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FreeCAD: Tutorial Smartphone Cover (2/3)

FreeCAD 0.21

Creating a retainer

adjuster Smartphone Cover

  1. Creating a sketch plane

    Select a top face of the cover and create a new sketch planeSketcher_NewSketch.

    adjuster1
    Selecting a top face of the cover
    adjuster2
    Creating a new sketch plane
  2. Extracting construction lines

    Construction lines can be extract from existing solid with external geometry toolExternal Geometry tool. Select the tool and click edges of a solid. After extracting all edges, right-click to finish the operation.

    Extracting construction lines
    Extracts construction lines

    Select the solid "Thickness" in model tree and push Spcae key to hide the solid.

    Hides the solid (Model tree)
    Hides the solid (Model tree)
    adjuster4
    Hides the solid
  3. Outer profile line

    Create a rectanglerectangle and round corners of the rectanglefillet.

    adjuster5

    Select points on the rectangle and construction lines. Constrain them with coincident constraintConstraint_PointOnPoint. Then select the corner centers of the rectangle and construction lines. Constrain them with coincident constraintConstraint_PointOnPoint (Select and constrain each center of 4 corners).

    During an operation, you may encounter redundant constraints that make your sketch orange and uneditable. If so, click the redundant constraint number displayed in the solver message of the dialog to select it and press the Delete key to remove it.

    The redundant constraint number displayed in the solver message
    The redundant constraint number in the solver message

    The 5 points have been constrained, the sketch and construction lines will be overlapped.

  4. Inner profile line

    In the same way, create a rectanglerectangle and round corners of the rectanglefillet.

    adjuster6-2

    Select a center of the upper-left corner and constrain it with coincident constraintcoincident constraint. Then constrain them with horizontal distance constrainthorizontal distance constraint. Set distance to 2.2 mm.

    After that, constarin other centers of the corner (upper-right, lower-right and lower-left corners) with coincident constraintcoincident constraint.

    adjuster6
    The sketch
    adjuster7
    The sketch (zoom)
  5. Exiting sketch edit

    Click Close on Tasks tab to exit sketch edit.

    SketchDialog2
    Exiting sketch edit
    adjuster8
    The sketch
  6. Extruding

    Select the created sketch in model tree and padpad the sketch with 1.0 mm in reverse direction.

    adjuster9
    Before padding
    adjuster10
    Pad result

Creating cutouts

We create cutouts so that the cover does not block connectors or buttons on the side.

iphone-side
Kelvinsong http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IPhone_5S_volume_buttons.png
iphone-bottom
Kelvinsong http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IPhone_5S_bottom.png
  1. Creating a sketch plane

    Select the top face of the cover and create a new sketch planeSketcher_NewSketch.

    cutout1
    Selecting the top face
    cutout2
    Creating a new sketch plane
  2. Extracting construction lines

    Select the external geometry toolSketcher_External and click edges of a solid to extract the edges into sketch plane.

    cutout3
    Extracting construction lines

    After extracting the edges, select the solid "Pad001" in model tree and push Space key to set the solid invisible.

    Hides the solid (Model tree)
    Hides the solid (Model tree)
    Hides the solid
    Hides the solid
  3. Rough sketch

    Create rectanglesSketcher_CreateRectangle at rough position of the cutouts.

    cutout5
    Creates sketches for cutout
  4. Setting sizes

    Constrain sizes and position of the rectangles with horizontal distance constraintConstraint_HorizontalDistance and vertical distance constraintConstraint_VerticalDistance.

    cutout6
    The whole sketch
    • Upper side sketch

      cutout6-top
    • Left side sketch

      cutout6-left
    • Lower side sketch

      cutout6-bottom
  5. Creating shape

    Select the sketch in model tree and execute pocketPartDesign_Pocket to cut the cover with length 7.5 mm.

    cutout7
    Before pocket
    cutout8
    Poket result
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