#freecad — Public Fediverse posts

From the "shit I should not be doing with time I do not have" department... I printed my FrankenJouleThiefCat a shadow. Without a battery in it it is a little unstable, this should fix that, and also includes a cable tidy so the USB cable will be neater. (That exit bend radius isn't fantastic, I know.)

The process for this was:

1. Photograph cat with flash against white paper.
2. Clean up to a B&W silhouette in #GIMP
3. Trace to an outline in #Inkscape, skew the image, and do the extended rear base and some of the cable channel design.
4. Use #FreeCAD to build the 3D thing from the 2D, including finishing the channel as its Sketch tool is better for that sort of detail.
5. #PrusaSlicer
6. Elegoo Neptune 4 Max #3DPrinter

Job done (in about 2hrs I guess).

It could be improved, esp as the spool tangled and there is a small spot of top surface slightly thinly printed as a result... but it'll do. Might do another iteration on it another time. The shape needs a little improvement too.

From the "shit I should not be doing with time I do not have" department... I printed my FrankenJouleThiefCat a shadow. Without a battery in it it is a little unstable, this should fix that, and also includes a cable tidy so the USB cable will be neater. (That exit bend radius isn't fantastic, I know.)

The process for this was:

1. Photograph cat with flash against white paper.
2. Clean up to a B&W silhouette in #GIMP
3. Trace to an outline in #Inkscape, skew the image, and do the extended rear base and some of the cable channel design.
4. Use #FreeCAD to build the 3D thing from the 2D, including finishing the channel as its Sketch tool is better for that sort of detail.
5. #PrusaSlicer
6. Elegoo Neptune 4 Max #3DPrinter

Job done (in about 2hrs I guess).

It could be improved, esp as the spool tangled and there is a small spot of top surface slightly thinly printed as a result... but it'll do. Might do another iteration on it another time. The shape needs a little improvement too.

From the "shit I should not be doing with time I do not have" department... I printed my FrankenJouleThiefCat a shadow. Without a battery in it it is a little unstable, this should fix that, and also includes a cable tidy so the USB cable will be neater. (That exit bend radius isn't fantastic, I know.)

The process for this was:

1. Photograph cat with flash against white paper.
2. Clean up to a B&W silhouette in #GIMP
3. Trace to an outline in #Inkscape, skew the image, and do the extended rear base and some of the cable channel design.
4. Use #FreeCAD to build the 3D thing from the 2D, including finishing the channel as its Sketch tool is better for that sort of detail.
5. #PrusaSlicer
6. Elegoo Neptune 4 Max #3DPrinter

Job done (in about 2hrs I guess).

It could be improved, esp as the spool tangled and there is a small spot of top surface slightly thinly printed as a result... but it'll do. Might do another iteration on it another time. The shape needs a little improvement too.

From the "shit I should not be doing with time I do not have" department... I printed my FrankenJouleThiefCat a shadow. Without a battery in it it is a little unstable, this should fix that, and also includes a cable tidy so the USB cable will be neater. (That exit bend radius isn't fantastic, I know.)

The process for this was:

1. Photograph cat with flash against white paper.
2. Clean up to a B&W silhouette in #GIMP
3. Trace to an outline in #Inkscape, skew the image, and do the extended rear base and some of the cable channel design.
4. Use #FreeCAD to build the 3D thing from the 2D, including finishing the channel as its Sketch tool is better for that sort of detail.
5. #PrusaSlicer
6. Elegoo Neptune 4 Max #3DPrinter

Job done (in about 2hrs I guess).

It could be improved, esp as the spool tangled and there is a small spot of top surface slightly thinly printed as a result... but it'll do. Might do another iteration on it another time. The shape needs a little improvement too.

From the "shit I should not be doing with time I do not have" department... I printed my FrankenJouleThiefCat a shadow. Without a battery in it it is a little unstable, this should fix that, and also includes a cable tidy so the USB cable will be neater. (That exit bend radius isn't fantastic, I know.)

The process for this was:

1. Photograph cat with flash against white paper.
2. Clean up to a B&W silhouette in #GIMP
3. Trace to an outline in #Inkscape, skew the image, and do the extended rear base and some of the cable channel design.
4. Use #FreeCAD to build the 3D thing from the 2D, including finishing the channel as its Sketch tool is better for that sort of detail.
5. #PrusaSlicer
6. Elegoo Neptune 4 Max #3DPrinter

Job done (in about 2hrs I guess).

