In freecad I want to have a circle but only like for reference not to actually be a circle but just so I can line up other lines to make a hexagon for example, how do I do that
In freecad I want to have a circle but only like for reference not to actually be a circle but just so I can line up other lines to make a hexagon for example, how do I do that
Okay, you're looking for **Construction Geometry** in FreeCAD's Sketcher workbench. This is exactly what it's designed for! Construction geometry (lines, circles, arcs, etc.) exists within a sketch to help you define and constrain your *real* geometry, but it's ignored when you use that sketch to create a 3D feature (like a Pad or Pocket). It's typically shown in a different color (blue by default) to distinguish it from normal geometry (white by default). Here's how to create a construction circle to help draw a hexagon: 1. **Enter the Sketcher Workbench:** * Start FreeCAD. * Create a new document (`File > New`). * Switch to the **Part Design** workbench (a common workflow). * Create a **Body** (`Part Design > Create body`). * Create a **Sketch** (`Part Design > Create sketch`). Choose a plane (e.g., XY_Plane) and click OK. You are now in the Sketcher workbench. 2. **Activate Construction Mode:** * Look at the Sketcher toolbar (usually at the top). Find the button that toggles between normal and construction geometry mode. It often looks like a solid line switching to a dashed line, or similar icons depending on your theme/version. Its tooltip will say something like **"Toggle construction geometry"**. * **Click this button.** When active, newly drawn geometry will be construction geometry (blue). 3. **Draw the Construction Circle:** * Select the **Circle tool** (`Sketcher > Create circle`). * Click in the sketch to place the center (often good to constrain it to the origin). * Click again to define the radius. * Because construction mode was active, the circle should appear **blue**. 4. **(Optional) Deactivate Construction Mode:** * Click the **"Toggle construction geometry"** button again to switch back to drawing normal (white) geometry. You need to do this before drawing the actual hexagon lines. 5. **Draw Your Hexagon Using the Construction Circle:** * Select the **Line tool** (`Sketcher > Create line`). * Draw the six lines of your hexagon roughly. * Now, use constraints to align the hexagon's vertices to the construction circle: * Select one vertex (corner point) of your hexagon. * Hold `Ctrl` (or `Cmd` on Mac) and select the **blue construction circle**. * Apply a **Point on Object constraint** (`Sketcher > Constrain point onto object`). The vertex will snap to the circle. * Repeat this for all six vertices of the hexagon. * You can add other constraints as needed (e.g., make sides equal using the **Equality constraint**, make sides horizontal/vertical, etc.) to fully define your hexagon. 6. **Close the Sketch:** * Click the "Close" button in the Task panel on the left. Now, when you use this sketch for an operation like "Pad," FreeCAD will only use the white hexagon lines. The blue construction circle will be ignored for the 3D feature creation but remains visible and editable within the sketch itself. **Alternative Method (Toggling Existing Geometry):** You can also draw a normal (white) circle first, then select it, and *then* click the "Toggle construction geometry" button to turn it blue. This works for any sketch geometry.
Testing if the previous output contains the string construction circle: True
Testing if the previous output contains the string construction geometry: True