PDF manual for learning drawing from scratch

Intermediate FreeCAD and POV-ray tutorial (v0.18)
Workflow to produce a better render with POV-Ray: create a project, add objects, set the camera, save the .pov file, manually edit the file to improve the textures, planes, lights, and then run the renderer.

Welcome to the Krita 5.2 Manual!¶

Krita is a free and open source cross-platform application that offers an end-to-end solution for creating digital art files from scratch. Krita is optimized for frequent, prolonged and focused use. Explicitly supported fields of painting are illustrations, concept art, matte painting, textures, comics and animations. Developed together with users, Krita is an application that supports their actual needs and workflow. Krita supports open standards and interoperates with other applications.

Krita’s tools are developed keeping the above vision in mind. Although it has features that overlap with other raster editors its intended purpose is to provide robust tool for digital painting and creating artworks from scratch. As you learn about Krita, keep in mind that it is not intended as a replacement for Photoshop. This means that the other programs may have more features than Krita for image manipulation tasks, such as stitching together photos, while Krita’s tools are most relevant to digital painting, concept art, illustration, and texturing. This fact accounts for a great deal of Krita’s design.

You can download this manual as an EPUB.

Discover Krita’s features through an online manual. Guides to help you transition from other applications.

Learn through developer and user generated tutorials to see Krita in action.

New to Krita and don’t know where to start?

A quick run-down of all of the tools that are available.

Learn about general art and technology concepts that are not specific to Krita.

Find answers to the most common questions about Krita and what it offers.

Textures, brush packs, and python plugins to help add variety to your artwork.

An index of the manual for searching terms by browsing.

© Copyright licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License 1.3+ unless stated otherwise. Build 2505.

Architecture and BIM

Arch tutorial (v0.14)
This is the essential introduction to the Arch Workbench. It is extensive and showcases a typical workflow, from importing plans in DXF format to building the 3D model.

BIM modeling
How to model a small house, produce a blueprint with TechDraw, and export to IFC.

Open windows and doors (v0.18)
How to display windows and doors as open, with elevation and plan symbols, and produce a basic floor plan with TechDraw.

Design custom windows (v0.18)
How to draw custom doors and windows using the Sketcher, and adjust their normals to correctly place them in walls.

Arch panel tutorial (v0.15)
Modeling a microhouse roof panel by using the Sketcher, the Window tool, and the Panel tool.

WikiHouse modelling
Re-modeling the WikiHouse project using sketches and panels, starting from importing a mesh model created in SketchUp.

Modeling parts

FreeCAD provides two main workflows to modeling parts:

• combining objects, a method called Constructive solid geometry (CSG) using the Part Workbench, and
• using parametric modelling and feature editing with the PartDesign Workbench.

Please note that the PartDesign Workbench workflow was considerably changed from FreeCAD 0.17 onward; some of the tutorials haven’t been updated and may refer to the 0.16 version.

Creating a simple part with Part Workbench
An introduction to FreeCAD and Part Workbench using primitive solids.

Creating a simple part with Draft and Part Workbench
An introduction to modeling solids with Draft Workbench by creating a 2d profile in draft.

Creating a simple part with PartDesign (v0.17)
An introduction to the PartDesign workflow: tracing a sketch, using pad, pocket, and moving the object.

Basic Part Design Tutorial (v0.17)
Model a simple part using a feature editing methodology: creating a sketch, using pad, external references, pocket, and mirror.

Basic Part Design Tutorial 019 (v0.19 or above)
An updated version of the previous tutorial that creates the same model using techniques that avoid the topological naming problem.

Model an electric toothbrush head stand (v0.16 or above)
Multiple features used: sketch, distance and coincident constraints, pad, external references, fillet, chamfer, linear pattern, and draft.

Modeling for product design (v0.16)
Modeling a Lego block: sketches, vertical and horizontal distance constraints, pad, pocket, external reference, linear pattern, and assembly.

Traditional modeling, the CSG way
Modeling a table by using simple solids like cubes and cylinders, and performing boolean operations (fusions and cuts) with them.

Draft ShapeString tutorial (v0.19)
Create engraved text on a solid: extrude a shapestring to make it solid, then use a boolean cut to carve it from another solid.

Create a wiffle ball (v0.19)
Use solid primitives, like cubes and cylinders, and boolean operations, like union and cut, to create a hollowed ball.

