After an year of brake I am trying to make a model using FreeCAD. I am trying to use Draft WB - Array function. I don’t know the other function there to get at once many copies of something. If there is a better one - tell me please. Last time I got what I wanted but I had to copy prepared one pin model one by one to reach as many as I want.
What I really want to do is the pin-header model but with very long pins and two plastics keeping them.
My idea is to construct one pin with rectangle plastics at it and then make as big array as I want.
The included file is the simple test to find the method. Using Sketcher and Part - Extrude and Part Make a union I got one pin (not colored). Using Draft - Array I got a set of 3 pins. Then I colored their surfaces. And now - how to use KSU Export 3D Model to KiCad function.
When trying to export Array I got nothing.
Those time (year ago) the solution was to use KSU Make Union or Make Compound. I am trying to use it on my Array but it asks me to select something different than I have. I don’t understand what I am expected to select.
How to export my model to KiCad? or
What is wrong in my file structure? What I am doing wrong on the way to get object containing many times muliplied other object.
I have downloaded yesterday the current version of FreeCAD 0.19.3 and KSU.
Not long ago (a few months, prior to current FreeCad v19.3), Step color export started having problems. I read some posts about it. It hasn’t been fixed and released yet.
You might try exporting WRL (it still works, screenshot below)
However, there are some Bandaid-Workarounds; Several, in fact. I won’t list them but will show One that correlates to what you show as your approach (making Array) of Single-Pin Result.
Use ‘Compound’ instead of Fusion (remember, the different workbenches have their own unique gotcha’s and just because two or more things may have the same Syntax/Name, that doesn’t mean they do the same thing and/or in the same way…
Below shows the File Tree and I leave it to you to inspect it and see how I did it.
ADDED: Last two images show your file (with my colors) - one as .STEP, one as .WRL
May be installing the version I was using those time will solve my problem.
I have the (Windows) nightly version I got 01.07.2020 as a *.7z. There is no installer. I don’t remember - may be it should be just unpacked into right directory and called.
But, after a moment of thinking, I will probably not go that way.
With exporting my another test I obtained without using Array I have no problems. So probably the solution (for now) is to just make bigger sketches (all needed pins together).
To ensure myself - you are speaking about Part WB - ‘Compound tools’ - ‘Make Compound’ and not ‘Make a Compound of selected objects’ from KSU?
I had some problem to find Compound in Part WB (never used it) - symbol has no two circles
With Extrude I found two ways of giving them colors - set the ‘Shape Color’ and right click at Extrude (in tree) and Set colors (each face can get different color). I don’t know if the effect is the same - may be Shape Color is the material color and Set colors are surfaces colors.
If I set Shape Color for two Extrudes and then Make a union (to get Fusion) of them colors are not lost so I didn’t searched for other way of making one object from them.
I don’t understand the internal difference between Making Union and Making Compound and possible consequences of it.
Why Compound is better then Union ?
From ‘Part’ down the tree I had the same structure (Except Fusion <-> Compound). But as I am searching for the simplest and shortest (for my cheat sheet) set of steps from File-New to the end effect I found that starting with making Part seems to having no effect so in my example I skipped that step - my first operation is making a sketch.
But what are the PinUp and Compound001 I don’t know You do something (what?) before making a Part or at the end (having all defined) you select the Part make Compound of it (not sure if possible to make compound of one element and what for). And then select that Compound and make something (what something?) and then name it PinUp.
As Array is the same as Part and the same as Compound001 and the same as PinUp then what for all these extras being just container in container in container…?
Generally I have a problem to fully understand what is in the tree view - specially when we come to the Part Design and Body.
As I heard (may be you have written that) WRL to KiCad needs be scaled and KSU takes care of it. My need is not enough strong to do manually what KSU does specially if I will get only wrl file and as I understand KiCad need wrl and step and I don’t know how to make step if I got wrl.
With that my example at screen I got what I wanted and the only left is how to force KSU to export it?
It looks I found the working solution. Just tested not with final model yet.
My solution:
Sketch + Extrude
Sketch + Extrude
Array of one Extrude
Array of second Extrude
KSU Make a Compound (Array + Array)
Coloring faces of Array_sp (I don’t understand why KSU Make a Compound adds something new)
Array_sp - KSU Export 3D Model to KiCad.
Having 2 Arrays make KSU Make a Compound working. I suppose that if KSU Make a Compound will work for one Array my previous try (Fusion or Compound and then one Array) would also be working.
When I will have 2 plastics I could try to union/compound them to have at the end 2 Arrays, or I can have 3 Arrays.
It may/may-not… But, here’s a link to the problem info (it does Not seem to be fixed on the commit I installed… but, I get what I need doing things my way. So, I won’t upgrade for another 6 months…
[Just like with Kicad, every FreeCad release brings a new problem… and, the only plugins I trust are the one’s I write].
Good - you found a solution that works…
Regarding the several question’s you asked… my singular answer is this: I have a two-inch thick stack of notes/cheat-sheets, starting with FreeCad v12.
I have one LibreOffice spreadsheet for each program I am using. Each FreeCAD WB I was reading about has its own tab (page in spreadsheet) but I practically not use FreeCAD.
The ways of doing 3D KiCad models I moved some time ago from FreeCAD notes to KiCad notes.
