FreeCAD Basics: What are Local and Global Coordinates and Why Is It Important?

We explore FreeCAD local and global co-ordinate system, why it's important and why it exists. This is the fundamentals of CAD practies and is an important concept when attaching and placing sketches and objects to your model. Understanding this as a beginner can be tricky but it answers questions such as why my Z axis is pointing in a different direction to the screen Part of the Learning FreeCAD for Begineers series this is an additional video to fill in gaps.
These video's supplement the Learning FreeCAD for beginners which is still being added to as we speak, they are design to fill knowledge gaps have not been explained in depth in other videos.
#freecad , #CAD , #3DPrinting
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[@SimonSlothindianer]

This video took my FreeCAD-fundamentals to the next level, thank you!

[@SuperBoppy]

You are, without a doubt, the best FreeCAD instructor on the internet. Kudos.

[@MangoJellySolutions]

Thank you so much

[@MarcLuscher]

@@MangoJellySolutions i'm guessing many viewers do not have the patience to listen to a tutor. you actually explain things without reservation - others i've seen seem to assume that the viewer has some experience as they speed ahead at full-speed, skipping details. that always ends in tears, in my experience. thanks for your detailed training videos !

[@MangoJellySolutions]

@@MarcLuscher I am trying to figure a way of catering for viewers who want a quicker video. I thought of doing long form as normal and then doing shorts. But shorts take up so much time to make as you have to format the video in such a way. It's almost like I need to release two videos. One normal and another TLDR version. Glad your enjoying the videos, I rather cover more in depth than shorten them as you say, it normally ends up with much more questions to ask and no understanding of what has just been taught.

[@sstevenson638]

MangoJelly stikes again! This is the most useful channel out there for understanding freecad. Something as simple as pointing out how to show the global reference frame cleared everything up for me.

[@MangoJellySolutions]

Wow, thank you :) Thanks for the kind words :) Glad it's all helping

[@tesg9551]

Great explanation.

[@TinaDanielsson]

The "paper on a table in a room" example was a really great way to visualize the concept! 😃 I've been using CAD on and off for 20 years and I still get lost sometimes when working with local and global coordinate systems 😅

[@MangoJellySolutions]

I tried a number of ways to visualise that. Even with a piece of wood. After I dropped it on my foot whist I was filming I decided to use a different method lol. I should of kept that in as a out take! I still get lost as well, it's not an easy concept to remember which way round you was in the first place lol.

[@TinaDanielsson]

@@MangoJellySolutions Haha, yes you really should have kept that in 😊

[@leroycasterline1122]

I found it helpful to follow along in FreeCAD.

[@horaciomonaco6843]

crystal clear as usual, my compliments!! 👍

[@FTSsjc]

I've been procrastinating on starting to learn this thing. I'll start with your videos, my plans are to make a simple TV rack, thanks for your work

[@MangoJellySolutions]

Great to hear, perfect to start with a practical project with a purpose. You will learn a lot from that and get confidence to explorer more.

[@grahamnichols1416]

At Last! I've found a channel that starts from the basics. Liked and subscribed.

[@MangoJellySolutions]

Awesome, thank you!. There is so much more to come and going to be rethinking and releasing content especially for beginners in the many areas of CAD such as sheet metal, architecture, laser cut etc.

[@grahamnichols1416]

@@MangoJellySolutions Excellent, and many thanks for all your efforts. When you see your CTR increasing ... that'll be me :)

[@terrylembke8100]

Hi , Darren . Just wanted to thank you for all the videos you've made this year . Every one is high quality and really reflects your knowledge of the software and last but not least you're a great teacher and love to teach . I want to wish you and your family a merry Christmas and a happy, healthy prosperous new year . Stay safe my friend. Warmest Regards Terry Lembke

[@MangoJellySolutions]

Thank you for your kind words, it's been an honour doing these videos for such a supportive community. Have a lovely Christmas and a happy new year.

[@russellw5447]

Crikey! Wish I'd done this Months ago it would have saved a lot of Brain Hurt. So essentially Global CoOrds are fixed, Locals depend on the Orientation of the Object ( Z always Normal to Sketch, Extrusion, Solid etc). As usual well presented thought out and informative Tutorials Darren. When designing/ Sketching I try to Orient to the Global wherever possible (so I dont get lost!) I appreciate however this could be limiting Me depending on the Project. I'll start trying to get out side the Standard CoOrd boxes so to speak. Well worth any New User doing, for that matter any User.

[@MangoJellySolutions]

Yes this subject can be a bit of a head ache. I still get lost today. I wish an local coordinate axis cross would popup in attachment mode or when you start adjusting the coordinate of attachment offset. Glad you enjoyed

[@jpwillm5252]

Très bonnes explications !🤓 Very good explanations 🤓!

[@francootaola9172]

Hey man thabks for the videos would be cool that you throw an spotlight over the node workbench it looks super cool as a tool and not well known (well it is relative new....😅 ) in any case great videos it is a pleasure watching you !

