User hub: Difference between revisions

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This is the main help area for newcomers to FreeCAD.

These pages are in continuous development, so there may be missing or outdated information. If you cannot find the information that you need, don't hesitate to ask in the FreeCAD forum.

If you'd like to contribute to FreeCAD, please donate, and see the Help FreeCAD page for other ways to contribute. If you'd like to edit this wiki, request a wiki account with editor permissions in the forum, and read the WikiPages for the general guidelines that you should follow.

If you would like to know how FreeCAD started years ago visit the History page.

Using FreeCAD

Introduction

Application Overview: A general overview of FreeCAD
Installing: How to install FreeCAD on Windows, Linux and Mac
Installing help files: how to install the offline documentation which is based on this wiki.
Installing additional components: how to install additional third-party components that can work together with FreeCAD.
Getting started: A quick overview of the available tools
FAQ: Frequently asked questions
Tutorials covering different parts of FreeCAD

Basic application

Interface: the FreeCAD interface is composed of various graphical elements on the screen, including the 3D view, the tree view, the property editor, the task panel, and the Python console.
Mouse navigation: the different types of using the mouse or trackpad to navigate in the 3D view.
Selection methods: the different methods of selecting objects in the software.
Object name: all objects have a read-only Name that uniquely identifies them, and a Label which is user editable.
Preferences Editor: the system that allows you to control many properties of the base system and of the individual workbenches.
File formats: the different file formats that FreeCAD can read and write.

Workbenches

Workbenches are collections of tools that are used for a relatively specific task. These are the base workbenches bundled with every installation of FreeCAD:

Std Base. This is not really a workbench, but rather a category of 'standard' commands and tools that can be used in all workbenches.
The Arch Workbench for working with architectural elements.
The Draft Workbench contains 2D tools and basic 2D and 3D CAD operations.
The FEM Workbench provides Finite Element Analysis (FEA) workflow.
The Image Workbench for working with bitmap images.
The Inspection Workbench is made to give you specific tools for examination of shapes. It is still in development.
The Mesh Workbench for working with triangulated meshes.
The OpenSCAD Workbench for interoperability with OpenSCAD and repairing constructive solid geometry (CSG) model history.
The Part Workbench for working with CAD parts.
The Part Design Workbench for building Part shapes from sketches.
The Path Workbench is used to produce G-Code instructions. It is still in a stage of development.
The Points Workbench for working with point clouds.
The Raytracing Workbench for working with ray-tracing (rendering)
The Reverse Engineering Workbench is intended to provide specific tools to convert shapes/solids/meshes into parametric FreeCAD-compatible features. (under development)
The Robot Workbench for studying robot movements.
The Sketcher Workbench for working with geometry-constrained sketches.
The Spreadsheet Workbench for creating and manipulating spreadsheet data.
The Start Center Workbench allows you to quickly jump to one of the most common workbenches.
The Surface workbench provides tools to create and modify surfaces. It is similar as the Part Shape builder Face from edges.
The TechDraw Workbench is the more advanced and feature-rich successor of Drawing
The Test Framework Workbench is for debugging FreeCAD.
The Web Workbench provides you with a browser window instead of the 3D view within FreeCAD.

Macros

Macros are relatively small snippets of Python code that perform a simple or a complex task that is not available in the base FreeCAD system.

Power users have written various macros to enhance FreeCAD with more capabilities.

Since FreeCAD 0.17, many macros can be installed using the Addon Manager. For a list of the macros refer to the macros recipes page. For manual installation see How to install macros.

External workbenches

When many macros or functions are developed together, and are organized in toolbars and menus, they can become a new workbench.

External workbenches are collections of functions that are not part of the base FreeCAD system, usually developed by experienced users, and targeting a particular need.

Since FreeCAD 0.17, many workbenches can be installed using the Addon Manager. For manual installation see How to install additional workbenches.

Reference

Commands Reference: A complete list of the available FreeCAD commands.

Online Help

This is the official FreeCAD online help. Please note that the whole online help system is currently being reworked. It will be used to generate a .CHM file, that will be distributed with the binary packages of FreeCAD. At the moment the online help summarizes some of the most complete sections of this wiki.

Online help system - Table of Contents

More

The Power users hub is the place to go if you would like to see more advanced use of FreeCAD
The FreeCAD Community Portal lists projects made by community members around FreeCAD.
Don't understand a term or phrase as used in FreeCAD? Try the Glossary page.

