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[[Image:Workbench_TechDraw.svg|thumb|128px|TechDraw workbench icon]] |
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FreeCAD is primarily a 3D modelling tool. There are times, however, when we must produce 2D drawings for documentation, contracts, permits, etc. The Technical Drawing workbench (TechDraw) is used to produce basic technical drawings based on the 3D model. Each drawing is a Page, and a Page contains many Views of Drawable Objects. The list of Drawable Objects includes Part::Features, PartDesign::Bodies, App::Part groups and Document Object groups. |
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== Introduction == |
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Dimensions and hatched areas can be added to Views. |
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The [[Image:Workbench_TechDraw.svg|24px]] [[TechDraw Workbench|TechDraw Workbench]] is used to produce basic technical drawings from 3D models created with another workbench such as [[Part Workbench|Part]], [[PartDesign Workbench|PartDesign]], or [[Arch Workbench|Arch]], or imported from other applications. Each drawing is a Page, which can contain various Views of drawable objects such as Part::Features, PartDesign::Bodies, App::Part groups, and Document Object groups. The resulting drawings can be used for things like documentation, manufacturing instructions, contracts, permits, etc. |
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Note: if your primary goal is the production of complex 2D drawings, and you don't need 3D modelling, you may wish to consider a dedicated software program such as LibreCad, QCad, TurboCad, and others. |
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Dimensions, sections, hatched areas, annotations, and [[SVG|SVG]] symbols can be added to the page, which can be further exported to different formats like [[DXF|DXF]], [[SVG|SVG]], and [[PDF|PDF]]. |
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{{Version|0.17}} |
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TechDraw was officially included in FreeCAD starting with version 0.17; it is intended to replace the unsupported [[Drawing Workbench|Drawing Workbench]]. Both workbenches are still provided in v0.17, but the Drawing Workbench may be removed in future releases. To keep up with TechDraw plans and developments, visit the [[TechDraw Roadmap|TechDraw Roadmap]]. |
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FreeCAD is primarily a 3D modelling application, and thus doesn't have many 2D drawing tools, which are mostly included in the [[Draft Workbench|Draft]] and [[Sketcher Workbench|Sketcher Workbench]]es. If your primary goal is the production of complex 2D drawings and [[DXF|DXF]] files, and you don't need 3D modelling, you may wish to consider a dedicated software program for technical drafting such as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LibreCAD LibreCAD], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QCad QCad], TurboCad, and others. |
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[[File:TechDraw Workbench Example.png|600px]] |
[[File:TechDraw Workbench Example.png|600px]] |
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== Pages == |
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These are tools for creating Page objects. |
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* [[File:TechDraw PageDefault.svg|32px]] [[TechDraw_PageDefault|Insert Default Page]]: adds a new page using the default [[TechDraw_Templates|template]]. |
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* [[File:TechDraw PageTemplate.svg|32px]] [[TechDraw_PageTemplate|Insert Page using Template]]: adds a new page using a selected [[TechDraw_Templates|template]]. |
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* [[File:TechDraw RedrawPage.svg|32px]] [[TechDraw_RedrawPage|Redraw Page]]: forces an update of the selected page. {{Version|0.19}} |
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== Views == |
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These are tools for creating View objects. |
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* [[File:TechDraw View.svg|32px]] [[TechDraw_View|Insert View]]: adds a 2D projection view of an object. |
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* [[File:TechDraw ActiveView.svg|32px]] [[TechDraw_ActiveView|Insert Active View]]: inserts a view of the active 3D view. {{Version|0.19}} |
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* [[File:TechDraw ProjectionGroup.svg|32px]] [[TechDraw_ProjectionGroup|Insert Projection Group]]: invokes a dialog to create many views of an object from multiple directions. |
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* [[File:TechDraw SectionView.svg|32px]] [[TechDraw_SectionView|Insert Section View]]: inserts a cross-section view of an existing view. |
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* [[File:TechDraw DetailView.svg|32px]] [[TechDraw_DetailView|Insert Detail View]]: inserts a detail view of a portion of an existing view. |
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* [[File:TechDraw DraftView.svg|32px]] [[TechDraw_DraftView|Insert Draft Workbench Object]]: inserts a view of a [[Draft Workbench|Draft Workbench]] object. |
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* [[File:TechDraw ArchView.svg|32px]] [[TechDraw_ArchView|Insert Arch Workbench Object]]: inserts a view of an [[Arch Workbench|Arch Workbench]] [[Arch SectionPlane|Section Plane]] object. |
