Any FreeCAD Users Out There?

[ryanosaur]

I just downloaded this as it comes highly recommended as a... well... Free CAD option. The days of SketchUp being free are pretty far gone, though it still has some free web-only usability.

Anyway, I'm going to be learning this in hopes it will serve for my Speaker Design Goals, including being able to process files for CNC machines.

Would love to hear any thoughts on this, or other CAD programs out there!

Cheers!
R

 

[slipperybidness]

I just downloaded this as it comes highly recommended as a... well... Free CAD option. The days of SketchUp being free are pretty far gone, though it still has some free web-only usability.

Anyway, I'm going to be learning this in hopes it will serve for my Speaker Design Goals, including being able to process files for CNC machines.

Would love to hear any thoughts on this, or other CAD programs out there!

Cheers!
R

I have used the free/online TinkerCAD quite a bit. It is OK, hard to argue with free.

I have certainly found its limitations, namely that there are no options to turn on/off layers, which is an extremely useful feature. But, TinkerCAD still does 85% of what I would want to do. I'm just using CAD for custom designed 3D printing work.

I do hear that SketchUp is worth the cost of entry.

 

[j_garcia]

We have a group who is adopting OnShape. I was able to try it out during the pilot while we were testing it and it seems pretty good. There is a free option, though the full version is a paid app.

I manage Autodesk products use for my company.

 

[ryanosaur]

So here I am, one year later...

FreeCAD was a bust for me. I didn't have much success, and with the complexities of life, the time to teach myself how to use it turned into nothing but frustration.

I had some conversations with a few folk who encouraged me to go ahead with the Free version of SketchUp.
In one afternoon, I pretty much knocked out all the external components, including a double Baffle with different cutouts, for a 4cu.ft Single Driver Subwoofer.

Some of my friends here know I have plans to build 3 dual Driver Subs with my 6 SI SQL-15s.
I started with a simple Sealed model for one simple reason... Can you guess? Simplicity.

I'm working on combining each of the components I created as 3D panels, effectively digital pieces of a flat pack. I still need to solve for bracing the cabinet and inserting the wiring via cutout for Neutrik SpeakOn terminal.

Suffice it to say, I wish I had gotten over my concerns about it being a Google product and actually do the research. It was sold off by Google a while back, and the current owner, Trimble, introduced the Free Version in 11, 2017.

After I "assemble" my Single Driver Model, I will work out a Dual Driver Sealed, and then figure out the complexities of a Ported design, and perhaps with the help of some Pros... a Transmission Line.

As I get this worked out, I will fold this into a Build Thread...

Cheers!

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Just for the heck of reference, someone might be interested in free AutoCAD alternatives:
here few I've found but have not actually worked with either of them:

• Nanocad
• BRL-CAD (30 years of development, used by US army to design weapon systems)
• LibreCAD (2D only)
• OpenSCAD
• QCAD (2D only)
• Draft it (by Cadlogic)
• LeoCAD
• Onshape

As mentioned in 1st post FreeCAD is probably the best free alternative for AutoCAD (at least according to this blog post)

 

[ryanosaur]

Just for the heck of reference, someone might be interested in free AutoCAD alternatives:
here few I've found but have not actually worked with either of them:

• Nanocad
• BRL-CAD (30 years of development, used by US army to design weapon systems)
• LibreCAD (2D only)
• OpenSCAD
• QCAD (2D only)
• Draft it (by Cadlogic)
• LeoCAD
• Onshape

As mentioned in 1st post FreeCAD is probably the best free alternative for AutoCAD (at least according to this blog post)

There are absolutely many options out there, and several seem to have their strengths.
My experience starting with FreeCAD was that is is almost too powerful a tool and wants you to understand PYTHON. Perhaps the designers and my brain operate differently and maybe you don't need to know PYTHON... I cannot answer that.


For right now, I was able to intuitively figure out how to create objects in SketchUp. A little bit of searching resolved other questions in almost no time. On the other hand, I watched one video on basic construction of an element in FreeCAD, and still couldn't close the deal.

I'm not an abject novice with CAD programs or Drafting, but it's been a while.

Mostly, I'm just excited to have created the components of my Subwoofer as if they just came off a CNC machine!

I've got a lot more work to do!

 

[j_garcia]

AutoCAD offers LT, "AutoCAD Lite" which is not free but super cheap comparatively. It does not support 3D, it is 2D only, but it should work for basic drawing needs. There is a web version as well that runs in a browser, not sure the cost of that, but it ain't free

 

[ryanosaur]

I thought I shared this from Sunday, but I must have forgot to post it...
After creating each component in separate files on Saturday and watching a few videos that night, I learned a few other things. Went back on Sunday afternoon and started everything from scratch. Took maybe 90 mins. to do this instead of half the day!

This is just my basic learning design for a single Driver 4cu.ft Sealed Cabinet.

 

[j_garcia]

frontload washer

 

[ryanosaur]

frontload washer

Ha. That's on;y 4cu.ft...
Wait til you see the the dual-driver!