Basic modeling tutorial
Create an iron angle by two methods: using solid primitives, and boolean operations (CSG); and by extruding a planar profile.

Aeroplane tutorial
Understand placements in FreeCAD by creating a simple aeroplane model. Then learn about rotation angles, yaw (Z), pitch (Y), and roll (X).

Thread for screw tutorial (v0.19)
Understand how to create threads with several techniques that include use of the tools Part Helix, PartDesign AdditivePipe, Part Sweep, Part Fuse, and Part Cut.

The Raspberry Pi project has made simple tutorials that are easy to follow, particularly for those new to CAD systems:

• freecad-dice, model a die with six faces, and optionally 3D print it.
• freecad-headphone-tidy, model a spool to organize and store earphones, and optionally 3D print it.
• freecad-chess-set, model and entire chess set in Bauhaus modernist style.
• Drafting and Sketching

Traditional 2D drafting
Draw a floor plan with lines, wires, rectangles, circular arcs, and add hatch patterns, annotations, and dimensions. Export the result to DXF.

Draft tutorial (v0.19)
This is a basic introduction to the tools of the Draft Workbench: working plane, grid, line, arc, upgrade, rectangle, circle, polygon, arrays, dimensions, annotations, and shapestring.

Sketcher reference (v0.18)
This is a 70-page long PDF document that serves as a detailed manual for the Sketcher Workbench. It explains the basics of Sketcher usage, and goes into a lot of detail about the creation of geometrical shapes, and each of the constraints.

Basic Sketcher Tutorial (v0.19)
This is a basic introduction to the tools of the Sketcher Workbench: construction mode, line, circle, arc, constraints (equality, vertical, horizontal, tangential, distance, angle, radius).

Sketcher constraints practices (v0.19)
Learn to efficiently constrain a sketch. Prefer geometric constraints over datum constraints.

Technical Drawings

Basic TechDraw Tutorial (v0.17)
This is the essential introduction to the tools of the TechDraw Workbench: page, view, scale, vertical and horizontal dimensions, annotations, projection groups, linking dimensions to the 3D view.

Creating a new background template (v0.17)
Instructions to create a page template in Inkscape for using it with the TechDraw Workbench. Determine the size of the sheet, draw a frame for the page, define fixed text, and editable text fields.

Measurement Of Angles On Holes (v0.19)
Instructions for adding center lines and subsequent angle representations on holes.

Before You Begin

In this tutorial, you will be using the Part Design Workbench to create a 3D solid model of the part shown in the Drawing below. All of the necessary dimensions to complete this task are given. You will start by creating a core shape from a base Sketch and then build on that shape, adding what is known as Features. These features will either add material to, or remove material from the solid by use of additional sketches and accompanying feature operations. This Tutorial will not use every feature and tool available within the Part Design Workbench, but should use enough to give the user of this tutorial a basic foundation upon which to build their knowledge and skills.

Constructing The Part

Startup

First begin by making sure you are in the Part Design Workbench. Once there, you will want to create a new document if you have not done so already. It is a good habit to save your work often, so before anything else save the new document, giving it any name you might like.

All work in Part Design begins with a Body. Then we will build the solid inside the body by starting with a sketch.

1. Click on Create new body to create and activate a new Body Container. Note: this step can be omitted. When creating a sketch, if no existing Body is found, a new one will be automatically created and activated.
2. Click on Create new sketch. This will create the sketch within the just created body.
3. We need to define where the sketch will be attached. We will attach it to a plane from the Body´s Origin.
4. In the Tasks tab from the Combo view, select YZ_Plane in the list and press OK :

Note: it’s possible that the OK button may not be visible if the side panel is not wide enough. You can make it wider by dragging its right border. Place your mouse pointer over the border; when the pointer changes to a two-way arrow, press and hold the left mouse button and drag.

Once you click OK, FreeCAD automatically switches to the Sketcher workbench and opens the sketch in edit mode:

Create the sketch

Next you will want to use the Polyline tool and make a shape roughly like that in the next image. It does not need to be perfect as the final shape is done with constraints. Once you have the basic shape, we will start applying the constraints. If you had Auto constraints on, some of these constraints will have been applied automatically, if not, do the following. But first make sure that you have exited the Polyline tool by right-clicking or pressing ESC twice; the mouse cursor should turn back from a cross-hair to the standard arrow cursor. Don’t press ESC a third time or you will exit edit mode; if this happens, click on the Model tab, then double-click the Sketch element in the tree, or right-click and select Edit sketch in the context menu. To avoid leaving edit mode when pressing Esc too often, change the Esc can leave sketch edit mode preference ( introduced in version 0.19 ), see Sketcher Preferences.

