They expect to release 1.0 in a week or so.
I hope it’s becoming useable for professionals. Linux next a real cad solution so bad. Right now I’m running a Windows VM to get that part of my workflow done
Does OnShape not fit the bill? Seems like a good piece of software, from a novice POV.
It’s weird and cloud based. I had trouble with it moving quickly and the feature set seemed weak in comparison to something like solid works or inventor.
I like OnShape, but I hate their free-tier licensing and paid-tier pricing. Last time I tried it though, sending the browser to full-screen was pretty nice.
I tried the Ondsel flavor, which brought in a few of the 1.0 changes early. Definitely an improvement, but not there yet, IMHO. Still a confusing workflow based on old paradigms and similar-but-different workbenches, and some functionality still just doesn’t work that great. I’m a rank amateur who was pleased with himself for finally doing a couple of assemblies, and who generally values cash more than time for hobbies, but I still find it more frustrating than most of the commercial suites.
I got a permanent license for Alibre Design, which I like a lot, but I’m hoping FreeCAD 1.0 will be good for my linux machines and will continue developing for when my version of Alibre feels long in the tooth.
I’m actually weirdly excited for this. When I had a better job I gave them money because I hated auto desk in college so fucking much.
Full release notes are very impressive:
Just donated to the FreeCAD Project Association! Been trying it since 0.14 and learning it on and off. It is so exciting and I hope it will keep getting better!
Fingers crossed. IIRC, Last time I messed with it, it required a plugin to poorly take measurements or I couldn’t find measurements in the UI.
Last time I messed with it, it was crashing (on both Linux and Windows) trying to import fairly simple DXF’s to extrude. In the era of 3D Printing and various other home CNC stuff, IMO it’s one of the most important userspace FOSS projects, so I really want to see it continue to improve.
