FreeCAD: Sketcher symmetry constraints and ways to mirror geometry Beginners tutor / tips and tricks

[@akoskun8371]

FreeCAD is a bit scary at times and your videos really help with getting to know it!

[@ObsequiousV4]

these concise explanations combined with the excellent keyboard shortcut system (typing a series of letters like g, m, giving tons of combinations for many buttons) makes me feel like a wizard when designing things is this program. Thank you for these tutorials! Scholar and a gentlemen

[@MangoJellySolutions]

Thank you so much for the kind comment, great to see your mastering the program 😊😊😊👍👍

[@cuvarsnova]

Open sources of knowledge and artistic values could make our human race far more beautiful than any stupid war ever did. ~

[@indigo0086]

I am working on something now and rather than trying to mirror the sketch I try to halve most things as much as possible, then mirror them later. Is there an advantage to this over mirroring the sketch.

[@MangoJellySolutions]

You are working the correct workflow and good practices , it's best to mirror as late as possible to reduce the steps that make up your build. The only reason to mirror in the sketch is if parts of your sketch geometry that make up the whole sketch was mirrored. If that makes sense

[@indigo0086]

@@MangoJellySolutions Makes complete sense.

[@paulbrouyere1735]

Help, I got stuck with a full screen in sketcher and can’t seem to get out. No workbenches in view. Only things I see are the icon indicating I’ on the right view and the 3 axes symbol. How do I get out of full screen?

[@MangoJellySolutions]

Bear with me trying to recreate

[@MangoJellySolutions]

Wow just done it, I didn't know you could do that! Now trying to figure out how to get out of it lol.

[@MangoJellySolutions]

Got it, hit F11

[@MangoJellySolutions]

What you did is you must of some how either right clicked and went to document window and then went to full screen or you hit F11. If you hit F11 again it gets you out that view.

[@paulbrouyere1735]

@@MangoJellySolutions You are a hero, thank you very much!

[@danb8293]

Thanks - very helpful!

[@MangoJellySolutions]

No problems, glad you found it useful.

[@paulg3336]

Thanks

[@MangoJellySolutions]

👍

[@gutoguto0873]

Wish you went over on how to mirror something and keep the constraints. This is bugging me to no end.

[@MangoJellySolutions]

Yeh it is a a pain. I believe the plane copy keeps move constraints but the mirror doesn't. It will keep some non datum constraints but that's about it.

[@gutoguto0873]

@@MangoJellySolutions Copy constraint? Look like I'll have to look into that..

[@13deadghosts]

Yeah, not keeping or mirroring the constraints makes this functionally useless. If i have to manually set or fix 15-20 constrains for the mirrored part, I might as well just sketchit from the ground up again.

[@quantisedspace7047]

'keep the constraints' ? I just do one half, get it properly constrained and then mirror each vertex individually with it's counterpart on the other side. That way, the constraints propagate and the mirrored side follows. You can modify on either side, and the constraints will update in the other side.

[@PaoloLuraschi]

Yes, it would be much useful to keep the constraints, this is what other sw. do, like for example Onshape. I see no reason why FreeCAD is just copying the geometry and then you have to manually apply a dozen of constraints manually to really have a mirror. FreeCAD is a parametric CAD so what's the point to just copy the geometry with no constraints ?