#freecad — Public Fediverse posts

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/

Hey wonderful people, it's #FreeCADFriday once again! What are you working on in #FreeCAD at the moment?!

One further design iteration of my 3D printed lens hood/light baffle seems to have done the trick. v5b goes back to the 5 mm long, 2 perimeters thick telescope interface but bumps up the diameter just slightly for a snug push fit into the aperture on the 'scope. The thread is in place to stop it dropping on to the concrete patio tiles when the Seestar closes itself at the end of the night so hopefully I won't get any more broken lens hoods.

I've designed all these so that they shouldn't induce any vignetting at all, but I'll still take some new twilight flats shortly just in case the illumination is slightly different to the previous version.

The weather forecast says it'll be clear pretty much all night but that humidity will hit 99% by around midnight so it'll probably be foggy before morning. Definitely a night to turn the dew heater on, but the lens hood should also help keep condensation off the lens.

#Seestar #SeestarS30Pro #3Dprinting #FreeCAD #FreeCADFriday #TMMT #ThirtyMillimetreTelescope #Astrophotography #SmartTelescope #SmartScope

One further design iteration of my 3D printed lens hood/light baffle seems to have done the trick. v5b goes back to the 5 mm long, 2 perimeters thick telescope interface but bumps up the diameter just slightly for a snug push fit into the aperture on the 'scope. The thread is in place to stop it dropping on to the concrete patio tiles when the Seestar closes itself at the end of the night so hopefully I won't get any more broken lens hoods.

I've designed all these so that they shouldn't induce any vignetting at all, but I'll still take some new twilight flats shortly just in case the illumination is slightly different to the previous version.

The weather forecast says it'll be clear pretty much all night but that humidity will hit 99% by around midnight so it'll probably be foggy before morning. Definitely a night to turn the dew heater on, but the lens hood should also help keep condensation off the lens.

#Seestar #SeestarS30Pro #3Dprinting #FreeCAD #FreeCADFriday #TMMT #ThirtyMillimetreTelescope #Astrophotography #SmartTelescope #SmartScope

One further design iteration of my 3D printed lens hood/light baffle seems to have done the trick. v5b goes back to the 5 mm long, 2 perimeters thick telescope interface but bumps up the diameter just slightly for a snug push fit into the aperture on the 'scope. The thread is in place to stop it dropping on to the concrete patio tiles when the Seestar closes itself at the end of the night so hopefully I won't get any more broken lens hoods.

I've designed all these so that they shouldn't induce any vignetting at all, but I'll still take some new twilight flats shortly just in case the illumination is slightly different to the previous version.

The weather forecast says it'll be clear pretty much all night but that humidity will hit 99% by around midnight so it'll probably be foggy before morning. Definitely a night to turn the dew heater on, but the lens hood should also help keep condensation off the lens.

#Seestar #SeestarS30Pro #3Dprinting #FreeCAD #FreeCADFriday #TMMT #ThirtyMillimetreTelescope #Astrophotography #SmartTelescope #SmartScope

One further design iteration of my 3D printed lens hood/light baffle seems to have done the trick. v5b goes back to the 5 mm long, 2 perimeters thick telescope interface but bumps up the diameter just slightly for a snug push fit into the aperture on the 'scope. The thread is in place to stop it dropping on to the concrete patio tiles when the Seestar closes itself at the end of the night so hopefully I won't get any more broken lens hoods.

I've designed all these so that they shouldn't induce any vignetting at all, but I'll still take some new twilight flats shortly just in case the illumination is slightly different to the previous version.

The weather forecast says it'll be clear pretty much all night but that humidity will hit 99% by around midnight so it'll probably be foggy before morning. Definitely a night to turn the dew heater on, but the lens hood should also help keep condensation off the lens.

#Seestar #SeestarS30Pro #3Dprinting #FreeCAD #FreeCADFriday #TMMT #ThirtyMillimetreTelescope #Astrophotography #SmartTelescope #SmartScope

One further design iteration of my 3D printed lens hood/light baffle seems to have done the trick. v5b goes back to the 5 mm long, 2 perimeters thick telescope interface but bumps up the diameter just slightly for a snug push fit into the aperture on the 'scope. The thread is in place to stop it dropping on to the concrete patio tiles when the Seestar closes itself at the end of the night so hopefully I won't get any more broken lens hoods.

