FreeCAD Documentation¶

Welcome to the community-maintained FreeCAD reference documentation. This site covers FreeCAD's workbenches in depth — written for clarity and structured from beginner concepts through to advanced techniques and Python scripting.

FreeCAD version

This documentation targets FreeCAD 1.1 (specifically release 1.1.1).

Getting started¶

FreeCAD is organised around workbenches — collections of tools for a specific type of task. You switch between workbenches using the workbench selector in the toolbar. Most workflows involve at least two or three workbenches working together.

Common workflow paths¶

Goal	Workbenches to use
Design a machined or 3-D printed part	Sketcher → Part Design → TechDraw
Boolean solid modelling (without a Body)	Sketcher → Part
Assemble multiple parts	Sketcher → Part Design → Assembly
Generate CNC toolpaths	Part Design or Part → CAM
Finite element analysis	Part Design → FEM
Architectural / BIM model	BIM
Free-form NURBS surfaces	Sketcher → Surface + Curves Workbench
Process a 3-D scan	Points → Reverse Engineering → Mesh
2-D technical drawing	TechDraw → Spreadsheet
Parametric models driven by a spreadsheet	Spreadsheet + any modelling workbench

Documented workbenches¶

Core modelling¶

Sketcher

Constraint-based 2-D sketch editor. Draw geometry, apply geometric and dimensional constraints, and drive parametric features. Used as input by Part Design, Part, and many other workbenches.

Sketcher
Part Design

Feature-based parametric solid modelling inside a Body. Pad, Pocket, Revolution, Loft, Pipe, pattern and dress-up features build fully parametric parts step by step.

Part Design
Part

Direct solid and surface modelling with Boolean operations, primitives, extrude, revolve, sweep, loft, and surface tools. Works on bare shapes without a Body container.

Part

Engineering and simulation¶

Assembly

Constrain multiple parts into an assembly with kinematic joints (fixed, revolute, slider, ball, gear, belt…), solve positions, create exploded views, and run motion simulations.

Assembly
FEM

Finite element analysis for mechanical, thermal, and electromagnetic problems. Mesh a solid, apply loads and constraints, run a solver (CalculiX, Elmer, Z88, OpenFOAM), and post-process results.

FEM
CAM

Computer-aided manufacturing and G-code generation. Define a Job with stock and tool controllers, add 2-D, 3-D, drilling, and engraving operations, apply dress-ups, and post-process to machine-specific G-code.

CAM
Robot

Industrial robot simulation. Model a 6-axis robot arm, define waypoints and trajectories (LIN/PTP), simulate motion, and export Kuka KRL programs.

Robot

Documentation and drawing¶

TechDraw

2-D technical drawing generation. Project 3-D models to orthographic, isometric, or section views, add dimensions and annotations, and produce print-ready drawing sheets.

TechDraw
Spreadsheet

Embedded spreadsheet with expression engine. Drive model dimensions from cells, use aliases as named parameters, and generate BOMs or part lists.

Spreadsheet
Draft

2-D and 3-D drafting, annotation, and construction geometry. Lines, arcs, B-splines, text, dimensions, arrays, and snapping tools — useful as input geometry for other workbenches.

Draft
BIM

Building information modelling and IFC authoring. Create buildings, levels, walls, floors, beams, pipes, and produce IFC exports with full property sets and classification.

BIM

Surface and free-form modelling¶

Surface

Built-in NURBS surface tools. Fill a boundary of edges, extend a surface, create a surface from sections, or blend between edges — integrated with the Part kernel.

Surface
:material-spline: Curves Workbench (addon)

Advanced NURBS curve and surface operations. Blend curves, Gordon surfaces, Pipeshell sweeps, curvature combs, zebra stripe analysis, draft angle analysis, and more. Install via the Addon Manager.

Curves Workbench

Mesh and point cloud¶

Mesh

Polygon mesh operations: import/export (STL, OBJ, PLY), analyse and repair meshes, Boolean operations on meshes, segmentation, and conversion between mesh and solid.

Mesh
Points

Import and manage 3-D point clouds (.asc, .pcd, .ply, .e57). Supports unstructured and structured (grid) clouds with per-point colour, normal, and intensity attributes.

Points
Reverse Engineering

Convert point clouds and meshes back into parametric surfaces. Poisson surface reconstruction, mesh segmentation, and surface approximation (plane, cylinder, sphere, B-spline surface).

Reverse Engineering

Analysis and inspection¶

Measure

Interactive measurement of distances, angles, radii, and areas directly in the 3-D view. Quick Measure shows properties in the status bar on hover; the full Measure tool stores results as model objects.

Measure
Inspection

Deviation analysis between an actual shape and one or more nominal references. Produces a false-colour heat map of signed distances for quality control and scan-vs-CAD comparison.

Inspection

Other¶

OpenSCAD

Import and export OpenSCAD .scad / .csg files, and run mesh Boolean operations via the OpenSCAD binary. Useful for interoperating with the OpenSCAD ecosystem.

OpenSCAD

Which workbench should I use?¶

For solid modelling: Part Design vs Part¶

Situation	Use
Single part with a clear feature history	Part Design — the feature tree keeps the design intent editable
Assembly of solids with Boolean ops at the top level	Part — no Body container required
Complex sweep or loft that needs B-spline profiles	Part (loft/sweep) or Sketcher + Part Design (additive pipe)
Copying or transforming existing solids	Part — Copy Shape, Mirror, Array tools

For surface modelling: Surface vs Curves Workbench vs Part¶

Situation	Use
Fill in a boundary of 3–4 edges	Surface — Fill Surface tool
Blend between two edges with G1/G2 continuity	Curves Workbench — Blend Surface
Surface from a network of guide curves	Curves Workbench — Gordon Surface
Revolve a profile around an axis	Part — Revolve
Unroll a cylinder/cone to flat	Curves Workbench — Flatten Face

For drawings: TechDraw vs Draft¶

Situation	Use
Formal engineering drawing from a 3-D model	TechDraw — projected views, dimensions, tolerances
Quick 2-D geometry for use as a guide curve	Draft — lines, arcs, annotations
BIM floor plan or section drawing	BIM → Section Plane → TechDraw page