VandalFan77

We operated with just a network share before PDM. It made remote work almost impossible because of how long it took to load and save files to the server. Every time. PDM having a locally cached copy requires so much less network traffic. The only network traffic happening when you check new versions in, instead of as you save all day while working.

Also, the ability to search file properties has made finding existing parts and avoidance of duplicate parts so much easier. With just a network share, the only way to find things was a visual search. Our filenames are part numbers and if you didn’t know where to look, finding parts took forever. Also, nobody has to maintain a spreadsheet cross referencing part numbers to descriptions. Just a recipe for errors to have data in two separate places that aren’t linked.

Just because a file is checked out by another user doesn’t mean you can’t open it for things like insertion into assemblies or to do a SaveAs if you want to explore design changes without affecting the original. The only reason you should be checking out a file is because you intend to change it. Otherwise, it’s read-only to prevent accidental modification. If you need to modify something that someone may have accidentally checked out, just communicate with them and have them check it back in.

You don’t even have to touch any “advanced” modeling features for FreeCAD to be useful. I primarily use extrudes and revolves of sketches in the Part Design workbench. The workflow is exactly the same as what I do at work every day in SolidWorks.

FreeCAD doesn’t let you be as loosey-goosey with geometry as some commercial software. That’s because they don’t have an army of developers paid to work on “nicety” features like that.

I can break SolidWorks models the same way that I can break FreeCAD models. No CAD software is immune to this. Some fail more gracefully than others. It doesn’t mean it’s unusable. You should have seen the repairs I had to make to a SolidWorks model today because I needed to convert a generic extruded feature into a sheetmetal feature…. It took a few minutes, but it’s no different than fixing things in FreeCAD because you changed the design.

I just hope none of the injuries are serious.

It was a massively frustrating match. I completely agree that the officiating of this match was pathetic. I can’t blame the guys for feeling like they were playing against an extra man. The ref and VAR unnecessarily inserted themselves into the game and just flipped it on its head. So disappointing.

I think I heard that the ref has been in the league for 13 years. I’m not sure how given how awful he was.

Reminds of this classic clip of Jerry Glanville letting a NFL ref know how he feels 😂

https://youtu.be/vxGEOEOylNA?si=7byN1YtOMDuQCN0T

It was a ton of fun to watch! I’m so glad Morris got that goal. He deserves to score for how often he makes plays happen for others. Yeboah’s pass for Cucho was a thing of beauty.

Doesn’t anyone know why Matan wasn’t in the lineup?

I like how we never stop attacking and hustle. That’s the thing that impresses me most about this team: hustle.

You can also see in other teams that they rely on one player to carry them. With this Crew squad, everyone is dangerous and gives it their all.

Great win for the good guys today. Hope Farsi’s injury isn’t bad. Glad to see Schulte get a clean sheet to start the season and Cucho already with his first goal. Too bad it wasn’t two with the penalty.

When I want to extrude text in FreeCAD, I will create it as a SVG in Inkscape and import the SVG. I then make Shape binders of the SVG bodies and extrude them.

I’ve used Shapestrings for text, but it’s no fun. I find it easier to make in Inkscape.

Every CAD program has buttons for functions you may never use for the types of objects you design. A lot of commercial CAD has taken the approach of defaulting to a basic limited set of buttons that most people use. You can usually customize the interface to add any extra functionality you need. FreeCAD puts everything out there by default and you also have the option to customize to your needs. How can they possibly know what you need? As soon as they leave something out, they’ll be crucified for it. Damned if they do, damned if they don’t.

With respect to tutorials “droning on about useless shit”, I’ll bet there are a lot of fundamentals being explained that are critical to understanding typical CAD workflows. It’s not just FreeCAD. These same fundamentals apply to SolidWorks, Creo, Onshape, F360, etc… It’s all generally the same.

The people that I see complain about FreeCAD often say they have no experience and that it’s because FreeCAD is somehow bad. I use SolidWorks every day at work and I use FreeCAD at home. I had no trouble learning FreeCAD because the modeling methods are the same. All CAD shares some common problems that you learn to avoid by experience. However, you need to learn the basics and make some mistakes to get good at it.

Many people start with intensely complex parts and get upset when they can’t make what they want. Practice with easy parts and experiment with different methods. Often, there is more than one way to make something in CAD. Some might be better than others, but it’s situationally dependent.

Learn the basics, practice, and keep learning and you’ll be fine regardless of what CAD you use.

If the filament comes in a resealable bag, I simply store the spool in there with some desiccant. For everything else, I use resealable 2-gallon bags with desiccant. My basement humidity is very stable around 30%, and I don’t really have issues. I’ve never dried filament before printing. That’s going on 6 years.