https://wiki.freecadweb.org/Release_notes_0.20 Release notes 0.20 From FreeCAD Documentation Jump to navigation Jump to search Other languages: Deutsch * English * espanol * francais * italiano * polski * portugues do Brasil * russkii [ ] Contents * 1 General + 1.1 freecad.org + 1.2 Bug/Issue tracker + 1.3 New help system * 2 User interface + 2.1 Further user interface improvements * 3 Core system and API + 3.1 Core + 3.2 API o 3.2.1 New Python API o 3.2.2 Changed Python API * 4 Addon Manager * 5 Arch Workbench * 6 Draft Workbench + 6.1 Further Draft improvements * 7 FEM Workbench + 7.1 Further FEM improvements * 8 Export * 9 Mesh + 9.1 Improved support for NASTRAN GRID elements + 9.2 Further Mesh improvements * 10 OpenSCAD Workbench * 11 Part Workbench + 11.1 Further Part improvements * 12 PartDesign Workbench + 12.1 Further PartDesign improvements * 13 Path Workbench * 14 Plot module * 15 Sketcher Workbench + 15.1 Further Sketcher improvements * 16 Spreadsheet Workbench + 16.1 Further Spreadsheet improvements * 17 TechDraw Workbench + 17.1 Further TechDraw improvements * 18 Web * 19 External workbenches + 19.1 A2plus + 19.2 Assembly3 + 19.3 Assembly4 + 19.4 FCGear + 19.5 Plot + 19.6 Ship * 20 Compilation * 21 Known Limitations + 21.1 32bit Windows + 21.2 Remote Desktop under Windows FreeCAD 0.20 was released on 14 June 2022, get it from the Download page. This page lists all new features and changes. Older FreeCAD release notes can be found in the Feature list. Model of a 775 DC motor by user "jimmihenry", see Users Showcase. FreeCAD The model was made completely with the weekly highlight development snapshots of FreeCAD 0.20. The pictures for relnotes the animated graphic were made with the FreeCAD macro 0.20.gif Screen Wiki. The animated GIF itself was made using GIMP. For the release notes it was cropped and resized using ezgif. General freecad.org We are happy that the KiCAD project, through the KiCAD services corp. , sponsored us the domain freecad.org. Now all FreeCAD websites are available under freecadweb.org and freecad.org. Bug/Issue tracker The FreeCAD bug tracker was moved to GitHub: https://github.com/ FreeCAD/FreeCAD/issues Note: Only bug reports with a prior forum discussion will be considered. Reports without this will be closed. New help system The help system was rewritten and upgraded to display information directly from our Wiki. The system now relies on the Help Addon. When you first use the Help tool or the What's this? tool you will be asked to install it. User interface The navigation cube was reworked: * There are now edge faces to rotate the 3D view 45deg. * A new preference Rotate to nearest has been introduced. If selected, the 3D view is rotated to the nearest most logical position, based on the current orientation of the cube, when a cube face is clicked. Else clicking a Navi face will always result in the same rotation. To Cube experience the difference try the same click sequence relnotes as in the animation with and without the option Rotate 0.20.gif to nearest. * By clicking the new round button in the top right corner you can quickly switch to the backview of the current scene. * The size of the cube can now be adjusted with the Cube size preference. Forum discussion, Pull request #4502 . Tooltips now display the command name in the title, Improved making it easier for new users to look for help. At the tooltips end of the tooltip the "internal" command name is added relnotes in parentheses: (Std_WhatsThis). This is also the name 0.20.gif of the page that documents the command in the Wiki. Forum discussion, Pull request #4978 . The new Std UserEditMode command allows the user to Std choose an edit mode that will be used when an object is UserEditMode double-clicked in the Tree view. Click the image on the relnotes left so see an animation of the selection. If a 0.20.gif selected edit mode is not applicable, the object's default edit mode is used instead. Pull request #5110. The Tree view context menu has the new entry Add dependent objects to selection. Forum discussion, Pull request #4133. Dependencies-selection relnotes 0.20.png In the image the Hole001 object was selected and then its dependencies were added to the selection via the context menu. Part SectionCut The new tool Section Cut allows to get example relnotes non-hollow and also persistent cuts of 0.20.png parts and assemblies. Forum discussion, Pull request #4118. Further user interface improvements * It is now possible to use the decimal separator belonging to the language specified for the FreeCAD interface. For example on a German Windows, when you set the interface language to English and select the new option Use selected language number format, the dot will be used as the decimal separator. See Preferences. Pull request #6364 Note: For FEM simulations