A while ago we collaborated with Libre Space Foundation on a fun little project that required simulating multi-body dynamics (MBD) in zero gravity. This helped us improve the MBD-capable solver that we’ve been developing behind the scenes for a while. Here is the story.
Laser cutters are a staple in maker spaces and are often the first exposure users have to CNC equipment. They are fast and accurate. They produce usable parts from inexpensive materials. They can cut and engrave and are intuitive to use.
However, laser cutters typically have a different workflow compared to other CNC machines. Instead of G-code, the input for laser cutters is usually 2D geometry files such as SVG, DXF, or image files. The control software then automatically generates the G-code internally. This means that users need to prepare their SVG files before feeding them to laser cutters, and the procedure is different for every cutter.
To make things easier, we developed a post-processor for the CAM workbench that generates SVG files automatically. It helps streamline the workflow and cuts down the time it usually takes to go from design to product.
There’s a valid question: how can FOSS CAD programs possibly compete with proprietary offerings? The answer is the community. Commercial CAD vendors need to pay for everything, but FreeCAD has an army of passionate volunteers and contributors. Grants for developers and Ondsel’s involvement are rather recent happenings. Mostly, the community has been managing the project for over 20 years on a shoestring budget or no budget at all — that is rather impressive.
Ondsel ES and FreeCAD have been developing a kind of symbiotic relationship. We build on FreeCAD, so we rely on it being great, but FreeCAD also benefits from new features and improvements we are bringing. However the upstream project is also larger than any group of developers: literally, everyone can help improve it, including non-programmers.
One of the questions we've been getting from users regarding the release of Ondsel ES 2024.2 is whether we are shipping it with all the recent toponaming fixes enabled. The answer is 'no'. While most of the work in the TNP project is done, the code is largely untested by the larger community, so we don't feel comfortable shipping it in an actual release of Ondsel ES. However, let's take this opportunity to talk about TNP and the amazing work that the community did there.
We’ve just released Ondsel ES 2024.2, the second public version of our flagship desktop CAD application with built-in collaboration tools.
“Once you get past the part design workbench in [software], it becomes apparent that [software] is like 10 different software packages integrated into one.” — r53toucan on Reddit.
if you think this user is talking about FreeCAD, you're wrong. It’s CATIA — a generations-old 3D CAD program that served as an inspiration in the early days of FreeCAD. The two programs share more than just some core concepts: they’ve been struggling with many of the same issues and went in different directions to fix them.
A lot of companies that use CATIA are interested in migrating away and are looking at open-source alternatives. It's a good time to look at the reasons why and consider what they could be looking for in an open-source program such as Ondsel ES.
We are happy to announce the release of Ondsel Engineering Suite 2024.1, our integrated solution for collaboration on 3D CAD designs.
We’ve completed the first year as employees and contractors paid to hack on FreeCAD and build services around it. We do have a few things to brag about. We also had some setbacks and challenges. Since we started Ondsel with a goal to be as honest and transparent as possible, let’s talk about things the team learned this year while figuring things out.
For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? -Mark 8:36
Late last year I was talking with Open Core Ventures about the possibility of starting Ondsel. It was exciting to hear from people outside the FreeCAD community who shared the vision that this software was important and could be so much more than it already is. As the idea of actually starting a company took hold, the first important decision was which legal structure the new company would have. Two things that I read deeply affected me and shaped the final decision.
It’s hard to believe that it’s been just over three months since Ondsel started operations. One hundred days, in fact. I thought it would be fun to take a moment and consider what we’ve been able to accomplish in that time.