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* [[File:TechDraw SpreadsheetView.svg|32px]] [[TechDraw_SpreadsheetView|Insert Spreadsheet View]]: inserts a view of a [[Spreadsheet Workbench|Spreadsheet Workbench]] sheet. |
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== Clips == |
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These are tools to create and manage Clip objects (clipped views). |
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* [[File:TechDraw ClipGroup.svg|32px]] [[TechDraw_ClipGroup|Insert Clip Group]]: inserts a clip group into a page. |
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* [[File:TechDraw ClipGroupAdd.svg|32px]] [[TechDraw_ClipGroupAdd|Add View to Clip Group]]: adds an existing view to a clip group. |
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* [[File:TechDraw ClipGroupRemove.svg|32px]] [[TechDraw_ClipGroupRemove|Remove View from Clip Group]]: removes a view from a clip group. |
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== Dimensions == |
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These are tools for creating and working with Dimension objects. |
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Linear dimensions can be based on two points, on one line, or on two lines. |
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* [[File:TechDraw_Dimension_Length.svg|32px]] [[TechDraw_Dimension_Length|New Length]]: adds a length dimension. |
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===Pages=== |
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* [[File:TechDraw_Dimension_Horizontal.svg|32px]] [[TechDraw_Dimension_Horizontal|New Horizontal]]: adds a horizontal length dimension. |
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These are tools for creating Pages. |
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* [[File: |
* [[File:TechDraw_Dimension_Vertical.svg|32px]] [[TechDraw_Dimension_Vertical|New Vertical]]: adds a vertical length dimension. |
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* [[File: |
* [[File:TechDraw_Dimension_Radius.svg|32px]] [[TechDraw_Dimension_Radius|New Radius]]: adds a radius dimension to a circle or circular arc. |
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* [[File:TechDraw_Dimension_Diameter.svg|32px]] [[TechDraw_Dimension_Diameter|New Diameter]]: adds a diameter dimension to a circle or a circular arc. |
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===Views=== |
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* [[File:TechDraw_Dimension_Angle.svg|32px]] [[TechDraw_Dimension_Angle|New Angle]]: adds an angle dimension between two straight edges. |
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These are tools for creating Views. |
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* [[File: |
* [[File:TechDraw_Dimension_Angle3Pt.svg|32px]] [[TechDraw_Dimension_Angle3Pt|New Angle3Pt]]: adds an angle dimension using three vertices. |
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* [[File:TechDraw_Dimension_Link.svg|32px]] [[TechDraw_Dimension_Link|New Links]]: links an existing dimension to the 3D geometry. |
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* [[File:techdraw-projgroup.png|32px]] [[TechDraw_NewProjGroup|New Projection Group]]: Invokes a dialog for creating Views of one or more Drawable Objects from multiple directions. |
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* [[File: |
* [[File:TechDraw_Balloon.svg|32px]] [[TechDraw_Balloon|New Balloon]]: adds a "balloon" annotation to a page. {{Version|0.19}} |
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* [[File:TechDraw_Dimension_HExtent.svg|32px]] [[TechDraw Dimension Horizontal Extent|New Horizontal Extent]]: adds a horizontal extent dimension. {{Version|0.19}} |
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* [[File:techdraw-viewdetail.png|32px]] [[TechDraw_NewDetail|New Detail]]: Adds a detail View of a portion of an existing View. |
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* [[File: |
* [[File:TechDraw_Dimension_VExtent.svg|32px]] [[TechDraw Dimension Vertical Extent|New Vertical Extent]]: adds a vertical extent dimension. {{Version|0.19}} |
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* [[File: |
* [[File:Techdraw-landmarkdistance.svg|32px]] [[TechDraw Dimension Landmark|New Landmark Dimension]]: adds a landmark distance dimension. {{Version|0.19}} |
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== Import/Export == |
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* [[File:techdraw-arch-view.png|32px]] [[TechDraw_NewArch|New Arch]]: Adds a View of a Arch module Section Plane object. |
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These are tools for exporting pages to other applications. |
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* [[File:techdraw-spreadsheet.svg|32px]] [[TechDraw_Spreadsheet|Spreadsheet]]: Inserts a view of a selected [[Spreadsheet_Workbench|spreadsheet]] into a drawing. |
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* [[File:TechDraw ExportPageSVG.svg|32px]] [[TechDraw_ExportPageSVG|Export Page as SVG]]: saves the current page as [[SVG|SVG]] file. |
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===Clips=== |
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* [[File:TechDraw ExportPageDXF.svg|32px]] [[TechDraw_ExportPageDXF|Export Page as DXF]]: saves the current page as [[DXF|DXF]] file. |