using the dot as decimal separator is highly recommended to get correct results. * Two new mouse navigation styles have been added. One based on OpenSCAD, the other on TinkerCAD. Forum discussion OpenSCAD, Forum discussion TinkerCAD, commit 1, commit 2, commit 3. * It is now possible to pan the view of the dependency graph with the mouse. Forum discussion, Pull request #4638. * Fixed an issue where using tablet pen devices (e.g. Wacom tablet) was slow to the point of being completely unusable. Forum discussion, Pull request #4687. * The coordinate system in the 3D view can be resized in the preferences in the section Display - 3D View. Pull request #5182 * A new setting in Preferences - General allows to substitute the numerical keypad decimal separator with the appropriate locale separator if they are different. Pull request #3256 Pull request #5150 Pull request 5203 * It is now possible to set the Backspace key as a standalone shortcut key without the need to specify an additional modifier key. Pull request #5428 Core system and API Core When using Edit - Copy or Edit - Duplicate selection for an object with dependencies there is a new Use Original Selections button in the object selection dialog. Click this button to copy/duplicate only the objects you originally selected prior to opening the dialog, ignoring dependencies and ignoring any actions you might have taken Object while the dialog was open, such as checking or unchecking selection some of the checkboxes. The effect is the same as if you relnotes had unchecked all the checkboxes next to the objects you 0.20.png did not originally select and pressed OK. Note: special care should be taken when copying/duplicating TechDraw Pages. It is recommended to also copy/duplicate all children of the Page (Templates, Views, Dimensions, etc.). Otherwise changes to one Page will also impact the other page. For example, deleting a View on one Page also removes it from the other Page, or deleting a page will also remove all its content from the other Page. A new type of add-on called a Preference Pack was added, allowing a subset of a user preferences file (user.cfg) to be saved, distributed, and easily applied by other users. Preference Packs can be use to distribute "Themes," for PrefPacks example, by allowing a developer to include both a Qt relnotes stylesheet for widgets as well as a set of other colors 0.20.png and styles for items in the user interface that cannot be set using a stylesheet (e.g. text colors in the Python editor or report view, etc.). Anything that can be configured via a user.cfg file can be set using a Preference Pack. Forum discussion Autoload The "Workbenches" preference panel was modified to relnotes support the ability to "autoload" workbenches on 0.20.png FreeCAD startup. On Linux, the default location of FreeCAD's configuration, data and cache files was changed to follow the XDG Base Directory Specification. Here is a comparison of the old and new locations: Description Old New location Defaults to location Configuration $HOME $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/ $HOME/.config/FreeCAD files /.FreeCAD FreeCAD Data files $HOME $XDG_DATA_HOME/ $HOME/.local/share/ /.FreeCAD FreeCAD FreeCAD Cache files /tmp $XDG_CACHE_HOME/ $HOME/.cache/FreeCAD FreeCAD If you wish to keep using the old locations you may start FreeCAD with the --keep-deprecated-paths option. API FreeCAD received many new Python API functions: New Python API * ChFi2d_AnaFilletAlgoPy: An analytical algorithm for the calculation of fillets. commit f94ab3ec * ChFi2d_ChamferAPIPy: Algorithm that creates a chamfer between two linear edges. commit 30f8015e7 * Circle2dPy::getCircleCenter: Gets the circle center defined by three points. commit 3dc91fa2 * ComplexGeoDataPy::applyRotation: Applies an additional rotation to the placement. commit 32592de8 * ComplexGeoDataPy::applyTranslation: Applies an additional translation to the placement. commit 32592de8 * ComplexGeoDataPy::countSubElements: Returns the number of elements of a type. commit 32592de8 * ComplexGeoDataPy::getElementTypes: Returns a list of element types. commit 32592de8 * ComplexGeoDataPy::getFaces: Returns a tuple of points and triangles with a given accuracy. commit 32592de8 * ComplexGeoDataPy::getLines: Returns a tuple of points and lines with a given accuracy. commit 32592de8 * ComplexGeoDataPy::getLinesFromSubelement: Returns vertexes and lines from a sub-element. commit 32592de8 * ComplexGeoDataPy::getPoints: Returns a tuple of points and normals with a given accuracy. commit 32592de8 * ComplexGeoDataPy::transformGeometry: Applies a transformation to the underlying geometry. commit 32592de8 * ControlPy::showModelView: Shows the model view. commit 033bf619 * DocumentPy::clearDocument: Clears the whole document. commit 526dc1a0 * DocumentPy::getFileName: For a regular document it returns its file name property. For a temporary document it returns its transient directory. commit 526dc1a0 * DocumentPy::getProgramVersion: Gets the program version that a project file was created with. commit 526dc1a0 * DocumentPy::isClosable: Checks if the document can be closed. commit 526dc1a0 * DocumentPy::isSaved: Checks if the document is saved. commit 526dc1a0 * DocumentPy::isTouched: Checks if any object is in touched state. commit 526dc1a0 * DocumentPy::mustExecute: Checks if any object must be recomputed. commit 526dc1a0 * DocumentPy::purgeTouched: Purges the touched state of all objects. commit 526dc1a0 * DocumentPy::setClosable: Sets a flag that allows or forbids to close a document. commit 526dc1a0 * DrawPagePy::requestPaint: Paints a TechDraw page. commit 79f9fb68 * HLRBRep_AlgoPy: To access Part's hidden line removal (HLR). commit 73a98671 * HLRBRep_PolyAlgoPy: To access Part's poly hidden line removal (HLR). commit ea85cf5e * HLRToShapePy: To access Part's hidden line removal (HLR). commit 73a98671 * PolyHLRToShapePy: To access Part's poly hidden line removal (HLR). commit ea85cf5e * MDIViewPy::printPdf: Prints a PDF. commit c93031da * MDIViewPy::printPreview: Prints a preview. commit c93031da * MDIViewPy::printView: Prints a view. commit c93031da * MDIViewPy::redoActions: Redoes actions. commit c93031da * MDIViewPy::undoActions: Undoes actions. commit c93031da * PrecisionPy: To access the precision defined by the OpenCascade kernel. commit 20b86e55 * PropertyContainerPy::setDocumentationOfProperty: Sets the documentation string of a dynamic property of this class. commit 8cf3cf33 * PropertyContainerPy::setGroupOfProperty: Set the name of the group of a dynamic property. commit 8cf3cf33 * PythonWorkbenchPy::reloadActive: Reload the active workbench after changing menus or toolbars. commit 0bbc253d * RotationPy::fromEuler: Sets the Euler angles of a rotation or gets the Euler angles in a given sequence for a rotation. commit 951a0be9 * RotationPy::toEulerAngles: Gets the Euler angles in a given sequence for this rotation.. commit c1454dfb * SpreadsheetViewPy: To access spreadsheets. commit 6e713628 * UnitsApi::sToNumber: Converts a quantity or float to a string. commit befbd95d * View3DInventorPy::getCornerCrossSize: Returns current corner axis cross size. commit 9d15df29 * View3DInventorPy::setPopupMenuEnabled: Enables popup menu. commit 9def811a * View3DInventorPy::isCornerCrossVisible: Returns current corner axis cross visibility. commit 9d15df29 * View3DInventorPy::isPopupMenuEnabled: Returns if popup menu is enabled. commit 9def811a * View3DInventorPy::projectPointToLine: Projects the given 2d point to a line. commit b6527a70 * View3DInventorPy::setCornerCrossSize: Defines corner axis cross size. commit 9d15df29 * View3DInventorPy::setCornerCrossVisible: Defines corner axis cross visibility. commit 9d15df29 * ViewProviderSpreadsheetPy: To handle spreadsheet cells.commit 16bbe123 and commit 093f15dc Changed Python API * MeshObject::trim(base, normal) was changed to MeshPy::trimByPlane (base, normal): Trims the mesh with a given plane. commit 837de28e Addon Manager The Addon Manager was modified to support the distribution of Preference Packs, and to display information found in an addon's metadata. The Addon Manager also includes improved support for Addons whose source code is located at several different git hosting locations. Networking support was improved to AddonManagerExpanded provide more robust handling of SSL connections relnotes 0.20.png and support for proxies requiring authentication. Support was added for automatically adding macro buttons to the toolbar after installing, for disabling Addons without removing them, and for switching which git branch of an Addon is checked out. Finally, the user interface was modified to improve searching and display of different list filters. Arch Workbench SketchArch workbench ArchWindow Placement 1r With the Attach in SketchArch.svg Attach Feature it is relnotes now possible to place Arch Window.svg Windows and Arch 0.20.png Equipment.svg Equipment parametrically and intuitively in relation to Arch Wall.svg Walls. To use this feature ArchWindow the experimental external SketchArch Workbench.svg Placement 2r SketchArch Workbench must be installed. Add-on and relnotes ReadMe on Github (Not yet available in the Add-on 0.20.png Manager). Forum discussion New properties for Arch Structure objects : * BasePerpendicularToTool: it creates a copy of the Base (extrusion profile) at the beginning of the Tool (extrusion path) and places it perpendicular to the first edge of the tool. It is the same as attaching the Base with MapMode=NormalToEdge, but it is automatic and allows to reuse the same Base object for multiple Structures. When BasePerpendicularToTool = True, more properties control the placement of the Base relative to the Tool axis. They are shown in the attached image. * ToolOffsetFirst and ToolOffsetLast: extend/trim the Structure at the start and end respectively (the real length of the Structure is available in the ComputedLength read-only property). * BaseRotation: rotate the Base (the rotation is around the Base's "(0,0)" point which is the center for Arch Profiles, the origin for Sketches and usually the first point for Draft NewArchStructureProperties Wires). relnotes 0.20.jpg * BaseOffsetX and BaseOffsetY: move the Base (extrusion profile). * BaseMirror: mirror the Base (extrusion profile). A new command Create multiple Arch Structure was also added. It uses the first selected object as a Base, and creates Arch Structures objects for every Edge of the other selected objects. Then, the properties of individual Structure objects can be adjusted in the Property editor. This command was added for workflow with a master Sketch (there is risk of topological naming problem unless you create non-parametric copy of the master Sketch or use Realthunder's version). Support for 2D data such as linework, hatches, texts and dimensions is now enabled in IFC import and export, which contributes to making the IFC format more and more suitable for traditional 2D CAD work. A similar effort is being made in BlenderBIM. More 2D workflow improvements are documented in this forum thread. Forum discussion, Pull request #3229 Draft Workbench * A Global checkbox was added to the task panel of many drafting commands. Checking it allows input of coordinates in the global coordinate system even if the working plane is not aligned with the global XY plane. * The Draft Hatch.svg Draft Hatch command was introduced. It creates hatches on the faces of a selected object using patterns from AutoCAD PAT files. * The Draft AddNamedGroup.svg Draft AddNamedGroup command was introduced. The Draft AddToGroup.svg Draft AddToGroup command was extended with the same functionality. * Work on the Draft SetStyle.svg Draft SetStyle command, still in progress in FreeCAD version 0.19, was completed. * A double-click edit option was added for Draft Text.svg Draft Texts. It opens the same edit task panel used when creating a text. * For Draft Dimension.svg Draft Dimensions the arch ViewUnit Override for imperial architectural dimensions was introduced. * Draft Shape2DView.svg Draft Shape2DView objects now have an Data Auto Update property. Setting it to false can be useful if there are many Draft Shape2DViews in a document or if they are complex. * It is now possible to reverse a Draft Wire via the Draft Edit.svg Draft Edit context menu. Forum discussion, Pull request #4811. Further Draft improvements * Fixed Draft Snap Grid when the cursor is over a face. Forum discussion. Git commit. * New Draft Texts are now aligned with the working plane, Pull request #5092. * Support for two DWG converters was added: LibreDWG and QCAD pro. See Import Export Preferences and FreeCAD and DWG Import for more information. FEM Workbench The Z88 solver is now fully usable. You FEM Z88-settings relnotes can specify the solver method and change 0.20.png the memory settings. The new default The new Z88 settings and values allow you to perform also complex their default values simulations directly. commit d035bbc1ca and following FEM buckling-analysis relnotes 0.20.gif It is now possible to perform buckling Result of a linear buckling analyses using the Calculix solver. Pull analysis. request #4379 Click on the image to see the animation. There is a new property for the Gmsh mesher. The number of mesh elements per FEM 2 p {\displaystyle 2\pi } {\displaystyle Gmsh-MeshSizeFromCurvature 2\pi } times the radius of the curvature relnotes 0.20.png can be specified. The default is 12 and Effect of Mesh Size From to get a finer mesh at small corners or Curvature; left: set to 12, holes, this value can be increased for right: deactivated better results. This feature requires Gmsh 4.8 or newer. Forum discussion, Pull request #4596 FEM FreeCAD now allows to select an Gmsh-RecombinationAlgorithm algorithm as well as 3D mesh relnotes 0.20.png recombination for the Gmsh mesher. For Effect of the recombination more details about mesh element algorithm; left: using recombination see FEM MeshGmshFromShape. Simple, right: using Simple full-quad Pull request #4706 Further FEM improvements * Important: Starting from this release, FreeCAD will use SI units (m, kg, s, K, A, mol, cd) to write the Elmer solver input files ( case.sif and mesh.nodes). This is independent of the used FreeCAD unit system. * Important: Starting from this release, the scale of result pipelines and their filters will use SI units (m, kg, s, K, A, mol, cd). So the displacement is given in meter, the