Introduction to FreeCAD Part 3: Shape Binders, Expressions, and Spreadsheets | DigiKey

[@rodneysmith1750]

Excellent video, well prepared and delivered. You even showed me a couple of new shortcuts I was unaware of. You just earned a subscription as well.

[@RuddODragonFear]

Very useful. I learned KiCad from scratch with your series. Although I had previously learned FreeCAD by myself, I'm fending this series to be super useful too. Thanks, Shawn!

[@brainio1762]

One of the best FreeCAD tutorials. Thanks 🙂

[@Shunquba6]

Excellent tutorial, i personally never used a CAD software in my life. after watching this, not only it broke the ice, it also made me realize that most of the ideas inside my head can become true. Just a note on the side, i find the logic of freeCAD is very similar to Excel logic, or a programing software, the logic limitations are purely mathematical and easy to work around them, ie. you have to find the value of X in order to solve the value of Y, or mechanically speaking, you can not supply the power to a car wheels, unless the engine is moving. Anyway, DigiKey, you're making the world a better place.

[@ricardoquesada]

Many thanks for this video. I tried FreeCAD a few years ago... watched different tutorials, but somehow your tutorials (FreeCAD, microcontrollers, what-ever-you-do) are easier to understand!! Please, keep doing these kind of videos!

[@tinkerworm]

Love this ! I do tutorials on FreeCAD - but yours are way more approachable for new folk. Love it!

[@Shawn-lk2ze]

Thank you! I'm so glad to see this video has been posted. Since the first two videos were posted only a couple of days apart compared to the 3 weeks for this one, I was worried that this series might not get finished for some reason. Looking forward to seeing the rest. Thanks, Another Shawn

[@AndreasCHBS]

This is an excellent tutorial. It saves soo much time and hassle in learning FreeCAD. Thank you Shawn!

[@David_Kelly_SF]

Thanks for this. I've just started looking at FreeCAD (again!) and this is a very interesting explanation of the parametric aspects. Very much appreciated!

[@andrewneale8302]

Excellent videos! I know these take a lot of work, so thank you!

[@spiderpat21]

Very usefull tutorial dedicated to printing jobs... Many thks !

[@ericguerard3455]

Excellent as usual !! Thanks for this tutorial !!

[@rperrella]

Brilliant lesson, the best lessons are yours ! Many thanks !!!

[@vinhdangquang1460]

Thanks for posting this video. I have been waiting forever since the last video

[@صبريعلي-ت7ل]

Because it's my favorite hobby, thank you again

[@featross-r4j]

i liked the sketch offset, my goto is datum planes for those. cant wait for parts 9 and 10!

[@صبريعلي-ت7ل]

I am very happy to know you, as the wonderful forum, wonderful discussions, I really enjoyed it. I will raise topics for discussion in the beautiful and wonderful forum. My warm greetings to you, sikwal

[@صبريعلي-ت7ل]

I have benefited a lot from the wonderful and beautiful digikey forum.

[@peterlageri4177]

16:12: What topological naming problem is that?

[@ShawnHymel]

I recommend checking out Part 1 (around 14:40) to see an explanation and example of the topological naming problem. It happens when you attach a feature to another feature and then change the first (underlying) feature. The solver keeps the original attachment, which can have unintended and disastrous results (often breaking your entire design). FreeCAD v1.0 and on fixes this problem by trying to understand the intention behind the attachment, which results in far fewer broken designs.

[@peterlageri4177]

@@ShawnHymel Ah! That one. I didn't pay attention since that was about a version prior to 1.0. I'll watch Part 3 again. I use FreeCAD to draw inserts for my boardgames like Great Western Trail: Argentina and the learning curve has been quite steep since a lot of the other instructional videos from others are from earlier versions and in some of them it feels more like a "See what I can" rather that a help. Then along came you and I start to understand. Thank you for your videos.

[@ShawnHymel]

@@peterlageri4177 I'm glad the videos are helpful, and the board game modifications sound really cool!

[@julianhahn01]

For anyone who might be stuck ont he 'create sketch on top of the base': Changing the attatchment value for the second sketch DID NOT move the sketch on the correct z height. It was still located at 0,0,0 therefore under the box. I needed to set the position of the sketch rather than the attatchment. For good measure I set both to the value from the spreadsheet.

[@julianhahn01]

One more update: The view secition button which 'slices the lip' so that we can see the final sketch for the base better, is now only available AFTER you go INTO your sketch. In the video the button is still in the general model view. Go into your sketch and then you can see it on the top left.

[@Ggoodnight35]

Have you released all the videos? I can only see 1-3. Wonderful job!!!