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== Decorations == |
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These are tools to create and manage clipped views. |
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These are tools to decorate pages or views: |
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* [[File:techdraw-clip.svg|32px]] [[TechDraw_Clip|Clip]]: Inserts a clip group into a Page. |
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* [[File: |
* [[File:TechDraw Hatch.svg|32px]] [[TechDraw_Hatch|Hatch Face using Image File]]: applies a hatch pattern from a file to a face. |
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* [[File: |
* [[File:TechDraw GeometricHatch.svg|32px]] [[TechDraw_GeometricHatch|Apply Geometric Hatch to Face]]: applies a hatch pattern to a face using an Autodesk PAT specification. |
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* [[File:TechDraw Symbol.svg|32px]] [[TechDraw_Symbol|Insert SVG Symbol]]: inserts a symbol from a [[SVG|SVG]] file into a page. |
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===Dimensions=== |
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* [[File:TechDraw Image.svg|32px]] [[TechDraw_Image|Insert Bitmap Image]]: inserts a PNG or JPG [[bitmap|bitmap]] image into a page. |
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These are tools for working with Dimensions. Linear dimensions can be based on two points, one line or two lines. |
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* [[File:TechDraw ToggleFrame.svg|32px]] [[TechDraw_ToggleFrame|Turn View Frames On/Off]]: turns on/off frames and labels surrounding a view. |
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* [[File:Dimension_Length.png|32px]] [[TechDraw_Dimension_Length|New Length]]: Adds a Length Dimension. |
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== Annotation == |
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* [[File:Dimension_Horizontal.png|32px]] [[TechDraw_Dimension_Horizontal|New Horizontal]]: Adds a horizontal distance dimension. |
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The annotation tools are for "marking up" a drawing with additional information. |
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* [[File:Dimension_Vertical.png|32px]] [[TechDraw_Dimension_Vertical|New Vertical]]: Adds a vertical distance dimension. |
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* [[File: |
* [[File:TechDraw Annotation.svg|32px]] [[TechDraw_Annotation|Insert Annotation]]: adds a plain text block as annotation. |
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* [[File:TechDraw LeaderLine.svg|24px]] [[TechDraw_LeaderLine|Add Leaderline to View]]: adds an annotation line to a view. {{Version|0.19}} |
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* [[File:Dimension_Diameter.png|32px]] [[TechDraw_Dimension_Diameter|New Diameter]]: Adds a Diameter dimension to a circle or a circular arc. |
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* [[File:TechDraw RichTextAnnotation.svg|24px]] [[TechDraw_RichTextAnnotation|Insert Rich Text Annotation]]: adds an rich text block as annotation to a leaderline or a view. {{Version|0.19}} |
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* [[File:Dimension_Angle.png|32px]] [[TechDraw_Dimension_Angle|New Angle]]: Adds an Angle dimension between two straight edges. |
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* [[File:TechDraw CosmeticVertex.svg|24px]] [[TechDraw_CosmeticVertex|Add Cosmetic Vertex]]: adds a Vertex which is not part of the source geometry. {{Version|0.19}} |
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* [[File:TechDraw Midpoints.svg|24px]] [[TechDraw_Midpoints|Add Midpoint Vertices]]: adds Cosmetic Vertices at midpoints of selected edges. {{Version|0.19}} |
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* [[File:TechDraw_Dimension_Angle3Pt.png|32px]] [[TechDraw_Dimension_Angle3Pt|New Angle3Pt]]: Adds an Angle dimension using three vertices. |
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* [[File:TechDraw Quadrants.svg|24px]] [[TechDraw_Quadrants|Add Quadrant Vertices]]: adds Cosmetic Vertices at quarter points of selected (circular) edges. {{Version|0.19}} |
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* [[File:Dimension_Link.png|32px]] [[TechDraw_Dimension_Link|New Links]]: Links 1 or more Dimensions to 3D geometry. |
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* [[File:TechDraw FaceCenterLine.svg|24px]] [[TechDraw_FaceCenterLine|Add Centerline to Faces]]: adds a centerline to selected face(s). {{Version|0.19}} |
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===Import/Export=== |
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* [[File:TechDraw 2LineCenterLine.svg|24px]] [[TechDraw_2LineCenterLine|Add Centerline between 2 Lines]]: adds a centerline between 2 lines. {{Version|0.19}} |
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These are tools for exporting Pages to other applications. |
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* [[File:TechDraw 2PointCenterLine.svg|24px]] [[TechDraw_2PointCenterLine|Add Centerline between 2 Points]]: adds a centerline between 2 points. {{Version|0.19}} |
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* [[File:techdraw-saveSVG.png|32px]] [[TechDraw_SaveSVG|Save SVG]]: Saves a Page as an SVG file. |
