Designing with spreadsheets in FreeCAD
Vložit
- čas přidán 5. 08. 2024
- This tutorial shows how to use the FreeCAD Spreadsheet Workbench in furniture design. Utilising a spreadsheet during the design process helps to increase flexibility into the design.
The FreeCAD Spreadsheet Workbench provides basic spreadsheet functionality such as addition, subtraction, trigonemtric functions, etc. that can be used to drive the constraints in the FreeCAD model.
We demonstrate this functionality by modelling two components that are commonly made by wood workers - a box side and a drawer side.
In this tutorial you will learn how to to set up a spreadsheet, design the parts using spreadsheet cells in the model.
Workbenches used:
- Spreadsheet
- Sketcher
- Part Design
Support this channel
I am very grateful that you watch my videos. I am constantly trying to improve the quality of the videos on this channel. If you'd like to help me do this, please consider supporting this channel to allow me to continue to produce content for your enjoyment.
👉 Help support this channel by buying me a coffee: www.buymeacoffee.com/gds
Copyright Glasson Design Studio 2018. All rights reserved.
Where to find us
Website: glassondesignstudio.com.au
Facebook: / glassondesignstudio
Instagram: / glassondesignstudio
Credits
Writer, Editor, Producer: Geoff Glasson
This video would not have been possible without help from the following people:
- Steven Taylor (stinstruments.com.au)
Music
Introduction Music
Title: March On
Artist: Dan Lebowitz
Credits Music
Title: Hemispheres
Artist: Silent Partner
About FreeCAD
FreeCAD is a parametric 3D modeler made primarily to design real-life objects of any size. Parametric modeling allows you to easily modify your design by going back into your model history and changing its parameters.
FreeCAD is open-source and highly customizable, scriptable and extensible.
FreeCAD is multiplatfom (Windows, Mac and Linux), and reads and writes many open file formats such as STEP, IGES, STL, SVG, DXF, OBJ, IFC, DAE and many others.
(From FreeCAD website)
FreeCAD website: www.freecadweb.org/ - Jak na to + styl
Just watched this first episode Geoff (Jeff?)! I am 66 and have been trying to learn CAD, your presentation is excellent! I understand what you’re doing and can replicate your actions. Thanks!
Thanks for your comment Colin. I spell my name Geoff - the correct way (lol). The J's are all doing it wrong :)
Initially I thought "wait, what?? 30 minutes of spreadsheets?" But then your presentation just dragged me into this rabbithole. Being quite knowledgeable when it comes to automating spreadsheets, this sparks some awesome ideas in my head. Thank you for sharing it.
Thanks for your kind words Philipp. I use the spreadsheet module in most designs because I find it easier to keep specification data in a spreadsheet than trying to remember constraint names.
People like yourself, deserve more likes and views for your efforts. Thanks for putting applicable knowledge out in the world.
Hi Jeramy, thanks for your kind words. Please let me know if there is anything specific that you'd like to see.
Way over my head but subscribed to hopefully learn more.
I hope you find my videos useful
That was really helpful, thanks a lot
Thanks for your kind words. I'm glad that you found it useful
Thank you for doing this. This has been the most accessible tutorial in creating furniture designs in FreeCad I found on CZcams.
Thanks for your kind words. I'm glad that you liked it. Please let me know if you'd like to see other topics covered.
@@GlassonDesignStudio Oh yes, please continue looking at joinery and cabinetry CAD topics, as there is little dedicated content out there for Carpentry and joinery. As even DIYers like might want to develop custom designs in FreeCAD, and make plans and cut lists. Things like how to import and modify the free CAD blocks on the Internet. I'm just getting into FreeCAD by copying existing free designs, and modifying them. I'm trying to design a workbench small enough for working in an apartment, but with a design that lends strength and durability at the lowest cost. My ideal seems to be a mixture of elements that I've researched, so I'm experimenting and learning how to use FreeCAD at the same time. So getting to grips with the parametric design process to create my own and modify existing CAD blocks would be great. Also, the assembly process to create a final 3D model would be useful too.
I am planning to increase the amount of FreeCAD related woodworking content on this channel because that is where my passion lies. I would like to produce videos that show the design of a piece of furniture, the jigs required to make it, and then talk about the lessons learned through the process of designing and building the furniture. I am working on one of these videos at the moment as a test to see what people think. Keep an eye out for it in the next month or so.
@@GlassonDesignStudio Thank you. I will.
Great workflow and awesome video! Well done. Spreadsheet parametric modeling is truly an interesting option in FreeCAD.
Thanks for your kind words Daniel. I use spreadsheets all the time in my modelling. I've even gone to the trouble of creating a spreadsheet that describes the common components that I use so that I can get better consistency in my designs. I think its a very powerful tool.
Thank you very much for this video ! Still discovering Freecad, I didn't realize what a powerful tool it is. The spreadsheet option makes it even more impressive for me at least. I really enjoyed your video ( on woodworking ) so thank you again as well as the developpers of Freecad.
Thanks for your kind words. I'm glad that you found the video helpful
@@GlassonDesignStudio ... Very helpful ! Just a little addition... I also appreciate the time taken by pros like you, who are not afraid to share, to create this kind of tutoriels. So again, a big thank you.