stress in Pascal. This applies to all SI-derived FreeCAD unit systems. * Solving with the Calculix solver now uses all CPU cores. Pull request #6374 * Meshing with Gmsh now uses all CPU cores. Pull request #6370 * The element order of Gmsh meshes can be changed via the mesh dialog. Pull request #4660 * The Data at point clip result filter is now actually working: One gets info from result meshes by clicking into them or by specifying a mesh coordinate. * A new constraint was added: Model - Mechanical Constraints - FEM ConstraintCentrif.svg Constraint Centrif. Pull request #4738 * A new solver was added: Solve - FEM SolverMystran.svg Solver Mystran. Multiple commits. * A new constraint was added: Model - Mechanical Constraints - FEM ConstraintSpring.svg Constraint Spring. Pull request #4982 * It is now possible to have result pipelines with several filters, where some take other filters as input, and some take the results directly from the pipeline. commit 708a300b * Material cards can now contain values for the electrical conductivity. Pull request #4647 * Material cards added for Nitrogen and Argon. Pull request #4649 * Support for the Gmsh mesh algorithms "HXT" (3D) and "Packing Parallelograms" (2D) added. Pull request #4654 * Allow to specify an algorithm for the Gmsh property "High Order Optimize". Pull request #4705 * Nonlinear solid materials with simple hardening can now have an arbitrary number of yield points. Pull request #5024 * Allow modal adding/removal of geometric entities to constraints acting on boundaries. Pull request #5117 * Most FEM constraint dialogs now behave uniformly and provide the same 3D object selection features. Pull request #5391 Export * DXF: The missing unit block was added to the header14.rub file. Pull request #5793 Mesh Improved support for NASTRAN GRID elements The Mesh import tool now supports the high-precision "GRID*" element. The standard-precision "GRID" element was also improved, now supporting both space-delimited numeric input as well as fixed-field-width input, per the NASTRAN95 format documentation. Further Mesh improvements Fixed false negatives during self-intersection tests when facets are coplanar: Pull request #5002. OpenSCAD Workbench Interoperability with OpenSCAD has been improved, adding support for several operations missing from earlier versions (linear extrude with rotations, rotational extrusions). Several operations are modified to provide improved FreeCAD object equivalents, particularly for twisted extrusions. Surface generation from discrete data was modified to give more OpenSCAD-like results, rather than splined surfaces. New options were added to support running either FreeCAD, OpenSCAD, or both, in sandboxed environments such as AppImages and Snap packages: data can now be transferred to and from OpenSCAD via the standard temporary directory mechanism, via a user-specified temp directory that both executables have access to, or new to OpenSCAD 2021.1, via a "stdout pipe" mechanism, bypassing temporary files entirely. The following options were added to the task panel of the Add OpenSCAD element feature: Load - load a scad file OpenSCAD AddElement Save - save a scad file relnotes 0.20.png Refresh - Update FreeCAD view Clear - Clear text input A new text box gives feedback about OpenSCAD errors. Part Workbench Part A tapered extrusion of inner structures Extrusion-inner-structures now creates usable results. Previously, relnotes 0.20.png inner structures were extruded as if they Tapered extrusion of a were stand-alone and not part of a sketch with an inner structure. structure. Pull request #5367 Further Part improvements * The dialog to edit Cylinders now allows to specify an angle relative to the normal of the chosen attachment plane. This way one can create skew cylinders. Pull request #4708 * The Face Colors tool now also allows to set the transparency ( Alpha channel) of faces. This transparency can be exported, making e.g. STEP files with transparent parts possible. * The following commands now support App::Links: Loft, Sweep, Extrude, Revolve, Reverse shapes, Mirror, Offset2D, Offset3D, Check Geometry, Ruled Surface, Cross-sections, and Thickness. Pull request #6478 PartDesign Workbench PD Pad-Length-along-reference relnotes 0.20.gif There is a new option to Pad along the Padding along an edge from direction of an edge in the 3D model. the model. Click on the image to see the Pull request #4685 animation. When Distance and Angle is specified in the Chamfer tool and faces are selected, the distance will be applied along the selected faces. Likewise if two distances are specified then Size PartDesign Chamfer Face 1 will be applied along the selected Selection relnotes 0.20.png face. This behaviour can be swapped to the other face using the flip direction button. Forum discussion, Pull