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* [[File:TechDraw_SaveDXF.png|32px]] [[TechDraw_SaveDXF|Save DXF]]: Saves a Page as a DXF file. |
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* [[File:TechDraw CosmeticEraser.svg|24px]] [[TechDraw_CosmeticEraser|Remove Cosmetic Object]]: removes cosmetic objects from a page. {{Version|0.19}} |
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===Decoration=== |
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* [[File:TechDraw DecorateLine.svg|24px]] [[TechDraw_DecorateLine|Change Appearance of Lines]]: changes the appearance of selected line(s). {{Version|0.19}} |
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These are tools for changing the appearance of Pages and Views. |
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* [[File:TechDraw ShowAll.svg|24px]] [[TechDraw_ShowAll|Show/Hide Invisible Edges]]: shows/hides invisible lines/edges in a view. {{Version|0.19}} |
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* [[File:techdraw-hatch.png|32px]] [[TechDraw_Hatch|Hatch Area]]: Applies a hatch pattern from a file to a Face. |
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* [[File:TechDraw WeldSymbol.svg|24px]] [[TechDraw_WeldSymbol|Add Welding Information to Leader]]: adds welding specifications to an existing leaderline. {{Version|0.19}} |
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* [[File:techdraw-geomhatch.png|32px]] [[TechDraw_GeomHatch|Geometric Hatch]]: Hatches a Face using an Autodesk PAT specification. |
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* [[File:TechDraw-line2points.svg|24px]] [[TechDraw_2PointCosmeticLine|Add a cosmetic line]]: adds a cosmetic line connecting 2 vertices. {{Version|0.19}} |
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* [[File:techdraw-symbol.png|32px]] [[TechDraw_Symbol|New Symbol]]: Inserts an SVG symbol into a Page. |
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== Additional features == |
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* [[File:Techdraw-image.png|32px]] [[TechDraw_Image|New Image]]: Inserts a png/jpg image into a Page. |
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* [[TechDraw_LineGroup|Line Groups]]: to control the appearance of various types of lines. |
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* [[File:techdraw-toggleframe.png|32px]] [[TechDraw_Toggle|Toggle Frames]]: Turns View frames and labels on or off in a Page. |
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* [[TechDraw_Templates|Templates]]: the default templates defined for the drawing pages. |
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* [[TechDraw_Hatching|Hatching]]: explanation of the different hatching techniques. |
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== Preferences == |
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===Additional features=== |
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* [[File:Preferences-techdraw.svg|32px]] [[TechDraw_Preferences|Preferences]]: preferences for the default values of the drawing page such as projection angle, colors, text sizes, and line styles. |
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== Scripting == |
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* [[TechDraw_Hatching|Hatching]]: TechDraw supports a number of hatching techniques. |
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The TechDraw tools can be used in [[macros|macros]] and from the [[Python|Python]] console by using two APIs. |
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* [[TechDraw_LineGroup|Line Groups]]: default weights can be assigned to various line types. |
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* [[TechDraw API|TechDraw API]] |
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* [[TechDrawGui API|TechDrawGui API]] |
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== Limitations == |
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===Preference settings=== |
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* TechDraw drawings and its API are not interchangeable with the [[Drawing Workbench|Drawing Workbench]] and its API. It is possible to convert Drawing Pages to TechDraw Pages using a Python script ({{incode|moveViews.py}}). |
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The TechDraw module has a [[TechDraw Preferences|preferences]] screen to adjust default values. |
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* It is possible to have both TechDraw and Drawing Pages in the same FreeCAD document, as each page is completely independent from each other. |
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* There are minor differences in specifying editable texts in [[SVG|SVG]] templates compared to the Drawing module. In TechDraw the scaling of the SVG document affects the position of the editable text fields. See the forum discussion [https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=24981&p=196271#p196271 TechDraw templates scale] for more details. |
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* Do not cut, copy and paste TechDraw objects in the tree view as this generally does not work out well. |
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== |
== Tutorials == |
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The TechDraw Workbench features a [[Python]] API that can be used in scripts and [[macros]]. |
