Freecad Easy Parametric Modeling With Spreadsheets & Varsets

Create dynamic 3D models in FreeCAD using spreadsheets, VarSets, expressions, and configuration tables

What you'll learn

Build fully parametric 3D models in FreeCAD using spreadsheets, expressions, and VarSets all without writing a single line of code or script.

Link model geometry to data sources in FreeCAD to create dynamic, responsive designs that automatically adapt to input changes and user-defined values.

Create reusable, flexible components using configuration tables and variant links to streamline complex projects and assemblies in FreeCAD

Apply data-driven design skills to real-world examples that we will build. An adaptive toy bricks, hinged boxes, and custom signs that scale with text input.

Requirements

Basic familiarity with FreeCAD’s interface, including navigating the 3D view and using the tree view

FreeCAD installed on your computer

A willingness to learn and experiment with data-driven tools inside FreeCAD

If you're completely new to FreeCAD, we recommend taking our Ultimate Beginner’s Course first to cover the essential modeling tools.

Description

Welcome to a practical, beginner-friendly course designed to teach you core skills in creating dynamic, data-driven 3D models using FreeCAD’s powerful built-in tools, spreadsheets, expression editor, and VarSets. Whether you’re an engineer, designer, maker, or hobbyist, this course will help you embed data directly into your designs to control dimensions, automate behavior, and build flexible models without any coding or scripting.You’ll start by mastering the fundamentals of parametric design in FreeCAD, including navigating the interface, understanding variable sets (VarSets) for centralized control, and using spreadsheets to manage model parameters. Using the expression editor, you’ll connect data across your model to drive intelligent, adaptable designs.Throughout the course, you’ll work on real-world projects created from a beginner’s perspective: build a parametric toy brick, a hinged box that adapts to its length, and dynamic custom signs that automatically resize based on the text’s height and length pulled from spreadsheets. These hands-on examples will show you how to create smart, reusable components using configuration tables and variant links, making it easy to manage complex assemblies with different variants and visual properties.By the end, you’ll confidently create fully parametric FreeCAD models that are easy to update, scalable, and ready for any design challenge. Enroll now and start building smarter, data-driven 3D designs with FreeCAD!

Overview

Section 1: Introduction to Course

Lecture 1 Introduction and Prerequisites

Lecture 2 What Will You Learn

Section 2: Spreadsheets And VarSets : The Absolute Basics

Lecture 3 Introduction: Spreadsheets And VarSets : The Absolute Basics

Lecture 4 Modelling with Spreadsheets 101

Lecture 5 Modelling With VarSets 101

Lecture 6 Configuration Tables 101

Lecture 7 Avoiding Dependency Errors

Lecture 8 Spreadsheets Vs VarSets : Knowledge Dump

Section 3: Parametric Toy Brick : Spreadsheet Driven Project

Lecture 9 Introduction to Project 1: Parametric Toy Brick : Spreadsheet Driven Project

Lecture 10 Modelling the Basic Block Footprint

Lecture 11 Refine Concreate Values into Parametric Ones

Lecture 12 Conditional Expressions Explained

Lecture 13 Allow for Both High and Low Brick Profile

Lecture 14 Adding the Studs

Lecture 15 Creating the Thickness / Shelling the Brick

Lecture 16 Creating the Tubes

Lecture 17 Using the Tubes in a Linear Pattern

Lecture 18 Suppressing a Feature

Lecture 19 Chaining Conditions

Lecture 20 Using a Chained Condition Against the Tube

Section 4: Hinged Box: Variable Set & Expression Driven Project

Lecture 21 Introduction to Project 2: Hinged Box: Variable Set & Expression Driven Project

Lecture 22 Setup the VarSet

Lecture 23 Sketch the Basic Footprint

Lecture 24 Sketch the Hinge

Lecture 25 Apply the Linear Pattern and Thickness

Lecture 26 Create the Lid

Lecture 27 Add the Hinge to the Lid

Lecture 28 Finishing the Box

Section 5: Documenting : Keeping Track of Design Intent

Lecture 29 Introduction to Documenting : Keeping Track of Design Intent

Lecture 30 What Information to Include

Lecture 31 Ways of Including the Information

Section 6: Textual Based Expressions

Lecture 32 Using Text Within Spreadsheets and Expressions

Section 7: Dynamic Sign Maker : Configuration Tables & Affecting Text With Spreadsheets

Lecture 33 Introduction to Project 3: Dynamic Sign Maker

Lecture 34 Sketch the Footprint

Lecture 35 Creating Text in the Draft Workbench

Lecture 36 Bounding Box Expressions

Lecture 37 Creating the Spreadsheet

Lecture 38 Adding the Spreadsheet Sketch Constraints

Lecture 39 Setting up the Configuration Table

Lecture 40 Apply the ShapeString

Lecture 41 Creating a Variant Link

Section 8: Where now - Further Learning

Lecture 42 Where now?

Beginners who want to go beyond basic modeling and explore parametric, data-driven design in FreeCAD,Existing FreeCAD users looking to automate design workflows using spreadsheets, expressions, and configuration tools,Engineers, designers, makers, and hobbyists who want to build smart, flexible, and reusable 3D models without coding,Anyone curious about creating models that adapt to changing inputs, like size, text, or configuration options