Learning FreeCad with These Basic Steps

FreeCad can be a very intimidating 3d modeling cad software but with these few basic step, you should be able to overcome the hurdle and use freecad
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freecad ► www.freecad.org/
○○○ Timecode ○○○
0:00 intro
0:24 PCBway
1:06 Freecad
1:44 Installing Freecad
2:27 Project Idea
3:06 Using Freecad
3:25 Create Sketch
4:59 Setting Constrains
6:07 Completing First Sketch
6:39 Padding
7:12 External Geometry
10:00 adding hole
12:14 adding screw holes
14:49 Fillet edges
15:53 Saving model
16:29 3d Printing
17:11 conclusion
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#freecad #3dmodeling #3dprinting

[@D3v611]

Seriously.... After DAYS of looking through tutorials, i literally learned more in these 20 minutes than the hours i wasted on other videos.... Superb!!

[@cadenigma]

This is what I call a talented teacher! 10/ 10

[@nightwing2012]

One heck of a tutorial. Fast... No bloat... Just the needed skills shown! Good job!

[@Rusty_B_And_The_Gang]

No pain, no gain

[@atom6_]

Equal, horizontal, vertical and symmetrical constraints will improve and speed up your workflow quite a bit. Especially with the holes, create one and the rest will automatically follow the constraints. This is key when your designs become more complex and requires changes. Also note that you can adjust the way the mouse navigation works in many different ways - in preferences > display > navigation

[@Sembazuru]

Watching him do his constraints and the pocket reminds me of people who center text with multiple spaces and paginate with multiple enters in word processors. Yes, those will work, but it is more precise and more forgiving of future edits to use the proper alignment/constraint tools within the software package...

[@Appregator]

One surprisingly useful Workbench in FreeCAD is Spreadsheet. It makes your design parametric. So you link the dimensions to the drawing and instead of tweaking numbers in the drawing one just goes to the spreadsheet and changes the values. The spreadsheet operates similarly to a normal spreadsheet where values can be formulated to calculate the value. Also there is a macro which one can use to make it easier to make a cell name alias something descriptive. So for example instead of say cell C4 it can be called "Width".

[@zibingotaeam3716]

as far as perspective controls go, you don't even need to go in to settings, just click on the little icon in the bottom left corner.

[@KevinCarbonaro]

I learnt more from this video about using Freecad than anywhere else. Thanks! What I realised is that most of the time I know what I want to do, but do not know the terminology used to search about it. For example, it would not be straight-forward for a beginner to guess that you need to use a pocket to create a hole. Keep these tutorials coming :)

[@bill4639]

Honestly, he is talking WAY too fast and the resolution on his camera is terrible. There are much better videos out there.

[@oldgeek29577]

Thanks for teaching an old man how to do it. I learned more in this

[@Zmit]

It really does not matter for the part you created in this video, yet worth mentioning; instead of increasing the depth dimension of a hole, choose the feature "through hole" (many CAD systems offer an option to select last surface to "punch" through. When designing plastics parts a general rule is to ad a rounding to all concave transitions of stressed/load bearing features. And lastly a DFA tip: always add a chamfer to surfaces that has to be pushed over another part (and a rounding to any feature that has to go into a hole ... but here the boom arm is already round).

[@ThalassTKynn]

Freecad is pretty great. It's not perfect, and not as polished as some commercial CAD programs. But for hobbyists like me it's perfect. There are heaps of tutorials on youtube, too.

[@luizcarlosquerido2943]

Blender is opensource and VERY VERY VERY polished. There are no interest by FreeCad to improve, this is it.

[@fannyalbi9040]

@@luizcarlosquerido2943blender is too technical. learning curve is steep for a novice

[@rusername]

​​@@luizcarlosquerido2943 blender != CAD Hope you understand

[@rickhalverson2252]

Why are you here watching basic steps to learning freeCAD if you're so happy with another program? That doesn't even make sense. ​@@luizcarlosquerido2943

[@ZeFoxii]

Saying that FreeCad is not perfect is an understatement, it downright sucks compared to fusion360. Mainly because it doesn’t auto snap lines and allow the user to make a sketch 3d without 10 extra obnoxious steps the cad modeler should be assuming, it should be editable by the user, in case of a problem. Not forced by default. if I could have the fusion360 full experience 1:1 from free cad I’d shitcan fusion immediately while giving them the double birds but until then free cad is foreign and alien to normal users especially when compared to fusion.

