[mft_]

(I’ve posted this before on HN but it’s worth repeating)

I’m an CAD hobbyist, and I’ve tried to work with FreeCAD multiple times over past years, always failing….

…until I saw this video and learned about version 1.1:

https://youtu.be/VEfNRST_3x8

FreeCAD is now in the same ballpark of capability and usability as Solidworks. It can still be a bit clunky and frustrating sometimes, but then so can most CAD programs, in their own ways.

Side note: the creator of the video above also has a video on optimising the FreeCAD interface. (There are some frustrations related to the interface generally, and this would seem to be a low hanging fruit for the FreeCAD team to address.)

[mijoharas]

In terms of ux as a beginner what made me able to learn effectively was a command palette add-on (outlined here)[0].

It really sped up learning for me. (because I'd know what the thing I wanted was called, but couldn't find them, and having to google and search before every click is... not fun)

[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47088675

[randusername]

Awesome, thanks for repeating.

I have, like, an old married couple relationship with SolidWorks. Stockholm syndrome may be more accurate. It shaped how I think, it aggravates me as only a long-time companion could, but overall I'm fond of it.

It gives me hope that others have made the switch. I've wanted to love FreeCAD for a long time, too.

[mft_]

I think we’re in a similar place. I invested enough time over several years to understand the quirks and avoid the frustrations of a certain CAD package (allegedly, possibly Solidworks).

And it’s now helpful to remind myself, each time I find FreeCAD difficult or clunky, of all of those times that Solidworks was also, just in different ways. Or the time that Fusion lost a whole part of a model. Or the lack of a parametric history in lots of other competitors. Or the awfulness of trying to refer to specific parts of a model in progress of OpenSCAD. And so on…