File Simplification - Revision history

Maltfield: fix italic syntax

2025-09-09T17:02:31Z

fix italic syntax

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:02, 9 September 2025
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	# The (uncompressed) MemSize size of each object		# The (uncompressed) MemSize size of each object

	The two are ~~_sometimes_ coorelated~~, but it's possible to have a <1 MB .FCStd file that is completely unusable because of a very large MemSize. This would happen, for example, if you made a very simple sketch and then an enormous array of the sketch in three dimensions (eg for a mesh object). That would compress to a very small file size, but explode to a very large (uncompressed) MemSize, crashing FreeCAD.		The two are ''sometimes'' correlated, but it's possible to have a <1 MB .FCStd file that is completely unusable because of a very large MemSize. This would happen, for example, if you made a very simple sketch and then an enormous array of the sketch in three dimensions (eg for a mesh object). That would compress to a very small file size, but explode to a very large (uncompressed) MemSize, crashing FreeCAD.

	Fortunately, FreeCAD is a very robust software that exposes the "python console" to the user, where you can paste custom code to interact with the objects. The snippet below will:		Fortunately, FreeCAD is a very robust software that exposes the "python console" to the user, where you can paste custom code to interact with the objects. The snippet below will:

Maltfield: fix link syntax

2025-09-09T17:00:13Z

fix link syntax

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:00, 9 September 2025
Line 17:		Line 17:
	Fortunately, FreeCAD is a very robust software that exposes the "python console" to the user, where you can paste custom code to interact with the objects. The snippet below will:		Fortunately, FreeCAD is a very robust software that exposes the "python console" to the user, where you can paste custom code to interact with the objects. The snippet below will:

	# Iterate through every layer in the [~~FreeCAD Document's Tree](~~https://wiki.freecad.org/Document_structure),		# Iterate through every layer in the [https://wiki.freecad.org/Document_structure FreeCAD Document's Tree]
	# Get the size [https://github.com/FreeCAD/FreeCAD/blob/6ab8589a03b498b237f8ba88c6ae4692bb3adba6/src/Mod/TemplatePyMod/DocumentObject.py#L117-L119 MemSize] of each layer,		# Get the size [https://github.com/FreeCAD/FreeCAD/blob/6ab8589a03b498b237f8ba88c6ae4692bb3adba6/src/Mod/TemplatePyMod/DocumentObject.py#L117-L119 MemSize] of each layer,
	# Sort the list of layers by their size, and		# Sort the list of layers by their size, and

Maltfield: fix bold syntax

2025-09-09T16:58:52Z

fix bold syntax

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:58, 9 September 2025
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	# Print the list of layers (sorted by size)		# Print the list of layers (sorted by size)

	To use this, you first need to open the [https://wiki.freecad.org/index.php?title=Python_Console Python Console] in FreeCAD. Do this by clicking to View -> Panels -> Python Console. Then paste the following snippet into the Python Console. And press enter.		To use this, you first need to open the [https://wiki.freecad.org/index.php?title=Python_Console Python Console] in FreeCAD. Do this by clicking to '''View -> Panels -> Python Console'''. Then '''paste the following snippet''' into the Python Console. And '''press enter'''

	<pre>		<pre>

Maltfield: fix syntax of code

2025-09-09T16:58:17Z

fix syntax of code

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:58, 9 September 2025
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	=Identifying problem objects=		=Identifying problem objects=

	If you have a large/slow FreeCAD file, you'll first want to identify ~~_which_~~ object is causing the problem.		If you have a large/slow FreeCAD file, you'll first want to identify ''which'' object is causing the problem.

	There is a distinction in two sizes:		There is a distinction in two sizes:
Line 24:		Line 24:
	To use this, you first need to open the [https://wiki.freecad.org/index.php?title=Python_Console Python Console] in FreeCAD. Do this by clicking to View -> Panels -> Python Console. Then paste the following snippet into the Python Console. And press enter.		To use this, you first need to open the [https://wiki.freecad.org/index.php?title=Python_Console Python Console] in FreeCAD. Do this by clicking to View -> Panels -> Python Console. Then paste the following snippet into the Python Console. And press enter.

	~~```~~		<pre>
	def printMem():		def printMem():
	objs = list(FreeCAD.ActiveDocument.Objects)		objs = list(FreeCAD.ActiveDocument.Objects)
Line 40:		Line 40:

	printMem();		printMem();
	~~```~~		</pre>

	Note that it may take several seconds to finish the calculation.		Note that it may take several seconds to finish the calculation.