It could be improved, esp as the spool tangled and there is a small spot of top surface slightly thinly printed as a result... but it'll do. Might do another iteration on it another time. The shape needs a little improvement too.

There. Some #FreeCAD and #3Dprinting later I have an item that does what I want and it even has the look I wanted.

The cup is PETG and the mount solid PA as it gets squeezed pretty hard.

I'll upload the model once I've cleaned it up a bit and try out some printing enhancements to the first model.

Neue Technik hilft alter Technik: in unserer #Schule gibt es doch tatsächlich noch so zwei, drei #OHP (#Overheadprojektor|en). Bei einem ging ein Plastikteil kaputt, das ich nun mit #FreeCAD nachgebaut und 3D-gedruckt habe. Ich bin gespannt, ob es wirklich passt und hält. (Oben auf dem Bild das mit Sekundenkleber und Tesafilm geklebte Original, unten der Nachbau). #3DDruck #3DdruckSchule #FediLZ

Tinta — the mount, in real life and in FreeCAD

https://makertube.net/w/mA87YPqUCbvhNC2caq17F7

https://www.crowdsupply.com/wake-electronics/tinta

#FreeCAD #oshw

Wowzers. I completed the list!

That's about a first.

And whilst it was a short list, some of those items weren't exactly trivial.

• Car refuelled & shopping done ✅
• French pattress box extender (redesigned in #FreeCAD and printed) ✅
• Suffolk printed (after a lot of svg/cad fettling!) ✅ (No Nofolk alas)
• Joule Thief Cat soldered, with added backup USB power injection for when I don't have "dead" batteries for it ✅ (needs cleaning up, but works! I broke my flush cutters a while back, so have ordered a nice fancy Knippex pair to arrive tomorrow.)

And made a (fairly basic) BBQ dinner of Barnsley chops, garlic/chilli potatoes & broccoli, and BBQed eggplant.

Bonus: got a hair cut by an actual hair cutting person for the first time in well over a decade. (My usual thing is I just shave it off every 2-3 months.)

You'd think #FreeCAD would have a simple and intuitive way to "copy" a sketch, aka "duplicate" - but buggered if I can find it, and DDG/Google searching isn't helping much. (I am very very impatient with software these days lol.)

@freecad After getting disappointed with the new version of the Pingulp pinball drink holder, I resurrected my old design from the early 2020s I had done with OpenSCAD and re-did it with #FreeCAD instead. Here's a work-in-progress model.

Of course, at some point in the 2000s a designer at #renault decided that a flat roof rack is practical but not looking nice. So they curved it by 15mm (7.5mm on each side).

My "new" 1983 vintage roof box is not curved on the bottom side. It got steel tubing and a sturdy zigzag pattern on the bottom. It. Will. Not. Bend. And that's fine.

So to mount it in 2026 I need spacers. And as we live in the future™ now I just fired up #freecad and let the #3dprinter do the work.

This is no shiny fancy thing, just a wedge with a hole. But in 2026 it just makes sense to let the machines do the job - I would not be faster/better if I started to cut and grind plastic or wood.

Tested at up to 130 km/h the roof box is nice: nearly no sound, just a silent "sssshhh" wind noise, and its not noticeable regarding driving dynamics at least in empty state. and the whole thing is just 2m tall.

Of course, at some point in the 2000s a designer at #renault decided that a flat roof rack is practical but not looking nice. So they curved it by 15mm (7.5mm on each side).

My "new" 1983 vintage roof box is not curved on the bottom side. It got steel tubing and a sturdy zigzag pattern on the bottom. It. Will. Not. Bend. And that's fine.

So to mount it in 2026 I need spacers. And as we live in the future™ now I just fired up #freecad and let the #3dprinter do the work.

This is no whiny fancy thing, just a wedge with a hole. But in 2026 it just makes sense to let the machines do the job - I would not be faster/better if I started to cut and grind plastic or wood.

Tested at up to 130 km/h the roof box is nice: nearly no sound, just a silent "sssshhh" wind noise, and its not noticeable regarding driving dynamics at least in empty state. and the whole thing is just 2m tall.

FreeCAD Swag Shop Now Open!

We are super pleased to announce that the FreeCAD official swag store is now open! All the designs in there are made in FreeCAD and we have tee, hoodies, mugs, water bottles and more....

#FreeCAD #Swag #Merch #Opensource #FreeCADFriday

https://blog.freecad.org/2026/09/11/freecad-swag-shop-now-open/

FreeCAD Swag Shop Now Open!

