There's a *THIRD* *METHOD* to create this case, which I think is easier (fewer steps) and doesn't require the 2nd body or boolean subtraction. If you imagine a case with an open backing surface, then it's simply a perimeter around the phone with a defined profile and thickness. Therefore I just created a profile of the case itself on the YZ plane where the origin point is imagined at the top and center of the phone, and the point where the back plane of the phone at that top/center location will contact the case. It's simply sort of a "backwards C" sketch that defines the height, shape, and thickness of the case, the internal radius the phone will lie against (in my case a tablet which had a mostly flat perimeter surface with mild chamfers) and then define the top edge with just enough overlap inwards to hold the device in place (about 2mm should hold the phone in well if printed in TPU). I used 3mm for the bottom edge to extend under the tablet towards the inside. One polyline sketch with some chamfers added that defines the profile of your case where the "inside" of the C shape matches the profile of your device. Now close that and draw a sketch on the XY plane that matches the size and shape of the back plane perimeter of the phone and the top and center again contacts the origin point. One symmetrical rounded rectangle as you sketched here sized to the perimeter of the back plane of the phone. It's critical that the origin point is defined correctly in both sketches. Now, all you do is an Additive Pipe, where the profile sketch gets extruded around the entire perimeter sketch. This just leaves creating a pad for the backing surface behind the phone (use the thickness you defined in the first profile sketch, maybe 2mm) where you might want to do some form of pattern to reduce weight or add a logo or initials cutout, and of course finally sketching out all the openings for buttons, power and speaker sound. Because your TPU may sag when printing across the case openings you of course can generate support, or in my case, I purposely drew narrow supports across those spaces and you can just snip them out afterwards, or I found that if you locate one about 2mm wide centered across each button (power, volume) you can simply snip it in the middle, leave it in place and it will create a raised surface that your finger easily finds for pressing any button. Also, there are many radius gauges you can find on places like Thingiverse and print so that you can hold them up against your phone or other object and quickly identify any radius in an object.
Interesting stuff. I watched your introduction vids a month or so back, and since then I have been practising by redoing a thing I designed on solidworks. Because Freecad does not have a midpoint constraint/relationship in sketch, I use a different method from you now, even tho I learned from you a month ago. Its not a case of a method being better I think, just what suits the user. I find CAD is similar to PLC programming. That is, if you are in a company doing this, you can usually tell who done the original work.
The are so many ways to build the same thing and as you say one person will favour one way over the other. I find It's handy knowing a number of ways as you end utilising that knowledge elsewhere. Mid point constraints I do miss. Opposite corners with symmetry normally do it for me. In newer version of freecad there is a concentric constraint coming but this is only for eclipse, arcs and circles. Glad your enjoying the videos.
If trying to learn FreeCAD, you might try the 3rd method I just commented with, creating an open back case profile directly in a Sketch on YZ plane, then a perimeter sketch on XY plane, and using Additive Pipe to make the case.
For those wishing to learn/use boolean cut, the need is to be working with 2 or more different bodies (see 8:55 for creation of second body). Boolean acts between bodies, not within a body. 1:47 explains the concept of the entire video which is creating 2 bodies, one to fit inside the other, then remove the inner shape, leaving a hollow shape. Boolean operation after proper size and alignment or deleting, resize/realign, and repeat boolean to get correct. The other key is using shape binder, which is done to utilize a shape of a body into another body. A very useful tool when boolean cut will be used in thin walled objects, assuring desired alignment.
Whilst a fairly straight forward Tut I realize the value of the Sub Obj Shape Binder in being able essentially to import from another Body. Could you just briefly revise the Difference between SubObjShape & Shape Binders? Again a good learning tool on your own is to play around with the various Attributes/ Parameters in the Panels to see what effect they have on the workflow. I redid the Tit using the Make Independent Copy Default option, It was basically the same workflow.
Can you explain why your with of 73mm was initially rejected, until you moved the width manually a bit closer to that value, please? I'm having to do this all the time, but as far as I can see, that constraint was valid to start with. Why couldn't the solver work it out ?
FreeCAD was calling his attention that constraint index 21(rectangle height) couldn't be maintained unless the radius of the rectangle corners are constrained before he set the width otherwise the endpoints adjacent of two arcs would overlap eachother (and the rectangle wouldn't exist anymore). So, it's a good measure to set the radius before height/length/width dimensions.
Do you have any videos showing how to build objects without attaching sketches to faces? I have spent a lot of time building objects and later needing to tweak them to the final product only to run into issues when I try and modify them and the issue seems to be caused by attaching to faces.
Try creating Datum Planes to attach the sketches to that are initially created where the surface was, but if that changes, you can move the Datum Plane as needed in X,Y or Z...
@@brianmi40 I tried this and it didn't work. I tried to resize and it broke. I tried to preemptively move the Datum and it didn't move the sketch. I tried to move the datum and then the sketch and it still didn't move. Not sure what I am doing wrong but using datums resulted in the same thing as just attaching to faces.
Binder offset very useful tool. Thanks
Thank You !
You're welcome!
WOW! excellent video. Thanks. 😊
Would love to see a small shed built with dimensional lumber.
I took some photos of a beach hut on stils that I am aiming to do with the arch workbench. I must find those photos.
There's a *THIRD* *METHOD* to create this case, which I think is easier (fewer steps) and doesn't require the 2nd body or boolean subtraction.
If you imagine a case with an open backing surface, then it's simply a perimeter around the phone with a defined profile and thickness.
