FreeCAD Arch Workbench: Designing Buildings using BIM

[nelsonic]

We have learned/used several CAD programs over the years and done a few designs with those tools.
Sadly, they were all Closed Source. 🤦‍♂️
For the Braga @home SunRoom we did the concept sketch in SketchUp:

While this is useful for giving people an idea of what we want, it's basically only a suggestion from an architectural/engineering & build perspective. What we need is a detailed design that we can give to a foreman and work off.

https://wiki.freecadweb.org/Arch_tutorial

FreeCAD - Arch Workbench - Getting a Result, Simple House: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mxB6-2Ec3U

Todo

• Learn how the Arch Workbench works.
• Attempt to design a basic rectangular building from scratch
• Consider ordering a book on the subject:

This book looks decent but it's unclear to me if it's for the latest FreeCAD: https://www.amazon.com/-/pt/dp/B08F6TF74N

Available from Amazon ES: https://www.amazon.es/-/pt/dp/B08F6TF74N/

I expect this will take around T4h to learn. I wish I had that time in a single block but I don't so I'm going to have to chip away at this over the next couple of weeks while juggling my other work. ⏳

[nelsonic]

@LuchoTurtle this is not a code / software engineering task. 🧑‍💻
But it's one I desperately need help with. 🙏

Not going to "offload" it on you as that would be unfair. 👎
But I need help in the sense that I need someone at a similar level of FreeCAD + Arch knowledge to help me when I get "stuck". Again, I don't expect to get stuck ... but I know that having a second brain + pair of eyes will be super valuable/useful. 👀 🤞

[nelsonic]

BIM with FreeCAD - Introduction: https://youtu.be/rkWOFQ2fGZQ

[nelsonic]

This intro from Yorik van Havre is a good showcase of the capabilities. 🏡

[nelsonic]

https://www.youtube.com/@RegisNdeTene

[nelsonic]

FreeCAD - Arch Workbench - Getting a Result, Simple House: https://youtu.be/8mxB6-2Ec3U

This is proving very insightful. But sadly I'm going to have to return to this later as have to do my "work work" now. 🧑‍💻

[nelsonic]

https://github.com/yorikvanhavre/BIM_Workbench/blob/master/README.md

[nelsonic]

following: https://youtu.be/Jc12_G5DFF0

[nelsonic]

[nelsonic]

On restarting FreeCAD and selecting the BIM Workbench we see the following:

[nelsonic]

Taking this opportunity to GitHub Sponsor the creator of the BIM Addon:
https://github.com/yorikvanhavre/BIM_Workbench
Which appears to be under active development ... 🤞

https://github.com/yorikvanhavre

[nelsonic]

Going to follow the BIM Tutorial when I'm able to get back to my desk ...

Meanwhile opened an issue for the Welcome screen: yorikvanhavre/BIM_Workbench#108

[nelsonic]

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/m/481997/posts

[nelsonic]

BIM Setup:

[nelsonic]

Half way through the BIM Tutorial:

Going OK:

My main advice to anyone trying to follow along with this tutorial: remember to save your work often.
then if something isn't working, just quit the program and re-open and it will fix itself.
yes, this isn't great in terms of "stability" ... but I'm soldiering on.

[nelsonic]

Finished the BIM Tutorial. ✅
Confident I can start modelling the Sun Room basement. 💭
Going to save my work regularly and use a "scratch" version to do mods ... 💾
too tired to start/focus on it now. Will start first thing in the morning. ☀️