I've designed all these so that they shouldn't induce any vignetting at all, but I'll still take some new twilight flats shortly just in case the illumination is slightly different to the previous version.

The weather forecast says it'll be clear pretty much all night but that humidity will hit 99% by around midnight so it'll probably be foggy before morning. Definitely a night to turn the dew heater on, but the lens hood should also help keep condensation off the lens.

#Seestar #SeestarS30Pro #3Dprinting #FreeCAD #FreeCADFriday #TMMT #ThirtyMillimetreTelescope #Astrophotography #SmartTelescope #SmartScope

I was asked to help with a new fiber connection, so I assisted with some planning and provided these 3D-printed conduit seals:

They are made up of two symmetric halves that fit together without slipping. Clamp them around the cable and push them into the tube. Simple.

As always, I provide the @freecad file along with the printable files so you can inspect and adapt the model.

https://www.printables.com/model/1838517

#FreeCADFriday #FreeCAD #CAD #3DPrint #DIY #Repair #Fiber #Fibre

Test ride with temporarily mounted speaker (at the air intake) was more or less a success. Instead of single bell ringing sounds I mixed some together into a longer sequence for upcoming tests.

Early adopters download:
https://nueb.net/blob/Kling-el.zip

#velomobile
#FreeCAD

Rapid prototyping.

I quickly knocked up v5a of my lens hood/light baffle design (loop for attaching a thread, telescope interface wall 3 perimeters thick instead of 2, but 3 mm long instead of 5, opening half angle increased from 2.3° to 2.4°), printed it on my Prusa Mini+, and put it on the telescope by the time the night was about half over.

I'm pretty happy with the design but it did expose the issues with relying on a push fit. Despite being designed with the exact same outer diameter as my previous lens hoods this one (and only this one) was too loose, and was going to fall out when the telescope moved. An emergency application of a single strip of masking tape on the interface surface to tighten it up may just be enough to keep it in place for tonight, but I'll need to investigate more tomorrow.

I may be partly due to my printer producing a smoother surface than the previous prints that suffered from cold conditions, but I suspect it was actually the shortening by 2 mm that is the main problem. Now that I think about it I recall there being a fine moulding line or seam between parts a few mm inside the aperture. My previous lens hood might have been relying on that for grip, and the new one doesn't quite reach it. I can tweak the dimensions to try to get the perfect fit but I really should find a way to use the magnets instead.

#Seestar #SeestarS30Pro #3Dprinting #FreeCAD #SmartTelescope #TMMT #ThirtyMillimetreTelescope

Damn. I forgot I broke another of my v5 25° 3D printed Seestar lens hood/light baffles on Tuesday night so tonight the Thirty Millimetre Telescope is wearing the ludicrously large v5 20° design.

These things are getting broken at the end of the night when the Seestar automatically closes the telescope arm, bending the push-fit lens hood out of the aperture and causing it to drop onto the concrete patio below.

The weak point is where the narrow cylindrical section that fits inside the Seestar aperture meets the top of the conical section. The walls are as thin as I can make them at that point because any additional thickness right there intrudes on the telescope beam, losing light. Compounding the issues are the fact that these are printed in matte black PLA which is rather brittle, and they were printed when it was very cold inside the house wasn't doing the layer adhesion any favours.

I don't know whether they're breaking when the telescope is forcing them out of its aperture or when they hit the ground. For now I can reduce the length of the cylindrical section to reduce the moment arm when it gets nudged out and add a loop so I can tie a safety harness to the lens hood to stop it dropping all the way to the ground.

Longer term I can try printing them in tougher filament (I have a spool of PETG-CF I bought for this purpose, but need to swap out my brass nozzle for hardened steel first) and switch to magnetic attachment instead of a push fit.

For tonight I'll just turn off the automatic closing function of the Seestar, I don't think the bigger, heavier 20° hood will survive the fall to the ground. As long as I bring the telescope inside in the morning before the Sun can shine into it that'll be fine.