[@jmilton041]

Trying to get away from Fusion 360 I've watched 10+ videos on basics of FreeCad. This is by far the most helpful and straightforward one I've seen.

[@the_joernal]

Direct and straightforward guide... and fun as well. As a mechanical engg it's great to see that I can stay on linux and not need to switch to windows all the time when I need CAD software. Thanks.

[@originalhotrodder4337]

I've learned how to model in OnShape, then Fusion 360 then back to OnShape and all along tried to model with FreeCad but gave up before getting to make anything in FreeCad, until watching this video. Thank you for keeping it simple enough to get a model finished with FreeCad. I now know that I will be able to use FreeCad to create all my 3D models. I really wanted to use FreeCad because it's the only free CAD software that allows me to create things I want to sell. I'm going to be watching your other FreeCad videos, thank you again!!!

[@clytle374]

Been using freecad for a long long time. Thanks for helping beginners out, it's a very important part of Freecad. Getting started is the hardest part. After a while you find it fun to figure out the easiest or best way to do stuff.

[@etxgaming2303]

I love walk-throughs like this that are straight to the point. I'm just starting to learn so this was very helpful. Thank you.

[@erniepaj]

Love the straightforward, teach by example route. Exactly what a beginner would need to learn this quickly. Great tutorial.

[@cadenigma]

I agree. This is the way to go.

[@sigmata0]

I just started playing with FreeCAD and obviously came in contact with the wall of daunt. Thanks for this it's just what I needed to go forward! 🙂

[@guyfontenot]

By far the best video for raw beginners. Well explained and easy to follow. Made my first custom desk light base to replace the broken one using this video and it was perfect.

[@PaulG.x]

You can actually import an image such as the one for the Pi . Then adjust the scale so that it is correct with respect to the FreeCAD units. Then you can build your model around the image. If you can get 3 axis view images ,then you can attach each one to a relevant plane in the 3D view

[@jonathanraypollard]

Perfection! I am a game designer, with extensive knowledge on Game Engines and their UX/UI. This tutorial was a great, well paced, perfect beginning examples with demonstrated steps that can be easily followed along with on a second monitor. Only fumble was the right-click to get out of the tool at the beginning, but you hammered that point home for the rest of the tutorial. Well done, you have my gratitude!

[@stowjer]

This was brilliant! Many thanks. I had to suffer through many FreeCad tutorials explaining lots of minute detail, but this taught me so much in a short space of time! Thank you

[@user-kv6jh9tt9n]

This was FANTASTIC, I am super bad at math and design but after watching this I feel like I have actually learned something. I am just now getting into 3 D printing and I really wanted to learn to make my own useful items but had no idea what to do. This I feel is a great starting point for me. Thank You so much for this!

[@brianmi40]

You'll get better over time quickly. You can constrain opposing corners symmetrical to the origin to lock down the original Sketch faster, and you can Mirror one post across the centerline to get it on the other side rather than draw each and lastly apply Hole through all rather then needing a dimension. If you draw the circle starting on the vertical line, it will already be constrained to center left and right. Same thing, Mirror the holes and you can constrain them equal as opposed to dimensioning each. But kudos for already having a design sense of how to realize what you have in mind. That's a critical skill. Also, a "fill-lay" is a "filet" or steak. But a CAD rounded corner is a "fill-et", with a hard T sound.

[@NovaspiritTech]

i love this comment, not only is it educational, you go about it very politely. thank you!

[@nibblesful]

That external geometry tip has blown my mind. Up until now I've calculated the previous shape and created construction lines manually mathematically. True life saver

[@forgottencameras]

Man this was my hurdle too. I'd been trying to apply TinkerCAD principals to FreeCAD, which was tripping me up really bad. But now I can get some basic, precise designs in, all in about 15 minutes. I love the fast pace you taught this, as it kept me from getting bored and matched about how fast I like to blow through things. Thank you so much!

