A complete, ready-to-use “Box Builder” addon with all improvements from the course β in one archive. Simply unpack and place the folder in Mod.
Folder structure:
BoxBuilderAddon/
βββ Resources/
β βββ icons/
β βββ box_builder.svg
β βββ create_box.svg
βββ InitGui.py
βββ box_builder_workbench.py
βββ package.xml
βββ README.md
βββ LICENSE
In This Article
π 1. InitGui.py
import FreeCADGui
from BoxBuilderAddon.box_builder_workbench import BoxBuilderWorkbench
FreeCADGui.addWorkbench(BoxBuilderWorkbench())
π 2. box_builder_workbench.py
import FreeCAD, FreeCADGui
import os
from PySide import QtGui, QtCore
PARAM_PATH = "User parameter:BaseApp/Preferences/BoxBuilderAddon"
def get_saved_settings():
params = FreeCAD.ParamGet(PARAM_PATH)
return {
"length": params.GetFloat("LastLength", 30.0),
"width": params.GetFloat("LastWidth", 20.0),
"height": params.GetFloat("LastHeight", 10.0),
"name": params.GetString("LastName", "CustomBox"),
"centered": params.GetBool("LastCentered", False)
}
def save_settings(length, width, height, name, centered):
params = FreeCAD.ParamGet(PARAM_PATH)
params.SetFloat("LastLength", length)
params.SetFloat("LastWidth", width)
params.SetFloat("LastHeight", height)
params.SetString("LastName", name)
params.SetBool("LastCentered", centered)
def create_box(length, width, height, name="CustomBox", centered=False):
doc = FreeCAD.ActiveDocument
if not doc:
doc = FreeCAD.newDocument("BoxBuilder")
base_name = name
index = 1
obj_name = base_name
while obj_name in [obj.Name for obj in doc.Objects]:
obj_name = f"{base_name}_{index}"
index += 1
box = doc.addObject("Part::Box", obj_name)
box.Length = length
box.Width = width
box.Height = height
if centered:
from FreeCAD import Vector
box.Placement.Base = Vector(-length/2, -width/2, -height/2)
doc.recompute()
return box
class BoxBuilderDialog(QtGui.QDialog):
def __init__(self):
super(BoxBuilderDialog, self).__init__()
self.setWindowTitle("Box Builder")
self.setWindowFlags(QtCore.Qt.WindowStaysOnTopHint)
self.resize(300, 220)
settings = get_saved_settings()
self.name_input = QtGui.QLineEdit(settings["name"])
self.length_input = QtGui.QLineEdit(str(settings["length"]))
self.width_input = QtGui.QLineEdit(str(settings["width"]))
self.height_input = QtGui.QLineEdit(str(settings["height"]))
self.centered_checkbox = QtGui.QCheckBox("Center on origin")
self.centered_checkbox.setChecked(settings["centered"])
self.create_button = QtGui.QPushButton("Create Box")
self.cancel_button = QtGui.QPushButton("Cancel")
self.reset_button = QtGui.QPushButton("Reset to Defaults")
self.create_button.clicked.connect(self.on_create)
self.cancel_button.clicked.connect(self.reject)
self.reset_button.clicked.connect(self.on_reset)
layout = QtGui.QFormLayout()
layout.addRow("Name:", self.name_input)
layout.addRow("Length (mm):", self.length_input)
layout.addRow("Width (mm):", self.width_input)
layout.addRow("Height (mm):", self.height_input)
layout.addRow("", self.centered_checkbox)
button_layout = QtGui.QHBoxLayout()
button_layout.addWidget(self.create_button)
button_layout.addWidget(self.cancel_button)
button_layout.addWidget(self.reset_button)
main_layout = QtGui.QVBoxLayout()
main_layout.addLayout(layout)
main_layout.addLayout(button_layout)
self.setLayout(main_layout)
def on_create(self):
try:
name = self.name_input.text().strip() or "CustomBox"
length = float(self.length_input.text())
width = float(self.width_input.text())
height = float(self.height_input.text())
centered = self.centered_checkbox.isChecked()
if length <= 0 or width <= 0 or height <= 0:
raise ValueError("All dimensions must be positive")
create_box(length, width, height, name, centered)
save_settings(length, width, height, name, centered)
self.accept()
except ValueError as e:
QtGui.QMessageBox.warning(self, "Input Error", f"Invalid input:\n{str(e)}")
def on_reset(self):
self.name_input.setText("CustomBox")
self.length_input.setText("30.0")
self.width_input.setText("20.0")
self.height_input.setText("10.0")
self.centered_checkbox.setChecked(False)
class BoxBuilderCommand:
def GetResources(self):
icon_path = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), "Resources", "icons", "create_box.svg")
return {
"MenuText": "Box Builder",
"ToolTip": "Create a box with custom dimensions",
"Pixmap": icon_path
}
def Activated(self):
dialog = BoxBuilderDialog()
dialog.exec_()
def IsActive(self):
return True
class BoxBuilderWorkbench(FreeCADGui.Workbench):
MenuText = "Box Builder"
ToolTip = "Create custom boxes with GUI"
def __init__(self):
self.Icon = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), "Resources", "icons", "box_builder.svg")
def Initialize(self):
self.list = ["BoxBuilderCommand"]
self.appendToolbar("Box Tools", self.list)
self.appendMenu("Box Builder", self.list)
def GetClassName(self):
return "Gui::PythonWorkbench"
FreeCADGui.addCommand("BoxBuilderCommand", BoxBuilderCommand())
πΌ 3. Resources/icons/create_box.svg
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="64" height="64" viewBox="0 0 64 64">
<rect x="10" y="10" width="44" height="44" fill="none" stroke="black" stroke-width="4"/>
<line x1="10" y1="10" x2="20" y2="0" stroke="black" stroke-width="4"/>
<line x1="54" y1="10" x2="64" y2="0" stroke="black" stroke-width="4"/>
<line x1="54" y1="54" x2="64" y2="44" stroke="black" stroke-width="4"/>
<line x1="20" y1="0" x2="64" y2="0" stroke="black" stroke-width="4"/>
<line x1="64" y1="0" x2="64" y2="44" stroke="black" stroke-width="4"/>
</svg>
π‘
box_builder.svgβ simply copy this file and rename it.
π 4. package.xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no" ?>
<package format="1" xmlns="https://wiki.freecad.org/Package_Metadata">
<name>BoxBuilderAddon</name>
<description>A simple tool to create parametric boxes with custom dimensions and GUI.</description>
<version>1.0.0</version>
<date>2025-04-05</date>
<maintainer email="you@example.com">Your Name</maintainer>
<license file="LICENSE">LGPL-2.1-or-later</license>
<url type="repository" branch="main">https://github.com/yourname/BoxBuilderAddon</url>
<icon>Resources/icons/box_builder.svg</icon>
<content>
<workbench>BoxBuilderAddon</workbench>
</content>
<dependencies>
<freecad>0.20</freecad>
</dependencies>
</package>
π 5. README.md
# Box Builder Addon
Creates parametric boxes with custom dimensions.
## Features
- GUI input
- Saves last values
- Centering option
- Unique naming
π 6. LICENSE
Copy the LGPL-2.1 license text from:
https://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/lgpl-2.1.txt
βΆοΈ How to Use
- Download all files
- Create a
BoxBuilderAddonfolder in%APPDATA%\FreeCAD\Mod\ - Restart FreeCAD
- Select the Box Builder workbench
- Click the button and create boxes!
Done! This is a complete, working addon β from idea to publication.
Now you can modify it for your own tasks or use it as a template for new projects.
Good luck with development! π οΈ