Creating FreeCAD assemblies and animations in Blender

In this video we export STL files from FreeCAD and animate them in Blender. We show how easily we can create exciting animations using the great FOSS Blender. As a bonus we demonstrate how we can easily use physics in Blender to simulate movement of parts. There is lots of synergy between FreeCAD and Blender. The STL meshes exported from FreeCAD work very well in Blender. They make for a great pair of FOSS packages. ## Links: FreeCAD macros https://bitbucket.org/ianj001/freecad/src/master/ Things I use in my creations (These are through the Amazon affiliate program but only include things I actually use): CNC Z-Axis Router Mill Touch Plate https://amzn.to/30cRLGn 3D Solutech Real Black 3D Printer PLA Filament https://amzn.to/3kL0wAU Align Carbide, UP Cut Router Bit, 1/4 Inch https://amzn.to/3qljwHo HQMaster 10-Pack End Mill Milling Cutter https://amzn.to/3kMWzvq Octoprint: https://octoprint.org/ Octoremote: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kabacon.octoremote&hl=en_US Cura: https://ultimaker.com/software/ultimaker-cura Fusion 360: https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/ Fusion 360 API: https://help.autodesk.com/view/fusion360/ENU/?guid=GUID-A92A4B10-3781-4925-94C6-47DA85A4F65A FreeCAD: https://www.freecadweb.org/ Raspberry Pi: https://www.raspberrypi.org/ Blender: https://www.blender.org/ Inkscape: https://www.inkscape.org OBS: https://obsproject.com/ PxKeystrokes: https://github.com/Phaiax/PxKeystrokesForScreencasts/ ## Songs: Raw Space by Spazz Cardigan (intro) 00:00 Introduction 00:20 Link to Assembly4 00:40 Exporting STLs 02:00 Blender Version 03:00 The Default Cube 04:20 Importing the Main Body 06:37 Importing the Rod 09:20 Copying the Rod 15:00 Animating the Parts 18:30 Bonus Footage - Physics in Blender 21:00 Setting up the Parts 24:30 Adding Rigid Body Constraints 26:30 Applying Key Frames 28:02 Rendering Video Link 28:08 Final Thoughts