FreeCAD - Modifying STL STEP and 3MF files

[@RoadSideMaker]

Let me know if you would like to see me redesign the filter holder featured in video for 3D printing

[@berlinberlin4246]

Yes please

[@erikroos1278]

Would love to see that video! And thanks for this one, most helpfull.

[@eddiexx]

Ive been looking for a channel that uses FreeCAD for 3dprinting. Hope you keep sharing this type of stuff, its great. Cheers

[@acheronfail]

10/10 yes I would love that

[@theobarbosa]

This is the best FreeCAD video I ever seen!!

[@RoadSideMaker]

Thank you for your kind words!

[@JustAnotherAlchemist]

This is pure Gold! TY.

[@RoadSideMaker]

Thank you for kind words!

[@jb510]

I just learned more about FreeCAD in 13 minutes than in the last 3 months of trying to use it. Thank you.

[@RoadSideMaker]

Thank you!

[@nufnuf816]

I use freecad for last 3 years - but always avoided importing STLs as I had issues with those and it was easier to create the modely by myself :D This tutorial is a gem and should be linked to FreeCAD wiki / help page! Huge thanks!

[@RoadSideMaker]

Great to hear!

[@Johncrazy365]

Very Nice Video friend, very informative and brief absolutely appreciate it and thankful

[@RoadSideMaker]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@DanielBadberg]

Since I have seen that STP files are supported directly by the slicer, I only use STP for export. However, when I upload my files somewhere, I always upload the FreeCAD file as well. I wish more users would share their FCStd files as well, besides the step files. Btw, nice Tutorial.

[@RoadSideMaker]

Thank you!

[@davidswinnard7565]

Thanks for this timely video. I have just run across a case where the STL file I found need tweaking. As an aside... your first model of a Multigrade filter drawer takes me way back to my days as a B/W darkroom instructor in the days before, and after the introduction of affordable digital camera.

[@RoadSideMaker]

You are welcome, image appearing under red light is always like a magic to me :)

[@rockyhill3]

Excellent video, Thank you!

[@RoadSideMaker]

Glad you liked it!

[@przemekkobel4874]

Talking about not only what are you doing, but also why, is what makes the difference here. Thanks for the video.

[@RoadSideMaker]

Thank you for watching!

[@theExcalibur2]

Thank you very much! I'm new in the Free Cad and your tutorials are so great ! You got new subscriber here.

[@RoadSideMaker]

Glad you like it!

[@majormojo]

Well done. I learned about “defeature” today! Excellent. 😊

[@RoadSideMaker]

Glad it was helpful!

[@deeeeeds]

This is one of the most practical FreeCAD tutorials I’ve ever seen, for an operation that I think a lot of new users want and get tripped up by. You’ve got a great method of explaining and demonstrating common pitfalls, as well as showing useful examples and alternative strategies.

[@RoadSideMaker]

Thank you very much!

[@GrumpBurger]

Legend, thank you!

[@RoadSideMaker]

You're welcome!

[@x_ph1l]

I didn't know that STEP files are so easy to edit in FreeCAD. Thanks!

[@RoadSideMaker]

Happy to help!

[@goldkat94]

Pure gold! Thanks

[@RoadSideMaker]

You're welcome!

[@brucewilliams6292]

Thank you so much! I had no idea about the defeture button. That is very helpful. It would be great to see how you convert the STEP to a standard Part Design part. Great video!

[@RoadSideMaker]

Thank you! STEP is already parametric part file. 10:50 I am adding the defeatured model into Part Design Body and modifying it afterwards

[@octothorpian_nightmare]

Very nice and concise video, thank you! I used to go into the mesh workbench and it seemed like a lot of screwing around compared to this.

[@RoadSideMaker]

Thank you and you are welcome!

Thanks for your videos, very helpful and great for learning freecad. i would love more videos on designing workflows

[@RoadSideMaker]

Thank you!

[@spock81]

Excellent tutorial. FreeCAD is often not very intuitive, but it does have some pretty powerful tools.

[@RoadSideMaker]

Thank you and you are welcome!

[@RalphBacon]

Excellent tutorial! I've always been frustrated by freely available models not being in FreeCAD format - but now I won't have to worry. Thanks for all the info. Liked and subscribed 👍👍

[@RoadSideMaker]

Thank you!

[@chenrushan219]

thanks, I'll export to setp from now on 😄

[@RoadSideMaker]

Glad to hear!

[@andreasschau4215]

Amazing!

