Tutorial C: Rod-Guide

Book	Shih, Parametric Modeling with Siemens NX, ch. 9
You learn	Datum planes (At Angle, offset), Hole on a datum plane, Edge Blend
Sizes	A 76.2 × 50.8 × 19.05 mm block (the book’s 3.00 × 2.00 × 0.75 in) with four holes. The book’s sizes appear only in figures; these are NotebookLM’s reading of them.

In short

The block by Extrude; four holes; Edge Blend on the corners.
Feature › Datum › Datum Plane at an angle to a face, then one offset from it.
Select the offset datum plane, click Hole: a sketch opens on the plane; place the centre, Ctrl+Q, and the Hole dialog opens.

The angled upper block (C9) is skipped: its profile is in a figure only.

Step by step

#	In the book (NX)	In FreeCAD NX-Style	Result	Notes
C1	File > New (Ctrl+N), Model template	Ctrl+N	same
C2	Extrude (X), pick the XY plane	X key, plane row + MB2	same	picked XY-plane (Base plane)
C3	Rectangle ® by 2 points around the origin	R key + 2 MB1 clicks + MB2	same	tool True; 4 curves; ended True
C4	Sketch Fillet (F), R0.25 on the four corners	F key; corners applied as values	differs	F starts FreeCAD’s sketch fillet; the radius is typed after picking, not before as in NX
C5	Circle (O): four Ø0.25 circles on the arc centres, Equal Radius	O key; values applied	same	Equal constraint exists in both
C6	Finish Sketch, Extrude 0.75, OK	Ctrl+Q, 'lengthEdit' = 19.05 mm, MB2 = OK	same	volume 70669.2 mm^3, expected 70669.2; 1 solid(s)
C7	Datum Plane, At Angle: front face	select face + ribbon 'Home > Datum > Datum Plane'	same	the datum is attached to the face; FreeCAD’s attachment dialog opens
C8	Angle -30° about the vertical axis, OK	'attachmentOffsetPitch' = -30°, MB2 = OK	differs	plane at 30.00° to the face. NX picks the Z axis as hinge; FreeCAD rotates in the attachment offset about the face’s own axes
C9	Extrude the angled upper block on the datum plane (Unite, Symmetric 1.0)	-	skipped	the profile’s dimensions are only in the book’s figures
C10	Datum Plane, At Distance: top face	select face + ribbon 'Home > Datum > Datum Plane'	same
C11	Distance 0.75, OK	'attachmentOffsetZ' = 19.05 mm, MB2 = OK	same	datum plane at z = 38.10 mm (top face 19.05 + 19.05)
C12	Hole, placed on the offset datum plane	select plane + ribbon 'Home › Feature > Hole'	differs	FreeCAD’s Hole drills at circle centres in a sketch, so Hole starts a sketch on the plane (NX picks the point directly)
C13	Place the hole centre at the WCS origin	O key + MB1 at the origin + MB2	same	tool True; 1 curves; ended True
C14	Hole: Simple, Ø0.25, Through Body, OK	dialog open True; 'Diameter' = 6.35 mm, 'Through all', MB2 = OK	same	volume 70065.9 mm^3, expected 70065.9; 1 solid(s)
C15	The finished part is shown in the graphics window	render of the graphics window	same	21.6% of the view shows the part

In the book (NX)

In FreeCAD NX-Style

Result

Notes

File > New (Ctrl+N), Model template

Ctrl+N

same

Extrude (X), pick the XY plane

X key, plane row + MB2

same

picked XY-plane (Base plane)

Rectangle ® by 2 points around the origin

R key + 2 MB1 clicks + MB2

same

tool True; 4 curves; ended True

Sketch Fillet (F), R0.25 on the four corners

F key; corners applied as values

differs

F starts FreeCAD’s sketch fillet; the radius is typed after picking, not before as in NX

Circle (O): four Ø0.25 circles on the arc centres, Equal Radius

O key; values applied

same

Equal constraint exists in both

Finish Sketch, Extrude 0.75, OK

Ctrl+Q, 'lengthEdit' = 19.05 mm, MB2 = OK

same

volume 70669.2 mm^3, expected 70669.2; 1 solid(s)

Datum Plane, At Angle: front face

select face + ribbon 'Home > Datum > Datum Plane'

same

the datum is attached to the face; FreeCAD’s attachment dialog opens

Angle -30° about the vertical axis, OK

'attachmentOffsetPitch' = -30°, MB2 = OK

differs

plane at 30.00° to the face. NX picks the Z axis as hinge; FreeCAD rotates in the attachment offset about the face’s own axes

Extrude the angled upper block on the datum plane (Unite, Symmetric 1.0)

skipped

the profile’s dimensions are only in the book’s figures

C10

Datum Plane, At Distance: top face

select face + ribbon 'Home > Datum > Datum Plane'

same

C11

Distance 0.75, OK

'attachmentOffsetZ' = 19.05 mm, MB2 = OK

same

datum plane at z = 38.10 mm (top face 19.05 + 19.05)

C12

Hole, placed on the offset datum plane

select plane + ribbon 'Home › Feature > Hole'

differs

FreeCAD’s Hole drills at circle centres in a sketch, so Hole starts a sketch on the plane (NX picks the point directly)

C13

Place the hole centre at the WCS origin

O key + MB1 at the origin + MB2

same

tool True; 1 curves; ended True

C14

Hole: Simple, Ø0.25, Through Body, OK

dialog open True; 'Diameter' = 6.35 mm, 'Through all', MB2 = OK

same

volume 70065.9 mm^3, expected 70065.9; 1 solid(s)

C15

The finished part is shown in the graphics window

render of the graphics window

same

21.6% of the view shows the part

Result	Means
same	The book’s NX steps work as written.
differs	It works, but the FreeCAD way is different; the notes say how.
limit	The book’s way fails in FreeCAD itself; a workaround follows in the next steps.
missing	FreeCAD has no such function; a stand-in follows.
skipped	Not replayed; the notes give the reason.
FAILED	Did not work.

Result

Means

same

The book’s NX steps work as written.

differs

It works, but the FreeCAD way is different; the notes say how.

limit

The book’s way fails in FreeCAD itself; a workaround follows in the next steps.

missing

FreeCAD has no such function; a stand-in follows.

skipped

Not replayed; the notes give the reason.

FAILED

Did not work.

What differs from NX

FreeCAD’s At Angle plane turns about the face’s own axes in the attachment offset; NX lets you pick the hinge axis.
Hole drills at circle centres in a sketch; NX places hole points directly.