467593man i am able to make the cad conglomerates loss even a single euro i will be happy of my comments hereworked on autocad, inventor and maya support, fuck autodesk
There is not a single reason to use this over OpenSCAD
>>108468145>openscadanon, programing complex 3d shapes is just retardedits visual media, you can parametrice them easily, cad programs have spreadsheets and math functions integrated
>>108458343a halfway easy to use cam that would do 4th axis simultaneous would be so heckin neatot. refuses to ever use the f360 jew
>>108468761there is so much potential in a no nonsense cad package, even if its kinda basicwe just need the features, future is bright.this is like kicad 4.0we may need a cern for freecad, tho
>>108468761The moment they get to feature parity with even the first few years of f360 2014-2016, it's over for anything else.
>>108469648>it's over for anything elsei forsee new cnc machines going to id pairing lock between cam and controller with a subscription service rape on top. theres no way the solidworks and mastercam mafia is going to give up substantial marketshare to freeware. theyve paywalled shit like rigid tapping and spindle rpm for decades so it would be nothing for haas to add some cam unlock to the obscene list of upsell features required for even basic functionality
>>108469717Isn't that already over the horizon with the whole anti ghost gun and anti marvel 3d printed slop scare bills trying to limit all additive and subtractive manufacturing without some form of geometry approval by a central server?
>>108469733likely. and the chinkshit ripoff clone fanuc controls on ali will be criminalized like routers and such but in the name of itar
>>108469770but you'll still be able to buy glock switches on taobao so long as they're sold as office chair multitools.
>>108469774yes but the effect will have more damage on the guys that actually want to go into business. joe blow hobbyists has plenty of time to figure out workarounds but somebody trying to make parts to order just needs shit to work affordably without red tapethe net effect will be the further killing of domestic manufacturing
>>108464781>good luck making anything with precision in blenderYou can. For instance, when creating a point or moving it with [g], then press [ x | y | z ] (corresponding to the axis) and then a number (example: 5), and will create / move that point at that (relational) location. It is assumed knowledge, perhaps you are using magnet or similar.
>>108469987drawing anything complex without parametric modelling is crazy, may as well use paper and a drafting table at that point, you're losing /the/ advantage of CAD over traditional drafting
The update is nice, but I don't think it will make a dent on pro software marketshare. Mechies are among the dumbest and more stubborn engineers when operating computers. If the buttons aren't where their globhomo cad says they must be, they cry foul and refuse to learn
>>108470899czechd and correct t. farm boy mech e returned to monke
>>108470899to be fair mechanical engineering requires understanding in a lot of buttons. i imagine trying to switch cad program is not unlike switching os, even if you can do the same things you will naturally be much slower while you re-learn how to do everything, so there needs to be a good reason to want to do it anyway. freecad being free is a big advantage, also supporting linux. but if you use windows and don't mind pirating then it's not a big thing
>>108451132Does this mean I can buy some compact Chinese cc machine and just produce whatever I want?Wait, I no longer need the owners of the production, aka jew boomer niggers? This is fantastic news.
>>108470650In Blender you use the (geometry) node editor for that kind of work.
>>108451119If you can use it because it doesn't work on Wayland.
>>108471225XWayland?
>>108470916lol, first time i drew a bearing housing it did indeed come back with no fillets. had to change it to chamfers
>>108471225>WaylandSounds like a you problem.
Last CAD project I did I ended up using build123d which generally worked well but tended to get cumbersome and slow at the end.Maybe I'll give FreeCAD another try once it hits Arch repos.
>>108470899A surprising amount of people are still stubbornly using 90s computers barely clinging to life just to run the software they learned on. No helping that.It's not competing in the professional space yet, but if it gets to the point that hobbyists start adopting it at scale then things could start to snowball from there. Same thing happened with kicad and blender, they were similarly derided but are now largely displacing commercial options for anyone who isn't part of a big company.
>>108471225>it doesn't work on Wayland.good.
>>108469770>ripoff clone fanuc controlkek, i didnt know this onei hate fanuc controls desu>>108471225wayland is the problem, kicad made a fucking post on howhttps://www.kicad.org/blog/2025/06/KiCad-and-Wayland-Support/>These problems exist because Wayland’s design omits basic functionality that desktop applications for X11, Windows and macOS have relied on for decades—things like being able to position windows or warp the mouse cursor. This functionality was omitted by design, not oversight.
