![[not solved, but worked around] Tinkercad not exporting holes? They don't even show up in the preview. Some of my previously working designs are also doing this.](https://sh.itjust.works/pictrs/image/081bb751-15e9-4ac4-b382-7b783f3a99df.png){kind=link}
I made this test block to test the fit on some holes (my printer isn’t calibrated), when I noticed the problem. The cone on the side was a sanity check for this problem.
I tried googling but couldn’t come up with this same problem.
Edit: I did just figure out a way, I made them a union group, which applied the cuts immediately, and they stayed when exported. I’ve never had to do that before. Though admittedly that’s probably the right way, I normally use fusion360. Something is definitely weird though. It should just work without doing that. And in fact it did a few days ago on a different project file.
Yes this is normal. You have to group shapes to make them a single object.
On an unrelated note, TinketCAD is ok to make simple shapes quickly, but once you start working with complex geometry, it quickly becomes a nightmare. Parametric CAD (Onshape or FreeCAD) is infinitely superior in this regard.
FreeCAD has made me wanna cry every time I try to learn it. Next time I’m gonna just try a parametric plugin for blender, my needs are pretty basic
Maybe give OnShape a try. Its interface is really good and will let you learn parametric CAD in one of the best conditions possible.
Thanks for the suggestion. I’d wanted something FOSS but maybe itd be better to at least learn on something sensible. I really wanted to make freecad work, but man was it a rough way to try and learn parametric cad 😅
Yeah FreeCAD has a pretty rough learning curve. Especially since you need to learn parametric and its UI at the same time. I still mostly use OnShape because it’s become second nature, but last time I tried FreeCAD it was much easier since I only had to learn the UI.
Fusion 360 has been great for me. The modeler is very easy and practical for simple folk like me. I use their free edition. I had the paid subscription for a year but then went down to free, which works just as great.
Unfortunately Fusion360 has no official Linux support and is not easy to download and install, while Onshape is browser-based so OS-agnostic.
The paid version does allow for use from a browser, which I used from Ubuntu a lot. That’s how I got into Fusion360 after headaches with Onshape, FreeCAD and many others. The Fusion360 modeler is very good, and parametric.
However, I understand this solution might not work for you.
Maybe give MatterControl a try.
It is like TinkerCAD in that you drag shapes around, but has way more features and runs locally. And you can easily load in STL files to cut and paste with.
It’s okay to cry, but also keep going until you figure it out, and watch freecad tutorial videos. I think learning how to cad on freecad is a nightmare, but once you know how things are supposed to be built it works well.
What’s so bad about it? I have a few complaints about it being extremely slow on my hardware and having some weird UI choices sometimes, but in general it’s great.