I want to suggest a couple of changes. will there be a response?

[Dmtiir]

Good afternoon guys. I understand that maybe my topic is not quite appropriate, but another attempt to come to terms with the minuses of FreeCAD made me go a little further and try to solve these problems.


It so happened that I used to work in solidworks , and now I 'm doing ui and ux and gamedev . if you have learned once, it is impossible to unlearn. periodically there is a need to design something precise. solidworks license is not available to me right now, and buying a license for a couple of weeks a year is very expensive, and piracy is not my way. I tried to work in FreeCAD several times, but there was always rejection. And the problem is not in a small number of tools and not in errors (such as a mistake with the name).
The real problems are quite different.

First, it is overloaded with unnecessary UI elements, with the loss of a very large amount of work space. very intuitive icons and not enough hotkeys and convenient menus. but these are more whims than problems.

But the main problem is in UX . you need to make a lot of clicks to get very simple things.

1. Externel Geometry. kills all desire to open FreeCAD . Snapping should be by default, and not add elements with one tool, and then bind elements with another, this is a lot of unnecessary work.
2. Constrain distance, radius and angles. Another extra job. We need a universal tool that sets the dimensions depending on where the mouse is pointed. Individual tools are needed in one case out of a hundred.

Just these two things will make FreeCAD popular . This will already be a working tool.
Of course, you can say that these are my personal problems, but believe me, after one attempt to work this way, people Google alternatives, and no matter how bad the polygons are, people are already looking at the Blender.


For my part, I am ready for any adventures, draw a pack of icons, work out the interface, etc. and so on.
Unless, of course, someone shares my opinion. And this work will be needed. I sketched out a layout to improve the UI.

I didn't touch the icons because this is a big serious job and if I need it, I will do it.





Changes.

1. Topbar becomes menu bar. The FreeCAD icon becomes a menu icon, where you can store everything related to links, updates, and so on. Workbenches are also transferred to the top. since this is a key area of FreeCAD, it needs to be emphasized, and after the menu items of the open projects tab.
2. I also reduced the bottom bar and I think that it can also be used more efficiently, for example, to transfer elements related to the display there. (but this is a low priority case)
3. I have removed the headers of all windows. and the header lines in the combo menu.
4. You can now delete windows only through the right-click menu on this window. this adds space and eliminates accidental closing of windows.
5. I have added special places for dragging windows.
6. I visually simplified the display of the view and data windows.
7. I changed the display of the model tree, the small icons that appeared on the icons on top are now added to the back in the form of highlighted icons so that you can immediately identify the differences.
8. Also, I added an icon to temporarily hide the element or disable it. visually, the samples showed that the line-up in the form of nodes is more readable, if it is interesting, I will lay out other options.
9. made minimalistic scrollbars without track and up & down buttons.


And my opinion is that it would be good to use a hotkey using Shift+ RMC | Shift+LMC | alt +RMC | alt+LMC | CTRL+ RMC (and that 5 hotkeys) for the most frequent actions. for example, for plaskost, create sketch, Pad, Pocket , ets. Also for edges, in model mode and for points and lines in drawing mode. it is advisable to make an item in the menu to change these commands at will.

You can also use these hotkeys in an empty window space to open windows with menus, for example, those that are not needed often but are needed. this way you can add 5 menus. For example, measurements with a tape measure or macros. it is also desirable to make these menus configurable in the program settings.


I hope someone also has similar thoughts and we can improve Free CAD and make it convenient and popular.


PS I took the pro dark theme as a basis. if the case moves, the color solution will be improved, as well as all the colors of the lines of dots and so on.

[Kunda1]

Bad news:
We have folks suggest changes all the time. Nothing is guaranteed. It really depends on them sticking around to help rally for those changes and invest their time in FreeCAD. This is called 'skin in the game'.

