Release notes 1.1

FreeCAD 1.1 was released on D Month Year, get it from the Download page. This page lists all new features and changes.

Older FreeCAD release notes can be found in the Feature list.

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General

User interface

Further user interface improvements

• A default shortcut for Std DlgPreferences has been added. Pull request #15536
• The Notification area preferences page was improved. Pull request #15207
• Auto save and additive selection features were added to the Measure tool. Pull request #17717
• A ToggleTransparency fine-tuning parameter was added to allow users to change the default transparency level enabled by the Toggle transparency tool. Pull request #18986
• A Show Plane view property was added to display the plane on which a 2D object is based. Pull request #18910
• It is now possible to change the color of the coordinate system axes using the new preferences under Edit → Preferences... → Display → 3D View. Pull request #16995

Core system and API

Core

Core Datum tools were implemented to create coordinate systems, datum planes, datum lines and datum points which can be attached and also used in Assembly. Pull request #18332

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The Transform tool was overhauled and now allows for precise inputs besides dragging in the 3D view. It is possible to align the interactive dragger to any element in the document and to transform the object in that local (U, V, W) coordinate system of the dragger, or in the global document coordinate system. The dragger can be aligned to the object's origin as before, and also to the center of mass of the object. It has a new feature to move the object (at the location of the dragger) to a target location in the document and flip the orientation. See all new options. Pull request #17564

API

Removed Python API

Changed Python API

New Python API

Start

Addon Manager

Assembly Workbench

• The Insert a new part tool was added making it possible to easily add new parts to assembly. Pull request #17922
• The Create Simulation tool was added making it possible to add motions to joints and create animations. Pull request #16414

Further Assembly improvements

• The new core datums can be used for attaching joints to assemble multiple parts. Pull request #18332

BIM Workbench

Further BIM improvements

• The Views panel got an overhaul and now has a section for all 2D views. Pull request #15836
• NativeIFC support for 2D objects was added to BIM, allowing to embed 2D objects (linework, texts, dimensions) inside IFC files, as well as opening such files from other BIM apps. Pull request #16629
• The Schedule dialog gained support for simple arrays (e.g. non-nested). This enables regular and link arrays (both either expanded or not expanded) to be processed for further calculations in the BIM Schedule report. Pull request #19219

CAM Workbench

Further CAM improvements

• G84/G74 tapping operations were added. Pull request #8069
• Multi-pass support was added for profile operations. Pull request #17326

Draft Workbench

• Support for relative font paths has been added to ShapeStrings. Pull request #17819
• The handling of Links in TechDraw DraftViews was fixed. Pull request #18175 and Pull request #19296
• The extrude mode of the Draft Trimex command has been made link-aware. It can now handle faces belonging to Links and objects in linked containers. And the point that defines the extrusion can be co-planar with the face. Pull request #18314 and Pull request #18320
• The Move, Rotate and Scale commands have been made link-aware as well. Pull request #18795
• If a Facebinder based on connected faces is extruded, an attempt is made to close its corners. The Sew property of the object must be set to true for this. Note that the code can fail for complex shapes. Pull request #18901
• Path arrays have been enhanced with several new properties. It is now possible to reverse the array, specify a fixed spacing unit, and use spacing patterns. Pull request #19017
• Objects in layers can now have overrrides. Pull request #19207
• The Draft AddToLayer command, to quickly put objects in the correct layer, has been added. Pull request #19427

Further Draft improvements

• The Draft Fillet command now works on selected edges, instead of the first edge of selected objects. Pull request #17945 and Pull request #18150
• The Draft AutoGroup and the Draft AddToGroup commands have been improved. The menus of both commands are sorted alphabetically. In the menu of the Draft AutoGroup command layers are separated from blocks, and the New layer option prompts for a name and activates the layer. The actions of both commands have been made undoable. Pull request #18172 and Pull request #19312
• The position of the Scale multiplier field in the UI was improved (Draft SetStyle, Draft AnnotationStyleEditor and Draft Preferences). Pull request #18299
• The Draft Draft2Sketch command now also applies coincident constraints between edges from different source objects. Pull request #18805
• The radius, and chamfer and delete modes of the Draft Fillet command are stored. Pull request #19067