Therefore I just created a profile of the case itself on the YZ plane where the origin point is imagined at the top and center of the phone, and the point where the back plane of the phone at that top/center location will contact the case. It's simply sort of a "backwards C" sketch that defines the height, shape, and thickness of the case, the internal radius the phone will lie against (in my case a tablet which had a mostly flat perimeter surface with mild chamfers) and then define the top edge with just enough overlap inwards to hold the device in place (about 2mm should hold the phone in well if printed in TPU). I used 3mm for the bottom edge to extend under the tablet towards the inside. One polyline sketch with some chamfers added that defines the profile of your case where the "inside" of the C shape matches the profile of your device.
Now close that and draw a sketch on the XY plane that matches the size and shape of the back plane perimeter of the phone and the top and center again contacts the origin point. One symmetrical rounded rectangle as you sketched here sized to the perimeter of the back plane of the phone. It's critical that the origin point is defined correctly in both sketches.
Now, all you do is an Additive Pipe, where the profile sketch gets extruded around the entire perimeter sketch.
This just leaves creating a pad for the backing surface behind the phone (use the thickness you defined in the first profile sketch, maybe 2mm) where you might want to do some form of pattern to reduce weight or add a logo or initials cutout, and of course finally sketching out all the openings for buttons, power and speaker sound.
Because your TPU may sag when printing across the case openings you of course can generate support, or in my case, I purposely drew narrow supports across those spaces and you can just snip them out afterwards, or I found that if you locate one about 2mm wide centered across each button (power, volume) you can simply snip it in the middle, leave it in place and it will create a raised surface that your finger easily finds for pressing any button.
Also, there are many radius gauges you can find on places like Thingiverse and print so that you can hold them up against your phone or other object and quickly identify any radius in an object.
Interesting stuff. I watched your introduction vids a month or so back, and since then I have been practising by redoing a thing I designed on solidworks. Because Freecad does not have a midpoint constraint/relationship in sketch, I use a different method from you now, even tho I learned from you a month ago. Its not a case of a method being better I think, just what suits the user. I find CAD is similar to PLC programming. That is, if you are in a company doing this, you can usually tell who done the original work.
The are so many ways to build the same thing and as you say one person will favour one way over the other. I find It's handy knowing a number of ways as you end utilising that knowledge elsewhere. Mid point constraints I do miss. Opposite corners with symmetry normally do it for me. In newer version of freecad there is a concentric constraint coming but this is only for eclipse, arcs and circles. Glad your enjoying the videos.
Well done. Thanks!
Thank you
I think I like this WF better only because it seems like a shorter WF. Thanks for sharing D
B…
Learn a lot. Thank you 🙂
Glad to hear 😎
Showing these two approaches on adjacent videos highlights the similarities and differences.
I'm very tempted to do more like this is people find them useful.
If trying to learn FreeCAD, you might try the 3rd method I just commented with, creating an open back case profile directly in a Sketch on YZ plane, then a perimeter sketch on XY plane, and using Additive Pipe to make the case.
For those wishing to learn/use boolean cut, the need is to be working with 2 or more different bodies (see 8:55 for creation of second body). Boolean acts between bodies, not within a body. 1:47 explains the concept of the entire video which is creating 2 bodies, one to fit inside the other, then remove the inner shape, leaving a hollow shape. Boolean operation after proper size and alignment or deleting, resize/realign, and repeat boolean to get correct. The other key is using shape binder, which is done to utilize a shape of a body into another body. A very useful tool when boolean cut will be used in thin walled objects, assuring desired alignment.
would these concepts work on a scanned 3d model with complex shapes, like a mirrorless camera grip for instance?
With this I can try and make a case for my calculator
Hi darren, have you ever interfaced freecad and frame3dd for structural analysis? Thanks
Sorry for the late reply, I have never head of frame3d until now, sorry. Wonder if it's worth posting this on the freeCAD forum for help.
@@MangoJellySolutions thanks
hello, i keep gettting these invaild index even though i copy your moves and settings
please help
Whilst a fairly straight forward Tut I realize the value of the Sub Obj Shape Binder in being able essentially to import from another Body. Could you just briefly revise the Difference between SubObjShape & Shape Binders? Again a good learning tool on your own is to play around with the various Attributes/ Parameters in the Panels to see what effect they have on the workflow. I redid the Tit using the Make Independent Copy Default option, It was basically the same workflow.
Can you explain why your with of 73mm was initially rejected, until you moved the width manually a bit closer to that value, please?
I'm having to do this all the time, but as far as I can see, that constraint was valid to start with. Why couldn't the solver work it out ?
FreeCAD was calling his attention that constraint index 21(rectangle height) couldn't be maintained unless the radius of the rectangle corners are constrained before he set the width otherwise the endpoints adjacent of two arcs would overlap eachother (and the rectangle wouldn't exist anymore). So, it's a good measure to set the radius before height/length/width dimensions.
Do you have any videos showing how to build objects without attaching sketches to faces? I have spent a lot of time building objects and later needing to tweak them to the final product only to run into issues when I try and modify them and the issue seems to be caused by attaching to faces.
Try creating Datum Planes to attach the sketches to that are initially created where the surface was, but if that changes, you can move the Datum Plane as needed in X,Y or Z...
@@brianmi40 I tried this and it didn't work. I tried to resize and it broke. I tried to preemptively move the Datum and it didn't move the sketch. I tried to move the datum and then the sketch and it still didn't move. Not sure what I am doing wrong but using datums resulted in the same thing as just attaching to faces.