#freecad — Public Fediverse posts

Still can't get freecad:editable to work no matter what I do to this drawing template. Used to show up in the wrong place, now it doesn't do anything.

#freecad #FreeCADFriday

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/

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

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

Spotted: A new Microwave Workbench

Over on our FreeCAD Mastodon account, under our regular #FreeCADFriday hashtag we get to spot all manner of things....

https://blog.freecad.org/2026/09/08/spotted-a-new-microwave-workbench/

#FreeCAD #Workbench #Community #Microwave #HighFrequency cc @mishkathebear

@sam01 @freecad

Hi ! I'm looking for a 3d printer / linux fer m'y classroom. What's the best 3 ? Thanks for pour answers.

#FreeCADFriday #Anycubic #FreeCAD #woodworking

@freecad I am designing and building a new enclosure for my 3D printer. I finished the main part already, but another door is still missing. So today I added my acrylic glass parts to the FreeCAD model to think about the second door.

Since this always feels like a rabbithole to me, I created a model of my room, the shelf next to the enclosure, a Eurobox to sit below and the Anycubic Vyper 3D printer.

#FreeCADFriday #Anycubic #FreeCAD #woodworking

I've finally added a two way breather valve to my fuel tank which will hopefully make filling the tank easier. I hope to never test its roll over protection functionality.

I could have just strapped it but it was an excuse to print something in ABS. Only the MOT tester is ever likely to see it, but it pleases me.

#WeirdCarMastodon #FreeCADFriday #FreeCAD

Once again it is #FreeCADFriday. Show and tell us what you are working on in #FreeCAD at the moment! #CAD

I have this Wolfbox Turbofan and I use it so much, that it deserves first order accessibility. To this end, I designed a holder in #freecad for an IKEA Skadis pegboard.

#FreeCadFriday #3Dprinting

1/4

Once more it is #FreeCADFriday ! Hope all you wonderful people are ready for a great weekend. Show us what you are working on with #FreeCAD at the moment.

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

@freecad
… didn't miss yesterday's #FreeCADfriday – it was just too late for the result: Another example of my minimalistic "why buy when I can create" lamps. This one is for my work desk.

The only thing I actually had to spend money on was a new retro "Bakelit" bulb holder, that screws into nicely.

#FreeCAD #3dprinting

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

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

Built a custom exhaust flange to vent 3D printer fumes out a window—designed in FreeCAD using parametric modeling and printed on a Sovol SV06 “ACE”. Includes model, slicer settings, and lessons learned (including what not to forget 😄).

Full write-up: https://salemdata.net/johnpress/?p=612

Model is open sourced.

#3DPrinting #FreeCAD #ParametricDesign #Sovol #Voron #Maker #DIY #OpenSource #OrcaSlicer

Besty gifted me his #diy #printrbot #3dprinter that he's honed to perfection over the years, and I've been having a lot of fun learning to use it! I've also been brushing up on my #freecad skills so that I can design more portable computers and #cyberdecks in future.

https://tobykurien.com/images/microblog/post-1763362221-0.jpg https://tobykurien.com/images/microblog/post-1763362221-1.jpg https://tobykurien.com/images/microblog/post-1763362221-2.png

🔨 🔧
Und was macht ihr am Sonntag? Ich würde sagen wir sehen uns in der #OWN in #Norderstedt !

Zuerst gelesen auf :mastodon: : https://chaos.social/@OWN/115453694512498741

#Keramik
#Toepfern
#Fahrrad|reparatur
#naehen
#3ddruck
#CNC-Fräse
#Lasercutter
#Drehbank
#scrapbooking
#Holzwerken
#Metall|arbeiten
#reparieren
Möbel #restaurieren
#loeten
#Elektronik
#FreeCAD
#dekupiersaege
#Kunststoff
#OffeneWerkstatt
#SH
#Hamburg
#Bildung
#Kultur
#hackerspace
#makerspace
#diy
#Teilhabe
#righttorepair
#Selbermachen

[2/2]
#loeten (THT & SMT)
arbeiten mit #Kunststoff
3D-CAD mit #FreeCAD
#Dekupiersäge|n

Der Austausch steht im Vordergrund! Das ist DIE Gelegenheit uns in entspannter Atmosphäre kennenzulernen.

