[Fab] FreeCAD : Thursday, 4/25, 8PM, at Noisebridge : Open Source Parametric CAD Modeler. A forum to discuss, discover, and design its potential.

[Corey McGuire]

Hello all!

Update on Tonight's meeting!

The good folks at Type-A Machines are going to be designing a part IN FRONT
OF YOUR EYES! That's right, we're going to demonstrate the FreeCAD design
process for your viewing pleasure!  It's a simple, derivative part that we
are borrowing from the opensource world, so why not, a'la open source, fork
it, or reverse engineer it for all to see?

This will be our demonstration for the uninitiated, then we'll get started
with YOUR pieces, on your systems!

Hopefully, that sweetens the deal!  Some come down, bring beer, lets make
some shit!

Details below for the newly invited.

On Sat, Apr 20, 2013 at 1:40 PM, Corey McGuire <coreyfro at coreyfro.com>wrote:

> Hello illustrious hackers, geeks, artists, engineers, architects, 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.  We'll be meeting for 3D Printing Thursday at
> Noisebridge, a weekly event that we avoided last week because of
> Noisebridge's monthly "Five Minutes of Fame".
>
>
> Last Wednesday, the 17th, was spent getting people familiar with the
> capabilities of FreeCAD (and some of the in-capabilities ;-) and sending
> them off with a feel of how to get investigating.  This week, I'm hoping to
> get people working in tandem to experiment with the usability of the tool;
> Hacking away and making simple parts.  I'll pair up people who made it last
> session with people who weren't there.  I want people to focus on the way
> they use parametric tools because each of you are unique snow flakes, and
> we want all of your input.
>
>
> SAN FRANCISCO, Noisebridge (2169 Mission), Thursday, April 25th, 8:00PM.
>  Entry is free, you DO NOT need to be a member.  Noisebridge is free to all!
>
> This discussion is open to all but I highly recommend that people have
> considerable experience with parametric modelers.  What we will be
> discussing is:
> :-) Hey! Look! A free parametric modeler!
> :-) How is it like or unlike Solidworks and Inventor?
> :-) What are the unique nuances/vocabulary differences between this and
> other programs?
> :-) Can we complete a series of simple models using basic features, and if
> not, where does the overall picture fall apart?
> :-) Can we begin describing in tutorial form the basics of part
> development?
>
> And the ultimate question!
>
> :-D Can we make something?!?!?!?!!!!!
>
> I am excited by this tool.  This opens up CAD to anyone with a computer.
>  We may be months away from the first tool that can bring this
> functionality to new users for FREE!
>
> I'm already doing research to this end with the tool so I can lead the
> discussion, but instead of being a simple, by the books instructional
> process.  We will have experienced engineers, architects, hackers, and
> artists.  I want to execute from your skill sets.
>
> I look forward to seeing you!
>
> Join us!
>
>
>
> Further event description:
>
>
> 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?
>
>
>


-- 
Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler - Albert
Einstein <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein>
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo Da
Vinci<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_Da_Vinci>
Perfection is reached not when there is nothing left to add, but when there
is nothing left to take away - Antoine de Saint
Exupéry<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoine_de_Saint_Exup%C3%A9ry>
Keep It Simple Stupid - Kelly
Johnson<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarence_Johnson>
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