[@the4thj]

Best FreeCad tute I have found so far, thank you. It gives me a good start.

[@martinsrensen5049]

I have spent hours trying to learn to create my own simple designs. This cleared up all the confusion for me. It is a very good entry video. I see a lot of suggestions in the comments to impove but i think that would just have made the video much longer and difficult to follow for a beginner. So thats learning for another day. Thanks for making the video and keeping it simple 🙂

[@scottydo5282]

Probably the best CAD tutorial I've seen in a long time. Well done dude

[@rays14ful]

wow. That was the best video I have seen. All my little questions got answered without wasting hours and hours. Thank you.

[@toms5998]

Very simple video, but has so much depth. This really helped me get started with FreeCad. Thank you for your work ! please continue ..

[@clairemack2750]

You have no idea how much this helped me... I was so overwhelmed!

[@davidrandall4001]

That was really good, have been hesitant to dive into yet another cad program but this video has convinced me to give it a shot. If you by chance to do more on this subject, I'm listening.

[@dylanmacintosh]

Wow... I really struggled more than I thought with this program, but after pausing and rewatching your tutorial over 3 days I finally made my breakthrough and got over my hurdle. Thanks so much for showing the "long way" of this program, as now it's starting to make perfect sense to me.

[@darkrulier]

Thank you! I am a mechanical engineer who has been using SolidWorks for 10+ years and I wanted to try FreeCad for hobby 3d printing stuff and I could not figure out how to use it. This info is a good start.

[@bradleygambino5021]

Awesome! I am a huge CadSTD user, except it is 2D only. So for me to jump into FreeCAD, you really have helped me a lot!

[@lighteningwawa]

Thank you so much! Among all of the freeCAD videos you explain the concept the best.

[@BenEehayeh]

Learning FreeCad is a serious endeavor, and there has been a lack of useful tutorials. Thank you for walking through a simple project to show the usage process. Big help. 👍

[@kwisatzhaderach1458]

Are you kidding? There are plenty of useful tutorials that have been on YT for FreeCAD going on YEARS.

[@BenEehayeh]

@@kwisatzhaderach1458Here is a Gom Jebar for you. I'm a research junkie. I don't rely on one person's perspective for any subject I research, mostly because people don't know how to explain things properly. After five or more videos, of at least four FreeCad tutorial creators, I did not have the ability to start a project, draw a shape, or modify a shape. It annoyed me so much I removed FreeCad from my computer. In this video here, "Learn FreeCad with These Basic Steps" gave me hope, that I could build a simple part in FreeCad. Because of this video I reinstalled FreeCad. This content creator did what everyother tutorial I consumed failed at, a simple project hand holding walk through. Every tutorial should begin this way. 90% of guitar song tutorials do this.

[@rsv-code7004]

Wow, this video was a great crash course! I can't believe how fast it got me up and running with FreeCad. Thanks!

[@MrNitro468]

Thankyou for making this video. I followed you through every step and have a foundational understanding to build on now.

[@RichardHirsch-yb9gb]

Excellent and straight to the point tutorial. Thanks! You saved me a ton of time!

[@ooglek]

This is an excellent video! I was so confused by how to build my own piece. Now with your video, I made my first piece! I've got a few tweaks to go, but you've simplified the process and made it understandable. Thanks!!! FreeCad FTW!

[@user-is6dk7rq7w]

thanks man you have shown the essential steps in this video love you man from india

[@54114142]

Have been using FreeCad quite a lot and still learned something. GREAT tutorial! Super compact!

[@f3rn4ndoTenBatsu]

Man, this was the video I was looking after.. so intuitive and clear. Now I can properly start doing my own designs. Thanks for the info!

[@timinwsac]

I've been using freecad for a number of years now, for designing parts for 3d printing, and while I would go about this project somewhat differently it's a good introduction video. One thing people should know is that freecad has a few "quirks" that will drive you nuts. But once you become aware what causes them and how to avoid them they're not much of a problem.

