Textbook in PDF format

Embedding a vintage component, creating a professional looking home for a circuit board, or even designing a complex apparatus complete with a chassis – these and many other challenges turn into a stimulating pleasure with FreeCAD. Once you have internalized the basic processes, there are virtually no limits to your imagination.
Starting to use a new software is never straightforward – especially with a tool as versatile as FreeCAD. Manageable, but at the same time easily usable individual components provide the starting point in this book. Putting these components together later results in assemblies.
In the FreeCAD universe, a workable trajectory is demonstrated. The described procedure is illustrative so the examples are easily applied to custom tasks. The devices were made by the author and illustrated with photos.
Creating a 3D design is requiring some effort but the initial investment pays off soon. Besides the impressive spatial representation of the projects, the extracted drawings yield a solid base for documentation and production. Extended FreeCAD capabilities like the unfolding of sheet metal parts enormously add to efficiency and pushes models forward into practical assembly.
Usually, integrating a circuit board into a compartment, or a little chassis, only requires a minor subset of FreeCAD's possibilities. Therefore, the focus will be cast onto some small, but typical projects: The design of a front panel, or the assembly of a simple apparatus with front- and back panels, chassis, and cover. Once these design processes are mastered, the extension to more complex applications is straightforward. Following the described pathways should allow the successful assembly of the projects later on, with hopefully not too many surprises.
All examples, also the circuit board design, are electronically available in the supplemented materials online. Fully appropriate in the spirit of FreeCAD they can be modified, freely shared, and used.
Soon you will definitely not want to do without FreeCAD!