Wir machen es auch gemütlich 🧁 🥮 ☕

WANN genau?
09.11. / 13-16h

WO?
Poppenbütteler Straße 230

Forged in #FreeCAD: XYZ Micro Manipulator for Sub Micron Motion Control
It's a wonderful thing when you see a very cool #opensource hardware project and then a further delight when you see that the toolchain to build the device is also completely open.

https://blog.freecad.org/2025/09/25/forged-in-freecad-xyz-micro-manipulator-for-sub-micron-motion-control/
#UserStory #kicad #grbl #flexure

Forged in FreeCAD (and KiCad): Community Bike Sound System Solutions!

A lovely story of a #community #bike group ride solving some audio problems using #FreeCAD and #KiCad. Thanks to @MCQN_Ltd for sharing their story. #biketooter #opensource #CAD #3Dprint #KiCad

https://wp.me/pe9Jyy-Td

#UserStory

Forged In FreeCAD: Juze Crailsheim Summer RC Boat Workshops
A couple of weeks ago on the #FreeCADFriday hashtag over on Fosstodon, Hanser posted a lovely bit of FreeCAD design work for a RC boat hull. It was a great looking design, but even more wonderful was the story that unfolded in the thread that followed.

https://blog.freecad.org/2025/08/25/forged-in-freecad-juze-crailsheim-summer-rc-boat-workshops/
#UserStory #FreeCAD #CAD #Opensource

Forged in FreeCAD: CERN CMS Detector Cable Clamps
In case it passed you by, over on our mastodon account and on the X platform we have run the hashtag #FreeCADFriday for a long time. It's a straightforward "show everyone what you are up to with FreeCAD" type affair and every week so many amazing projects show up as responses.
#CERN #FreeCAD #CAD #CMS #Muons
https://blog.freecad.org/2025/08/11/forged-in-freecad-cern-cms-detector-cable-clamps/
#UserStory

Oh, look! I made a thing!

https://www.printables.com/model/1227667-underware-compatible-connectors-for-goews

#3DPrinting #GOEWS #CableOrganization #FreeCAD

The world would be a better place with more open and transparent #software. That’s why we want to move towards using more #opensource software in our design workflows. But we need help! If you know #BlenderBIM, #sverchok and/or #freecad reach out to us if you’re interested.

#ethicaldesign #vegandesign #foss

FreeCAD hat nach 20 Jahren die version 1.0 erreicht

FreeCAD-Version 1.0 wurde veröffentlicht und bald erscheint sogar Version 1.1.

#FreeCAD #CAD #Assembly #IFC #BIM #Ondsel #realthunder #TNP #Solidworks #Inventor #Solidedge #Linux

https://gnulinux.ch/freecad-hat-nach-20-jahren-die-version-1-0-erreicht

Heute steht im Heimatspiegel ein kurzer Artikel zur #OffeneWerkstatt in #Norderstedt. Es werden auch ein paar unserer nächsten #Workshop|s beworben. Meldet euch da gerne an oder kommt donnerstags von 17-20h rum (ohne Voranmeldung)!
https://ow-norderstedt.de/
#sh #Hamburg #3DDruck #3dprinting #FreeCAD #FC3d #3DCAD #Fahrrad #mastobikes_de #Elektronik #loeten #scrapbooking #Keramik #Holzwerken #Bildung #OWN #Eltern #Kinder #Familie #Robotik #VDInis #Holz #Metall #Reparatur #diy #werken #schnacken

Working on mesh edge angle analysis in #JuliaLang. Left is the @FreeCAD model, right is the #Comodo mesh edge angle analysis. This will enable surface feature segmentation, e.g. top, inner, sides etc.

#opensource #CAD #FreeCAD #ComputationalDesign #GeometryProcessing

https://github.com/COMODO-research/Comodo.jl

My first design in #FreeCAD - two rotating plates that should (theoretically) slot into each other and allow the top plate to rotate on top of the bottom plate.

