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

Corey McGuire coreyfro at coreyfro.com
Fri Apr 26 03:13:50 UTC 2013


We're in church!


On Thu, Apr 25, 2013 at 10:45 AM, Corey McGuire <coreyfro at coreyfro.com>wrote:

> 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>




-- 
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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