#Seestar #SeestarS30Pro #3Dprinting #FreeCAD #SmartTelescope #TMMT #ThirtyMillimetreTelescope

I got the dimensions of the USB-C jack wrong the first time … :eyeroll: But now everything fits fine. The PCB is held exactly in place by the top lid.

For such #3dprinting projects I like those self-tapering screws for plastics. Once installed in my #velomobile with the right lengthened wires, electronics and speaker enclosures will be closed (the later one w/ glue).

Making enclosures and lids fit was easy w/ binders (offset -0.1mm) in #FreeCAD.

… from master sketch to main part of the enclosure.

I just started the 3D printer to check if my tolerances fit the electronic component(s).

#FreeCAD
#3dprinting

… from master sketch to main part of the enclosure.

I just started the 3D printer to check if my tolerances fit the electronic component(s).

#FreeCAD
#3dprinting

… from master sketch to main part of the enclosure.

I just started the 3D printer to check if my tolerances fit the electronic component(s).

#FreeCAD
#3dprinting

… from master sketch to main part of the enclosure.

I just started the 3D printer to check if my tolerances fit the electronic component(s).

#FreeCAD
#3dprinting

… from master sketch to main part of the enclosure.

I just started the 3D printer to check if my tolerances fit the electronic component(s).

#FreeCAD
#3dprinting

Open source tools like FreeCAD are okay for quick sketches, but the transition from traditional CAD is often overrated. The flexibility is there, but the workflow feels clunky compared to what I used for my projects in Kyiv. Most people push it for the price, but for a real architect, the logic of the space matters more than the software license. It is a tool, not a solution for better design.

#freecad #architecture #opensource

Open source tools like FreeCAD are okay for quick sketches, but the transition from traditional CAD is often overrated. The flexibility is there, but the workflow feels clunky compared to what I used for my projects in Kyiv. Most people push it for the price, but for a real architect, the logic of the space matters more than the software license. It is a tool, not a solution for better design.

#freecad #architecture #opensource

Open source tools like FreeCAD are okay for quick sketches, but the transition from traditional CAD is often overrated. The flexibility is there, but the workflow feels clunky compared to what I used for my projects in Kyiv. Most people push it for the price, but for a real architect, the logic of the space matters more than the software license. It is a tool, not a solution for better design.

#freecad #architecture #opensource

#FreeCAD people, I need to make many pockets with the same shape. They have to be positioned in specific coplanar positions and orientations that have to be set up with constraints.

What's the best way to do this? I don't want to have unrelated duplicates: editing one sketch should update all pockets.

#FreeCAD people, I need to make many pockets with the same shape. They have to be positioned in specific coplanar positions and orientations that have to be set up with constraints.

What's the best way to do this? I don't want to have unrelated duplicates: editing one sketch should update all pockets.

#FreeCAD people, I need to make many pockets with the same shape. They have to be positioned in specific coplanar positions and orientations that have to be set up with constraints.

What's the best way to do this? I don't want to have unrelated duplicates: editing one sketch should update all pockets.

#FreeCAD people, I need to make many pockets with the same shape. They have to be positioned in specific coplanar positions and orientations that have to be set up with constraints.

What's the best way to do this? I don't want to have unrelated duplicates: editing one sketch should update all pockets.

@christopherkunz
#FreeCAD This App evolves really fast.
See also the new Design for Manufacturing (DFM) Workbench.

Tutorials: https://wiki.freecad.org/Tutorials
Video Tutorials: https://wiki.freecad.org/Video_tutorials

@christopherkunz
#FreeCAD This App evolves really fast.
See also the new Design for Manufacturing (DFM) Workbench.

Tutorials: https://wiki.freecad.org/Tutorials
Video Tutorials: https://wiki.freecad.org/Video_tutorials

@christopherkunz
#FreeCAD This App evolves really fast.
See also the new Design for Manufacturing (DFM) Workbench.

Tutorials: https://wiki.freecad.org/Tutorials
Video Tutorials: https://wiki.freecad.org/Video_tutorials

@christopherkunz
#FreeCAD This App evolves really fast.
See also the new Design for Manufacturing (DFM) Workbench.