#Cura says that each plate should take 3 hours on my #Neptune4. Let's see how the tolerances work out...

This is how it looks like without the video compression. (And also, immediately after charging it up with a bright light.)

#3Dprinting #Marlin #FreeCAD #Snorlax #Pokemon #Printables #3DJake #Extrudr #Creality #Ender3

I printed my custom glow in the dark and black dual color filament by printing an 1.75 mm spiral, changing color during print. Then printed Snorlax with it.

It is 8 layers of glow in the dark PETG and then 3 layers of black PETG. (A bit more details here: https://mastodon.social/@gheja/111320213704156363 )

Model: https://www.printables.com/model/318081-low-poly-snorlax
Printer: Creality Ender 3 Pro
Filament: Extrudr Glow in the Dark PETG + 3DJake Black PETG.

#3Dprinting #Marlin #FreeCAD #Snorlax #Pokemon #Printables #3DJake #Extrudr #Creality #Ender3

Greetings everyone!

Name's Void_Setup, but feel free to call me whatever. I'm just another #tinkerer open to learning new things while building upon what I already know. :P

My main knacks include recent fascinations with #eeg tech [#neuroprosthetics] and #hardwarehacking, #raspberrypi tinkering, and recycling/modifying old hardware with miscellaneous parts I find [which I might have dumpster dove for]. Example: (WIP) Turning an old laptop display into a desktop monitor (shoutout to #DIYPerks)! Plus, MASSIVE #LINUX NERD!! My fav. distro is #voidlinux!

I also dabble in #programming with #python, #C, and #cplusplus, but I might give #Rust a go once I've become fluent in both python and #micropython. I also dabble in #FreeCAD, #Blender, and #digitalart too, but I need more practice before I can model/sketch my ideas.

Finally, my main project? BUILDING A #PROTOGEN SUIT WITH A PI 5 THAT RIVALS IRON MAN HIMSELF. I WILL FIND A WAY_

Anyways, that's enough from me for now. Peace!

Sincerely,
=[|87

#introduction

FreeCAD is Simple, According to This Tutorial - Remember learning to tie your shoes or ride a bike? Like many things, that’s easy ... - https://hackaday.com/2023/07/05/freecad-is-simple-according-to-this-tutorial/ #parametricdesign #3dprinterhacks #freecad #cad

@signalskew neat!
Are you using the #realthunder fork of #freeCAD? I've been considering moving to that and using #Assembly3. I'm not doing anything complex at all and just stuck with #a2plus so far.

@danderson Yes, the App Link changes that Assembly3 needs to work were merged into upstream #FreeCAD. Sadly, because Assembly3 depends on a forked version of the SolveSpace solver that is licensed under the GPL, it won't be integrated into FreeCAD proper (unless, I suppose, someone writes a replacement constraint solver that can do the same work but is under a license that FreeCAD will accept).

There has been a lot more than just Assembly3 in the #Realthunder fork, though. In particular, his topological naming stabilization work seems to me to be as robust as SolidWorks was when I last used it about a year ago; that is, it is of course possible to create topological nonsense by large changes to the upstream tree, but I'm much more likely to be comfortable not creating a profusion of datum planes in a part with his fixes. That work is planned to be one of the major headlines of work for the next stable release of FreeCAD, currently in development.

The downside of his fork right now is that because he's been so focused on getting his topological naming improvements merged, he hasn't yet merged released FreeCAD 0.20 into his branch, so it is a little behind on some of the stable release work.

If you haven't looked at it, Assembly4 (assembly without constraints), which like Assembly3 depends on the App Link work, is also interesting. Driven by relationships between datums across parts, it doesn't run into the problem of misinterpreted constraints because it doesn't use constraints, and it makes animating assemblies natural.

I expect it will generally be strictly faster to compute an assembly than to solve constraints; for at least some assemblies, it will be much more convenient to express constraints than to design for assembly by matching datums.

Cool! The #Sverchok devs have made a ticket tracking Curves/NURBS mapping API. Showing the progress of supporting Geomdl, #FreeCAD, and rhino3dm

https://github.com/nortikin/sverchok/issues/3385