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* [[TechDraw API]] |
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* [[TechDrawGui API]] |
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* [[Basic TechDraw Tutorial|Basic TechDraw Tutorial]]: introduction to creating drawings with the TechDraw Workbench. |
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===Limitations=== |
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* [[TechDraw_TemplateHowTo|Creating a new template]]: instructions to create a new page template in Inkscape for using with the TechDraw Workbench. |
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* TechDraw drawings and Python API are not interchangeable with the Drawing module. It is possible to convert Drawing Pages to TechDraw Pages using Python (moveViews.py). It is possible to have both TechDraw and Drawing Pages in the same FreeCAD document. |
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* [[Measurement Of Angles On Holes|Measurement Of Angles On Holes]]: instructions for adding center lines and subsequent angle representations on holes. |
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* There are minor differences in specifying Editable Texts in Templates compared to the Drawing module. See forum discussion [https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=24981&p=196271#p196271 here]. |
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* [[TechDraw HowTo Page|Miscellaneous]]: instructions for different settings like center marks, etc. |
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* TechDraw is available starting with FreeCAD 0.17. |
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* Do not Cut/Copy/Paste TechDraw objects. This does not generally work out well. |
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Video tutorials by sliptonic |
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===Workarounds=== |
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* TechDraw Workbench [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LbOmSGW9F0 Part 1 (Basics)], [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3w84RfvqaE Part 2 (Dimensions)], [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNjXg-m38aI Part 3 (Multiview)] |
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* None required at the moment. |
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* TechDraw Workbench [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zSdeFV6I5o Part 4 (Section and Detail)], [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcmdJ7xa7gg Part 5 (Customizing Templates)] |
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|[[Surface Module|Surface Module]] |
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|[[Web_Workbench|Web Workbench]] |
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Keep up with TechDraw plans and developments. Visit the [[TechDraw_Roadmap|TechDraw Roadmap]]. |
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Revision as of 21:12, 22 August 2020
Introduction
The TechDraw Workbench is used to produce basic technical drawings from 3D models created with another workbench such as Part, PartDesign, or Arch, or imported from other applications. Each drawing is a Page, which can contain various Views of drawable objects such as Part::Features, PartDesign::Bodies, App::Part groups, and Document Object groups. The resulting drawings can be used for things like documentation, manufacturing instructions, contracts, permits, etc.
Dimensions, sections, hatched areas, annotations, and SVG symbols can be added to the page, which can be further exported to different formats like DXF, SVG, and PDF.
TechDraw was officially included in FreeCAD starting with version 0.17; it is intended to replace the unsupported Drawing Workbench. Both workbenches are still provided in v0.17, but the Drawing Workbench may be removed in future releases. To keep up with TechDraw plans and developments, visit the TechDraw Roadmap.
FreeCAD is primarily a 3D modelling application, and thus doesn't have many 2D drawing tools, which are mostly included in the Draft and Sketcher Workbenches. If your primary goal is the production of complex 2D drawings and DXF files, and you don't need 3D modelling, you may wish to consider a dedicated software program for technical drafting such as LibreCAD, QCad, TurboCad, and others.
Pages
These are tools for creating Page objects.
- Insert Default Page: adds a new page using the default template.
- Insert Page using Template: adds a new page using a selected template.
- Redraw Page: forces an update of the selected page. introduced in version 0.19
Views
These are tools for creating View objects.
- Insert View: adds a 2D projection view of an object.
- Insert Active View: inserts a view of the active 3D view. introduced in version 0.19
- Insert Projection Group: invokes a dialog to create many views of an object from multiple directions.
- Insert Section View: inserts a cross-section view of an existing view.
- Insert Detail View: inserts a detail view of a portion of an existing view.
- Insert Draft Workbench Object: inserts a view of a Draft Workbench object.
- Insert Arch Workbench Object: inserts a view of an Arch Workbench Section Plane object.
- Insert Spreadsheet View: inserts a view of a Spreadsheet Workbench sheet.
Clips
These are tools to create and manage Clip objects (clipped views).
- Insert Clip Group: inserts a clip group into a page.
