FreeCAD Lesson 1: Your First Plate

Learning outcome

Create an editable 100 × 30 mm blank plate. Pad it to 3 mm, then change the thickness to 5 mm without redrawing the outline.

Before you start

Beginner lesson • 5:00 • English. Software shown: FreeCAD 1.0.0 on Linux. Work in a new practice document; menu positions may differ in other versions. This is a blank-plate exercise, not lettering or manufacturing preparation.

Step-by-step guide

1. Create a new document, a Part Design Body and a sketch on the XY plane (00:25).

2. Draw a closed rectangle (00:55). Keep all four edges connected.

3. Apply dimensions so the rectangle is 100 mm wide and 30 mm high (01:35). Use dimension constraints rather than judging the size by eye.

4. Close the sketch and use Pad with a length of 3 mm (02:25).

5. Edit the Pad length to 5 mm (03:10). Keep the 100 × 30 mm sketch unchanged.

6. Save the editable project as an FCStd file (04:00).

Try it yourself

Repeat the plate in a separate practice document. Change its thickness from 3 mm to 5 mm, then explain which parameter changed and which dimensions stayed the same.

Check your result

The outline is 100 × 30 mm, the final thickness is 5 mm, and the tree retains the editable sketch and Pad. Save, close and reopen the FCStd file to confirm your work was retained.

Common mistakes

If Pad fails, check that the sketch forms a closed outline. If the outline changes when you resize the thickness, edit the Pad length rather than the rectangle dimensions.

Continue learning

Next: FreeCAD Lesson 2 — Add and Resize a Through Hole. Lesson 3: Coming soon.