NOTE: Since this tutorial was written there have been improvements to the sketcher solver, if it detects a redundant constraint it will turn the sketch orange in colour, and before further constraints are added, the redundant constraint should be removed. (The redundant constraint is shown in the Task view, click on the blue reference and press delete.)

1. Select the two horizontal lines with your mouse by clicking on them, and once selected, click on the horizontal constraint.
2. Select the vertical line on the right and then click on the vertical constraint.
3. Select the start and end points of your polyline and click on the coincident constraint to close the polyline.
4. Select the bottom horizontal line and the right vertical line and apply and equal constraint.
5. Select either the horizontal or vertical line and apply either a corresponding horizontal distance constraint or vertical distance constraint and give it a value of 26 mm.
6. Select the top horizontal line and apply the horizontal distance constraint and give it a value of 5 mm
7. Select the lower right point (vertex) of the horizontal line Origin and then the center point of the grid and apply the coincident constraint to fix your shape.

At this point you should have a fully constrained sketch as indicated by it changing color and the message shown in the Combo View. It should now look just like the image below.

Now in the Tasks tab, click on the Close button to leave the sketch edit mode and select Pad from the toolbar or from the Part Design menu. This will give you a Pad dialog in the Task View. Using that dialog, first using the Type pulldown menu, select Two dimensions. Drawing presented at the beginning of this tutorial says the part is 53 mm long. We do it by Padding our sketch both ways from the center plane to make up that distance i.e. make the pad symmetric in relation of sketch-plane. The reason for is seen later when creating features. For now, given we want it to be 53 mm long in total we will input 26.5 for Length, and 26.5 again for the Second length. Alternatively, you can provide a single length of 53 mm and click the Symmetric to plane check box. Once that is done we now have our base solid upon which we will add additional features to construct our part.

A video of the steps used in this portion of the tutorial is here: https://youtu.be/cUyPnCMeTgg

Features with pocket and external geometry

Using the mouse or the view icons turn the model around so you can see its back. Once the back of the part is visible, select the back face by clicking on it as seen in the next image.

After the face is selected, click on the New sketch icon in the toolbar or from the Part Design menu and that will map our next sketch to the back face of the part. Now select Rectangle tool and place a rectangle on the rear face of the part in a similar fashion as shown below. Now following the steps listed, constrain the sketch.

1. Select one of the horizontal lines apply a horizontal distance constraint and a value of 5 mm.
2. Select one of the vertical lines and give it a vertical distance constraint and a value of 11 mm.
3. Select External geometry tool
4. Select the upper right vertex of the face and click it so you are provided a point from the external geometry to link our sketch to.

1. Right click to end the External geometry mode
2. Select that point you just made available with the External geometry tool and then select the upper right vertex of the rectangle and click on the Constrain coincident. At this point the sketch should be fully constrained and look like the next image.

Once that is done, click the Close button at the top of the Tasks tab in the Combo View window, then select Pocket tool from the toolbar or Part Design menu. Using this tool is the opposite of the Pad tool. As the Pad tool adds material to the part, the Pocket tool removes material from the part. Both operations are called features. In this Pocket operation we want to select Through all from the type pulldown-menu and then click the OK button.

For the next operation, make sure that “Pocket” is selected in the Model tree view and once done, click on the Mirror feature on the toolbar or from the Part Design menu. In the Mirror dialog in the Combo View, select Horizontal sketch axis from the Plane pulldown menu. Then click OK. The Mirror feature works in this way because the base feature of our model was Padded both ways from the horizontal plane in the first operation with the base sketch. If all has gone well, you should now have a part that looks like the image below after you orbit it around to the front.

A video of the steps used in this portion of the tutorial is here: https://youtu.be/wiGXV9G7mrM

Features with pad and external geometry

After taking a look, orbit back around and once again select the back face of the part and select that face to map the next sketch to.