- Add View to Clip Group: adds an existing view to a clip group.
- Remove View from Clip Group: removes a view from a clip group.
Dimensions
These are tools for creating and working with Dimension objects.
Linear dimensions can be based on two points, on one line, or on two lines.
- New Length: adds a length dimension.
- New Horizontal: adds a horizontal length dimension.
- New Vertical: adds a vertical length dimension.
- New Radius: adds a radius dimension to a circle or circular arc.
- New Diameter: adds a diameter dimension to a circle or a circular arc.
- New Angle: adds an angle dimension between two straight edges.
- New Angle3Pt: adds an angle dimension using three vertices.
- New Links: links an existing dimension to the 3D geometry.
- New Balloon: adds a "balloon" annotation to a page. introduced in version 0.19
- File:TechDraw Dimension HExtent.svg New Horizontal Extent: adds a horizontal extent dimension. introduced in version 0.19
- File:TechDraw Dimension VExtent.svg New Vertical Extent: adds a vertical extent dimension. introduced in version 0.19
- File:Techdraw-landmarkdistance.svg New Landmark Dimension: adds a landmark distance dimension. introduced in version 0.19
Import/Export
These are tools for exporting pages to other applications.
- Export Page as SVG: saves the current page as SVG file.
- Export Page as DXF: saves the current page as DXF file.
Decorations
These are tools to decorate pages or views:
- Hatch Face using Image File: applies a hatch pattern from a file to a face.
- Apply Geometric Hatch to Face: applies a hatch pattern to a face using an Autodesk PAT specification.
- Insert SVG Symbol: inserts a symbol from a SVG file into a page.
- Insert Bitmap Image: inserts a PNG or JPG bitmap image into a page.
- Turn View Frames On/Off: turns on/off frames and labels surrounding a view.
Annotation
The annotation tools are for "marking up" a drawing with additional information.
- Insert Annotation: adds a plain text block as annotation.
- Add Leaderline to View: adds an annotation line to a view. introduced in version 0.19
- Insert Rich Text Annotation: adds an rich text block as annotation to a leaderline or a view. introduced in version 0.19
- Add Cosmetic Vertex: adds a Vertex which is not part of the source geometry. introduced in version 0.19
- Add Midpoint Vertices: adds Cosmetic Vertices at midpoints of selected edges. introduced in version 0.19
- Add Quadrant Vertices: adds Cosmetic Vertices at quarter points of selected (circular) edges. introduced in version 0.19
- Add Centerline to Faces: adds a centerline to selected face(s). introduced in version 0.19
- Add Centerline between 2 Lines: adds a centerline between 2 lines. introduced in version 0.19
- Add Centerline between 2 Points: adds a centerline between 2 points. introduced in version 0.19
- Remove Cosmetic Object: removes cosmetic objects from a page. introduced in version 0.19
- Change Appearance of Lines: changes the appearance of selected line(s). introduced in version 0.19
- Show/Hide Invisible Edges: shows/hides invisible lines/edges in a view. introduced in version 0.19
- Add Welding Information to Leader: adds welding specifications to an existing leaderline. introduced in version 0.19
- Add a cosmetic line: adds a cosmetic line connecting 2 vertices. introduced in version 0.19
Additional features
- Line Groups: to control the appearance of various types of lines.
- Templates: the default templates defined for the drawing pages.
- Hatching: explanation of the different hatching techniques.
Preferences
- Preferences: preferences for the default values of the drawing page such as projection angle, colors, text sizes, and line styles.
Scripting
The TechDraw tools can be used in macros and from the Python console by using two APIs.
Limitations
- TechDraw drawings and its API are not interchangeable with the Drawing Workbench and its API. It is possible to convert Drawing Pages to TechDraw Pages using a Python script (
moveViews.py
). - It is possible to have both TechDraw and Drawing Pages in the same FreeCAD document, as each page is completely independent from each other.
- There are minor differences in specifying editable texts in SVG templates compared to the Drawing module. In TechDraw the scaling of the SVG document affects the position of the editable text fields. See the forum discussion TechDraw templates scale for more details.
- Do not cut, copy and paste TechDraw objects in the tree view as this generally does not work out well.
Tutorials
- Basic TechDraw Tutorial: introduction to creating drawings with the TechDraw Workbench.
- Creating a new template: instructions to create a new page template in Inkscape for using with the TechDraw Workbench.
