CAD Battle - OpenSCAD vs. FreeCAD
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 พ.ค. 2017
- This video is a side-by-side comparison of OpenSCAD and FreeCAD. I do not really want to pit them against each other, I just want to try to point out the differences that determine when you should use a tool.
My approach for this video is to create a "parametric" design that facilitates centralized parameter entry. This is why I chose to use the spreadsheet workbench in FreeCAD. You can complete the Box in FreeCAD in under one minute if you do not use the spreadsheet. But that is not the right comparison. ( IMHO ).
Please comment on why you would use one over the other for a specific job. Also, I plan on doing more of these, I think I will do OpenSCAD vs. Tinkercad next. I will need ideas on the object to create for the comparison. Otherwise I will just continue doing the box for now.
Please SUBSCRIBE for more videos and make sure you SHARE this so others can see and I can continue doing videos and making them better.
I'm working on a Python library that replicates a lot of OpenScad functionality on top of Blender, and it will eventually integrate existing openscad scripts. The goal is to have a script which can at the same time visualize fully assembled projects in high quality, analyze single components and export them automatically to stl or even gcode.
What happened with your project?
For some reason I can't see what video you posted this to. I get distracted easily. But some projects early on didn't seem to Garner any attention so I moved to something else. Will definitely revisit anything that people are interested in.
@@doa_form github.com/akloster/blender-vraag
I never used both programs, but looking at this demonstration, there seems to be a lot of mouse clicks with FreeCAD and OpenSCAD can be keyboard only operations. For this reason, OpenSCAD wins my heart.
I think many people expect a lot of mouse usage because it's "drawing", but us keyboard monkeys will do almost anything to avoid the mouse, like use vim LOL
Thank you for this video! Side-by-side comparisons are extremely helpful.
i like this video!!! i didn't know anything about freecad until now! thank you so much!
This seems like a hard way to do something simple. Why not just use the part design work bench and do 2 boolean operations
Thank you for these examples. There are here some mistakes: f.ex. wall thickness is not identical on all straight lines and roundings, dimensions of the box are different than LENGTH and WIDTH, ...
If somebody wants proper solution, here is an example code:
translate ( [RADIUS, RADIUS, 0] ) {
difference() {
minkowski() {
cube ( [LENGTH - 2 * RADIUS, WIDTH - 2 * RADIUS, HEIGHT - 1] );
linear_extrude (1)
circle (RADIUS);
}
minkowski() {
translate( [0, 0, WALL] )
cube ( [LENGTH - 2 * RADIUS, WIDTH - 2 * RADIUS, HEIGHT - 1] );
linear_extrude (1)
circle (RADIUS - WALL);
}
}
}
i don't see why you can't use both :)
i personally would use openscad to prototype an idea, just to get the main structure of the design out of my head and onto the computer.
but then i'd use freecad to fine tune it.
and then if i feel impressed enough with the design i'd color and render it in blender
before making a video about it in kdenlive
I agree that both FreeCAD and OpenSCAD have their uses. Where FreeCAD falls really short IMHO is in assembly. The current version 0.16 has a very clumsy way of assembling different components. As for OpenSCAD for large projects the script can get long. This can pose problems in maintaining the script over time.
Try 0.18 and 0.19 nearly here
@@now-you-know-it they had improvements over 0.16 for assembly?
@@yash1152 Good question left unanswered.
Hey! Are you using a development version of FreeCAD (perhaps 0.17)? If so, could you please let me know the file (exact) name? Thx. I'm new to CAD, and as such please bear with me, so I'm unable to give you my feedback of which one is best. Maybe at a later date, if I don't forget. Thx again.