[@hornox4life]

And if your used to Catia or solid works you will find it unacceptable, tormenting even.

[@timinwsac]

@@hornox4life Well I tell ya I've used solidworks for a couple of years and it's not crash proof. True it's more elegant than freecad but it comes with a hefty price tag. As a veteran I was able to get it for twenty dollars a year for the student license. Why did I switch to freecad? Because there was no guarantee that at the end of the year solidworks would offer me the same discount.

[@TheScotsalan]

​@@hornox4lifeThats for sure. I have been a decade on solidworks, and moving to freecad made me want to throw the laptop out the window. But once I got the basics it started to click. But, I went back to solidworks for a couple of weeks, and returning to freecad today, all I had learned had gone. 😂🤣.

[@davidcooper3871]

The Real Thunder link branch for FreeCAD addresses the problem.

[@hkstrongside]

Wow, this was awesome. You really tore down one of my barriers to entry that making a simple part could be, so simple. Looking forward to giving this a go. Thanks for the video!

[@paddlerpaul2577]

Amazing tutorial. Thank you. I have learned more from your video than i have in the last day of trying to figure out freecad. Thank you.

[@pshames]

Great demo Don. I am new to the 3D printing hobby and woould really like to design my own models. FreeCAD looks like the way to go. I really appreciate the time you took to make and post this video

[@michaelcooper5490]

Don that was awesome, I have since installed freecad and learning to use it. Thank you for this video.

[@nickolas1386]

Best freecad tutorial I’ve seen!

[@noahpittman]

What an amazing video! Thank you for this content. Never used any CAD software before & now feel very confident experinmenting with design. Cheers!

[@kay-zed4407]

Awesome tutorial!!! easy to follow and i was able to duplicate the part quickly with very minimal pause/rewind! thank you.

[@chinookskier]

Very well done, excellent presentation. This lesson has allowed me to start the program with ease, thank you.

[@whatsupwithyoudude]

This is tryly the only tut you need for your intro class. Thank you sir.

[@nigelweighell4479]

Thanks for the tutorial. I was you when I first downloaded FreeCad, I could not get started. You have managed to get me through the first stages. Thank you again.

[@eligraves9606]

Been years since I've used cadd and wanted to try this out but it was daunting. I gained a lot from this video, Thanks.

[@jonathanroberts7100]

You really did a fantastic job of this tutorial, which has saved me many hours of scratching my head. Thanks heaps!

[@user-is6xp9sk9z]

Dude... I have been intimidated by FreeCad for so long. This was super helpful!

[@casperstour]

This helped alot. I appreciate vids like this so much. Very well spoken, easy to follow and very punctual.

[@The_Nameless_Entity]

Dude. Thank you so much! I had downloaded about 3 different cad software to try and everyone I backed away from because it looked so intimidating and difficult to use. Now that I have a basic understanding from your video, I can experiment with cad. Instant sub! Thanks!! Aloha from Hawaii.

[@petrneal]

This is a real gift. Thank you.

[@alcarey3828]

Great video, the example is simple enough but uses several different functions. Thanks for giving me a jump start into FreeCAD

[@kabaottoemulsion1869]

OMG this is the first video I have seen explaining how to design 3D files for beginner! Thank you so much! Now It is close for me to make a decision for purchasing a 3d printer!

[@brianross2623]

Thank you very much for the informative walkthrough.

[@nhohensee]

God bless you sir. Your training video here was clear, concise, and easy to follow. Just like you said, easy to pick up the ball and run with it after you learn these basics.

[@waynetomlinson35]

Freecad beginer tutorial was a great help, never thaught i could grasp it but you made it easy to follow, thank you.

[@cghgaming5497]

Thank you so much, man. This was a really great refresher for me.

[@Zodliness]

Simply put, invaluable information no 3D printer enthusiast should ignore! 👍

[@RobertSzabo76]

Very clear and exhaustive explanation. I use to look to freecad in the past just to close it immediately after terrified. But after your video I regain my courage. 👍

[@Pushing00]

This helped me a lot, I made my first bit holder. Thank you for helping open this world for me!!

