FreeCAD: Adding Your Own Modifications to STL / OBJ / 3DS files | R/C Landing gear modifications

We show you the workflow for editing a STL file in FreeCAD by first fixing the point of rotation, converting the STL from a mesh to a solid so we can use slicing operations over in the part workbench. This project originally coming from a patreon requires the legs of the landing gear to be thickened along with the removal of grooves in the wheel compartment. We will replace these with a loft after removing the section. We will make the model symetrical so we use standard mirror operations to allow us to fix one side and mirror this over to the other.
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[@NUeB_net]

30:30 A more precise way to reproduce the circles in the sketch: import 3 evenly distributed vertices; draw a circle; constraint the points to the circle. (When you import only 2 points you may select two that are not exactly on the opposite side, so the line between them may miss the center of the circle.)

[@MangoJellySolutions]

Great little tip there, thanks for sharing so other people can benefit 👍👍

[@jacked_wards]

Took me two days to cut out an equilateral notch from someone else's part. Had no idea about faces. Thank you for the video.

[@TheRedmarlboroman]

Thank you so much for making this tutorial. After watching your video, I am able to change the files that I have been longing to change for quite some time now.👍👍

[@TheDuncanjbarclay]

As every time, you're always doing a very good job! especially because you explain the reasons / consequences of your workflow / procedure. Many thanks.

[@MangoJellySolutions]

Thank you, and thanks for the feedback. I always try to add as much as I can, even if it's changing the explanation and reshooting part of the process. Great to hear taking that time is helping people. Thank you

[@tiho-nge60r-rttj]

This is great. This is the lecture with the clearest explanation I have been seen about splicing 3mf. You are a master.

[@MangoJellySolutions]

Thank you, so glad it helped.

[@Keechization]

Great work as usual. Use the "View Sketch" button, looks like the Sketch icon with a magnifying glass (right beside the "View Section" button) and it will square up the camera to the sketch plane, instead of eyeballing it.

[@erbopo65]

another useful button I was unaware of! thanks.

[@warped_spacetime]

Another excellent tutorial. It occurs to me (though I haven't tried it) that you can "import" the segmented circle by selecting 2 opposite line segments then drawing a circle between them and making the circle tangent to both lines. This could be made construction geometry then the actual circle can be drawn to the desired size.

[@MangoJellySolutions]

Glad you enjoyed. Great tip, I'm sure that will work. Thanks for sharing 👍👍👍👍

[@danapatelzick594]

You might add a filet to eliminate the sharp corner between the leg and body. The sharp corner leads to stress risers and a hard landing could cause a fracture at that location.

[@donstelfox2936]

Great lesson, thank you. Cheers

[@imacmill]

Another great tutorial, thanks MJ. Edit: An interesting thing to do for another video is to show how you'd go about adding another feature to the already-completed part, like, say, bore a hole through one of the struts that then propagates through to the final mirror/fusion (if that makes sense). Such edits can be difficult.

[@MangoJellySolutions]

Thank you glad you enjoyed. RE: idea, yes noted, I know what you mean. You have to insert that operation into the tree as if you created a boolean after the mirror from the original part that was mirrored you then need to link the mirror operation to the new fusion. It's a great idea thank you for that :)

[@imacmill]

@@MangoJellySolutions Thanks, MJ. Also consider showing a case where you need to remove a feature that sits somewhere in the middle of 'the tree'. Even uglier.

[@julianrichards8337]

Great tutorial - thank you 🙂

[@markmartin9413]

That was time well spent.

