FreeCad: 3d model with Part Design

[last updated: 2020-05-09]
go to: FreeCAD
go to: FreeCAD: Command & Operation Notes
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• Open FreeCAD
• These instructions are for creating a new document/drawing. If instead you want to edit/modify an already existing document, go here:
• click “create a new empty document” (top left icon with "+" sign)
  or: File > New
  or: Create New document on Start page
• select your “workbench”:
  click dropdown in top menu bar labeled “start”
  select Part Design
• click "Create body" (left side-bar, under Tasks)
• click “Create Sketch” (left side-bar, under Tasks-Start Body, red circle & square icon)
  Notice this also changes you to the Sketcher workbench (except it didn't this time in v0.18)
• In Select feature box, select XY plane, then OK
Tutorials said to use XZ plane, but since it's not possible as far as I can tell to rotate a part created with Part Design out of the plane in which it was created, and since the Prusa expects a part in the XY plane, so even though PrusaSlicer can easily rotate a part, regardless I'll start out with FC in the XY plane.
• Here it is helpful to set some parameters:
  in left side-bar (Combo view), Tasks - Edit controls:
  check all the boxes (show grid, grid snap, auto constraints, and avoid redundancies)
  set grid size to 10mm (or whatever desired)
• Now start drawing the sketch, using the drawing tools in the menu bar:
  Click the line tool (dumbell with red ends)
  click wherever in your sketch that you want the line to start
  drag cursor and click where line ends
• If you want to draw a closed part (of course you do)
  with line segments connected end-to-end (coincident),
  there are (at least) 3 ways to do that:
  • Using the line tool, when you start a second line that you want to connect to a previous line, position the cursor over the endpoint of the first line until the endpoint changes from red to yellow, then click to start your second line
  • Use the polygon or rectangle or other tools that are inherently closed
  • Draw your lines randomly and later position them exactly by setting Constraints.
• When you're done, and all lines are green indicating they're "fully constrained" with "0 degrees of freedom", and your part is 'closed', click "Close" to leave your Sketcher edit session.
  You will go back to 'Part Design' workbench.
• Clicking Axonometric icon will show your part.
• With sketch highlighted, under Tasks - Sketch Tools, click Pad
  default thickness will be 10mm
  select 'reversed' (this is recommended in tutorials, but no clue why it's helpful/better)
• If you haven't already, here's a good time to save your model.
• Now if you want to add another feature or element to your model, you must create a new sketch:
• So for example to create a hole through your part: ...
• since you want your hole to start on some face of your part, first click that face
  its name will highlight in Model pane
  then click Tasks > create sketch
• click the 'create a circle' icon, position your cursor on your part approx where you want the center to be, then click to locate it, then drag and click to set the radius
• constrain the radius: ...
  constrain the center: ...
  click Close
  notice a new sketch shows up in Model tree. rename it if desired.
• with new sketch highlighted in model tree, click the 'create a pocket' icon
  select type= through all, click OK
  notice a new entity "pocket" shows up in model tree
• It's helpful here to set your part to transparent:
  in model tab, under body/part, click view tab at bottom. Scroll down in property/value table to find transparency. select 50, press enter
• When you're done adding features, proceed to export stl in preparation for printing.

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