User documentation

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

Addons: Addon Manager, External workbenches, Scripting and macros

Hubs: User hub, Power users hub, Developer hub

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 <!--T:21-->
-If you'd like to contribute to FreeCAD, see the [[Help FreeCAD|Help FreeCAD]] page. If you'd like to edit this wiki, request a wiki account with editor permissions [https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=6830 in the forum], and read the [[WikiPages|WikiPages]] for the general guidelines that you should follow.
+If you'd like to contribute to FreeCAD, please [[donate|donate]], and see the [[Help_FreeCAD|Help FreeCAD]] page for other ways to contribute. If you'd like to edit this wiki, request a wiki account with editor permissions [https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=6830 in the forum], and read the [[WikiPages|WikiPages]] for the general guidelines that you should follow.
 <!--T:22-->
 If you would like to know how FreeCAD started years ago visit the [[History|History]] page.
-</translate>
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 == Using FreeCAD == <!--T:5-->
@@ Line 28: / Line 23: @@
 <!--T:7-->
 * [[About FreeCAD|Application Overview]]: A general overview of FreeCAD
-* [[Installing|Installing]]: How to install FreeCAD on [[Install on Windows|Windows]], [[Install on Unix|Unix/Linux]] and [[Install on Mac|Mac]]
+* Installing: How to install FreeCAD on [[Installing_on_Windows|Windows]], [[Installing_on_Linux|Linux]] and [[Installing_on_Mac|Mac]]
+* [[Installing Helpfile|Installing help files]]: how to install the offline documentation which is based on this wiki.
+* [[Installing_additional_components|Installing additional components]]: how to install additional third-party components that can work together with FreeCAD.
 * [[Getting started|Getting started]]: A quick overview of the available tools
-* [[FAQ|FAQ]]: Frequently asked questions
+* [[Frequently_asked_questions|FAQ]]: Frequently asked questions
 * [[Tutorials|Tutorials]] covering different parts of FreeCAD
-===Basic Application=== <!--T:8-->
+<!--T:41-->
+See also:
+* [[Migrating_to_FreeCAD_from_Fusion360|Migrating to FreeCAD from Fusion360]]
-<!--T:9-->
+===Basic application=== <!--T:8-->
-* [[Interface|Interface]]: the FreeCAD interface is composed of various graphical elements on the screen.
-** [[3D view|3D view]]: the area where 2D and 3D geometry is drawn.
-** [[Combo view|Combo view]]: the panel that contains the [[tree view|tree view]], the [[task panel|task panel]], and the [[property editor|property editor]].
-** [[Tree view|Tree view]]: the element that shows all objects in the document and their parametric history.
-** [[Task panel|Task panel]]: the panel that shows different actions and options depending on the drawing tool selected.
-** [[Property editor|Property editor]]: the place where object properties are modified.
-** [[Selection view|Selection view]]: the panel that shows elements that are currently selected.
-** [[Report view|Report view]]: the text box that shows different messages from the application and its tools.
-** [[Python console|Python console]]: the editor that allows you to run [[Python|Python]] code interactively, and see results in the 3D view.
-** [[DAG view|DAG view]]: an alternative to the tree view, which shows the relationships between different objects in the document through a graph.
-** [[Interface Customization|Interface Customization]]: how to configure the toolbars with custom tools.
+<!--T:9-->
-* [[Mouse Model|Mouse navigation]]: the different types of using the mouse or trackpad to navigate in the 3D view.
+* [[Interface|Interface]]: the FreeCAD interface is composed of various graphical elements on the screen, including the [[3D_view|3D view]], the [[Tree_view|tree view]], the [[Property_editor|property editor]], the [[Task_panel|task panel]], and the [[Python_console|Python console]].
+* [[Mouse_Model|Mouse navigation]]: the different types of using the mouse or trackpad to navigate in the 3D view.
+* [[Selection_methods|Selection methods]]: the different methods of selecting objects in the software.
+* [[Object_name|Object name]]: all objects have a read-only {{incode|Name}} that uniquely identifies them, and a {{incode|Label}} which is user editable.
 * [[Preferences_Editor|Preferences Editor]]: the system that allows you to control many properties of the base system and of the individual workbenches.
