I've just started designing an electronics enclosure but I'm having an issue with freecad. At this point I have a little tray, a 3.25x5.62x.7 cube with a 3.05x5.42x.6 pocket cut out of the top. I export the shape as a .stl, upload it to shapeways and all I see is a 3.25x5.62x.7 cube, no pocket. Any ideas what I'm missing here?
You have exported the 'Pad' instead of exporting the 'Pocket' from the Combo View. You will find it easier and quicker to use DesignSpark Mechanical. There are no constraints to worry about. You just draw your sketch, Type in sizes as you go. 'Pull' the surface, type in height (Pad) and use the 'Hollow' tool, that will leave a (Pocket) with a constant wall thickness. Don't ditch Freecad, it has many features that can be used in DSM. Save direct as STL. Be aware there are options on the smoothness of the model when you save. There are also free PCB and Electrical software packages all free. http://www.rs-online.com/designspark/electronics/eng/page/mechanical http://www.rs-online.com/designspark/electronics/eng/page/designspark-pcb-home-page http://www.rs-online.com/designspark/automation/designspark-electrical
Actually I selected both the Pad and Pocket. It appears that you can't select the full object tree, so I selected all the objects in the tree. Thanks for the tip on the other tools. I've been using freepcb and tinycad for years. I'll try DesignSpark Mechanical.
I hope you find them useful. I advise you to follow the first three tutorials, especially No 3 http://www.rs-online.com/designspar...k-mechanical-first-steps-with-direct-modeling There are a host of add-ons available http://www.rs-online.com/designspark/electronics/eng/nodes/tools If you have any questions ask in the forums.