Maltfield: added section for calculating MemSize of every object

2025-09-09T16:56:47Z

added section for calculating MemSize of every object

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:56, 9 September 2025
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	The file simplification below refers to simplifying the actual features of a part - the Level of Detail section below. Another type of simplification can be done on the part tree to simplify the part tree during the design phase. This is the Part Tree Simplification section.		The file simplification below refers to simplifying the actual features of a part - the Level of Detail section below. Another type of simplification can be done on the part tree to simplify the part tree during the design phase. This is the Part Tree Simplification section.

			=Identifying problem objects=

			If you have a large/slow FreeCAD file, you'll first want to identify _which_ object is causing the problem.

			There is a distinction in two sizes:

			# The (compressed) on-disk size of the .FCStd file
			# The (uncompressed) MemSize size of each object

			The two are _sometimes_ coorelated, but it's possible to have a <1 MB .FCStd file that is completely unusable because of a very large MemSize. This would happen, for example, if you made a very simple sketch and then an enormous array of the sketch in three dimensions (eg for a mesh object). That would compress to a very small file size, but explode to a very large (uncompressed) MemSize, crashing FreeCAD.

			Fortunately, FreeCAD is a very robust software that exposes the "python console" to the user, where you can paste custom code to interact with the objects. The snippet below will:

			# Iterate through every layer in the [FreeCAD Document's Tree](https://wiki.freecad.org/Document_structure),
			# Get the size [https://github.com/FreeCAD/FreeCAD/blob/6ab8589a03b498b237f8ba88c6ae4692bb3adba6/src/Mod/TemplatePyMod/DocumentObject.py#L117-L119 MemSize] of each layer,
			# Sort the list of layers by their size, and
			# Print the list of layers (sorted by size)

			To use this, you first need to open the [https://wiki.freecad.org/index.php?title=Python_Console Python Console] in FreeCAD. Do this by clicking to View -> Panels -> Python Console. Then paste the following snippet into the Python Console. And press enter.

			```
			def printMem():
			objs = list(FreeCAD.ActiveDocument.Objects)
			objs.append(FreeCAD.ActiveDocument) # add doc to list
			objs.sort(reverse=True, key=lambda x: x.MemSize) # max mem is first

			hdr = "MemSize (bytes) \| Object Label\n"
			hLine = "-"*len(hdr) + "\n"
			linesList = ["\n", hLine, hdr, hLine]
			for obj in objs:
			linesList.append("{:>15,d} \| {}\n".format(obj.MemSize, obj.Label))
			linesList.append(hLine)
			s = "".join(linesList)
			print(s)

			printMem();
			```

			Note that it may take several seconds to finish the calculation.

			For more information (and an example) of using the above code snippet to find the MemSize of every object in your FreeCAD file's tree, please see [https://www.eco-libre.org/big-freecad-file-size/ Troubleshooting Large FreeCAD File Sizes]

			* https://www.eco-libre.org/big-freecad-file-size/

	=Part Tree Simplification=		=Part Tree Simplification=

Maltfield: add link to SE

2025-08-27T18:51:51Z

add link to SE

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:51, 27 August 2025
Line 40:		Line 40:

	=External Links=		=External Links=
	* [https://forum.freecad.org/viewtopic.php?p=844168#p844168 Why is my FreeCAD file so large? (grainular file size view)] FreeCAD Forums		* [https://forum.freecad.org/viewtopic.php?p=844168#p844168 Why is my FreeCAD file so large? (grainular file size view)] question on FreeCAD Forums
			* [https://engineering.stackexchange.com/questions/63647/why-is-my-freecad-file-so-large Why is my FreeCAD file so large?] question on Engineering Stack Exchange

Maltfield: fix syntax

2025-08-27T18:51:07Z

fix syntax

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:51, 27 August 2025
Line 40:		Line 40:

	=External Links=		=External Links=
	* [https://forum.freecad.org/viewtopic.php?p=844168#p844168 Why is my FreeCAD file so large? (grainular file size view)] FreeCAD Forums		* [https://forum.freecad.org/viewtopic.php?p=844168#p844168 Why is my FreeCAD file so large? (grainular file size view)] FreeCAD Forums