- Measurement Of Angles On Holes: instructions for adding center lines and subsequent angle representations on holes.
- Miscellaneous: instructions for different settings like center marks, etc.
Video tutorials by sliptonic
- TechDraw Workbench Part 1 (Basics), Part 2 (Dimensions), Part 3 (Multiview)
- TechDraw Workbench Part 4 (Section and Detail), Part 5 (Customizing Templates)
- Pages: Insert Default Page, Insert Page using Template, Redraw Page, Print All Pages
- Views: Insert View, Insert Active View, Insert Projection Group, Insert Section View, Insert Complex Section View, Insert Detail View, Insert Draft Workbench Object, Insert Arch Workbench Object, Insert Spreadsheet View, Insert Clip Group, Share View, Project Shape
- Stacking: Move view to top of stack, Move view to bottom of stack, Move view up one level, Move view down one level
- Decorations: Hatch Face using Image File, Apply Geometric Hatch to Face, Insert SVG Symbol, Insert Bitmap Image, Turn View Frames On/Off
- Dimensions: Insert Length Dimension, Insert Horizontal Dimension, Insert Vertical Dimension, Insert Radius Dimension, Insert Diameter Dimension, Insert Angle Dimension, Insert 3-Point Angle Dimension, Insert Horizontal Extent Dimension, Insert Vertical Extent Dimension, Link Dimension to 3D Geometry, Insert Balloon Annotation, Insert Axonometric Length Dimension, Insert Landmark Dimension, Adjust Geometric References of Dimension
- Annotations: Insert Annotation, Add Leaderline to View, Insert Rich Text Annotation, Add Cosmetic Vertex, Add Midpoint Vertices, Add Quadrant Vertices, Add Centerline to Faces, Add Centerline between 2 Lines, Add Centerline between 2 Points, Add Cosmetic Line Through 2 points, Add Cosmetic Circle, Change Appearance of Lines, Show/Hide Invisible Edges, Add Welding Information to Leader, Add Surface Finish Symbol, Add Hole or Shaft Tolerances
- Extensions:
- Attributes and modifications: Select Line Attributes, Cascade Spacing and Delta Distance, Change Line Attributes, Extend Line, Shorten Line, Lock/Unlock View, Position Section View, Position Horizontal Chain Dimensions, Position Vertical Chain Dimensions, Position Oblique Chain Dimensions, Cascade Horizontal Dimensions, Cascade Vertical Dimensions, Cascade Oblique Dimensions, Calculate the area of selected faces, Calculate the arc length of selected edges, Customize format label
- Centerlines and threading: Add Circle Centerlines, Add Bolt Circle Centerlines, Add Cosmetic Thread Hole Side View, Add Cosmetic Thread Hole Bottom View, Add Cosmetic Thread Bolt Side View, Add Cosmetic Thread Bolt Bottom View, Add Cosmetic Intersection Vertex(es), Add an offset vertex, Add Cosmetic Circle, Add Cosmetic Arc, Add Cosmetic Circle 3 Points, Add Cosmetic Parallel Line, Add Cosmetic Perpendicular Line
- Dimensions: Create Horizontal Chain Dimensions, Create Vertical Chain Dimensions, Create Oblique Chain Dimensions, Create Horizontal Coordinate Dimensions, Create Vertical Coordinate Dimensions, Create Oblique Coordinate Dimensions, Create Horizontal Chamfer Dimension, Create Vertical Chamfer Dimension, Create Arc Length Dimension, Insert '⌀' Prefix, Insert '〼' Prefix, Remove Prefix, Increase Decimal Places, Decrease Decimal Places
- Export: Export Page as SVG, Export Page as DXF
- Additional: Line Groups, Templates, Hatching, Geometric dimensioning and tolerancing, Preferences
- Getting started
- Installation: Download, Windows, Linux, Mac, Additional components, Docker, AppImage, Ubuntu Snap
- Basics: About FreeCAD, Interface, Mouse navigation, Selection methods, Object name, Preferences, Workbenches, Document structure, Properties, Help FreeCAD, Donate
- Help: Tutorials, Video tutorials
- Workbenches: Std Base, Arch, Assembly, CAM, Draft, FEM, Inspection, Mesh, OpenSCAD, Part, PartDesign, Points, Reverse Engineering, Robot, Sketcher, Spreadsheet, Start, Surface, TechDraw, Test Framework, Web
- Hubs: User hub, Power users hub, Developer hub