FEM Workbench

Further FEM improvements

• Log verbosity can now be set for Gmsh in the Preferences. Pull request #17699
• The DataSecond Order Linear property and support for local refinement, previously only available for Gmsh, are now also available for the new Netgen implementation. Pull request #17170
• Box and elliptical beam section types were added to FEM ElementGeometry1D. Pull request #15843
• The Purge results tool now deletes all the results objects, not just the ones native to CalculiX. Pull request #18328
• Tie constraint can now be applied also to shell faces. Pull request #18325
• Output format (binary or ASCII) and saving of geometry IDs can now be set for Elmer, also in Preferences. Pull request #17972
• A smoothing option was added to the Contours filter. Pull request #18088
• The BucklingAccuracy parameter was added to CalculiX solver - it might be necessary to capture the first eigenvalue in some linear buckling analyses. Pull request #18790
• Now all FEM objects for which suppressing makes sense can be suppressed. Previously only constraints were suppressible. Pull request #18636
• Contact forces are now printed to ccx_dat_file in CalculiX analyses. Pull request #18840
• The MaterialReinforced tool now uses the new material editor. Pull request #18893
• Electrostatic potential boundary condition was extended to also support Neumann-type boundary condition and prescribe electric flux/surface charge density. Pull request #19011
• Thermal expansion reference temperature can now be defined for solid material in thermomechanical analyses with CalculiX. Pull request #19285
• A popup menu was added to enable selection of a proper solid if the selected face of CompSolid belongs to two solids. This makes it easier to select inner solids e.g. to apply materials to them. Pull request #18812

Material Workbench

Further Material improvements

• Polycarbonate with physical properties was added to the material database. Pull request #19432

Mesh Workbench

Further Mesh improvements

OpenSCAD Workbench

Further OpenSCAD improvements

Part Workbench

Further Part improvements

• The Check geometry tool now also has results entries for valid shapes, shows skipped objects and generates reports in the report view.

PartDesign Workbench

Further PartDesign improvements

• The origin feature in a PartDesign body makes use of the new core datums. The appearance has been changed and the planes enlarge when creating a new sketch. As the orientation was wrong in older FreeCAD versions, files created with these versions need to be converted on opening. It can break files which reference the datums, and converted or new files created with 1.1 and above will be broken in 1.0 and below. Pull request #18126
• The Toggle freeze command is now available from PartDesign. Pull request #18373
• The Hole tool can now produce various Whitworth threads, following the BSW, BSF, BSP and NPT standards. Pull request #15744
• The performance of modeled threads from the Hole tool has been improved. Pull request #15744
• The initial angle for tapered threads in the Hole tool is now automatically set to the value from the ISO 7-1 and ASME B1.20.1 standards. Pull request #15744
• The task panel of the Hole tool was further improved - options not applicable in a given configuration are now hidden. Pull request #19052

Points Workbench

Further Points improvements

Sketcher Workbench

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Projection tool was added making it possible to create defining external geometry and toggle between defining and construction modes for external geometry. Pull request #17736

Intersection tool was added making it possible to create external geometry based on the selected reference geometry and the intersection of the sketch plane. Pull request #17736

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External geometry (both projection and intersection) can now be created by selecting a face. Pull request #17736

Further Sketcher improvements

• It is now possible to directly use external geometry as input for tools like offset or transform (array), for both external construction and defining geometry. Pull request #17615
• External geometry (projected or intersecting) is now by default real (defining) geometry (which does not need to be traced as in 1.0 and prior). It can be toggled to construction geometry as any other geometry Pull request #17736
• The Sketcher axes are now displayed with infinite length. Pull request #17312
• Sketches are now ordered alphabetically in the Attach sketch dialog. Pull request #16518
• Group dragging was added, making it possible to drag all the selected geometrical entities. Pull request #18273
• There is a new preference that, if checked, makes external geometry creation independent of the current construction mode - it is always created as reference geometry in such a case. Pull request #18697

Spreadsheet Workbench

Further Spreadsheet improvements

• Default shortcuts for Bold text, Italic text and Underline text have been added. Pull request #15556
• Double-clicking on the separator in the header now resizes the column to content. Pull request #16296
• Zoom was added to Spreadsheet. Pull request #16130

Surface Workbench

Further Surface improvements

TechDraw Workbench

Further TechDraw improvements

• The Insert Area Annotation tool now properly accounts for holes in faces. Pull request #17740
• Shape validation is now available and can be enabled in Preferences. Pull request #18282
• Scaling of SVG symbols has been fixed. Pull request #18757

Compilation

Known limitations

Other resources