How to Draw Walls in FreeCAD Arch Workbench

This guide explains how to design and model structural walls using the Arch (BIM) Workbench in FreeCAD. You will learn how to configure your workspace, create walls directly or from 2D baselines, adjust parametric dimensions like width and height, and properly join intersecting walls for Building Information Modeling (BIM) workflows.

Step 1: Switch to the Arch Workbench

  1. Open FreeCAD and create a new document (Ctrl + N).
  2. Open the Workbench drop-down menu in the top toolbar.
  3. Select Arch (or BIM in newer FreeCAD versions, as both share the underlying wall creation engine).

Step 2: Set Up Snapping and Grid

To draw accurately, activate the snapping tools located in the Draft/Arch snap toolbar:

  1. Ensure Grid snapping and Working Plane snapping are toggled on.
  2. Select the top view (NumPad 2 or click the top face of the navigation cube) so you are looking down at the XY ground plane.

Step 3: Draw a Wall Directly

FreeCAD allows you to draw walls point-to-point without needing prior geometry:

  1. Click the Wall tool icon from the Arch toolbar (or press W, A).
  2. Click in the 3D viewport to set the starting point of your wall.
  3. Move your cursor in the desired direction and click to set the endpoint. You can also enter exact length values in the numeric entry boxes on the task panel.
  4. Continue clicking to draw sequential segments, or press Escape or the right mouse button to finish the command.

Step 4: Create Walls from 2D Baselines

For complex layouts, drawing 2D baselines first often provides greater control:

  1. Switch to the Draft Workbench.
  2. Use the Draft Line or Draft Wire tool to draw your floor plan centerline or perimeter.
  3. Switch back to the Arch Workbench.
  4. Select the line or wire you just drew in the tree view or the 3D view.
  5. Click the Wall tool. FreeCAD automatically converts the 2D wire into a 3D structural wall based on default dimensions.

Step 5: Adjust Wall Dimensions and Properties

Walls in FreeCAD are fully parametric and can be edited at any time:

  1. Select the wall in the Tree view.
  2. Go to the Property View panel in the lower-left corner and click the Data tab.
  3. Modify the primary structural dimensions:
    • Width: Set the wall thickness (e.g., 200 mm).
    • Height: Set the total vertical height of the wall (e.g., 3000 mm).
    • Alignment: Control how the wall aligns with its baseline (Center, Left, or Right).
    • Face Number: Used if building on a solid 3D base rather than a line.

Step 6: Connect and Intersect Walls

To create seamless corners and T-junctions:

  1. Select the first wall segment.
  2. Hold Ctrl and select the second wall segment.
  3. Click the Wall tool again, or use the Arch Add tool.
  4. FreeCAD will merge the walls at their intersection, cleaning up corner joints and maintaining correct volume representation for material takeoffs and IFC exports.