Maltfield: add link to freecad forums

2025-08-27T18:50:55Z

add link to freecad forums

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:50, 27 August 2025
Line 38:		Line 38:
	*Thus, the simplest useful files start at about 10k. Files with about		*Thus, the simplest useful files start at about 10k. Files with about
	*A cube should be only a few bytes - l, w, h. 8 bits are a byte. About 65,000 divisions is 2 bytes (16 bit depth). So each dimension should be stores in 2 bytes. Thus, a cube should be 6 bytes large. If we add angle and position, we have 18 bytes. Thus, memory size of FreeCAD files can be reduced by at least 100x if files were stores in their most efficient form, because minimum file size is on the order of kilobytes, not bytes. Just sayin'.		*A cube should be only a few bytes - l, w, h. 8 bits are a byte. About 65,000 divisions is 2 bytes (16 bit depth). So each dimension should be stores in 2 bytes. Thus, a cube should be 6 bytes large. If we add angle and position, we have 18 bytes. Thus, memory size of FreeCAD files can be reduced by at least 100x if files were stores in their most efficient form, because minimum file size is on the order of kilobytes, not bytes. Just sayin'.

			=External Links=
			* [https://forum.freecad.org/viewtopic.php?p=844168#p844168 Why is my FreeCAD file so large? (grainular file size view)] FreeCAD Forums

Marcin at 13:33, 22 June 2021

2021-06-22T13:33:39Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:33, 22 June 2021
Line 17:		Line 17:
	Select no, and your paste will be lower in size.		Select no, and your paste will be lower in size.

	To summarize - remove sketches to reduce memory, make a compound to collapse all parts into one, and then copy-paste without detail into a new file - and you will have the minimum-size file possible under one item in the part tree. Such format makes the overall assembly file in a team workflow the smallest possible, allowing for large scale design. The limit here is a few thousand part files that can be manipulated readily. Once a file reaches an unmanageable size - we can go to file simplification in terms of Level of Detail - in the next section. This is like making thumbnails of pictures available: you can work with it, but it doesn't contain all the detail. The simple version is an abstract version of the original file. Thus, in large-scale team workflows - the part tree simplification and level of detail simplification can be pursued ad infinitum - abstracting the design further and furth - so that complex assemblies can be created. In principle, the complexity of design that this process can handle has no limit. Therefore, even the largest design problems can be solved in a day - with thousands or even millions of people collaborating in realtime.		'''To summarize - remove sketches to reduce memory, make a compound to collapse all parts into one, and then copy-paste without detail into a new file - and you will have the minimum-size file possible under one item in the part tree. Such format makes the overall assembly file in a team workflow the smallest possible, allowing for large scale design. The limit here is a few thousand part files that can be manipulated readily. Once a file reaches an unmanageable size - we can go to file simplification in terms of Level of Detail - in the next section. This is like making thumbnails of pictures available: you can work with it, but it doesn't contain all the detail. The simple version is an abstract version of the original file. Thus, in large-scale team workflows - the part tree simplification and level of detail simplification can be pursued ad infinitum - abstracting the design further and furth - so that complex assemblies can be created. In principle, the complexity of design that this process can handle has no limit. Therefore, even the largest design problems can be solved in a day - with thousands or even millions of people collaborating in realtime.'''

	=Level of Detail=		=Level of Detail=

Marcin at 13:33, 22 June 2021

2021-06-22T13:33:07Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:33, 22 June 2021
Line 17:		Line 17:
	Select no, and your paste will be lower in size.		Select no, and your paste will be lower in size.

	To summarize - remove sketches to reduce memory, make a compound to collapse all parts into one, and then copy-paste without detail into a new file - and you will have the minimum-size file possible under one item in the part tree. Such format makes the overall assembly file in a team workflow the smallest possible, allowing for large scale design. The limit here is a few thousand part files that can be manipulated readily. Once a file reaches an unmanageable size - we can go to file simplification - in the next section.		To summarize - remove sketches to reduce memory, make a compound to collapse all parts into one, and then copy-paste without detail into a new file - and you will have the minimum-size file possible under one item in the part tree. Such format makes the overall assembly file in a team workflow the smallest possible, allowing for large scale design. The limit here is a few thousand part files that can be manipulated readily. Once a file reaches an unmanageable size - we can go to file simplification in terms of Level of Detail - in the next section. This is like making thumbnails of pictures available: you can work with it, but it doesn't contain all the detail. The simple version is an abstract version of the original file. Thus, in large-scale team workflows - the part tree simplification and level of detail simplification can be pursued ad infinitum - abstracting the design further and furth - so that complex assemblies can be created. In principle, the complexity of design that this process can handle has no limit. Therefore, even the largest design problems can be solved in a day - with thousands or even millions of people collaborating in realtime.

	=Level of Detail=		=Level of Detail=