I have seen some really really really nice things produced using FreeCAD, but I can't even wrap my head around drawing simple parts in FreeCAD that I can do blindfolded in other CAD programs and I'm convinced it's not just my problem at this point. Why is it at least 6 steps to draw a fucking additive cube or circle in part design? I get it, you're trying to make it a combination of EVERYTHING, but it's like anything that people try to make do more than one thing: everything sucks I've been using AutoCAD, or things based on it since 1996.I was able to take a 2 hour crash course on 360 and barely needed anything I learned other than "hit S to get the options you want" and was able to literally jump in feet first, and it was straightforward to start drawing.With FreeCAD? HAHAHA You need to go decipher a technical guidebook to start a simple project.įreeCAD frustrates the hell out of me every time I try to use it because "oh, you have to make that a real part before you can do that, but you have to sketch that and then jump up and down 5 times, click your mouse 3 times, and then sacrifice your first born to draw a simple circle" One day it will be an easy decision to migrate from Fusion 360 to Freecad and save a bundle. So for Fusion 360 users, keep your eye on Freecad. I think Freecad already has all or most of the functionality it needs and the next step is to slim it down, eliminate the redundancies and consolidate the number of primary workbenches. I believe we will one day see the voluntary software engineers step in with a clear vision and make Freecad a much more polished and cohesive application by the time it reaches the major version of 1.0. Which workbench does what and where do I go to do this? But it is important to remember that Freecad (as of this writing) is currently at version 0.20. In my view, the biggest issue with Freecad is the module (workbench) redundancy and confusing nomenclature, particularly for beginners. For now, I guess I am a hybrid user but I will drop Fusion 360 like a hot potato if my usage declines or the Fusion 360 licensing starts to annoy me. And I like working in a Linux environment. FreeCAD, on the other hand, is free (as in beer) and has some great low level utility programs for file conversion, scripting and addon programs (still free). To me, Fusion 360 has an easier, more cohesive UI which it should have because private customers are paying a steep price for an annual license. I am a software engineer and a woodworker. Now if they'd just bring out a Linux version I'd be much happier :-) I'm a great believer in FOSS and I'd love to have a Fusion360 substitute - but at the end of the day the hobbyist licence is free and maintaining a windows machine to run it isn't that much of an overhead. Could the UI benefit from more stability? Yeah - probably, but I seem to feel like the rate of change has slowed of late. It also has a logical and consistent UI and a complete workflow. Fusion360 on the other hand has good (not exceptional but certainly adequate) documentation and a plethora of you tube channels to help. So can FreeCAD be used by beginners - of course it can - but the learning curve is very very steep. I would offer up Darktable as an example of a FOSS tool that has managed to make an arcane and obscure toolset relatively accessible. Making things easy to use for beginners is hard, takes a lot of time and requires a different expertise. Which is reasonable given that's the profile of the people that create and maintain it. In this case you need a good and thorough understanding of how 3D CAD operates, what the uses and limitations are and how that aligns with what you are trying to achieve.Įssentially it's a toolbox for experts. FreeCAD - as with many FOSS tools is really aimed at people who know how the underlying principles work.
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