command line tools for working with FreeCAD files, including visual mesh diffs and headless part export.
freecad-export
is a standalone tool for converting FCStd files into a variety of formats including STEP, 3MF, and IGES
freecad-diff
can display a visual diff between any two files supported by FreeCAD
freecad-difftool
can be used to integrate visual diffs into standard git workflows
- these tools have only been tested with Debian Trixie and FreeCAD version 0.21.2
- sub-assemblies of an assembly are not currently included diffs or exports (this is on the roadmap)
- if a part is modified but its parent assembly is not subsequently saved, the assembly diff will be skipped by git
install dependencies:
sudo apt install git rsync make freecad
clone and enter this repository:
git clone https://github.com/khimaros/freecad-build
cd freecad-build
install freecad-build tools:
sudo make install
uninstallation is also straightforward:
sudo make uninstall
check out freecad-build-template for an example of how to integrate this into your own project.
convert an FCStd file to a STEP file:
freecad-export path/to/my.FCStd path/to/my.step
show the differences between two STEP files:
freecad-diff path/to/left.step path/to/right.step
check the log output on the console, make sure there are no recompute
errors.
inspect the Modified and Previous features to make sure they look as expected.
run the build in interactive mode, export INTERACTIVE=1
before invoking