Complex Lofts in FreeCAD in Minutes even Seconds! Easy, Quick and Simple!

We learn how to create complex lofts in FreeCAD with the minimum of effort and in super quick time. This will be a game changer for anyone using FreeCAD. The technique allows you to have a loft with high complexity and customisation with the minimum of effort. In this tutorial we will create a model that resembles a windsurf board fin using one single profile and a bondary loft. This workflow will change the way you work with lofts.
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[@jonathanroberts7100]

Really appreciate your comprehensive tutorial which I am sure will save me many hours of tedium. Thank you very much!

[@MangoJellySolutions]

Happy to hear that, thank you for the kind comment.

[@tenlittleindians]

Drawing within the confines of FreeCAD gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "there's more than one way to skin a cat".

[@duaneglover9283]

Just discovered this, wow, I. have learned form you, thanks.

[@MangoJellySolutions]

No probs, it's an excellent workbench.

[@denisw398]

Excellent illustration of an interesting and complex Workpackage

[@MangoJellySolutions]

Thank you 😊

[@originalspaceman]

Thank you very much. I'm always amazed how much you know about FreeCad and how well you can explain it.

[@Silver_Fox_Weirdo]

perfect. we need tools like this on a board, default. thanks for share it

[@sjn8099]

Great explanation und tutorial. Thank you 🙂

[@MangoJellySolutions]

You’re welcome. And thank you 😊

[@Shenanigans3D]

Oh that is great. Thx for another great video

[@MangoJellySolutions]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@apbosh1]

Very handy! Thanks for sharing the excellent tutorial as always. i'll be having a play around with this technique.

[@MangoJellySolutions]

Glad you enjoyed and good luck with your experiments

[@paulrjohnson58]

I found this workbench about a week ago and installed it thinking this could be useful , just need to know how to use it ... the gods heard me 😊

[@MangoJellySolutions]

Hope it's going to help. It's the most underrated workbench I have come across. Needs way more exposure.

[@NUeB_net]

@@MangoJellySolutions Indeed. I wish I knew about this when I started w/ FreeCAD last year…

[@bellalabdelkader2017]

thank you so much sir

[@pitu502]

😍 thank great job !!!

[@MangoJellySolutions]

Thank you too!

[@Miniellipse]

Super explanation of this workbench. I didn’t know it was so easy and versatile. Next, can you show us how to add servo cut-outs and ribs to a model wing like this? Even ailerons using assembly technique or however you think is a direct and practical way? Thank you. Thank you..

[@MangoJellySolutions]

Glad you enjoyed, It's a great workbench, few tool but very powerful. Thanks for the request I think that is a pretty good idea.

[@russellw5447]

I'll second that Darren@@MangoJellySolutions

[@ryanmcgowan3061]

If you want to precisely control where at spline tangents to, just create an extra point. The spline will just touch the midpoint of the two control points. You can not only control where the spline touches, but at what angle it hits that point.

[@ryanmcgowan3061]

Actually, this requires a polynomial curve. Not sure if FreeCAD has this capability.

[@markfisher8943]

Nice video. Is there a way to make the trailing edge a constant thickness through the entire loft?

[@garyweliver1870]

Very Useful WB. I just finished 28/53 aeroplane canopy and I knew there had to be a more calculated procedure. How can I create templates from the profiles inorder to create a wooden plug for making a mold for composite work Thanks I am really satisfied with my increased FreeCAD skills!

[@MangoJellySolutions]

It's a great little workbench, only a few told but so powerful. The surface is a compound when you set solid to false and see all the profiles. The profiles can be "exploded" in the part workbench (top menu, part, compund, explode compound) . You will now have a folder of individual profiles which can be extruded / exported separately. I have a video coming up that will show a very similar workflow. It's already been released to patreon and will be public soon.

[@johnreid2851]

What about in the case where we want to maintain a constant thickness to chord ratio such as in a NACA foil? Is there an easy way to do this?

[@chamberportal]

you can incrase more items in the property section to close the shape more easily

[@stewartpalmer2456]

You are going to put surf board shapers out of work. Beautiful example of curves. Thank you.