-* [[Workbenches|Workbenches]]: how the FreeCAD interface is organized
 * [[Import_Export|File formats]]: the different file formats that FreeCAD can read and write.
 ===Workbenches=== <!--T:10-->
-These are the base workbenches bundled with every installation of FreeCAD:
-<!--T:11-->
+<!--T:33-->
+[[Workbenches|Workbenches]] are collections of tools that are used for a relatively specific task. These are the base workbenches bundled with every installation of FreeCAD:
-* [[Image:Workbench_Arch.svg|24px]] Use the [[Arch Module|Arch Workbench]] to work with architectural elements.
-* [[Image:Workbench_Complete.svg|24px]] The [[Complete_Workbench|Complete Workbench]] holds all commands and features from all the modules and workbenches which met certain quality criteria.
-* [[Image:Workbench_Draft.svg|24px]] The [[Draft Module|Draft Workbench]] contains 2D tools and basic 2D and 3D CAD operations.
-* [[Image:Workbench_Drawing.svg|24px]] Use the [[Drawing Module|Drawing Workbench]] to display your 3D work on a 2D sheet.
-* [[Image:Workbench_FEM.svg|24px]] The [[FEM Module|FEM Workbench]] provides a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finite_element_method Finite Element Analysis] (FEA) workflow.
-<!--T:26-->
+<!--T:40-->
+* [[File:Freecad.svg|32px]] [[Std_Base|Std Base]]. This is not really a workbench, but rather a category of 'standard' commands and tools that can be used in all workbenches.
-* [[Image:Workbench_Image.svg|24px]] Use the [[Image Module|Image Workbench]] to work with bitmap images.
-* [[Image:Workbench_Inspection.svg|24px]] The [[Inspection Workbench|Inspection Workbench]] provides specific tools for examination of shapes. It is still in development.
+* [[Image:Workbench_Arch.svg|32px]] The [[Arch Module|Arch Workbench]] for working with architectural elements.
-* [[Image:Workbench_Mesh.svg|24px]] Use the [[Mesh Module|Mesh Workbench]] to work with triangulated meshes.
+* [[Image:Workbench_Draft.svg|32px]] The [[Draft Module|Draft Workbench]] contains 2D tools and basic 2D and 3D CAD operations.
-* [[Image:Workbench_OpenSCAD.svg|24px]] The [[OpenSCAD Module|OpenSCAD Workbench]] for interoperability with OpenSCAD and repairing Constructive Solid Geometry (CSG) model history.
+* [[Image:Workbench_FEM.svg|32px]] The [[FEM Module|FEM Workbench]] provides Finite Element Analysis (FEA) workflow.
-* [[Image:Workbench_Part.svg|24px]] Use the [[Part Module|Part Workbench]] to work with CAD parts.
+* [[Image:Workbench_Image.svg|32px]] The [[Image Module|Image Workbench]] for working with bitmap images.
+* [[Image:Workbench_Inspection.svg|32px]] The [[Inspection Workbench|Inspection Workbench]] is made to give you specific tools for examination of shapes. It is still in development.
+* [[Image:Workbench_Mesh.svg|32px]] The [[Mesh Workbench|Mesh Workbench]] for working with triangulated meshes.
-<!--T:27-->
+* [[Image:Workbench_OpenSCAD.svg|32px]] The [[OpenSCAD Module|OpenSCAD Workbench]] for interoperability with OpenSCAD and repairing [[constructive solid geometry|constructive solid geometry]] (CSG) model history.
-* [[Image:Workbench_PartDesign.svg|24px]] Use the [[PartDesign Workbench|Part Design Workbench]] to build Part shapes from sketches.
-* [[Image:Workbench_Path.svg|24px]] Use the [[Path_Workbench|Path Workbench]] to produce G-Code instructions. It is still in a stage of development. Only basic functions in 0.16
+* [[Image:Workbench_Part.svg|32px]] The [[Part Module|Part Workbench]] for working with CAD parts.
-* [[Image:Workbench_Plot.svg|24px]] Use the [[Plot Module|Plot Workbench]] to edit and save output plots created from other modules and tools.
+* [[Image:Workbench_PartDesign.svg|32px]] The [[PartDesign Workbench|Part Design Workbench]] for building Part shapes from sketches.
-* [[Image:Workbench_Points.svg|24px]] Use the [[Points_Module|Points Workbench]] to work with point clouds.
+* [[Image:Workbench_Path.svg|32px]] The [[Path_Workbench|Path Workbench]] is used to produce G-Code instructions. It is still in a stage of development.
-* [[Image:Workbench_Raytracing.svg|24px]] Use the [[Raytracing Module|Raytracing Workbench]] to work with ray-tracing (rendering)
+* [[Image:Workbench_Points.svg|32px]] The [[Points_Module|Points Workbench]]  for working with point clouds.
+* [[Image:Workbench_Raytracing.svg|32px]] The [[Raytracing Module|Raytracing Workbench]] for working with ray-tracing (rendering)