Select New sketch and make a new rectangle in the manner similar to what is shown below in the next image. Then proceed to add dimensional constraints to the rectangle.

1. Select a horizontal line and apply a horizontal distance constraint with a value of 16.7.
2. Select a vertical line and apply a vertical distance constraint of 7 mm
3. Using the External geometry tool, select the upper left vertex of the part face.

Now selecting the upper left vertex of the rectangle and the external geometry point, click on the coincident constraint to fully constrain the sketch.

Close the Sketcher.

Next we will click on the Pad feature and in the Pad dialog in the Combo View we want a length of 26 mm leaving the type as Dimension and then placing a check on the Reversed checkbox. Using the Reversed checkbox will cause the Pad to go into the part instead of away from the part. This operation provides with the following result.

Once again use the Mirror feature to get the second pad. First ensure that created Pad is selected in the tree view, then click on Mirror in the toolbar or select it from the Part Design menu. We will repeat the operation we did for Pocket above and select Horizontal sketch axis from the Plane pulldown menu.

A video of the steps used in this portion of the tutorial is here: https://youtu.be/Ido1owp8ubc

Feature with pocket and external geometry

At this point orbiting the part around to the front, we can see that our part is now starting to look like the part in the dimensioned drawing at the beginning of this tutorial. Once you have the view of the front, click on the sloped face with your mouse to select the face we will use for the next sketch.

Here we will use the Rectangle tool and place a rectangle in our sketch and once having done so, apply the following constraints.

1. Select a horizontal line and a vertical line, and after both are selected, click on the Equals constraint.
2. Select either a horizontal or vertical line and apply a corresponding horizontal or vertical distance constraint with a value of 17 mm
3. Using the External geometry tool, select the top right vertex as shown in the image below.

Now using the dimensions from the drawing, apply the following constraints.

1. Select the external geometry point and the upper right vertex of the now square sketch and apply a horizontal distance constraint of 7 mm
2. Select the external geometry point and the upper right vertex of the now square sketch and apply a vertical distance constraint of 11 mm

The result should be as follows.

At this point if we were to simply Pocket this sketch, the resulting hole would be perpendicular to the sloped face that it is mapped to, and this is not what we want.

We want the hole to be perpendicular to the back face, but it’s projected dimensions are not the 17 mm x 17 mm dimensions that are given in the drawing. Now we could do the math and calculate the dimensions needed, or we can use the tools provided in FreeCAD to make that projection for us.

A video of the steps used in this portion of the tutorial is here: https://youtu.be/x4d5nZPWCLQ

To create pocket which has the sloped rectangle as it´s outlet, we draw a new rectangle on the rear side, using the projection of the sloped rectangle as an external reference. Orbit the Solid around to see the rear face of the part once again and select the back face to map the final sketch to.

Select New Sketch from the toolbar or Part Design menu. Now in sketch edit mode, we do not see the sketched rectangle on the slope. To make it selectable , we switch the combo view to model tab and select the last sketch made (Sketch003) on the sloped plane. Then using the spacebar, make it visible. Next, select the mirror feature above (mirrored001) and again using the spacebar, hide it. Then you should see the sloped rectangle inside the 3D View. You may continue to work with the model tab visible, or switch back to tasks tab. Using the External geometry tool, select the upper and lower horizontal edges of the sloped rectangle. Then, add a new rectangle to the sketch using the Rectangle tool.

1. Select the upper left vertex of the new rectangle and the upper left point of the external geometry and click on the coincident constraint.
2. Click on the lower right vertex of the new rectangle and the lower right point of the external geometry and click on the coincident constraint.

And we should end up with this.

For the final step in this tutorial, close the sketcher window using close or finish editing from the context menu of sketch004 and then select the Pocket feature from the toolbar or from the Part Design menu. From the Type pulldown select Through all and click the OK button.

At this point, you will see some lines which come from intersecting features. In this case the side block intersects with the base profile letting it appear as a triangular block above the profile (i.e., there is an extra line visible in the above picture on the right face of the model). To remove these lines, you can either switch on “refine shape” in your Part Design Settings or, to save some processing speed and still have these lines while constructing, individually switch it on at each feature. The Setting on feature level can be done in the “data” tab of the feature. Set the refine property to TRUE for the pocket feature Pocket001 to invoke refining.