I use both. Freecad are developing so fast, it have every time so many improvements in every new version. Freecad you have to learn more but it is worth it. Try version 0.18 and 0.19 nearly here.
thanks for input
it make me smile ^^ nice video
I think this comparison suffers from translation issues. For instance, not being familiar with OpenSCAD, I had no idea what the Minkowski sum operation you were applying was. It appears to be (conceptually) a union of placing one object at all points within another object, making it a generalized offset operation that behaves like the variable width you get when drawing curves with a highlighter at a fixed angle. That sort of variable width does occur in the corners of this model, which have thicker walls as the inner and outer fillets have equal radius. The operation gets lost in translation from OpenSCAD to FreeCAD via OpenSCAD's CSG file format, even though this shape in particular could be described in CSG as a union of two cuboids and four cylinders. Other shapes are trickier.
I feel it's unfair to blame FreeCAD for spreading your formulae around when you already have a spreadsheet to put them in; you can also refer to the spreadsheet cells by name (A1 etc) instead of alias. I am thinking about making a macro to set the aliases in column B based on the contents of column A, or maybe adding a mode to make the aliases visible as a column. The spreadsheet function isn't very fleshed out.If you also install Graphviz, FreeCAD can show you a dependency graph, which points out which properties are used where in formulae. Scripts can set formulae and find dependencies, but I haven't yet learned how to read the formula for a property. I'm a newbie as well.
I agree fully, it's unnecessarily complex to assign names to custom properties. The predefined ones may have some meaning though; it means you can define relations as "this slot should be large enough for that tab", rather than simply being set by the same variable. Either way takes some habits to keep in order. By the way, the hotkey for formula entry is =, just as in the spreadsheet. The fact that the formulae themselves are hidden, like cell aliases, feels like it really should be optional... like the "reveal codes" function of Word Perfect, seeing the relations themselves is useful at times.
Thank you for revealing that aspect of the spreadsheet in Freecad. I wonder if you could upload the examples in Thingyverse for example so people can take a look at them and learn. I am going to have to look for an IRC chat maybe because I get frustrated for example in Freecad when I cant find how to reference the origin for example. Do you have a video about all the implications and tricks of referencing to other parts of the geometry, and also if there already is any support for spreadsheet driven variability of enabled features, patterns etc. (Imagine a spoiled ex Solidworks user coming down to alpha/beta software...)
You welcome, I do uploade some examples to github, you can find what I have done so far at: github.com/mathcodeprint, if there is a particular model that you are looking for let me know. I will see if it is ready to be put on a repo.
IRC is a great idea I might see if I can have that running while I work.
External references are indeed tricky, one reason is due to the fact that they are evoloving. This might be a good candidate for a FreeCAD quickie.
The only thing I can say to a Solidworks - FreeCAD is, be patient. Solidworks is great but it is certainly not free. FreeCAD has a steep learning curve, after more than two years I feel like I am still on the uphill. But as a result of it's OpenSource nature I am not at all worried about the longevity of my models. Be patient there is gold at the end of the rainbow.
@@mathcodeprint thanks for advice :)
I think the comparison of OpenSCAD and FreeCAD has to go much deeper than analyzing the filling of input boxes. In product design we need CAD tools to make products faster and of higher quality, is FreeCAD better or OpenSCAD better for this? I am talking of stuff like this:
1) When I design a product , for example , an internal combustion engine, I want to know if there is an error in the design, for example , would the piston break if it made some high number of RPM. This can only be made with FEM analysis , so is FreeCAD or OpenSCAD is more friendlier with FEM?
2) With development of robotics and 3d printing I no longer want humans to design the manufacturing line of a product, I want the AI to analyze the design of my product and find the better process (more efficient) to produce it.
3) I want to simulate my product for aging and wear, how long will it last if it is exposed to constant temperature changes, or corrosion.
Maybe OpenSCAD is not the best model, maybe we have to continue searching in a new model to create more efficient products, so, even if I am asking questions a Phd student can't answer, we have to work in that direction with our CAD tools
thanks!
Funny, I've done a number of designs in FreeCAD and have never used the spreadsheet! I'll have to give that a try. I use both programs and agree, there are areas where each shines. I learned OpenSCAD first, but still use both regularly.