Can I use this for 3d printing?
>>108451017I needed some custom 3d printed parts and every tutorial on yt had different versions of freecad, different interfaces, different commands, I run/installed like 3 different versions on my system and not a single one looked and worked the same as the ones in the tutorials.
>>108471962of coursenot as a slcier as far i know but to design shit, many people use it
>>108471980that's because the ui is customisable
dont we already have cad or is that pcb only
>>108471225more like wayland doesnnt work with it by design
>>108471535You don't like flatpaks?
>>108472581i don't
>>108471563This. I've started to use Kicad -beside its intended purpose- to document systems on the device (internal cabeling) and on a system level (how our systems of devices are interconnected). We used to use M$ visio for these tasks but using Kicad symbols for those is nice since I can use the BOM generation for our devices/systems as well. We're a tiny company with minimal infrastructure and these tasks were done manually. The resistance of our management to give us a database system to aid those tasks is really confusing. So much time is wasted on compiling BOMs manually... Embarrassing.
>>108471962The 3mf export function works so it's perfectly suited for modeling parts for 3d printing.
>>108472618Oh, I meant to type "appimage", sorry. I had some weird bugs installing freecad alongside kicad a while ago so I opted to install freecad with the appimage and keep kicad natively installed.
>>108472298>>108472690Many thanks
>>108451132I wish. I deal with various greybeard electronics engineers that have been on KiCad for years and they are finally seeing that faith repaid.I have had my own SolidWorks licence for 20 years which is now off maintenance. It will cost me a packet to get current again and I'm not sure its worth it. My only client that uses it has loaned me a seat of 2025, the others just need step files.I dont like Fusion particularly tho CNC and sculpt are worth the monthly fee when required. I hope Freecad will mature to be reliable enough for pro work so will give it a go.>>108464319 wut? In my work, CAD is the virtual product you give to a manufacturer to get made (probably with supporting drawings). I generally don't mind what they do with the data to get things made as long as what I receive is as per model and drawing. There are exceptions to this such as sending a pre-sliced files. I've done this for consumer products, industrial equipment, furniture...>>108468145 In 30+ years I haven't encountered anyone using Openscad.
>>108468145What about the times it takes to design something nontrivial that involves imported step-files to create parts that fit into assemblies with existing parts?
>>108473731> In 30+ years I haven't encountered anyone using Openscad.i have no idea what people like anon actually thinks, like fucks sake goes against every possible logic and market perspectivei guess its shell/terminal brain damage
>>108451017Why would I use that instead of Meshy3D?
>>108474747that is the ai slop equivalent of blender, no freecad
>>108471563updooting just for the sake of having the newest shit is fucking retarded. there are countless gorillion hours of production lost every year while people have to relearn some program for no good reason. plus its now the age of pajeets just moving and hiding existing feature controls just for the sake of generating v14.88.109betaif youre good at running something theres little practical reason to change. especially when the output remains the same
>>108472668See also:"Can we get pdm up and running?""No, just stick everything on Dropbox and open issued parts read-only"Ah, startup life...
Is Mango Jelly's tutorials a good way to learn? Would it be worth it to purchase the videos?
>>108473731>In 30+ years I haven't encountered anyone using Openscad.It can be convenient for some procedurally generated things, things like signage, storage boxes, etc.I used it as my first CAD program because it was only a few megabytes and quick to jump into. Faster for a one-off model than setting up and learning a larger CAD package. For the same reason, it's also popular for some categories of freely available models because the barrier to entry is so low.For any serious modelling though, the limitations quickly become challenging.
I am spending around 8k per annum on AutoDesk and related subscriptions. I'm trying to learn automation via AI but the AutoCAD GUI makes it very difficult. If I can't work it out it will have been an horrendous waste of money lol. Anyone here got any pointers?