Coming from F360 or other CADs is not easy for most people, especially for designers who tend to have a lot of strong preferences and very specific esthetics. Most don't stick around long enough because of this. Your "if you have learned once, it is impossible to unlearn." won't get you far in FreeCAD since it has its own way approach. You may want to reconsider how strongly you feel about unlearning old habits and starting new habit patterns.

Good News:
Now more than ever FreeCAD has the ability to be customized, see Preference Packs. The customization access still requires python coding knowledge (or at least 'cut and paste') since not all parts are consolidated just yet. Take a look at realthunder's Link branch and some of the customization that folks like mpetrikas has done with MidnightUI.

Edit: typo

[Bance]

First response:-

https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=69960

[Dmtiir]

I have already read different forum branches and was waiting for a similar answer reading the forum, I understood :
1. a lot of people want changes, absolutely different, from really necessary to very subjective
2. There are very few people who are working on writing a program. and they already have a roadmap that they really don't want to change.
3. The community is complex. In any case, reading the answers, I got the impression that everything new is not welcome and irritates local old-timers. and often people don't want to hear each other. often a very biased attitude.

What can I say . It 's very sad . I am already an elderly person and I know a lot of programs and the development of many of them has already been stopped. I am not afraid of learning new software or another approach . For example, I use Obsidian MD with my own approach to organizing information.
I make skins for vlc, obsidian, firefox, etc. to do this, I have to learn programming with the nuances of each new software.

Here are my arguments that I would like to be heard, not depending on my topic.

1) If a lot of people are uncomfortable, whether they are beginners or not. and the minority is comfortable. maybe you should think that the path is not right?

2) It is very likely that worship hinders development.
FreeCAD is more than 20 years old and much of what is embedded in it has long been outdated. In response to requests for changes, I only hear that he has a different ideology. Not an argument about the advantages of this approach, but simply support for traditions. For software, this is very wrong. it is enough to open the old operating system (or see screenshots) especially Unix, look how much everything has changed. now if you want beauty, you need unix/linux/freebsd tell me this 20 years ago, I would not have believed it. very often there is software with just one important function and people migrate. as for example happened with Nuke after Shake , the appearance in the first through mathematics and the plot only in the final killed the second with its annoying Concatenation . The same thing happens with popular programs when a large corporation does not hear users, new software appears that is more flexible and convenient and users migrate.

3) Do not underestimate the new generation, the fact that they are aimed at an easy result is very good. suffering does not make the work better, you just get more tired and spend less time with family, friends or with your hobby. Moreover, FreeCAD should focus on the young, since they are the ones who will bring it to the studio and transplant the old people to the new software. Or to base their studios on freecad and so on. I perfectly remember how they looked askance at solidworks in the bureau that worked for Catia. and then how Solid became the second software.
Life is changing and consciousness is changing, whether we want it or not, it needs to be taken into account. It's enough to watch an old movie to see how slow it is. But it didn't seem like that before. We are changing as well as young people.


4) Now is a very good time for FreeCAD to become mainstream, but it needs to turn its face to the majority of users. If you look well , then all CAD programs are very outdated and they need to change . look at young programs like Shapr3D . he can be blamed in many ways, but the speed and ease of modeling is amazing. And the UI is very modern and attractive.

[Dmtiir]

First response:-

https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=69960

I read this first thing. But apparently we have focused on different parts of this topic.
I share my ideas and thoughts. and I do it quite politely. I want everyone to feel good, including you. I'm not saying that FreeCAD should be like something. I believe that it can be the best of all because it does not belong to one company but is made by people for people. And I am also ready to make my contribution, not just to take.

[drmacro]

Many, some who are well schooled in other CAD programs don't see things as that bad.

Everyone pretty much agrees there could be improvements. Most long time users have used the available tools (Tools>Customize, color settings, and Preference Packs as they evolve) to make the environment fit their workflow.

In addition, the organic nature of FreeCAD just doesn't seem to lend itself to homogeneity across the software.

