Defeaturing Workbench

Introduction


Defeaturing WB is an add-on workbench intended for editing STEP models, removing of the selected features from the model. It is not part of the standard FreeCAD install.

It is also possible to direct modeling the model, when the history of operations is unavailable. (This is the case for 3d STEP models). Defeaturing can also useful to remove proprietary details of the model before sharing it.

Features:

Defeaturing WB: a set of tools to edit a Shape or a STEP model, removing holes, faces, simplifying the model, change the tolerance...

There are also tools to create more solid shapes, from edges, faces or shells.

These defeaturing and repairing tools work with FreeCAD 0.15, 0.16, 0.17 and 0.18. More advance defeaturing tools can be used if OCC7.3 are available.

Tools
The Defeaturing Tools are located in a separate mask.



These are in particular:
 * [[Image:DefeatWB_Tools_rmv_hole.png|32px]] Remove Holes: remove Hole from Face
 * [[Image:DefeatWB_Tools_rmv_listed_Faces.png|32px]] Remove listed Faces: remove 'in List' Faces
 * [[Image:DefeatWB_Tools_add_Faces_listed_Edges.png|32px]] Add Faces from 'in List' Edges: add Faces from 'in List' Edges
 * [[Image:DefeatWB_Tools_select_Faces_Param_Defeat.png|32px]] Select Faces to be Parametric defeatured: select Faces to be Parametric defeatured
 * [[Image:DefeatWB_Tools_create_copy_listed_edges.png|32px]] Create a copy of the 'in List' Edges : Create a copy of the 'in List' Edges


 * [[Image:DefeatWB_Tools_copy_Faces_listed_faces.png|32px]] copy Faces from 'in List' Faces : copy Faces from 'in List' Faces
 * [[Image:DefeatWB_Tools_offset face.png|32px]] offset face: offset face
 * [[Image:DefeatWB_Tools_offset edge.png|32px]] offset edge: offset edge


 * [[Image:DefeatWB_Tools_make_solid_listed_faces.png|32px]] Make Solid from in List Faces: make Solid from in List Faces
 * [[Image:DefeatWB_Tools_make_solid_faces_selected_objects.png|32px]] Make Solid from the Faces of the selected Objects: make Solid from the Faces of the selected Objects
 * [[Image:DefeatWB_Tools_select_one_object_2_make_solid_step_proc.png|32px]] Make Solid from in List Faces: select ONE object to try to make a Solid through STEP import/export process
 * [[Image:DefeatWB_Tools_Connect.png|32px]] Connect: Connect
 * [[Image:DefeatWB_Tools_clean_face_rmv_holes.png|32px]] clean Face(s) removing holes and merging Outwire: clean Face(s) removing holes and merging Outwire


 * [[Image:DefeatWB_Tools_show_listed_edges.png|32px]] show 'in List‘ Edge(s): show 'in List‘ Edge(s)
 * [[Image:DefeatWB_Tools_show_listed_faces.png|32px]] show 'in List‘ Face(s): show 'in List‘ Face(s)
 * [[Image:DefeatWB_Tools_refine.png|32px]] refine: refine
 * [[Image:DefeatWB_Tools_simple_copy.png|32px]] simple copy: simple copy
 * [[Image:DefeatWB_Tools_parametric_refine.png|32px]] parametric Refine: parametric Refine


 * [[Image:DefeatWB_Tools_geometry_check.png|32px]] geometry check: geometry check
 * [[Image:DefeatWB_Tools_get_Tolerance_value.png|32px]] get Tolerance value: get Tolerance value
 * [[Image:DefeatWB_Tools_set_Tolerance_value.png|32px]] set Tolerance value: set Tolerance value


 * [[Image:DefeatWB_Tools_make_edges_selected_vertexes.png|32px]] make Edge from selected Vertexes: make Edge from selected Vertexes
 * [[Image:DefeatWB_Tools_reset_placement.png|32px]] reset Placement: reset Placement
 * [[Image:DefeatWB_Tools_show_hide_typeId_shape.png|32px]] show/hide TypeId of the Shape: show/hide Type Id of the Shape
 * [[Image:DefeatWB_Tools_help.png|32px]] help: help
 * [[Image:DefeatWB_Tools_sew_shape.png|32px]] sew a shape: sew a shape

Detailed description TBD

Video Tutorials
Defeaturing-WB: removing features



YouTube Tutorials:

simplifying the model



multi-select faces for defeaturing



Defeaturing
Removing Features using OCC7.3 new tools



Video tutorial in german language



Repairing

 * Sew a Shape
 * Removing or Simplify Faces
 * Remove Holes or Pockets
 * Read or Change Tolerance

Automatic installation
- automatically using the FreeCAD Add-on Manager (bundled in to 0.17 dev version under Tools Menu)

From GitHub
- manually by copying the Manipulator folder to the Mod sub-directory of the FreeCAD application.

FC Defeaturing WB github page

Supports

 * FreeCAD v0.15 4671
 * FreeCAD v0.16 >= 6712
 * FreeCAD v0.17 >= 13522
 * FreeCAD v0.18

External workbenches
FreeCAD workbenches are easy to program in Python, there are therefore many people developing additional workbenches outside of the FreeCAD main developers.

The external workbenches page has some information and tutorials on some of them, and the FreeCAD Addons project aims at gathering them and making them easily installable from within FreeCAD.

New workbenches are in development, stay tuned!