Introduction to FreeCAD Python API. Automate the creation of parts from a CSV (or database) - In this video I use Pandas to read a CSV and send the values as variables into FreeCAD.

The FreeCAD code is programmed mainly in C++, but relies heavily on Python The FreeCAD source code is fully multi-platform

FreeCAD can be compiled and run without its Graphical User Interface, the code in App is independent of any GUI-related library

-solid core functionality is programmed in C++ and end-user tools are written in Python -To get started we will look at creating parts from a CSV, without using the GUI -This could be useful for 3d printing, eg export files as .stl

Example of what can be made with FreeCAD : 🔗 https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=59466

FreeCAD API official documentation 🔗 https://wiki.freecadweb.org/FreeCAD_API

TL;DW conda install PyQt 🔗 https://anaconda.org/anaconda/pyqt

Install FreeCAD: 🔗 https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=56744 🔗 https://anaconda.org/freecad/freecad

git clone https://github.com/FreeCAD/FreeCAD.git freecad-source (get the dependencies using your method of choice) mkdir freecad-build cd freecad-build cmake ../freecad-source make sudo make install

or

sudo add-apt-repository -y ppa:freecad-maintainers/freecad-stable sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install freecad

Download Macro: 🔗 https://wiki.freecadweb.org/Macro_Pyramid

Run from command line - no GUI!

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Example Code: file is called fc.py

#+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ #|r|e|d|a|n|d|g|r|e|e|n|.|c|o|.|u|k| #+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

import FreeCAD as App #from PySide import QtGui

import pandas as pd

df = pd.read_csv("c.csv") # (read from SQL eventually)

j = len(df)

for i in range(0,j):

fn =(df.iloc[i]['name']) lw =(df.iloc[i]['width']) lh =(df.iloc[i]['height'])

Make new document for each part - per line of CSV

doc = App.newDocument() doc.FileName = fn + ".FCStd"

App.ActiveDocument.addObject("Part::Box","Box") App.ActiveDocument.ActiveObject.Label = "Cube" App.ActiveDocument.recompute()

#Gui.SendMsgToActiveView("ViewFit")

Uses object called by internal name 'Box'

my_box = FreeCAD.ActiveDocument.getObject('Box') my_box.Height = float(lw) my_box.Width = float(lh)

doc.save()

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Run with example data file : "c.csv"

name,height,width a1,10,33 a2,3,44 a3,8,28 a4,14,38

From cli type:

[rag@~]$ freecadcmd fc.py

It will make 4 parts, with sizes as per your csv.

Visit redandgreen blog for more Tutorials

... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQW723n3DkU