I've never been. convinced that there is comprehensive way that hundreds of commands and functions can be organized in a way that does not require a rather concerted effort by a user to learn what and where is available and developer the muscle memory required. Or organized in a way that is universally accepted as easy or completely intuitive. Especially for those whose intuition is based on familiarity with other, typically commercial, offerings.

[MisterMaker]

Check out my thread if you want to make icons, there is also a list off a lot of icons that you can use.
Animated tooltips seem also to work very well so if you are interested into making short gifs of features that we can place in tooltips that would be great.
In my opinion the gif in the tooltips look very slik, there are a bunch of other expensive CAD programs that use this.
IF you really want to work on the layout I'd suggest start with the ModernUI workbench, Hakan was looking for a new maintainer. Probably because it takes a lot of work to maintain it and he got almost zero donations to do it. So don't expect to be paid....
https://wiki.freecadweb.org/ModernUI_Workbench
Also if you can't find any motivation or time to do any of this, then you could donate some money to Freecad so someone else can do it.

[Kunda1]

Here's the advice: If you want to be on the cutting edge of freecad and also influence changes:
1. You need to run the development builds. Both master and Link.
2. You need to hang out on the github bugtrackers (for both) and help test and give feedback on fixes and features.
3. Build merit in the community so that what your say has some weight.
4. Create connections, especially with programmers, that can materialize ideas and features you're interested in.
5. Persuade the community to adopt your proposal.

More succinctly: you need to invest time with the possibility that your needs won't get met. But some may actually.

[Haavard]

1. Externel Geometry. kills all desire to open FreeCAD . Snapping should be by default, and not add elements with one tool, and then bind elements with another, this is a lot of unnecessary work.
2. Constrain distance, radius and angles. Another extra job. We need a universal tool that sets the dimensions depending on where the mouse is pointed. Individual tools are needed in one case out of a hundred.

I also come from SW, and the reality is that you just have to live with the shortcomings for now, and customize the UI to suit your preferences. FreeCAD is a long, long way from being SW, but it's still surprisingly powerful.

Some good news though:
1. There was a discussion about this, basically convert elements to geometry automatically, and i think there was consensus that it's a good idea. Hopefully this gets developed sooner than later.

2. @paddle is working on many improvements on the sketcher workbench, and this is one of them. Here is the forum thread: https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=65521

[Dmtiir]

I've never been. convinced that there is comprehensive way that hundreds of commands and functions can be organized in a way that does not require a rather concerted effort by a user to learn what and where is available and developer the muscle memory required. Or organized in a way that is universally accepted as easy or completely intuitive. Especially for those whose intuition is based on familiarity with other, typically commercial, offerings.

I fundamentally disagree with you. This is exactly what I'm doing at work right now. I'll try to explain. When you click the file menu button, you expect a specific list of commands.
or when you want to customize the program you look for the settings button.
or when you go to the sketch workbench , you expect to see a certain set of icons in the toolbar.

this is exactly the right way for ui . and you don't need to learn something specifically for this. Similarly, it would be logical to expect that when you select a plane and open the RMC menu, you want to see the Pad, Poket, Sketch, etc. commands there. moreover, you can do Shift+ Click = Paid ; Ctrl+ Shift + Click= Pocket ; Alt + Click = Make Sketch on this plane.

Or when you select an edge, then in the MC menu you expect to see - Chamfer, Rounding and ets. When you select a line Shift+ Click = make a chamfer ; Alt + Click = make a rounding.


But I have a feeling that the answers are of a standard nature. about not wanting to learn another program . for me, this is not a problem at all. Moreover , as far as I understand , you can customize the theme . but as I wrote at the very beginning. I see only two problems I will put it here again:

1. Externel Geometry. kills all desire to open FreeCAD . Snapping should be by default, and not add elements with one tool, and then bind elements with another, this is a lot of unnecessary work.
2. Constrain distance, radius and angles. Another extra job. We need a universal tool that sets the dimensions depending on where the mouse is pointed. Individual tools are needed in one case out of a hundred.