request #5039 It is now possible to create an Additive or Subtractive Loft, or an Additive or Subtractive Pipe towards, or from, a Vertex of either a sketch PartDesign Loft Vertex or a body. This allows to create relnotes 0.20.png pyramids for example. A loft with multiple Note: Vertices in sketches are created sections, the final one is a as construction geometry. To use them vertex. as endpoints of lofts, you must first change them to normal geometry. Pull request #5170 (for lofts), Pull request #5193 (for pipes) PD Pad-Taper-angle relnotes The dialog for Pad and Pocket offers 0.20.png to set a taper angle for the A tapered pocket within a extrusion. non-tapered pad. Pull request #5357 PD Pocket-direction relnotes 0.20.gif It is now possible to specify the Pocketing along different direction for the Pocket extrusion. directions. Click on the image to see the Pull request #5164 animation. The dialog to edit Cylinders (additive and subtractive) now allows to specify PartDesign Cylinder direction an angle relative to the normal of the relnotes 0.20.png chosen attachment plane. This way one can create skew cylinders. Pull request #4708 The Helix feature has the new mode PartDesign Helix Growth Height-Turns-Growth to create flat relnotes 0.20.png spirals. Forum thread Pull request #4590 All PartDesign features that can extrude sketches can now handle PartDesign Islands-Extrude sketches with nested profiles that relnotes 0.20.png form islands. For example it is A single Pad and a single possible to Revolve a sketch Revolution with nested consisting of 3 nested circles with profiles. The base block is the same center point. only there to ensure that the Note: Extruding nested profiles only part is a single solid. works if the result is still a single body. Pull request #6381 PD Pad-Length-alog-direction There is a new option to Pad a certain relnotes 0.20.gif length along the direction. The length Effect of the new option is either measured along the sketch Length along sketch normal. normal or along the custom direction. Click on the image to see the animation. Forum discussion, Pull request #3893 The Hole feature can now model true PartDesign Hole thread threads. relnotes 0.20.PNG Forum thread Pull request #4274 Further PartDesign improvements * In the Helix feature one can now also use the sketch normal as axis. Pull request #5199 * The Sprocket feature can now also create ISO-normed sprockets. Forum thread Pull request #4478 * The Loft and Pipe features now allow using the body's faces for sections. Pull request #5155 * It is now possible to select several faces before calling the Pad or Pocket dialog. In this case the first selected face will be used to determine the default padding/pocketing direction. commit d34a5616 * It is possible to offset SubShapeBinders if they are based on edges, wires or faces. Pull request #6338 * SubShapeBinders now have the Refine property like all other PartDesign objects. Pull request #6550 * In the Chamfer and Fillet dialogs all edges of a body can be selected via the context menu while in Add mode. Pull request # 5269 When you selected a 3D object before clicking the icon to create a fillet or chamfer, all object edges will automatically be selected. Pull request #5328 * Chamfer and Fillet dialogs now each have a new Use all edges checkbox, which is connected to the Use All Edges property for these objects. When the box is checked the property is set to True, when unchecked the property is set to False. When Use All Edges is True there is protection against the topological naming problem because then all of the edges of the base object are used regardless of how many edges there are. Pull request #5340 * Plane selection when adding a new sketch can now be achieved with a single-click in the 3D View. Pull request Forum discussion * When a PartDesign tool is run without an active body, FreeCAD now offers to activate a body or create a new one. Pull request #4949 * The Face Colors tool is now also available from the PartDesign workbench. Path Workbench * The Extensions feature was added to the Adaptive operation. Pull request #4388 * The Helix operation was refactored and Extra offset property was added to it. Pull request #5405 * The check if the current schema is using minutes for velocity expression and appropriate warning were added. Pull request #6357 * External threads were added to the thread milling operation. Pull request #6485 * The stability of engraving on sketches was improved. Pull request #6394 * The visibility of path objects was made more natural. Pull request #4911 Plot module * FreeCAD now provides the Plot module by default, so any other module/workbench may create plots without requiring external tools Pull request #4971. Sketcher Workbench New Sketcher Split.svg Split function to split existing