A video of these steps of the tutorial is here: https://youtu.be/UYI0gvxCYeI

This tutorial and your model are complete.

Additional Resources

• FreeCAD file for comparison (made with 0.17) Download

• Structure tools:Part, Group
• Helper tools:Create body, Create sketch, Edit sketch, Map sketch to face

• Modeling tools
  • Datum tools:Create a datum point, Create a datum line, Create a datum plane, Create a local coordinate system, Create a shape binder, Create a sub-object(s) shape binder, Create a clone
  • Additive tools:Pad, Revolution, Additive loft, Additive pipe, Additive helix, Additive box, Additive cylinder, Additive sphere, Additive cone, Additive ellipsoid, Additive torus, Additive prism, Additive wedge
  • Subtractive tools:Pocket, Hole, Groove, Subtractive loft, Subtractive pipe, Subtractive helix, Subtractive box, Subtractive cylinder, Subtractive sphere, Subtractive cone, Subtractive ellipsoid, Subtractive torus, Subtractive prism, ‎Subtractive wedge
  • Transformation tools:Mirrored, Linear Pattern, Polar Pattern, Create MultiTransform, Scaled
  • Dress-up tools:Fillet, Chamfer, Draft, Thickness
  • Boolean:Boolean operation
  • Extras:Migrate, Sprocket, Involute gear, Shaft design wizard
  • Context menu:Set tip, Move object to other body, Move object after other object, Appearance, Set colors
  • General:Create sketch, Edit sketch, Map sketch to face, Reorient sketch, Validate sketch, Merge sketches, Mirror sketch, Leave sketch, View sketch, View section, Toggle grid, Toggle snap, Configure rendering order, Stop operation
  • Sketcher geometries:Point, Line, Arc, Arc by 3 points, Circle, Circle by 3 points, Ellipse, Ellipse by 3 points, Arc of ellipse, Arc of hyperbola, Arc of parabola, B-spline by control points, Periodic B-spline by control points, B-spline by knots, Periodic B-spline by knots, Polyline, Rectangle, Centered rectangle, Rounded rectangle, Triangle, Square, Pentagon, Hexagon, Heptagon, Octagon, Regular polygon, Slot, Fillet, Corner-preserving fillet, Trim, Extend, Split, External geometry, Carbon copy, Toggle construction geometry
  • Sketcher constraints:
    • Geometric constraints:Coincident, Point on object, Vertical, Horizontal, Parallel, Perpendicular, Tangent, Equal, Symmetric, Block
    • Dimensional constraints:Lock, Horizontal distance, Vertical distance, Distance, Radius or weight, Diameter, Auto radius/diameter, Angle, Refraction (Snell’s law)
    • Constraint tools:Toggle driving/reference constraint, Activate/deactivate constraint
    • Sketcher tools:Select unconstrained DoF, Select associated constraints, Select associated geometry, Select redundant constraints, Select conflicting constraints, Show/hide internal geometry, Select origin, Select horizontal axis, Select vertical axis, Symmetry, Clone, Copy, Move, Rectangular array, Remove axes alignment, Delete all geometry, Delete all constraints
    • Sketcher B-spline tools:Show/hide B-spline degree, Show/hide B-spline control polygon, Show/hide B-spline curvature comb, Show/hide B-spline knot multiplicity, Show/hide B-spline control point weight, Convert geometry to B-spline, Increase B-spline degree, Decrease B-spline degree, Increase knot multiplicity, Decrease knot multiplicity, Insert knot, Join curves
    • Sketcher virtual space:Switch virtual space
    • Additional:Sketcher Dialog, Preferences, Sketcher scripting
    • Getting started
    • Installation:Download, Windows, Linux, Mac, Additional components, Docker, AppImage, Ubuntu Snap
    • Basics:About FreeCAD, Interface, Mouse navigation, Selection methods, Object name, Preferences, Workbenches, Document structure, Properties, Help FreeCAD, Donate
    • Help:Tutorials, Video tutorials
    • Workbenches:Std Base, Arch, Draft, FEM, Inspection, Mesh, OpenSCAD, Part, PartDesign, Path, Points, Reverse Engineering, Robot, Sketcher, Spreadsheet, Start, Surface, TechDraw, Test Framework, Web
    • Addons:Addon Manager, External workbenches, Scripting and macros
    • Hubs:User hub, Power users hub, Developer hub