I really like the OpenSCAD approach of synthesizing parts using the shape, logic and transform primitives, but there are things that I find a PITA. One example is putting a chamfer or filet on an edge. Maybe there's a trick I don't know in OpenSCAD, but this is waaay easier in FreeCAD, IMO.
FreeCAD has a lot of different possible workflows, which is a double-edged sword (flexibility vs complexity). I've mainly used the Part workbench, but lately have started using the sketcher workbench (thanks in part, to your videos) and want to start using the drafting WB. The OpenSCAD plugin/workbench for FreeCad seems like it could be a really powerful bridge between the two programs but I don't know enough about the limitations. Have you explored it much?
Thanks for your videos, they're well done and informative!
richfiddler11 FIY, in the spreadsheet, you don't have to add an alias. You can just use the cell coordinates like C5
Can this be used to make a helix that works to cut threads in Part Workbench ?
Yes, you can cut threads in FreeCAD. There is a helix shape and you can subtractive sweep your cutting shape along the helix.
Can we get the SCAD file ?
What if I don’t know what I want to build, or another way to say this would be, I am very inventive and my mind could be on anything at any moment. And I only want to learn one or the other. Which should I pick... build a Tesla Valve in both, that could give me maybe a hint at what I should pick? So what if i want to design an engine or an electric motor...
Or something of a different category like a geodesic dome home with furniture and appliances etc... the dome “inside layout” would be to help me make a design and pick size of dome needed, not for printing... but still a practical application of use.
Niether FreeCAD or OpenSCAd are well suited for freeform design. You might want to use something else to do that.
hi @David Prock - did u find smth?
@@yash1152 what do you mean by. Did I find smth?
@@davidprock904 i meant some software/technique for accomplishing what u said above.
@@yash1152 not yet, I need it to work on Linux and windows cause once in a blue moon I switch
FreeCAD is full of bugs that make things break all the time. You work on a part and suddenly realize that a wall randomly disappeared. Openscad works just fine.
Yes, You are right. This is often reffered to as the Learning curve. You will get a lot of great results from OpenSCAD. At some point there are just some features that are simply not available in OpenSCAD. So you can also get a lot of great results from FreeCAD. My video was largely meant to introduce FreeCAD to OpenSCAD users as an option. Always use what you prefer. Don't listen to to rage-bait videos like mine. Also, keep in mind that FreeCAD is getting better everyday. Thanks for wathcing and commenting, good conversation helps everyone.
Agree... freecad is full of bugs... it should not be avaiable for download. I tried librecad for 2d drawings and all problems solved. Perfect for plasma cutting or laser. In freecad it was imposible to export a simple dxf file..
@@dimorphodon4607 hi, refer to Maker Tales video "freecad is fundamentally broken" watch?v=QSsVFu929jo
- he shared nice insights and one of FreeCAD dev commented to update on that too. Really helpful.
OpenSCAD will appeal to anyone who can program. It has been criticized as being math-intensive, but Geometry is math, right?
I just found your channel and I like your focus so far. I really appreciate the pace you are going at in the vids I have see. It's slow enough that I can generally follow but fast enough that I know I can come back and get a review that is not drawn out and overproduced. FWIW I am just getting started as a hobbyist maker I put together a DIY CNC mill yesterday and will be putting together a DIY 3D printer next week. I got my little mill to work by drawing something up in Inkscape and then used makercam.com to generate the G-Code and then grblControl to zero out the mill and send the G-Code. Quite exciting.
I've been playing with Fusion360 and Freecad and honestly I get the feeling that Fusion360 will not be good for hobbyists because there is just too many quirks and too much to remember. Freecad seems to be less complicated and something I could put down for a month or two and come back and remember how the hell to do an operation.
Anyway, your channel is great but I thought I'd give you that bit of background to suggest that new hobbyists like me are looking to mill and print objects and you might grow/expand your channel a bit by focusing a bit more getting CAM to work.
LOL I am looking forward to watching all of your past and future vids. :)
Create a video for Blender vs Onshape
Haroun Algahmi blender is not an cad but amazing video editor , 3d modeler and many more