[@syedimadhaqqi4340]

Thanks for this tutorial. Please upload a link for the files that you use in all your new videos on some file sharing website. It will make life very easy for newbies in CAD space like us. It helps only if we watch the video and practice side by side. This request goes for this and all your recently uploaded tutorials for which you have working files available as well all your future videos. Thanks and Best Regards

[@future-matze-35]

Soooo helpfull ❤

[@MangoJellySolutions]

👍👍😊

[@joalvicen]

Your explanation of the procedure is very well explained but I think it is easier to do it directly in Blender

[@danvalcamlau]

i had to analyse the stl file with the mesh menu a correct stuff in it and now i cannot spilt in 2 or 3 parts only a slice of it, anything i missed, Thanks btw great work

[@pibil8052]

great info, i have a proble mwith downloaded STL, when i try to create SOLID and get error shape is not a shell. I am not sure what is wrong.

[@imacmill]

Would this be a good topic for a video: What does it mean for something to be a shell vs. a solid, and what are the ramifications of each with respect to the operations that can be performed upon them by which workbenches? Same question about lines, wires and edges.

[@MangoJellySolutions]

This is a really good idea and it extends one of the videos I want to do on understanding downgrading and upgrading these to more complex items i.e. compounds, compoundsolid etc. It's good knowledge to have as once you realise that everything in freeCAD is one of these number of objects you can understand how to break them up into simpler parts. i.e. if you do a cross section, this is just a compound of wires that can be exploded and reconfigured. Added to the list. Thank you :)

[@terrylembke8100]

Hi , Darren . I haven't watched this video yet . I want to know what pla filament costs on your side of the pond ? Please let me know. One other question is your extruder bowden tube or direct ? I wish you a pleasant day my friend . Stay safe Terry

[@MangoJellySolutions]

Hi Terry, hope your doing well. PLA is around £15 - £20 a kg from Amazon and I have a bowden tube extruder.

[@steubens7]

why not use the defeaturing workbench

[@BlackSpectre512]

Can I make a video request? I have a project I'm trying to work on. I'm trying to modify a phone case to slide the cut outs for the buttons up by 1 mm. But I'm really lost on how I'd go about doing that.

[@MangoJellySolutions]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed. Have you had a look at this video as this might already be what you want kzbin.info/www/bejne/fp61Zp-prruXfZY

[@BlackSpectre512]

@MangoJellySolutions lol. Yes, I've used this video to make my own phone case. Thanks for that btw. But what I' trying to do is import an STL into freecad and then modify it how I want but its a mesh file so I have to use the mesh workbench. The reason for this is because I found a cool phone case that I can't really redisgn in freecad because of the complexity.

[@roofoofighter]

I’m surprised FreeCAD doesn’t have a snapping mode where you can snap objects in the sketch to other geometry. Like in Blender.

[@MangoJellySolutions]

So actually there is but you need to use the draft workbench to do this. Sketches are based around constraints so you connect to other geometry and import geometry from other sketches rather than snap to them. You can use the snap draft tools outside of sketch for other geometry. I have a video for fixing the center point on svg where I snap imported svgs to sketch geometry. This same thing confused me when I came from mesh modelling to CAD.

[@roofoofighter]

@@MangoJellySolutions thank you 😊

[@jimw1266]

Can this Technique be used on a .STEP file?

[@MangoJellySolutions]

Yes it would actually be easier to apply to step files as there would not be any tessellation.

[@jimw1266]

When I import a simple step file and highlight it the 'Create shape from mesh' option remains grayed out?

[@gregpruitt1647]

Please slow down what meny item you are referencing. Us new users need to see where in the many are the items you are talking about. Sometimes, with versioning, menu items locations and/or names may be changed.

[@paradiselost9946]

sigh. what to do when the stl appears to be so intensive it simply crashes everytime you try converting? edit. with some fiddling around, WB meshdesign, "decimate". reduce polygon count. theres a limit of 100K or thereabouts. i tried something a bit less complex, that was near instant. but the one file i have to open? i even just tried upgrading to a new PC...

[@chefrobertcantu]

This video is terrible! You've shared how to get there, but you skip through important parts. FreeCad is hard enough as it is, but you intend to make it impossible for people to use.

[@leitechou8350]

very hlepful