APPLICATION EXPLORE: FreeCAD

What is FreeCAD? Wikipedia describes FreeCAD as "a general-purpose parametric 3D computer-aided design (CAD) modeler and a building information modeling (BIM) software application with finite element method (FEM) support.[4] It is intended for mechanical engineering product design but also expands to a wider range of uses around engineering, such as architecture or electrical engineering. FreeCAD is free and open-source, under the LGPL-2.0-or-later license, and available for Linux, macOS, and Windows operating systems. Users can extend the functionality of the software using the Python programming language."¹

Regardless if you have other CAD software, this free and open-source tool is a great addition to have and a great way to learn how to use CAD software. FreeCAD is simple to learn and use for personal or professional purposes. It also comes with an assortment of features that include but are not limited to drawings, assembly, fluid dynamics, and more.

As someone who had no prior experience with drawing in CAD, I was able to learn the fundamentals over one Saturday. This was during the early release on version 0.26.0 that was already quite stable. The current version is 1.1.1 as of this writing.

Image from FreeCAD's official website².

DISCLAIMER

This blog post is NOT SPONSORED. All thoughts are my own. I am proud donor to the project.

BACKGROUND

The original developers of the project include, Jurgen Riegel, Werner Mayer, and Yorik Van Havre³, an architect. "FreeCAD originated from the vision of creating a comprehensive, open-source, and community-driven CAD tool. The conceptualization began in the early 2000s when the need for a free, versatile, and extensible CAD software became apparent. The goal was to provide an alternative to costly proprietary CAD software, enabling users to design and engineer in a collaborative and open environment."⁴

Over the course of the years since the initial release in 2002¹, FreeCAD underwent gradual but dramatic updates. One of the most noticeable updates during the official stable release of 1.0.0, included BIM instead of having it as a plugin. While it does support a plethora of different file formats, it should be noted that proprietary formats like DWG can sometimes be a little troublesome. Despite having issues with proprietary formats, FreeCAD also supports the free and open source versions as well such as OpenDWG¹.

FreeCAD is a thriving community driven project with contributions that range from people creating tutorials to the development of the software. Here are some of the notable featuresi⁴:

• parametric modeling
• python scripting
• modularity
• compatibility (Blender, Web, and Proprietary)
• physics simulation
• and more...

EXPERIENCE

How I learned to use FreeCAD.

Back in 2021, as part of a way to familiarize myself with using FreeCAD, one of the exercises I assigned myself included gathering dimensions of an actual house in Ecuador and converting those dimensions into an interactive 3D model. Considering that most houses in Ecuador are made from cement, gathering dimensions, using only a measuring tape, pencil, and paper was relatively easy. The only real minor issues that arose came from encountering the differences in dimensions from the accuracy of the drawing to the real world counterparts. CAD drawings are created in a controlled simulated environment contrary to real world conditions where many variables, too many to list, can alter the final result (For example, cross beams for the roof uses guayacan wood⁵ that significantly warps over time). Here is a non-exhaustive list of what I used in FreeCAD to complete a CAD drawing in just a few of hours as a noob.

To create a part, you switch between different Workbenches. Once completing the desired result at that Workbench, that process can then be staged for the next Workbench. Each step is a child process of the previous step.

This is the general workflow I followed:

• PartDesign: This is the starting orientation of where the drawing will start using the XYZ coordinates that can often be referred to as the global transform.
• Sketch: Once the orientation is decided on, the base drawing can be created. There are a bunch of primitive shapes, such as rectangles and circles, curves, etc. It should be noted that in order to make a drawing 3D, it must be a closed geometry! For example when creating a box from a square drawing, the lines and vectors need to be connected before getting to the next step... Creating 3D requires adding or subtracting volume to the drawn shape using either the extrude or pocket tool.
• To further modify the 3D shape, a datum plane is used to determine the starting reference point for the next Sketch to either extrude or remove volume from that shape. Essentially, the process repeats, where a single part can have many drawings.
• Making the corrugated cement roof uses the same process with the Sketch Workbench only that a built in sine wave algorithm is used with a spline (a drawn path) via a sweep, instead of using extrude but the principle is the same. After drawing the template of the profile to extrude from, the sweep follows the path of the spline. A good example of this is I-Beam⁶.
• Export as a mesh (3d model) or a technical drawing (I went with A4.): Multiple options are available in regards to how the 3D model is converted into a mesh where the vectors, lines, and faces are arranged differently.

The House in Ecuador⁷ video.

Where else have I used FreeCAD?

• Using existing drawings, in order to determine the feasiblity of putting ramps inside a building to better understand some of the space constraints and availability⁸ based on state requirements.
• Facility design.
• Learning about structural and air flow physics.

If you want to learn more about FreeCAD, contact me at pransbottom@avrstory.net and checkout FreeCAD's² official website to download.

VERSIONS

2026v.0.1.3: Include 1st picture (positioning), YouTube video, grammar corrections. (17Jul26)

2026v.0.1.0: init

REFERENCES

1. Wikipedia FreeCAD ↩ ↩² ↩³

2. FreeCAD website ↩ ↩²

3. Yorik Van Havre official website and YouTube. ↩

4. NovEdge "Design Software History: The Evolution and Impact of FreeCAD in Open Source CAD" ↩ ↩²

5. Guayacan is a native species of wood used for structures and aesthetics. Guayacan is a dense, heavy, termite resistant wood. Besides use as crossbeam for a roof, guayacan is commonly used for all types of furniture. ↩

6. Download the I-Beam model. ↩

7. Web VR Demo Running on iPhone 6s: In many ways, this exercise helped me better understand some of the design philosophy and building principles for Ecuador, especially since, the country experiences frequent enough earthquakes. As of 9 Jul 26, on the coast, Ecuador experienced a short ~6 earthquake. Also, the 3D model is temporarily archived because the service that hosted the example has been sunset. Once I decide on a provider, it will be available once again :). ↩

8. 3D WebApp on-premise indoor ramp concept using CAD and Google Workspaces!. ↩