+* [[Image:Workbench_Reverse_Engineering.svg|32px]] The [[Reverse Engineering Workbench|Reverse Engineering Workbench]] is intended to provide specific tools to convert shapes/solids/meshes into parametric FreeCAD-compatible features. (under development)
-<!--T:28-->
+* [[Image:Workbench_Robot.svg|32px]] The [[Robot_Workbench|Robot Workbench]] for studying robot movements.
-* [[Image:Workbench_Reverse_Engineering.svg|24px]] The [[Reverse Engineering Workbench|Reverse Engineering Workbench]] is intended to give you specific tools to convert shapes/solids/meshes into parametric FreeCAD-compatible features. It is still in development.
-* [[Image:Workbench_Robot.svg|24px]] Use the [[Robot_Workbench|Robot Workbench]] to study robot movements.
+* [[Image:Workbench_Sketcher.svg|32px]] The [[Sketcher Workbench|Sketcher Workbench]] for working with geometry-constrained sketches.
-* [[Image:Workbench_Ship.svg|24px]] The [[Ship Workbench|Ship Workbench]] FreeCAD-Ship works over Ship entities, that must be created on top of provided geometry.
+* [[Image:Workbench_Spreadsheet.svg|32px]] The [[Spreadsheet Workbench|Spreadsheet Workbench]] for creating and manipulating spreadsheet data.
-* [[Image:Workbench_Sketcher.svg|24px]] Use the [[Sketcher Module|Sketcher Workbench]] to work with geometry-constrained sketches.
+* [[Image:Workbench_Start.svg|32px]] The [[Start_Workbench|Start Center Workbench]] allows you to quickly jump to one of the most common workbenches.
-* [[Image:Workbench_Spreadsheet.svg|24px]] Use the [[Spreadsheet Module|Spreadsheet Workbench]] to create and manipulating spreadsheet data.
+* [[Image:Workbench_Surface.svg|32px]] The [[Surface_Module|Surface workbench]] provides tools to create and modify surfaces. It is similar as the Part Shape builder Face from edges.
+* [[Image:Workbench_TechDraw.svg|32px]] The [[TechDraw Module|TechDraw Workbench]] is the more advanced and feature-rich successor of [[Drawing Module|Drawing]]
+* [[Image:Workbench_Test.svg|32px]] The [[Testing|Test Framework Workbench]] is for debugging FreeCAD.
-<!--T:29-->
-* [[Image:Workbench_Start.svg|24px]] The [[Start_Workbench|Start Center Workbench]] allows you to quickly jump to the most common workbenches.
+* [[Image:Workbench_Web.svg|32px]] The [[Web Workbench|Web Workbench]] provides you with a browser window instead of the [[3D view|3D view]] within FreeCAD.
-* [[Image:Workbench_Surface.svg|24px]] The [[Surface_Module|Surface Module]] the Surface workbench provides tools to create and modify surfaces.
-* [[Image:Workbench_TechDraw.svg|24px]] The [[TechDraw Module|TechDraw Workbench]] is the more advanced and feature-rich successor of [[Drawing Module|Drawing]]
-* [[Image:Workbench_Test.svg|24px]] The [[Testing|Test Framework Workbench]] is for debugging FreeCAD.
-* [[Image:Workbench_Web.svg|24px]] The [[Web Workbench|Web Workbench]] provides you with a browser window instead of the 3D-View within FreeCAD.
 ===Macros=== <!--T:24-->
+<!--T:35-->
-Macros are relatively small snippets of [[Python|Python]] code that perform a simple or complex task that is not available in the base FreeCAD system.
+[[Macros|Macros]] are relatively small snippets of [[Python|Python]] code that perform a simple or a complex task that is not available in the base FreeCAD system.
+<!--T:36-->
 Power users have written various [[macros|macros]] to enhance FreeCAD with more capabilities.
@@ Line 100: / Line 84: @@
 Since FreeCAD 0.17, many macros can be installed using the [[Std AddonMgr|Addon Manager]]. For a list of the macros refer to the [[macros recipes|macros recipes]] page. For manual installation see [[How to install macros|How to install macros]].
-===External Workbenches=== <!--T:23-->
+===External workbenches=== <!--T:23-->
+<!--T:37-->
-When many macros or functions are put together, and are organized in toolbars and menus, they can become a new workbench.
+When many macros or functions are developed together, and are organized in toolbars and menus, they can become a new workbench.
+<!--T:38-->
 [[External_workbenches|External workbenches]] are collections of functions that are not part of the base FreeCAD system, usually developed by experienced users, and targeting a particular need.
@@ Line 131: / Line 117: @@
 * The [[FreeCAD Community Portal|FreeCAD Community Portal]] lists projects made by community members around FreeCAD.
 * Don't understand a term or phrase as used in FreeCAD?  Try the [[Glossary|Glossary]] page.
-<!--T:30-->
-{{Userdocnavi}}
-<!--T:20-->
-[[Category:Hubs]]
-[[Category:User Documentation]]
 </translate>
+{{Userdocnavi{{#translation:}}}}
+[[Category:Hubs{{#translation:}}]]