Tutorials: https://wiki.freecad.org/Tutorials
Video Tutorials: https://wiki.freecad.org/Video_tutorials

@christopherkunz
#FreeCAD This App evolves really fast.
See also the new Design for Manufacturing (DFM) Workbench.

Tutorials: https://wiki.freecad.org/Tutorials
Video Tutorials: https://wiki.freecad.org/Video_tutorials

I released this full set of Roadshow/Funhouse gears last year. I'm glad to see they are still in good shape after a year. I also have the original prototype that just has the middle gear and that's in one piece too.

Links:
Middle gear: https://www.printables.com/model/1226708-funhouse-road-show-animatronic-head-jaw-gear-03-84
Sector gear: https://www.printables.com/model/1241735-funhouse-road-show-animatronic-head-sector-gear-03

Middle gear was made with #openscad, the sector gear with #freecad, printed of PETG

#pinball #3dprinting

I released this full set of Roadshow/Funhouse gears last year. I'm glad to see they are still in good shape after a year. I also have the original prototype that just has the middle gear and that's in one piece too.

Links:
Middle gear: https://www.printables.com/model/1226708-funhouse-road-show-animatronic-head-jaw-gear-03-84
Sector gear: https://www.printables.com/model/1241735-funhouse-road-show-animatronic-head-sector-gear-03

Middle gear was made with #openscad, the sector gear with #freecad, printed of PETG

#pinball #3dprinting

I released this full set of Roadshow/Funhouse gears last year. I'm glad to see they are still in good shape after a year. I also have the original prototype that just has the middle gear and that's in one piece too.

Links:
Middle gear: https://www.printables.com/model/1226708-funhouse-road-show-animatronic-head-jaw-gear-03-84
Sector gear: https://www.printables.com/model/1241735-funhouse-road-show-animatronic-head-sector-gear-03

Middle gear was made with #openscad, the sector gear with #freecad, printed of PETG

#pinball #3dprinting

I released this full set of Roadshow/Funhouse gears last year. I'm glad to see they are still in good shape after a year. I also have the original prototype that just has the middle gear and that's in one piece too.

Links:
Middle gear: https://www.printables.com/model/1226708-funhouse-road-show-animatronic-head-jaw-gear-03-84
Sector gear: https://www.printables.com/model/1241735-funhouse-road-show-animatronic-head-sector-gear-03

Middle gear was made with #openscad, the sector gear with #freecad, printed of PETG

#pinball #3dprinting

I released this full set of Roadshow/Funhouse gears last year. I'm glad to see they are still in good shape after a year. I also have the original prototype that just has the middle gear and that's in one piece too.

Links:
Middle gear: https://www.printables.com/model/1226708-funhouse-road-show-animatronic-head-jaw-gear-03-84
Sector gear: https://www.printables.com/model/1241735-funhouse-road-show-animatronic-head-sector-gear-03

Middle gear was made with #openscad, the sector gear with #freecad, printed of PETG

#pinball #3dprinting

This morning little @freecad sidequest #tool! #making #freecad #3dprinting

Materializr | F-Droid - Free and Open Source Android App Repository

https://f-droid.org/packages/com.materializr.app/

> Maker 3D CAD — the middle ground between Tinkercad and FreeCAD

Materializr is open-source 3D CAD for makers — the middle ground between dead-simple tools like Tinkercad and full professional suites like FreeCAD. Enough genuine solid modeling to make real parts, without a steep learning curve, a subscription, or an account.

Sketch on a plane, pull it into a solid (extrude, revolve, loft, sweep), fillet and chamfer, run boolean operations, cut threads, and edit any step of the history later — even after closing and reopening the project.

