Software FREECAD software for CAD 3D modeling

[Oskar-svr]

Hello friends, greetings to everyone, in case anyone is interested, there is now a new version of the FREECAD software, it is a program for  CAD 3D modeling, and it is free, I hope it is useful to someone.
Here is the download link for the software

https://www.freecad.org/downloads.php?lang=es_ES

[Fanie]

Thank you Oskar !

I use Solid Edge 18 with a dongle.  Previous dongle went faulty and I was very very very lucky to find another dongle for it.

For that reason I have actually just yesterday considered what else to look at should I ran into another misfortune of losing the dongle again, and I saw FreeCad as an option.

Perhaps you can in less than three words explain how well it works, and what conveniences it has.

Even if I will not use it, someone else may well benefit.

Printed parts have become an integrated part of electronics, and is a huge step up from trying to modify ie enclosures off-the-shelf to suit a need.  It just places anything you make in another class.
You still have to draw your ideas before it can take shape though.

Printers are also evolving like other technical things.  I had to have a sample enclosure made and a friend printed the original enclosure for me on his fast high-end Bambu Lab P1s 3d Printer.
I was very impressed with the finish, it doesn't look like a 3D printed part.

When I looked around what else there is available off late, I also found the Creality K2 Plus 3D Printer
Awesome printer, especially that these printers have colour swap options - which means your enclosure's faceplate with text, logo's etc can be printed. The Creality K2 Plus 3D Printer's bed space is also awesome at 350 x 350mm !

Pruca and Orca slicers now also provide for printing the parts one by one instead of the whole lot at once, you just have to space parts so the print head does not collide with a printed part.

Still, in the end, whatever you want to create, has to be cad-ed first.

[flosigud]

Design Sparc Mechanical is offered by RS Components and is free to use. I found that to be easier than Free Cad, but as that was few years ago that may have changed.

[JohnB]

@Fanie
How does your Dongle version of Solid Edge compare with the Community Version?  (I have Solid Edge 2024 Community Edition)

[Dompie]

I use OnShape, a free, web browser oriented package with a lot of possibilities. A lot of online tutorials and a very large user base and also a large development community.

Johan

[Fanie]

John, the two is different.  I think the community version is more like the Fusion spyware.
The version 18 I use is more specific feature concentrated.  You draw a block to create a solid, I do so by drawing a side first.  Prof Rudy uses both... he says they do the same.
Sorry I want to add
I did one drawing with the community version but since I don't know it, it took too long and I redid it in version 18.  The community version is on the wife's PC, maybe that is the problem
I dislike the online software's where everyone else can see and monitor what you do.
My one friend also mentioned this to me also a while back.  When you use a certain word in say Whatsapp, the next moment you get bombarded on youtube with topics and adverts and even spam mail on the same.  These archons (David Icke) have no creativity, so they parasite off you.