[@paulsilva5218]

Thanks alot first person that explained the basics in a way I could understand.

[@laradriscoll357]

Really helpful thanks! You explained everything really well!

[@jakespeaks6095]

7:20 literally made me say "OHHHH THATS HUGE" because I had no clue that was a option when building off a existing part. My life will be much easier now thank you sir.

[@thomasandersen7228]

Thanks from Denmark! You are really good at explaining and showing what to do.. I would like more videos about free cad :D

[@LarryPfeffer]

Thanks for showing the *mechanics* of enough to get started with!

[@equesfuscus]

Super easy to follow. I followed you and built the identical part. I don't need that part, but I can start trying things I need. Thank you.

[@zinput]

Loving the hands-on tutorial style

[@jesusnieto6911]

The most helpful totorial ive seen i was actually avle to retain some of things you didnt go in too deep and you stuck with the basics i.e constranting everytbing onstead of just copying. Thanks man i creayed a rough sketch of a gated shifter for my car hopefilly theyll let me cut one up at work

[@phatboi9835]

This was the perfect tutorial that I needed, thank you very much!

[@pickitlickit]

Great tutorial to follow along with. Thanks for the lesson.

[@removethelimits]

Thank you! You did for my understanding, what tons of others could not. Liked and subscribed!

[@saulosamorim]

THANK! it was my first freedcad lesson

[@brennanweber22]

This was a great video. I am just learning freecad for 3D Printing. I am working through some intro books, but this video really helped tie everything together to get started.

[@762x54rr]

this helped so much thanks for posting!

[@MrSLRfan]

Fantastic video, thanks for this. It was perfect!

[@zdebel]

Thanks mate! Great video, you're giving the basics from which one can work the rest out!

[@Minecraft-hb1su]

2:14 the required "I use arch btw" lol

[@marksstudio]

That was a great video. Learned quite a bit, and subscribed. Thank you.

[@mralxndr2846]

Thank you very much for the tutorial. i didnt know which program to use to start learning in the world of 3d parts creation and you really helped me out here. It wasnt to long or too short and i could understand and follow through while not being overwhelmed. Great Video ! =)

[@markusallport1276]

I followed along and did not miss a step. It took me 2 hours to watch and copy, but I did it lol I made one on the resin printer and another on the filament printer, both turned out great! Thanks

[@Hemantcharya]

Brilliant. You are a great teacher. 🙏

[@MrChaosbc]

Excellent!! keep going with great tutos like this one!

[@surveyminghing5994]

this video is really useful to illustrate the basic operation and function of the drafting for a simple component. Help many new beginners understand the principle of FREECAD!!!!!!! That was concentrated the basic concepts for the beginners!

[@Stephen_M.]

Thanks for posting! I will now go in, knowing some of the tools I need to get started with this software!

[@danielstanfill4321]

These types of videos do an excellent job of demonstrating that the presenter can use the software. Little attempt is ever made to show the viewer the thought process, the why, such that the viewer can see the logic and flow together. This, the viewer only sees a quick series of clicks that can barely, if at all, be followed, and never digest the rational behind the use of the software. More often than not, the viewer will find the video as impairing as the software, and turn away with their negative impressions reinforced.

[@Ron-FabandBuild]

Thanks for the video. Very helpful

[@calebskinner9348]

Thank you for this. I've been struggling with freecad for a while, but this kind of gets me to where I am with Fusion.

[@RonnyOlufsen]

Awesome video! Thank you for inspiring me! 😊❤

[@user-bj4lp3fr1o]

Best video I have seen on FreeCad

[@user-zq1ej5rd3e]

thank you so much, Your explanation is very nice

[@gabrielfernandes3102]

Amazing work, acessible language, direct to the point :)

[@nekkowe]

A very helpful first introduction, thank you very much!

[@TomTalley]

Thanks very much. Was afraid but will now give it a go. Thanks for the links to mounting HW too. Perfect vid for me.