[@ShawnHymel]

They're being released about once per week. I'm aiming for a total of 10 FreeCAD videos + 2 3D printing videos.

[@Ggoodnight35]

Take your time! This is the only set of tutorials that I can follow. I’m still working on #3 when I can, I was looking ahead to #4 and couldn’t find. Hence the question. Is there anyway that I can make the numbers on the various planes larger? If I set a distance, the numbers are so small can’t hardly see. Thanks again. Wonderful videos.

[@ShawnHymel]

@ Good question! I'm assuming you're asking about the sketch dimensions. If you go to Edit > Preferences > Sketcher tab > Display, you should be able to adjust the font size.

[@sistemamarco]

Excellent tutorial, well explained. Some time when i import spep files, those are way out from the global origin, how to center the step file to the Global origin?

[@ShawnHymel]

You can right-click on the STEP object in the tree view and click Transform to move the object. In my experience, STEP files usually don't have the exact distance from the global origin, so it's difficult to get it exactly centered, but Transform will get you close.

[@mikejones-vd3fg]

Thank you!

[@durgood]

"Variable set" can be used instead of spreadsheet. Its new feature in version 1.0

[@ShawnHymel]

Yeah, I learned about this after I recorded everything in 1.0 RC1 😅

[@صبريعلي-ت7ل]

Thank you very much for the help I am very happy

[@ricardoquesada]

And it seems that your latests videos were not included in the "Shawn Hymel" Digikey KZbin playlist. any chance that they get added ?

[@somanshv4992]

I have a doubt. I did not understand why in 19:34 , for the fillet mesurement we subtract the fillet value by thickness/2 and not the thickness itself. Please explain!

[@ShawnHymel]

Good question! Apologies for not explaining it in the video. What I created in that part was a fillet for the lip of the base. The lip is half the thickness of the wall thickness, which you can see being created at 21:56. So for the full wall, we do (fillet - thickness) and for the lip, we do (fillet - thickness / 2). Hope that helps!

[@somanshv4992]

@@ShawnHymel Understood. Thank you !

[@صبريعلي-ت7ل]

Nice to meet you engineer

[@andrewneale8302]

I'm having the same problem as an earlier comment "I was following along but got an error msg when I tried to PAD the lip sketch which is +10mm up on the Z plain. The Error msg is "Cannot use selected object. Selected object must belong to the active body. Consider using ShapeBinder or a BaseFeature to reference external geometry in a body." Note I am using FreeCAD 1.0.0. Thanks.." My problem is that I cannot drag anything around in tree view.

[@erikmoe2361]

I'm new to FreeCAD, but have bee exposed to VarSets. When would you use a Spreadsheets vs VarSets?

[@Ticktok_of_Oz]

Since varsets are attached to a part, where spreadsheets are attached to a project, I'd use varsets for values internal to a part or a single part project, and a spreadsheet for values used across parts like an assembly. You can also mix and match. Varsets based on spreadsheet values and visa versa.

[@peterlageri4177]

In version 1.0.0 one can't even create a sketch. (26:23)

[@peterlageri4177]

40:26 In 1.0.0 one must use "Diffuse color" and not "Ambient Color" as in 1.0.0RC1 or at least: well Diffuse works here my me. Ambient does not show.

[@Tony770jr]

I was following along but got an error msg when I tried to PAD the lip sketch which is +10mm up on the Z plain. The Error msg is "Cannot use selected object. Selected object must belong to the active body. Consider using ShapeBinder or a BaseFeature to reference external geometry in a body." Note I am using FreeCAD 1.0.0. Thanks...

[@ShawnHymel]

My guess is that your sketch is outside of your Part Design active body. In your tree view, drag the sketch into the Body so that you can use Part Design features (e.g. Pad).

[@Tony770jr]

Thanks that was the issue.

[@harihurtig6157]

there is an "Alias" field right to the content field in the Spreadsheet, br

[@صبريعلي-ت7ل]

Thank you for the help, engineer. Sorry, I don’t know your name. I wish you success and good luck. Sorry for bothering you. You are very kind. Thank you very much and sorry again.

[@peterlageri4177]

Interesting: In Danish "Fillet" would be "afrundng" and that word cannot be used as an Alias. The text goes red at "Af" Hmm. No, it goes red no matter the second letter Cancel back to spreadsheet. Try again. Now it works... hmm odd. Only the first letter i red.

[@صبريعلي-ت7ل]

I hope to talk to you face to face soon I will meet you engineer you are a great engineer my warm regards

[@martinmengh]

voice is too low/deep for a tech tutorial .. hinders clarity and quite uncomfortable to listen to

[@صبريعلي-ت7ل]

I study at home where my little lab is.