[@RoadSideMaker]

Thanks!

[@dleivam]

awesome.. thanks

[@RoadSideMaker]

You're welcome!

[@VitoVituccio]

Excellent! very very simple procedures! I'm trying to do the same feature to convert a mesh in solid to modify in a simple manner as you can do on Fusion 360 (with the free functionalities) and your procedure do it in FreeCad VERY VERY WELL! I've only 3 questions: 1) why you make a copy of the body? only to refine surfaces? 2): why this options are only in Part workbench and not also in Part Design? 3) in Part menu I've seen also a "Convert in solid" command, when you think it will be usefull ? Tank you

[@RoadSideMaker]

Hey and thank you! 1) Yes, it simplifies the model and removes unnecessary edges on flat surfaces. 2) Part design is classic feature-based modeling workflow. As such, it is more restrictive and uses B-rep approach. Part workbench is an attempt to create the CSG approach (however it is still b-rep underneath) and as such, you work not with features but with "bodies" and their combinations. So I would guess that converting and simplifying bodies are more appropriate for Part workbench than Part Design workflow. 3) In the video I use the "Convert to solid" command as a last step. in 2) I mentioned the B-rep representation of the model. Well basically it is a solid. So the command converts the "shape" to the usable "solid" (that is a b-rep) that we can operate with.

[@Discover-Hidden]

Most of the videos on youtube teach about adding the body or union of primitive solids to converted paatzs, but no in is able to edit the pre existing lines on these bodies.

[@RoadSideMaker]

These lines are from meshes. FreeCAD is not natively mesh software. Blender would be a proper tool to edit meshes. Here we try to conver mesh to geometric representation and work with that

[@Discover-Hidden]

@RoadSideMaker ok thank you

[@RoadSideMaker]

You are welcome!

[@noanyobiseniss7462]

Hi, I'm going nuts trying to extend the length of this model, AL_3030_T_Slot_cover.3mf, can you give me a clue why i'm getting an error when trying to extrude a pad. I am @4:00 trying to follow your steps.

[@RoadSideMaker]

Hey, if you do it for 3d print, then there is an easier way. Load this 3mf file in slicer of your choice. I use Orca, select the model and click "scale". Uncheck the Uniform box and set the length as needed (if the model sits vertical, it would be Z axis scaling). Let me know if it helped

[@noanyobiseniss7462]

@RoadSideMaker Sweet, Thx, I'm using super slicer on nix. Can't get Orca Slicer working because Webkit is a security threat.

[@RoadSideMaker]

Should work with SuperSlicer just the same, cheers

[@noanyobiseniss7462]

@RoadSideMaker It did, thanks. :) Turns out at 300mm its a good test of your part Cooling! :D

[@RoadSideMaker]

Great, some big print volume you have there 👍

[@rakdur]

Great video. 3d files should always be exchanged as STEP/STP whenever possible, since it is a very clean format with infinite definition. It's like STLnis a JPEG file with finite definition, whereas STP is like a vector file with infinite definition. Not a big fan of exchanging files as 3MF - it's like sharing photos with your friends packaged as PDF - it makes a lot of sense in certain situations, but the vast majority of times you'd just share JPG. By the way, STEP/STP is not a parametric 3d file format. But it is far more precise and editable than mesh/STL.

[@RoadSideMaker]

Thanks! In the sense that STEP files do not contain parameters - yes, they are not parametric. In the sense that they can be used in parametric CAD software as is with no modifications while edges, faces and vertices are valid geometry - lets say they are parametric cad compatible.

[@arkadiuszn7524]

excellent tutorial. What addon do You use to show workbench as tabs?

[@RoadSideMaker]

Thank you! In the new FreeCAD 1.0 RC2 it is build in. Just go to Edit>Preferences>Workbenches and in the bottom there is an option called Workbench selector type and select "TabBar"

[@cnz-u5x]

that's great. could you pls share the stl file shown in your tutorial?

[@RoadSideMaker]

Hey, it is not the greatest design. As mentioned, I would redesign it first and then I will publish it. Take a look on Printables, there are several holders available.

[@cnz-u5x]

@@RoadSideMaker what's the keyword in printable, i just want a similar model to do the practice.