[@MangoJellySolutions]

Lol, you saying that there are alot of board builders around in my neck of the woods. I wonder if they can be tempted with freecad 😁

[@handdancin]

aside from its ovious utility, it looks like a way to make cool looking, mor organic forms

[@MangoJellySolutions]

I think so. I was playing with this yesterday and combining it with freehand bspline in the curves workbench. I think there is a lot of possibilities. Also the workbench has the sweep version which makes things even more interesting.

[@michaelmurray3422]

Just a quick Question. While building a box, and using the thickness tool, the sides and the to, all change, and I would like thicker walls and a thinner roof. Is there away to keep the roof thickness at 1.5mm and the walls at 3mm? It is quite a wast to have the roof the same width. It is a small box, and it is causing some troubles with other dimentions. Thank you for all your video's, I've learned a lot from them. Michael

[@MangoJellySolutions]

Just had a quick look through my video collection as I am sure I did a video on that. Yes here it is kzbin.info/www/bejne/aWa9gGushqpgaas

[@nagesharas5136]

The *Twist* control at 14:00 actually works like "rotate"! Or am I missing something here? (On the other hand, the *Twists* control _does_ twist the body.)

[@Appregator]

I just can't get the Loft to close up the way you do. The last section (no matter how small I make it all ends up being all screwed up. If I add a point then it seems to get worse and reverts to sharp points. I have ver 0.21.1. Not sure if its anomalous to this version or I need more practice.

[@duaneglover9283]

Just trying to figure out how to atach this to a hub and polar array it for a prop, can you help? Please, and thanks

[@MangoJellySolutions]

Give the draft workbench a go. Look at the array tools within and you will find what you need there. You can build the hub as seperate part and boolean them In together.

[@coalachaos6486]

I still dont get how to convert this curved array into a body. Because now you may have created a wing, but you want to transform it, or position it, maybe even add details or merge it with other parts. But its not working. I am trying to make a Bonanza F33 and I split the engine cowling into 4 parts. Now I have the top left made, as a curved array. And thats it. I cant merge it, I cant mirror it, Thats all. I cant even select it for conversion.

[@russellw5447]

G'Day Darren, I'm running FreeCAD 0.21.0 at 19:40 when attaching the sketch instead of InertialCS I get offered Inertia 2-3 (amongst other options)? I'm trying work through it using a Wing of my own Design but using the above when I get to the Loft the Curved array is not showing (just my Sketches to create the wing). I'm ok up to this stage and have found experimenting with Various options and Parameters give Me decent results. Would however like to keep following your Tutorial as close as I can. I like some other posters are looking to construct Radio Control Models and Some guidance on converting to drawings that we can manufacture, cut templates form would be nice. Regards, RW I'll experiment to see which attachment option works.

[@Appregator]

I have vers 0.21.1 and I used that Inertia 2-3 and I cannot move the point at all but if I go to the data Tab the Map Mode has Inertia CS creates and if you double click it one can change the xyz placement. But in the end using a point makes the LOFT go weird, I made the profile scale tiny and that ends it OK but not closed to a point. Not sure what to do to close it in this version..

[@jarvisai3755]

I have a problem. the profile I chose is somehow smaller than my sketch. Does anyone know why this is?

[@bargen0w]

I was actually working on a tail of a helicopter a couple days before you posted this video. Oh boy hoe that wouldve made things so much easier than a bunch of gradually changing lofts like how i did it because that needed reference vertexes to use as base points on each loft

[@MangoJellySolutions]

I knew I should of released this earlier, your not the only one that has said how this would of saved them so much time. It's changed the way I work as well. When I first tried it I sat looking at the screen for at least 10 minutes muttering 'how did I miss this!'

[@Allegedly2right]

Not my kind of loft know what I mean no roof on it do you do that kind room plans ect. Cheers

[@MangoJellySolutions]

😂👍👍

[@stoffel89]

Not related to this video. But I searched for the surface workbench in the addon manager. I cannot find it. Help please.

[@MangoJellySolutions]

The surface workbench is a standard workbench that comes as standard with freecad. It should be in your workbench drop down, no need to install.

[@stoffel89]

I feel like a complete idiot. Didnt scroll down far enough😂