TechDraw TemplateHowTo

Tutorial
Topic
Drafting
Level
Intermediate
Time to complete
60 minutes
Authors
wandererfan
FreeCAD version
0.17
Example files
None
See also
None

Introduction

This tutorial shows you how to create an SVG file that can be used as the background template for the TechDraw Workbench pages.

This tutorial assumes you are moderately familiar with Inkscape and SVG, as well as FreeCAD and the TechDraw Workbench.

We're going to make a simple template for US Letter size paper in landscape orientation.

A copy of the result of this tutorial is available in

$INSTALL_DIR/Mod/TechDraw/Templates/HowToExample.svg

Where $INSTALL_DIR is the directory where FreeCAD was installed, for example

/usr/share/freecad/Mod/TechDraw/Templates/HowToExample.svg

Create base document

1. Open a new document in Inkscape.

2. In Document Properties

• Select page size "US Letter" and orientation "landscape".
• Set default units to "mm", and the page size to width "279.4" and height "215.9".

Inskcape: document with page size and orientation

3. Use the XML Editor to add a "freecad" namespace clause to the <svg> item.

• xmlns:freecad="http://www.freecadweb.org/wiki/index.php?title=Svg_Namespace".

Inkscape: XML Editor adding the "freecad" namespace clause to the <svg> item

Create template drawing

4. Draw outlines, zone numbers, center lines, and other geometry.

5. Draw the boxes and lines for the title block.

6. Add and position your static text.

7. Add and position the text that will be editable.

8. You now have your finished artwork, that should look something like this:

Inkscape: tentative template layout

Create editable fields

9. Use the XML Editor to add a freecad:editable tag to each editable <text> item.

• Assign a meaningful field name to each editable text.

Inkscape: XML Editor adding the "freecad:editable" property to the desired <text> item

Adjust size of the SVG

10. Use the XML editor to adjust the viewBox attribute to match your page size in millimeters.

• It is four values, in the format "0 0 width height"

Inkscape: XML Editor adjusting the viewbox to match the page size in millimeters

11. Your template will now appear much bigger than desired.

Inkscape: tentative template layout exceeding the page size

12. We need to shrink it.

• Edit → Select All in All Layers, or box select and select all.
• Adjust the W: and H: spinboxes to match your artwork's size in millimeters.
• Set it to the page size less any applicable margins, for example, W: 250, and H: 200.

13. Use "Align and Distribute" or the X: and Y: spinboxes to position the artwork within the limits of the page if required.

14. Your template should now look right, just like it did in the finished artwork picture above.

Remove transformans on the SVG

15. Ensure that all your editable texts are "ungrouped" with Shift+Ctrl+g.

16. Select everything on your page, Edit → Select All, and then Edit → Copy.

17. Then delete the current layer, Layer → Delete Current Layer.

18. Then paste, Edit → Paste in Place.

19. Your template should now look right and shouldn't have any unwanted transforms.

20. Save your template.

21. Try it in FreeCAD and TechDraw Workbench with TechDraw New Pick.

FreeCAD: finished template with an editable text field being modified

Notes

Don't use Layers in Inkscape until you've mastered template creation without them. Layers and Groups can automatically insert unwanted transforms into your SVG file.

See a Stackoverflow discussion on removing transform clauses in SVG files.

TechDraw

• Pages: Insert Default Page, Insert Page using Template, Redraw Page, Print All Pages
• Views: Insert View, Insert Active View, Insert Projection Group, Insert Section View, Insert Complex Section View, Insert Detail View, Insert Draft Workbench Object, Insert Arch Workbench Object, Insert Spreadsheet View, Insert Clip Group, Share View, Project Shape
• Stacking: Move view to top of stack, Move view to bottom of stack, Move view up one level, Move view down one level

---

• Decorations: Hatch Face using Image File, Apply Geometric Hatch to Face, Insert SVG Symbol, Insert Bitmap Image, Turn View Frames On/Off
• Dimensions: Insert Length Dimension, Insert Horizontal Dimension, Insert Vertical Dimension, Insert Radius Dimension, Insert Diameter Dimension, Insert Angle Dimension, Insert 3-Point Angle Dimension, Insert Horizontal Extent Dimension, Insert Vertical Extent Dimension, Link Dimension to 3D Geometry, Insert Balloon Annotation, Insert Axonometric Length Dimension, Insert Landmark Dimension, Adjust Geometric References of Dimension
• Annotations: Insert Annotation, Add Leaderline to View, Insert Rich Text Annotation, Add Cosmetic Vertex, Add Midpoint Vertices, Add Quadrant Vertices, Add Centerline to Faces, Add Centerline between 2 Lines, Add Centerline between 2 Points, Add Cosmetic Line Through 2 points, Add Cosmetic Circle, Change Appearance of Lines, Show/Hide Invisible Edges, Add Welding Information to Leader, Add Surface Finish Symbol, Add Hole or Shaft Tolerances

---

• Extensions:
  • Attributes and modifications: Select Line Attributes, Cascade Spacing and Delta Distance, Change Line Attributes, Extend Line, Shorten Line, Lock/Unlock View, Position Section View, Position Horizontal Chain Dimensions, Position Vertical Chain Dimensions, Position Oblique Chain Dimensions, Cascade Horizontal Dimensions, Cascade Vertical Dimensions, Cascade Oblique Dimensions, Calculate the area of selected faces, Calculate the arc length of selected edges, Customize format label
  • Centerlines and threading: Add Circle Centerlines, Add Bolt Circle Centerlines, Add Cosmetic Thread Hole Side View, Add Cosmetic Thread Hole Bottom View, Add Cosmetic Thread Bolt Side View, Add Cosmetic Thread Bolt Bottom View, Add Cosmetic Intersection Vertex(es), Add an offset vertex, Add Cosmetic Circle, Add Cosmetic Arc, Add Cosmetic Circle 3 Points, Add Cosmetic Parallel Line, Add Cosmetic Perpendicular Line
  • Dimensions: Create Horizontal Chain Dimensions, Create Vertical Chain Dimensions, Create Oblique Chain Dimensions, Create Horizontal Coordinate Dimensions, Create Vertical Coordinate Dimensions, Create Oblique Coordinate Dimensions, Create Horizontal Chamfer Dimension, Create Vertical Chamfer Dimension, Create Arc Length Dimension, Insert '⌀' Prefix, Insert '〼' Prefix, Remove Prefix, Increase Decimal Places, Decrease Decimal Places

---

• Export: Export Page as SVG, Export Page as DXF
• Additional: Line Groups, Templates, Hatching, Geometric dimensioning and tolerancing, Preferences

User documentation

• 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, Assembly, CAM, Draft, FEM, Inspection, Mesh, OpenSCAD, Part, PartDesign, 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