[@RoadSideMaker]

Try "Ilford Multigrade"

[@cnz-u5x]

@@RoadSideMaker what about the keyword of model shown in 6' of the video

[@RoadSideMaker]

@@cnz-u5x It is a focusing screen spring for 4x5 camera. You can find similar design here (back side, brown color) www.printables.com/model/250649-4x5-large-format-camera

[@santobramas]

Hi, great video! in 3:40 you create a sketch, how do you place the origin in the centre? Thank you

[@RoadSideMaker]

Hey, I designed that part with center to be on origin. It retains that relationship to coordinates. Otherwise you would need to measure your part and figure out center on your own to put it on origin

[@user-lw6iz7zy2o]

Thank you, that is really useful information. I just started with 3D printing and FreeCAD.

[@RoadSideMaker]

Glad it was helpful!

[@cowboy124aa3]

Great tutorial, One thing I am having an issue with, I have a Star Wars scout trooper helmet I currently am working on and the face part of the helmet around the eyes area is suppose to got into the visor part at the top of the face portion, but whoever modeled it modeled that part seperated from the visor, the part does not connect to the visor, and its a curved feature, how do I edit curved from a STL file, with no other file format to work from. So that I can merge that part of the face into the visor part of the helmet. Is there a way to make the curves like what is in the step file with no individual faces around the curve.

[@RoadSideMaker]

Thank you. You have two options - if using CAD, then use the ST as a reference and trace sketches around it rebuilding the part. Second option is to take mesh modification software like Meshmixer (it is free) or Blender. The helmet was created, most likely, not in CAD as it contains many organic forms.

[@cowboy124aa3]

@@RoadSideMaker Ya I was afraid of that, I did take it into blender, I'm just not patient enough or skilled enough to go thru all of the thousands of individual faces and points and edges it would take to repair just that section.

[@RoadSideMaker]

I am sure that there should be tools to move bigger parts of the model, not just individual points and faces. Like brush or something

[@cowboy124aa3]

@@RoadSideMaker I tried but the only pushes the two different faces into each other and wont merge them. I guess I'm just gonna have to go thru and merge the points and faces individually to get to what I want. I'm really a noob when it comes to this kind of stuff.

[@RoadSideMaker]

Sorry couldn't be more of help. You can try Meshmixer, it is free. Maybe you find luck there

[@ofozdemir]

thank you. perfect video. life saver features of freecad hidden in plain sight. I hate the UI and it was not so stable when I tried it. Now I will install freecad alongside solidworks which lacks features to work with stl. liked and subscribed. thanks again

[@RoadSideMaker]

Thank you!

[@Tokolist]

Great tutorial, thanks. I've been giving it a lot of tries and ended up with Blender for quick mesh modifications. Parametric CADs are not really good for working with meshes. So I use both Blender and FreeCAD now.

[@RoadSideMaker]

Agreed, problem is historically most 3D models made in parametric CAD and shared are in mesh format. That makes it harder to modify than it has to. Hope STEP gets more adoption and becomes standard.

[@Tokolist]

@RoadSideMaker ideally it should be combination of 3mf and step in single format, hope at some point we will get file format like that. technically 3mf is an archive, so we just replace mesh with step and done

[@RoadSideMaker]

It would be helpful, however 3mf is mesh by design. Improved precision mesh, but still a mesh. I don't believe you can just replace step, unfortunately

[@86toutoune]

Waw, that tutorial Is really nice and useful! Thank you !

[@RoadSideMaker]

You are welcome!

[@berlinberlin4246]

Can you please enable the mouse pointer tail? And enable the click indicator thing? Than its a lot easier to follow you mouse clicks. Thank you

[@RoadSideMaker]

Great suggestion, I will look into it

[@86toutoune]

At the beginning with STL and 3mf you operate a conversion from shape to object. I could see a definition of shapes in FreeCAD, but not of objects, what are they ?

[@RoadSideMaker]

Not sure what object you are referring to. When converting STL it goes through folowing classes - Mesh > Shape > Shape (refined) > Solid. Can you point a timecode maybe?

[@86toutoune]

Sorry, I was confused, I did not mean obecjt, but solid ​@@RoadSideMaker

[@86toutoune]

And there are a few explanations in FreeCAD wiki about the principles of solids construction actually. It is surely hard to find fine answers, looking for irrelevant questions😅

[@RoadSideMaker]

You are welcome, glad I could help

[@ralfm.metzing8407]

Wow, this was very helpful!

[@RoadSideMaker]

Thank you!

[@ColinSpencer]

Thanks a great video, very useful. One question though how do you centre the stl file if it comes in offset from the origin?

[@RoadSideMaker]

Thank you. You should determine where you want to place the origin. Than use measure tool to determine necessary offset. Then use Transform tool to set the necessary location