Hello again from Sydney Australia glade to see you have done a few of these tutorials 👍
Thanks mate. I’ve got plans to do more but am spending some time doing some actual woodworking at the moment.
Bien ese video. Muchas gracias Mr.
Great video, detailed explanation
Thanks
Thanks a lot mate
You're welcome!
Very informative video. Just learning FreeCAD and it's been nice to see from some of your other videos that things don't always go as expected. Mirrors my own experience as a newbie.
Hi Martin, Thanks for your kind words. I'm glad that you found it informative. Please let me know if you'd like me to cover something specific and I'll see what I can do.
Very useful video, thanks
Thanks for letting me know Nick. Please let me know if you’d like to see something specific.
Nice
Excellent. Spreadsheet is very useful to apply in general or standardized models, in which you need just to adjust a measure to have another model (tables for example). And please let me tell you just a tip to create a rectangle simetry easier: instead than make the simetry by side, it can be done checking the points in diagonal way. For example the upper left point, then the lower right point, and finally the center (not sure if the order of selection affect it). Applying the simetry with this point save/reduce the amount of operations.
Thanks for your kind words Daniel. I hadn't figured out that I could use the symmetry constraint in that fashion when I recorded this video. I have being using it for quite a while now as you'll see in some of my later videos.
Outstanding!! You have a new sub.
Thanks Bruce
Now I know the difference between a pin & a tail. Not sure where to put the weld symbol thou.
Construction lines vs. linear constraint? (I hope linear is what FreeCAD calls a constraint making multiple lines collinear).
This is a very informative video. Thank you. I have a question though. Can I add a driven dimension to a sketch? (liner, or angler)
Thanks for your kind words. In answer to your question, I'm not certain as I have not knowingly used them. This link to the FreeCAD website *might* be of interest to you - wiki.freecadweb.org/Sketcher_ToggleDrivingConstraint
I suggest that any Oz friends try it. That may isolate it to a USA issue.
I finally figured out the problem and it’s at my ISPs end. My main website glassondesignstudio.com.au is up and glassondesignstudio.com is served out of the same web server. Unfortunately after a hardware upgrade the .com domain no longer resolves but .com.au does.
@@GlassonDesignStudio Glad I could help
I've made a small toolbox using the spreadsheet. I wanted to be able to model the box at different sizes. If I reduce the dimensions in the spreadsheet by 1/2 the model comes apart. If I increase the dimensions the model is all jammed together. The parts are no longer attached. I'm sure I'm doing something wrong but I don't know what. If I want to make different size boxes do I need to make the size changes and then build the box, or do I need to do something different when I build the model?
Hi John, thanks for your question. On the surface it sounds like you might be butting the parts together in FreeCAD rather than creating an assembly which constrains the parts together allowing them to stay together even when they change. Are you creating an assembly of the parts? If not, then you should look into using an assembly workbench in your workflow.
I use the A2Plus workbench for assemblies because I don't need anything fancy to assemble furniture. Checkout the second half of my video about the Sharpening Stone holder if you'd like to see how I use it.
@@GlassonDesignStudio I've tried the A2+ and the woodworking workbenches and had the same problem. I just created a new assembly in A2+ and now can't get it to update when I change the spreadsheet data. This FreeCAD is a tough cookie to learn.
Hi John, sorry for the late reply - a long work week is my only excuse :(
Your experience doesn't match mine because I have done what you've indicated and it has worked...assuming that I'm not misreading your words. On those occasions where I have changed the design in a spreadsheet I visit each of the affected FreeCAD models and recalculate the model so it is up to date. I then go back into the assembly and update the parts that have been imported into the assembly (A2Plus provides an icon that does this).
I sometimes find that the constraints are broken once I've done this, but it usually occurs when I make other changes to the geometry in one or more of the files before updating the assembly. I think the Topological Naming Problem is at fault but I haven't looked into it enough to know for certain.
I hope this helps
@@GlassonDesignStudio I finally had some success. I built the box with Part Design without using A2+. It reacts as I expect when making changes in the spreadsheet. I'm guessing that when I use A2+ to assemble I'm not getting the assembly fully constrained. As of now I don't know how to check the constraints. I might try to find some tutorials on Assembly 3 and 4 to see how it turns out. Thanks for your replies.
Hi John, I think that you're right. The A2Plus workbench includes a tool that allows you to turn on and off the degrees of freedom for the parts in the assembly. Unfortunately it's only a static display and doesn't update as you make changes, so you'll need to turn it off then back on again to see whether additional constraints affect the assemly. It's a starting point....
I am not sure if it is me, you or facebook but I can't find you there.
Hi Bruce, I do have a Facebook page. Facebook.com/glassondesignstudio should get you there
@@GlassonDesignStudio Sorry, this content isn't available right now Same error I was getting this morning East Coast USA
The link you followed may have expired, or the page may only be visible to an audience you're not in. I changed to my wife's fb page same error I just copied more of it.
The page is publicly viewable as far as I can tell but I may have given you the wrong link. Would you mind searching for @glassondesignstudio on Facebook and let me know what you find?