[Fab] FreeCAD: Open Source Parametric CAD Modeler. A forum to discuss, discover, and design its potential.

[Hao]

Hey Corey, I have been tracking FreeCad for a while, since it's the closest
thing we have to a good opensource alternative of solidworks. However as of
last year its Linux version is still unusable, crashes a lot.
I have been thinking about helping out the software design, but really
don't have time to do that after trying to survive as a maker. However,
Corey, I definitely support any exploration towards that. I'm not in SF so
can't joining in person, but I'll try to use freecad in my work again and
report bugs I encountered.
Thanks for bringing this up! It's really nice to see somebody else wants an
open source CAD tool as much as I do.
On Apr 12, 2013 4:39 AM, "Corey McGuire" <coreyfro at coreyfro.com> wrote:

> Hello illustrious hackers, geeks, artists, engineers, and otherwise
> "parametric modeler, inclined",
>
> This is an invitation to join me for an informal discussion and
> exploration of the state of "FreeCAD", a parametric modeler in the style of
> Solidworks and Inventor.
>
> Techshop, Wednesday, April 17th, 8:00PM.  Entry is free.
>
> There is a new tool in town.  A free tool, an opesource tool, a powerful
> tool, a tool that is designed to compliment and facilitate the creation and
> fabrication of things.  This tool is FreeCAD, and it is a project (as
> opposed to product) that is showing massive potential to break us free of
> expensive, closed, cumbersome, tools that don't play nice with the rest of
> the industry.
>
> What this tool promises is an end...to the seemingly endless...battle with
> software for designing and building our world.
>
> The nuts and bolts of this tool are in place.  It's like a BMW, in all
> its precision .. just without the sporty interior, the fenders, the
> windows.  We can expect it to do what we need it to do, but the interface,
> which is very intuative, is also not complete.
>
> Which is where we come in.  Not to design the interface, but to explore
> the interface and view the interface with the eyes of a new user.
>
> We will find the interface very familiar because it borrows from the
> solidworks/inventor paradigm.  But neither of these tools are terribly
> intuitive to a new user.
>
> This software is designed to be as powerful as the tools we are used to,
> but to be more approachable.
>
> My goal, our goal, it to see if it is.  Our goal is to try a couple "hello
> world" parts of our choosing and find out where we get snagged along the
> way, and report this back to the developers.
>
> The ultimate goal being, guide this tool to becoming the open access to
> industrial design and engineering software package the DIY community
> deserves, and to build a common language for people to use to share design
> intent so that the domain of design is not encumbered by cost.
>
> Following this meeting, I hope to design hardware and platform agnostic
> curriculum to get the DIY community up to speed with CAD!
>
> So, who would like to join me?
>
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