[@MangoJellySolutions]

I have been playing with that wb... very interesting :) Watch this space :)

[@imacmill]

I'm digging right in to this one, as I still don't understand how FC's coordinate system works after using it for two years. Thanks, MJ...

[@pedromorgan99]

umbrella, hat, bag and a bar of gold. same stuff, different position (welcome to digital phorensicks)

[@xylosfurniture]

​@@pedromorgan99Can I swap my umbrella for your bar of gold please?

[@sjn8099]

Great. thank you 🙂

[@josegegas]

Hello. Thanks for your very useful tutorials! Do you know if there is a way to obtain the position and orientation of a local coordinate system expressed in the reference frame of another local coordinate system?

[@BrainDeadEngineering]

WOW ! my brain nearly exploded watching this but I get it now?! or do I ? So Global is point zero in space and can not be be moved. Your sketching slate (planes) I will call it, has its own co-ordnance system to only direct your sketching and the position of object around its own point zero reference, but that zero can be me moved, it can be moved around the Global point zero space. Weather I get a star on my head or not..God Bless.

[@MangoJellySolutions]

Yep you got it 😁 here have a couple for your time *** 😊

[@jonathanrodriguez8219]

This is good!

[@marshr32]

I often find myself just moving a part in a random direction to see which way I should move it. Is there a way to show the local coordinate cross for a part/sketch when it's clicked on? i.e. for that last cylinder you made.

[@MangoJellySolutions]

I often do the same. It's a shame the feature your asking about doesn't exist as that would make life so much easier. Sometimes you can use your hand with the first 3 fingers with the thumb pointing up for the z, second finger y, 3rd finger in x direction, called the right hand rule but then you still have to remember where you are in global space and orientate your hands. And when your partner comes in to see you they asks you why your throwing gang signs at the computer 😂

[@TechieSewing]

Coordinates and attachments are driving me mad. I understood about global and local coordinates, and Z being normal to the sketch plane, and figured out where I should move my sketch now. It does move but drops back as soon as I press Enter! I remember this addressed in some video but of course don't know where 😱

[@TechieSewing]

Hmm, this particular case was fixed by setting Map mode to 'Deactivated'. No idea why :( I've tried to follow Attachment tutorial in FreeCAD docs but that's complete @_@

[@pedromorgan99]

@mangoJelly .. How about a freecad.custom "turbo.encalbulator".. ? some flux for xmas ?

[@MangoJellySolutions]

Lol Yes we could use it to drive the illudium Q-36 explosive space modulator. I like the idea of a fictional piece. I wonder if that was what the drive in 'back to the future' was originally based on.

[@Satanicoso]

I all ways miss a easy way to change the origin point of a part. Something which is extremely easy in programs like Varicad is a pain in Freecad.

[@xylosfurniture]

Very easy in Autocad too.

[@jiritichy6855]

Hi there. Today is 12-30-2023. I am wondering how do you achieve moving the view with the mouse. I am on version 0. 21.1 and when I put the system in sketch mode/WB it goes into perpendicalar view and locks up. Mouse would not move it The only thing I can do is use the view cube and do some limited rotations-jumps of like 45 degrees or so. Thanks

[@MangoJellySolutions]

If you look towards the bottom right of the screen, you will see a button that shows something like CAD, Blender, touchpad etc. These are the control options. If you place your mouse over this button and wait a second or two a popup will appear showing you the keyboard and mouse combinations for zoom, pan rotate etc. The same button allows you to change the control types when clicked on. Hope that helps.

[@jiritichy6855]

@@MangoJellySolutions thank you, but those are only std. mouse commands, which work in every WB except Sketch. In sketch WB it doesn't. But on you computer obviously does, so I am assuming there is little trick or some setings I need to change. In my case- as I said - I can only use the cube gadget in upper right corner...but that doesn't yield the smooth rotation you show!

[@leroycasterline1122]

At 8:20, what is apparently the Z-Axis looks like it's labeled "Y Axis". Is this a bug, or is there another explanation?

[@MangoJellySolutions]

So, bear with me, your seeing the Y axis label of the body axis, we are offseting the sketch which is the attachment to one of the planes of the body. So the axis of the attached object (in this case the sketch) will change depending on the map mode. Flatface orientates the sketch Z axis to point away from what it is attached to, in this case the plane. It is a complex subject and can get very very confusing. When I get into attachment modes then things become clearer but don't worry if you don't get this. People have been messaging me saying they have used FreeCAD for years and didn't really understand this subject area until now. I am prepared for a lot of questions from many around this :)

[@leroycasterline1122]

​@@MangoJellySolutions Thanks. I understand your explanation, but I don't understand why the devs thought it was a good idea to show the axes of the body rather than those of the thing I'm working on. Does this serve any purpose other than confusing the user?