SketcherSplitExample2 relnotes lines or arcs. 0.20.png Forum discussion Pull request #4420 New Sketcher CreateOblong.svg Rounded rectangle tool to SketcherCreateRoundedRectangleExample create rectangles with relnotes 0.20.png rounded corners. Forum discussion Main Pull request #4835 New Sketcher CreateRectangle Center.svg Centered rectangle SketcherCreateCenteredRectangleExample tool to define rectangles via relnotes 0.20.png a center point. Main commit New Sketcher ConstrainRadiam.svg Radiam function to automatically assign weight on B-spline pole, diameter on complete Radiam anim relnotes 0.20.gif circle, or radius on arc. Support multi-selection as diameter/radius tools. Forum discussion Main Pull request #4855 New Sketcher RemoveAxesAlignment.svg Remove Axes Alignment constraint tool to remove SketcherRemoveAxesAlignmentResult axes alignment while trying relnotes 0.20.png to preserve the constraint relationship of the selection. Main commit Slots can be constrained horizontally or vertically either by snapping it manually with the Ctrl key, SketcherSnapSlot relnotes 0.20.gif or by using the Auto constraints option of Sketcher. Pull request #5200 New Sketcher BSplineInsertKnot.svg Insert SketcherBSplineInsertKnot relnotes Knot tool to insert a knot in 0.20.gif an existing B-spline. Pull request #5311 and Pull request #6356 Further Sketcher improvements * Refactored Trim support. Pull request #4330 Forum discussion * The behavior of the Sketcher CreateSlot.svg Slot tool has changed. Slots can now be created by defining the center of both semicircles. Pull request Forum discussion * Visibility automation allows to open Sketcher in Section mode when entering edit mode. Pull request #4742 Forum discussion * Visibility automation allows to force camera in Orthographic mode when entering edit mode. Pull request #4778 Forum discussion * Option to display the dimensional constraint name and use a custom format for it. Pull request #4966 Forum discussion * When sketching a 3-point arc with Autoconstraint enabled, tangent constraint is proposed for all 3 points when hovering a line/ curve. Pull request #4945 Forum discussion * Radius/diameter constraints are displayed using an angular rotation to ease visualization. Angle and optional randomness are user settable through parameters documented in Fine-tuning. Pull request #4934 Forum discussion * It is now possible to fix the angle of the direction when using the Rectangular array tool. commitc9eaa239 Forum discussion * It is now possible to fix the angle of the direction when using the tools Clone, Copy and Move. commit Forum discussion * By right-clicking a sketch in the Tree view you will now get a context menu entry "Attachment editor" that opens the Attachment dialog to modify the attachment. commit c3511ba2f0 * Constraint selection is disabled when using a geometry or constraint tool. It can also be disabled manually at any time by pressing Shift key. Pull request #5398 Forum discussion * A versatile view filter has been added in the Sketcher task panel to ease constraints visibility management Forum discussion * It is now possible to set the degree of a B-Spline (Pull request #6463) and undo the last defined control point (Pull request # 6476) at creation time. * Revised the default shortcuts to remove conflicting shortcuts and make shortcuts easier to remember. Forum discussion; Screenshots of the shortcuts for constraints, geometry and various tools Spreadsheet Workbench The workbench now has Std DlgPreferences.svg Preferences. They are used by the Spreadsheet Spreadsheet-Preferences-Spreadsheet Import.svg Spreadsheet Import relnotes 0.20.png and Spreadsheet Export.svg Spreadsheet Export commands. Pull request #5073 It is now possible to setup configuration tables. This way Spreadsheet configuration table one can define different relnotes 0.20.png parameter sets for the same part. Part of Pull request #2862. Cells can now be bound to other Spreadsheet binding-dialog relnotes cells of the same or a different 0.20.png spreadsheet. Part of Pull request #2862. Further Spreadsheet improvements * In the row/column context-menu it is now possible to specify the position when inserting rows/columns. Pull request #4704. * Import XLSX (used by Std Import): Added support for floor and ceil functions. Pull request #5015. * Improved navigation using the Tab and Enter keys. * Improved interface for cutting and pasting blocks of cells. TechDraw Workbench TechDraw More than 30 new tools, so-called Extensions, ExtensionExample are now available. They offer new cosmetic relnotes 0.20.png features to enhance drawings. Further TechDraw improvements * It is now possible to Share and Move Views between pages. * When there are several Pages and a View, ProjectionGroup etc. is added, there is now a dialog to ask to what page