We are super pleased to announce that the FreeCAD official swag store is now open! All the designs in there are made in FreeCAD and we have tee, hoodies, mugs, water bottles and more....

#FreeCAD #Swag #Merch #Opensource #FreeCADFriday

https://blog.freecad.org/2026/09/11/freecad-swag-shop-now-open/

FreeCAD Swag Shop Now Open!

We are super pleased to announce that the FreeCAD official swag store is now open! All the designs in there are made in FreeCAD and we have tee, hoodies, mugs, water bottles and more....

#FreeCAD #Swag #Merch #Opensource #FreeCADFriday

https://blog.freecad.org/2026/09/11/freecad-swag-shop-now-open/

FreeCAD Swag Shop Now Open!

We are super pleased to announce that the FreeCAD official swag store is now open! All the designs in there are made in FreeCAD and we have tee, hoodies, mugs, water bottles and more....

#FreeCAD #Swag #Merch #Opensource #FreeCADFriday

https://blog.freecad.org/2026/09/11/freecad-swag-shop-now-open/

FreeCAD Swag Shop Now Open!

We are super pleased to announce that the FreeCAD official swag store is now open! All the designs in there are made in FreeCAD and we have tee, hoodies, mugs, water bottles and more....

#FreeCAD #Swag #Merch #Opensource #FreeCADFriday

https://blog.freecad.org/2026/09/11/freecad-swag-shop-now-open/

🚀 CADBase v0.3.2: Fully Open Source!

A digital platform for sharing, versioning, and viewing 3D models with early RBAC and API access.

All core components are now public:
🖥️ Frontend (MIT)
⚙️ Backend (AGPLv3)
🛢️ DB Schema (PostgreSQL)

What's new:
• STEP format + viewer improvements
• RBAC + API keys
• Security hardening

Also check out our add-ons for FreeCAD & Blender!

🔗 Platform: https://app.cadbase.rs/
🔗 GitLab: https://gitlab.com/cadbase/

#OpenSource #RustLang #WebAssembly #CAD #FreeCAD #Blender3D #BIM #FLOSS

Mein erstes #FreeCAD / #3ddruck Werk

Und es funktioniert sogar.
Jetzt kann ich die Hecktür des Kia einen Spalt offen lassen und trotzdem verriegeln. So dass niemand das Auto samt mir im Laderaum klauen kann. 🤣

Spannender Artikel mit interessanten Resultaten: https://www.heise.de/news/MIT-Studenten-konstruieren-Jet-Triebwerk-mit-KI-innerhalb-eines-Monats-11404710.html

Sicherlich auch ein tolles Aufregerchen für die #fuckai bubble. 😅🍿

Insgesamt entsprechen die Ergebnisse den Erwartungen aus den SWE Bereich:

• Ohne jede Vorahnung: Schafft es....fast
• Mit partieller / orthogonal passender Ahnung: Yup, works

Mit anderen Worten: Es ist ein nützliches Power tool was ohne die nötigen Konzept Kenntnisse eben nicht alleine glücklich macht.

Ein Bekannter mit Maschinenbauer Hintergrund hat eine vollständige Konstruktion/Simulation/Analyse Schleife mit ich meine FreeCAD Anbindung gebaut und kann sich jetzt mit LLM&Co durchaus interessante Teile konstruieren lassen.

#maschinenbau #llm #ai #freecad #konstruktion #simulation #boschblau #powertool

Today, @purism released the CAD models for the Librem 16 Linux laptop in both the widely used STEP and FreeCAD formats.

"Purism products are made to be repaired."

https://puri.sm/posts/a-step-ahead-for-customization-with-the-librem-16/

#librem16, #L16, #righttorepair #CAD #FOSS #opensource #FreeCAD #STEP #Linux #laptop #CCbySA40 #creativecommons #purism

Finally upgraded to a vacuum that actually sucks ( 😛 pun intended)

As usual, this called for some #FreeCAD designs to hang everything in place.

more details:
https://www.printables.com/article/bringing-order-to-the-vacuum-3dWKyOd

my models for the #rowenta x-force vacuum:

https://3dprint.social/models/w35tk0prbf7h

https://3dprint.social/models/p1ksfl7zx43f

#creathing #3dprint #vacuumcleaner

Sigo avanzando con el proyecto del **Timbre Escolar Inteligente** y hoy quería compartir dos frentes en los que estuve trabajando en paralelo.

