Concepts for the Ulitimate Frame workbench

[Creymore]

I really like the Frame workbench workflow.
I searched for ideas that improve the workflow.
https://www.reddit.com/r/FreeCAD/comments/1jw8ii7/concept_for_the_ultimate_framing_tool/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

[SergioP1975]

Well... I´m just tring to install it but installing from the addon manager on Windows and with the last FreeCAD 1.1 developer (from yesterday, 41214) doesn´t work, will try again later in my home computer. Will look for a way to install manually.

[SergioP1975]

I was able to install manually, and feels a lot better than other frame builders! The BOM is very nice, having the profiles rendered in real time is also very usefull. I found some issues:

1. Would be great to have the buttons to create a sketch/draft lines at the begining of the toolbar of the wb

2. IMHO sketch lines are easier to maintain, dimension and restrain than draft one, in the task panel you recomend dratf lines... can I ask why?

3. I did an sketch and a new set of profiles, when I change the dimensions the model (mittering) broke. The same for lines made by draft lines

4. Looks like the default profile template (AluminumProfiles) is too heavy and make the initial load/creation of the frame too slow because of too many radius/surfaces. I have deleted the original and created a simpler one with few IPN without radius and improve a lot. Will try later with real IPN/UPN profil shapes to see if is the same

5. For some reason with the default profile the default miter option works ok, but now with my IPNs half are mitered and half not :-)

6. Can you add some options to select the insertion point in the sketch profiles?

7. Some new tools to cut/extend profiles up to selected profiles?

8. When we work with tubes/pipes, a usefull option is to define the bending radius, so the sketch can have stright lines that are rounded automaticly by the tool... can be this added?

[SergioP1975]

I have tested with a draft rectangle and mitering works ok, not with a sketched rectangle :-(

[ovo-Tim]

Thanks for liking my project and your advice. 🤗

1. It shouldn't be a hard thing, however since there are too many tools to create draft, it might make the toolbar a bit cluttered.
2. Sure. The WB is aiming to create 3D profile conveniently, so the reason I recommended Draft WB instead of sketcher is that Draft WB is able to create 3D lines(however it's not really easy to use, see here)
3. I've recured this issue and I will fix it when I get free.
4. Welcome to contribute to our library.
5. Is this the same issue you mentioned below? Can you provide the FCStd file for recurrence?
6. Not quite understand, what does "insertion point" mean?
7. You can achive this by modify its property.
8. I don't have any experience working with pipes, however this sounds not very hard, maybe I can do some research when I become free.

And for the last issue, everything seems to work fine with rectangles, but I did find the mitering didn't work with triangle.

[SergioP1975]

About the insertion point, is which part of the profile it takes to attach to the line/wire path, this are some pictures of Solidedge showing the insertion point, by default is the center point, but you can select any of them

This is the reference section, looks like it compute the insertion points to the middle of the section

[SergioP1975]

I´m doing some test at my own PC, here the wb was installed from the addon manager without problems. I did a new file with real IPN profiles and put in the same folder as the default one, and start to play.

Take a look at this wrong cut in the ends, could it be due to the initial position of the profiles?

And a new issue:

9. A way to define a path to an specific folder with the profile templates

[SergioP1975]

DIN PROFILES.zip

I have finished the IPN/UPN profiles accordign to European standards, maybe you could try it.

[SergioP1975]

Another point/issue that you must think, is that very often the profiles are modified by operations in Part Desing (cuts, holes), but what would happen if the user change the profile section/dimention? Will the operation still work?

In comercial CADs, while the profil not change (but change the dimention of the base sketch), the operation is updated automaticly, and if you change the profile then sometimes you must reconnect the operation to the new solids.