Free open-source 3D modelling program gets major usability improvements in FreeCAD 1.0 release

FreeCAD, the open-source challenger to the likes of Autodesk Fusion 360 and SolidWorks, has announced its first 1.0 release. While FreeCAD has been in a fairly usable state, and used by plenty of hobbyists, for quite some time now, the developer community behind FreeCAD finally solved the last two hurdles that were standing in the way of what they considered a full release. 

There are two major usability changes in FreeCAD 1.0. First is the implementation of the TopoNaming algorithm, which should make it much easier to make changes to a part or sketch without breaking other elements in the same part. Secondly, FreeCAD now has a built-in assembly module for working with multiple part files at once. 

Release 1.0 brings FreeCAD much closer to feature-parity with the likes of Fusion360 and SolidWorks, although those programs have much more development funding. FreeCAD's developers are clear in the announcement that neither the Assembly Workbench nor the TopoNaming algorithm are perfect and bug-free just yet, but the team is focussing development efforts on getting those features stable and bug-free in coming releases. 

FreeCAD 1.0 also introduced some much-needed cleanup of certain UI elements and a fresh, new community-designed logo. Other parts of the UI have also been updated to make constraining, dimensioning, and sketching parts much more intuitive and beginner-friendly. 

Overall, FreeCAD now looks to be a fairly feature-rich CAD application, covering the basics, like parametric and feature-based modelling, and now more advanced features, like the new Assembly Workbench for test-fitting projects digitally and creating visualisations. Moreover, FreeCAD also offers support for Linux, macOS, and Windows, making it one of the only options for users looking for a free CAD application, especially on Linux.