This response is a bit long, forgive me…
I quickly read your post at the Freecad forum. That said, this may clear your confusion about FreeCad (FC)…
PREFACE
• FC’s GUI is simply a GUI Shell
• The GUI Shell presents a handfull of Selectable Workbenches (WB)
• The various WB’s are simply (to be considered) as Stand-Alone programs; e.g., Part, PartDesign, Draft, FEM… etc
• The WB’s can utilize internal API’s from other WB’s BUT!, there is no management of syntax that results in users clarity.
And, some common Tools/Resources look and smell the same but, do not taste the ‘same’.
Example: PartDesign WB and Part WB both offer Boolean operations and the Icon’s are the same (see screenshot) BUT, they do not work the same, do not offer the same features or always produce the same results.
• Some Tools are more useful and knowing ‘What, Where and How’ is learned by experimenting and making notes.
• I think of PartDesign as being similar to SolidWorks, Inventor, Pro-E Wildfire).
• I think of Part as similar to Programs embedded in 3D slicing software that do Boolean (Primitives) operations.
• I think of Draft as somewhat similar to Graphics programs like Inkscape and EZdraw.
Between those three, I get what I want and utilize elements from each, including Adding their Tools to the PartDesign (and other) toolbars and/or switching to the WB.
A comment about the ‘Features’ of the Models:
• To avoid confusion of “Terminology” (especially the word “Part”, I’ll call the thing in Design a “Gizmo”. Thus, A “Part” File has “Part” (I call a gizmo).
• Gizmo’s and Bodies can be Dragged into/out-of the Tree in/out of other Gizmo’s.
• They can be ‘Copied’ and ‘Duplicated’ (these are Not the same thing and sometimes one works better than the other - depends on purpose).
• The “File” can have No, One, or Multiple “Parts (gizmo’s) and Multiple Bodies”.
• A “Part (gizmo)” the Yellow stairstep icon, can have multiple Bodies or a single Body
That said, and to the point of ‘Coloring, Saving and Exporting’
• PartDesign wants your Gizmo to have a single “Appearance” from the MenuBar(MB)’ View>Appearance
• BUT, you can use the “Color Per Face” tool in Part’s WB to color a ‘Face’ on the gizmo in PartDesign.
The Tool is Not available from MB, it needs to be added to a Toolbar. I added it the the PartDesign Toolbar (screenshot).
Usage:
• First, Make the Part and Body Active (double-click the desired Body or, the Part then Desired Body
• To enable the already added tool, First select a Face on the gizmo
• Click the tool - that will open a panel and will auto un-select the Face. Thus, re-select the Face and other faces (hold CMD key for multiple faces.
• Then, select desired color.
• Save-As the file. Note: “Copy File” will blow away the color. Save-As retains the color.
Example Video (Note: the Tool is Off-Screen on far right of my Toolbar, you won’t see the clicking of it).
I opened an existing file, colored three faces, Saved-As, Closed file. Re-Opened the file…
Regarding Files with Multiple Parts/(Gizmos) and Bodies…
• Preference is to have One Gizmo and One Body BUT, can have multiple… Depending on how you do it may require using the “Make Compound” tool in Part WB or, Boolean Fusing in PartDesign.
If using a Compounded or Fused gizmo, then MUST color it’s Faces and export it!
Go explore, learn and push the limits… Here’s a quickly done Ribbon cable photo… done with same process just described…
Video and Screenshots…
