FreeCAD For the Rest of Us - Lesson 1: Quick intro and creating your first 3D part model.

Welcome to FreeCAD for the Rest of Us. This multi-lesson series is designed for hobbyists, makers, woodworkers and DIYers who are interested in learning CAD and don't know where to begin, don't want to spend a lot of money on software they need to learn, and where other tutorials have failed them in the past. this series uses FreeCad version 0.20.1.

In lesson one, we will create our first 3D part model together of a drawer front. While simple, this will get you creating right away and give the skills to begin playing around with FreeCAD on your own to create your own part concepts. In following lessons we will build on these skills to make you more proficient in the app, but with an overarching goal of being immediately able to apply the concept to your own work.

Lesson one will address the following skills and tools:
• How to set up a project and parts
• Parts/bodies and sketches
• Navigating the FreeCad interface and your model
• Creating a sketch using the Rectangle Tool and Constraints
• Creating your first 3D model from a Sketch using the PAD tool

This series is designed to teach by doing. We will introduce new tools, workbenches, workflows and best practices at needed with the ultimate goal to get you creating right away. Each lesson is around 10 minutes and will advance your understanding of FreeCad and what it is capable of in digestible units.

Many other tutorials out there use complex models that can be hard to follow, difficult to reproduce and have little bearing on what a maker learning CAd for the first time really want to do - MAKE SOMETHING!

I chose a simple project for this series in making a drawer box. This is something many people are familiar with, so it is an easy jump from understanding the tangible drawer and the 3D model we will create.

Info of the version of FreeCAD used in this video.
OS: macOS 10.16
Word size of FreeCAD: 64-bit
Version: 0.20.1.29410 (Git)
Build type: Release
Branch: (HEAD detached at 0.20.1)
Hash: f5d13554ecc7a456fb6e970568ae5c74ba727563
Python 3.10.5, Qt 5.15.4, Coin 4.0.0, Vtk 9.1.0, OCC 7.6.2
Locale: C/Default (C)
Installed mods:
A2plus 0.4.59c
ExplodedAssembly
Help 1.0.3
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If you ever need any help with this project or any other ... just ask by leaving a comment, sending a tweet or hitting us up on email. I try to answer everyone and if I can't I have the highest confidence that someone else in our growing community can. I'm looking forward to learning and creating together and getting to know you all!

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