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The promise of the spreadsheet
(lemmy.world)
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this post was submitted on 02 Aug 2023
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FreeCAD
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Your own 3D parametric modeler.
FreeCAD is an open-source parametric 3D modeler made primarily to design real-life objects of any size. Parametric modeling allows you to easily modify your design by going back into your model history and changing its parameters.
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There really needs to be a variable system like there is on Assembly4, you can't even see the aliased value in spreadsheets without clicking into the cell (which constitutes a change so the entire project recomputes) so I end up having to make another adjacent with the variable name in text. But no, that doesn't work to just put in the name because the spreadsheet will interpret it as the variable since it is within the spreadsheet, you have to put quotes around it.
Also, changing an alias'd value in the spreadsheet on anything larger than an extremely basic part can take upwards of 5 minutes, even when solving the entire model only takes on the order of 10 seconds.
Spreadsheets are horrible in freecad.
This absolutely. Using variables is a very powerful feature which enables robust, solid and parametric modelling. The way it is implemented currently, however, is very crude. I have also had issues where when a cell refers to another cell further down in the spreadsheet, all sorts of mysterious bugs occur.
Would be nice if someone would implement a proper solution for this. I'd be willing to chip in on financial support if that would be required.