>>108477564are you using autocad or inventor?you need to explain it better
>>108476838he os kind aslow, but i think he is really good for complete noobsand as far i know his paid content its just a couple videos in advance comapred to the channel
>>108477619AutoCAD, full license.Basicalli work with construction companies at the tender stage of the process.They give me a set of Architectural and Structural drawings issued for tender. Barely enough info to quote the job and their estimators CBF to go through every page. So I import the relevant pages to CAD, (these pdf files don't have layers, sometimes they are just images) scale them, then cut out all the irrelevant studd until I am left with what they need plus the grid lines. I turn theor stuff into blocks, quantify it with dimensions and weights etc and then give them the final product which is the structural plans only showing the stuff they need to know about to quote.The reason I have a job doing this is because I know what they want and understand the trade, but that's only 10% of the work I do - the rest is spent doing mundane work with pdf and dwg files deleting, scaling, editing entities etc..So I'm trying to get an AI agent like Claude Cowork to understand my workflow and automate some of it. Previous adventures using PyAutoCAD ran into the hurdle of it being able to detect geometries but not Select them (a limitation on the AutoCAD side) so I'm trying to use GUI control to overcome that...thanks for reading my blog post
>>108477794so you are converting drawings in pdfs to dwg so that an architectural firm can use for their tender for the proposal of the pdf?i dunno man but i doubt you need AutoCAD for that, its very expensive.have you looked into bricscad or other alternative?i heard people really happy with bricscad and its like 1k€ for the full version instead of 8k of autodesk, they have lisp support too to automate shit
>>108477743Any other recommendations?
>>108479467see >>108458855and i would say if you never did cad mango jelly is probably the best, just put him at 1.25x or 1.5x
>>108473731>I wish. I deal with various greybeard electronics engineers that have been on KiCad for years and they are finally seeing that faith repaid.kicad had the advantage that electronics and programing are way more related fields, than mechanical or architectural and programmingbut freecad is advancing good so lets see what is awaiting for uschoco repos haven’t updated yet
>>108467593>Holden McBoomer uses AutoCad because that's what hes been using for 3 decadeswhy do zoomiezooms need everything to be a datumless 3d blob in floating in freespace?if youd ever actually clamped a part in the vise youd realize what a fucking abortion curved surface phallic shaped objects were to make
>>108482130I'm getting AutoCAD R12 with Calcomp digitiser flashbacks...Back to Fusion's sculpt module we go.
>>108451017Can it do lofted surfaces with guide curves yet?
>>108482918yes
>>108478046I used to use cheap cad proxies like progeCAD etc but I have AutoDesk products at work and do my own thing in my spare time. Also, I need AutoDesk products sometimes to deal with client files etc - I'm basically working in the AD environment, and talking to AI it knows a lot about AD products and not much about the cheap knock-offs.I'm just trying to get my head around having an AI agent control GUI-level actions in CAD to save me the mundane part of my project. So far I've learned that it takes a long time to train it to do simple tasks to eventually learn a routine. It's very hard to persist with something when it takes 10 hours to try and teach it how to do something that you can do in 10 seconds and keep the payoff in mind that eventually the automation will cut your workload by 90%...I'm just fishing for advice from anyone who has already gone down this path with AutoCAD
>>108483356well i already told you its suposed to be compatible with the autocad lisp languageyou have some resources herehttps://github.com/Sharkbait-aa/AutoCAD-Automationmaybe ask in the lisp general here, there were usually cad threads in /3/, stem threads on /sci/ and maybe also something in /diy/
>>108470899freecad isn't competing for professionals
>>108484701not yet, but same was said of kicad and look at it now
>>108482130shit man, thereis a middle point between going full 2d, and using absurd curves
>>108451119How close is it in functionality to fusion 360? I'll happily switch but not if half the equivalent tools don't exist or are broken.
>>108487538i mean some of its is very basic, and you need to adjust the ui and settings to make it more usable, but i would say there is nothing really broken anymore
>>108471930I actually like that wayland disallows controlling cursor and window position
>>108488563man if you program have several windows for your workflow do oyu like positioning them every single time?ffs it should be opt out if its a problem for some people but still
>>108482130>one view only>no tolerances or G&DT symbols2/10.
>>108488563Disallowing it seems like if could be a good idea until you actually want to do serious work. It's very common in productivity software, and for good reason.Hell, just moving the mouse is common in games too. Keeping the cursor centered in first-person games, and I've seen moving the mouse between menus in some VNs.It's fine as a permission, but to completely remove it as even a possibility is boneheaded.
Has anyone tried using the path tool to make laser cut Gcode?
