How to Easily Use FreeCAD with Apple MacBooks
Introduction
I love my MacBook Air. It’s slim, the battery lasts forever and it is powerful. From the very beginning I’ve used my MacBook for FreeCAD using nothing but the laptop itself without using a mouse. I’m going to have a quick discussion of some of the helpful settings you can use as well as some basic navigational tips.
Why do I use a MacBook for freeCAD?
The main reason I like using my MacBook Air is because the battery lasts a very long time. I can easily use it for extended periods of time without worrying about the battery dying on me. Before the MacBook, I was using a much more powerful laptop called the 2019 Acer Predator. This gaming laptop is a powerhouse, and I love using it, but it has a really big downside: the battery dies after about an hour of use. To me, this is really inconvenient; I can’t effectively use this laptop for any meaningful work when I am outside or on the move. The MacBook solves this problem. The other reason I like using the MacBook Air over my gaming laptop is because I can transport it with ease.
Which FreeCAD settings should I use with my MacBook?
The default FreeCAD settings can make navigation unwieldy when first using FreeCAD. I will show you some basic settings that I have chosen that help eliminate these issues.
First in the menu bar on the top of the screen, select the menu that says FreeCAD and select Preferences.
After this Select “Display” and “Navigation”. In this menu you will want to make sure that:
- 3D navigation is set to Touchpad
- Orbit style is set to Trackball
- Rotation mode is set to Object center
After these settings are selected you can select “Apply” and “OK”.
How to use the Touchpad for navigating
We are going to go over the 3 basic navigation features in FreeCAD: Zoom, Pan and Rotate.
Zoom:
To zoom in and out simply touch the Touchpad with two fingers. Move the fingers up, while still touching the Touchpad, this will zoom out. Doing the same action except moving the fingers down will zoom in.
Pan:
To pan (i.e. move the object side to side without rotating) simply press “shift” on the keyboard and at the same time touch and move a single finger around on the Touchpad.
Rotate:
To rotate simply press “option” on the keyboard and at the same time touch and move a single finger around on the Touchpad
Conclusion:
I hope you found this short article helpful. In my experience, using a MacBook while only using its Touchpad is definitely possible and in fact it’s very straightforward and simple. This on top of the added benefits of the long battery life, lightness and portability that the MacBook provides make it an optimal method for CAD projects using FreeCAD.