the view should be added. Pull request #5309. * A new format specifier %w was added to print the given number of digits after dot and remove any trailing zeros. Pull request # 5401. * The new %w format specifier is now the default. And the format specifier preference was moved from the Advanced tab to the Dimension tab. Pull request #6504. * Flipped diagonal hatch was added for the Geometric Hatch tool. Pull request #6429. * There is a new option to show a grid in a page. Several related preferences have been introduced. Pull request #6465. * The unit display in dimensions was fixed according to standards. The degree symbol is always present for the dimension value and tolerances, other units only appear if ShowUnits is set. The unit appears immediately after the dimension value unless there is a tolerance, then it appears after the tolerance. Pull request # 6581 Web Qt WebEngine is now considered the default option instead of Qt WebKit. External workbenches Note: these are the new workbenches created in this development cycle, or older workbenches that received updates. See external workbenches for more workbenches that can be installed, and which cover a wide variety of topics. If you want to see your workbench added, join the forum and present your code. A2plus Several features to view, inspect and edit existing constraints were added. One can now e.g. highlight constraints with a label, suppress a constraint temporarily or run the solver only for a particular constraint. For more information see the constraint handling description. Assembly3 The Assembly3 Workbench is available (as of March 2022) through the AddonManager. This makes for easy installation and management of the external dependencies of the workbench. Assembly3 is used to create assemblies of different bodies Asm3 contained in a single file or in multiple documents relnotes leveraging the full power of FreeCAD's Link system. Learn 0.20.jpg more about Links in this video presentation from Realthunder. Assembly3 Workbench uses SolveSpace as it's solver. Extensive documentation can be found at the main FreeCAD Assembly3 wiki page or Realthunder's GitHub Assembly3 wiki Main features: * Dynamic/interactive solver: move parts with the mouse while the solver constrains the motion. * Links: use one single part multiple times in an Asm3 1 assembly. relnotes * External links: allows usage of parts from external 0.20.jpg documents. * Hierarchical assemblies: permits the creation of sub assemblies. * Assembly freeze: assemblies that are not required to remain dynamic can be excluded from calculations and are considered fixed geometry by the asm3 solver. * And much more. Assembly4 A4 veriant-beam New feature to add variants. These are links to a relnotes 0.20.png part with varying parameters, meaning that you can Different length insert the same part several times, and adjust the of a beam as parameters of each instance. For more info see variant. this forum thread. A4 veriant-animation relnotes 0.20.gif An animated Animations can be exported to the MP4 and GIF assembly. format. Click on the image to see the animation. FCGear The FCGear Workbench received a couple of improvements: * For involute gears, the outside (aka tip) and root diameter are exposed as properties (details). * Gear objects are now attachable (details). * Gear objects can now be used as additive features in PartDesign Bodies (details). * The creation of gear objects now appears in the undo stack ( details). Plot * The Plot module has been stripped from the workbench since it is now provided by FreeCAD. Ship The Ship Workbench is back to life! * A new tool to compute the static sink and trim has been added. * A new tool to compute the response amplitude operators has been added on top of capytaine. Compilation Since this release FreeCAD can only be compiled using Qt 5.x and Python 3.x. The lowest supported Python version is 3.6.9 according to this forum thread. To compile FreeCAD see the instructions for Windows, Linux and MacOS. The supported operating systems are: * Windows 7, 8, 10 and 11 * Linux Ubuntu Bionic Beaver (18.04) and Focal Fossa (20.04) * MacOS: 10.12 Sierra or newer Known Limitations 32bit Windows Since FreeCAD 0.19 we no longer officially support 32bit Windows. FreeCAD might work on these systems, but no support is given. Remote Desktop under Windows Depending on the OpenGL graphics capabilities of a computer, it might be that one encounters a crash when running FreeCAD via remote desktop. To fix this upgrade your OpenGL driver. Only if this doesn't help: * Download this OpenGL library for 64bit Windows and extract it. * Rename the DLL file to opengl32sw.dll and copy it to the bin subfolder of FreeCAD's installation folder (overwrite the existing DLL there). 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