FreeCAD Tutorial PDF: Mastering Assembly Workbenches for Efficient Modeling

Assembly workbenches in FreeCAD can be daunting to program due to the numerous problems that need to be solved regarding the efficient use of bodies and parts in your model. However, if your model is not complex, you may not require an assembly workbench at all.

As of FreeCAD 0.19, there is no official assembly workbench included by default with the system. This advanced usage of the software is typically employed in complex mechanical systems. Assembly workbenches utilize constraints and expressions to create relationships between objects in your model, mathematically tying them together. For instance, you can specify that a face should stick to another face, or that a cylinder should be concentric with a circle.

Please note that Assembly2 is unmaintained and not recommended for new models. Instead, consider using dedicated assembly workbenches like A2plus, Assemblé, or Assembly4. These tools allow you to create sub-assemblies that can be placed next to or inside other sub-assemblies to form the final assembly.

The Std Part object serves as the basic building block for creating assemblies. It is used to group several bodies and move them together as a unit, or sub-assembly. You may also employ pseudo-assembly external workbenches like Lattice2, Manipulator, Part-o-magic, or WorkFeature to help you find intersections, measure distances, and distribute your objects in the desired way.

To position bodies where you want them, you can modify the placement property directly in the property editor. In general terms, you don't need special tools to create assemblies; you just need to have many different bodies arranged in some way.

In FreeCAD, an assembly typically refers to a 3D model composed of several distinguishable parts that are put together in some way to form a functional object, similar to real-life products. For example, a bolt, washer, and nut are three separate bodies that when combined comprise an assembly.

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