Por un lado, el **diseño del gabinete en FreeCAD**, pensando en una solución más prolija, compacta y lista para llevar a prototipo físico. Y por otro, una **API REST de consulta de feriados**, para que el sistema pueda identificar fechas especiales y evitar que suenen los timbres en días no laborables.

Me gusta mucho cuando un proyecto empieza a integrar distintas capas: software, electrónica, mecánica e integración con servicios externos. Ahí es donde realmente se empieza a transformar en una solución completa.

Todavía queda camino por recorrer, pero cada avance suma y le da más forma a la idea.

#FreeCAD #PCB #IoT #ESP8266 #API #REST #Electronica #EmbeddedSystems #ProyectoPersonal #Ingeniería

Warum nicht gleich so, und out of the Box? Nach mehrstündigem, hartem Kampf endlich die #SpaceMouse von #3dconnexion unter #FreeCAD 1.1.1 zum Laufen bewegt. Neue Version aus den Quellen kompiliert, den #AppImageLauncher ebenfalls und die Benutzergruppe des konstruierenden Users angepasst.

Benutzerfreundlich ist was anderes.

#Linux #Debian #Nerdkram

Warum nicht gleich so, und out of the Box? Nach mehrstündigem, hartem Kampf endlich die #SpaceMouse von #3dconnexion unter #FreeCAD 1.1.1 zum Laufen bewegt. Neue Version aus den Quellen kompiliert, den #AppImageLauncher ebenfalls und die Benutzergruppe des konstruierenden Users angepasst.

Benutzerfreundlich ist was anderes.

#Linux #Debian #Nerdkram

#introduction Hi All

Been lurking for a while to feel how everyone interacts. Already found lots of interesting things and got excited following #fossdem this year.

Main current interests are improving my minimalist natural pool to #pond conversion and using and contributing to very wide range #foss software and hardware.

Focussed #tags for the latter include:
#machinist #machinists #machining #cnc, #FreeCAD

Firm believer that #crossplatform should get a lot more recognition, the less silos the better!

It's #FreeCADFriday and over in Belgium we are hosting #FreeCADDay but tell us what you are working on with #FreeCAD! #CAD #CAM

Today I finally milled the base (cradle) for the Stonehenge project out of brass.
The toolpaths were done in #FreeCAD
It is so much nicer than the aluminium part, the weight is quite different.

I will bring one to the combined #kicad and #freecad booth on #fossdem

Et puis, même si ça ne fait pas comme dans le tuto que je suivais, j'ai moyen de bidouiller pour rattraper ça .
Du coup je vais quand même finir le tuto

( c'était l'histoire d'une fille qui après avoir bien bien râler contre freecad et décidé de l'abandonner à découvert que fusion avait une version gratuite pour usage non pro. La fille a installer Fusion, puis fait un tuto très facile et qui a parfaitement fonctionné, mais ça lui a trop hérissé le poil* de pas utiliser un logiciel libre, et ça l'a remotivé a s'acharner sur freecad malgré les bidouillages a venir ) (* oui, la fille a du poil, c'est comme ça les vrai )

#freecad #fusion #3D #poils

Another little #mayke today. This one combines a bit of scrap Hacksaw blade, some mini grinding, a quick @FreeCAD design and a #3Dprint and a bit of #paracord work to make this tiny knife! #tools #FreeCAD https://concretedog.blogspot.com/2025/05/tiny-diy-knife-from-hacksaw-blade.html

What do you do when you want to add a strainer, a filter, a pressure regulator, and some gauges and electronics to an 85 year old brick house's plumbing which is buried into the walls and you are to work within a confined space? And although you may be an engineer, you are by no means a plumber?

Well, first thing you do is fire up @FreeCAD, design your dream circuit and feel good about it.

Then, you've got to do the actual work…

Animation

#FreeCadDay #FreeCAD #freeSoftware #openSource

Beginning to wind down the @fosdem #FreeCADDay with a discussion of the work of the #freecad fpa and how donations to the FPA are beginning to be spent to develop and embolden FreeCAD.

At #FreeCADday :freecad:
@FreeCAD
about 40 members joined from around the globe

Interesting bold approach to do live collaboration with #FreeCAD but in general early stage, have a look via https://github.com/OpenCollaborationPlatform

suggestion from audience: "one is driving, the other one viewport only, quick switch" or more?

#Collaboration #TeachingCAD