Sketches export to SVG at 1:1 millimeters for laser cutters and 2.5D CNC. It also imports STEP and IGES, and exports STEP, STL, IGES and glTF.

https://github.com/materializr-cad/materializr

#FreeCAD #TinkerCAD #Materializr #Android #3dcad

Every Free App You Actually Need Explained (Part 1-4)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGWSs6laAO0

#OpenSource #freeapps #LibreOffice
#VLC Media Player
#DaVinci Resolve
#OBS Studio
#GIMP
#Audacity
#Blender
#Obsidian
#Scratch
#Godot
#Krita
#Photopea
#Inkscape
#LMMS
#Shotcut / Kdenlive
#KeePassXC
#Thunderbird
#Calibre
#Joplin
#MPV
#Affinity
#ProtonVPN
#Bitwarden
#PDF24 Creator
#LocalSend
#VirtualBox
#Notepad++
#FreeCAD
#Ardour
#WinRAR
#Everything
#Syncthing
#Penpot
#Proton Pass
#KDE Connect
#Parsec
#VSCodium
#Scribus
#HandBrake
#7-Zip
#ShareX
#qBittorrent
#Free Download Manager
#totalcommander

@SallyStrange @roguefoam

#FreeCAD seems to be the most capable #FOSS #CAD package out there. #OpenSCAD looks nice, but it's more like a programming language.

#TinkerCAD is easy, but it's not FOSS, and they have a stinking #BindingArbitration clause now. 🤦‍♂️

#Blender is extremely capable, but not really meant for solid modeling, from what I can tell.

A few years back, the latest #3dPrinting craze was bottle openers with an integrated coin as a hard “lip” to lift the cap off a bottle.

Since the #Canon #TopShot winds the film all the way back in when it’s full, I thought I might use this concept to design and 3D-print a film canister opener.

It’s bulkier than it needs to be, and the tolerances still need a bit of tweaking. But yeah, it works.

#FreeCAD #filmDevelopment #filmPhotography #35mm #SureShotSupreme #Autoboy3

A few years back, the latest #3dPrinting craze was bottle openers with an integrated coin as a hard “lip” to lift the cap off a bottle.

Since the #Canon #TopShot winds the film all the way back in when it’s full, I thought I might use this concept to design and 3D-print a film canister opener.

It’s bulkier than it needs to be, and the tolerances still need a bit of tweaking. But yeah, it works.

#FreeCAD #filmDevelopment #filmPhotography #35mm #SureShotSupreme #Autoboy3

A few years back, the latest #3dPrinting craze was bottle openers with an integrated coin as a hard “lip” to lift the cap off a bottle.

Since the #Canon #TopShot winds the film all the way back in when it’s full, I thought I might use this concept to design and 3D-print a film canister opener.

It’s bulkier than it needs to be, and the tolerances still need a bit of tweaking. But yeah, it works.

#FreeCAD #filmDevelopment #filmPhotography #35mm #SureShotSupreme #Autoboy3

A few years back, the latest #3dPrinting craze was bottle openers with an integrated coin as a hard “lip” to lift the cap off a bottle.

Since the #Canon #TopShot winds the film all the way back in when it’s full, I thought I might use this concept to design and 3D-print a film canister opener.

It’s bulkier than it needs to be, and the tolerances still need a bit of tweaking. But yeah, it works.

#FreeCAD #filmDevelopment #filmPhotography #35mm #SureShotSupreme #Autoboy3

A few years back, the latest #3dPrinting craze was bottle openers with an integrated coin as a hard “lip” to lift the cap off a bottle.

Since the #Canon #TopShot winds the film all the way back in when it’s full, I thought I might use this concept to design and 3D-print a film canister opener.

It’s bulkier than it needs to be, and the tolerances still need a bit of tweaking. But yeah, it works.

#FreeCAD #filmDevelopment #filmPhotography #35mm #SureShotSupreme #Autoboy3

Printed a new dial plate designed with #FreeCAD for this french #Socotel S63 #telephone

Printed a new dial plate designed with #FreeCAD for this french #Socotel S63 #telephone

Printed a new dial plate designed with #FreeCAD for this french #Socotel S63 #telephone

Printed a new dial plate designed with #FreeCAD for this french #Socotel S63 #telephone

Printed a new dial plate designed with #FreeCAD for this french #Socotel S63 #telephone

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

But with the latest version of #FreeCAD, I can no longer import the curves that are inside IGES and STEP. Is there another way to do it now? #fc3d #CAD #nurbs