@MisterMaker
Your comments are really stuck in my head, so here is a brain dump, untidy 2nd response:
Regarding professional use: The number of professional is not a large market share, but FreeCAD is used professionaly by architects, tradesmen (eg air con duct design and quotes), contract designers, ...and educators/video publishers.\
Pretty sure sheetmetal WorkBench is used by many commercial workshops.
There are now several PLM addons, also showing growing professional interest.
...and FreeCAD is now so good, that there are scam sites and other sites are rebranding it and selling it.
Just released 1.1 ....based on when NO BLOCKING issues remained, ie zero blocking issues.
FC Needs focus??? Look at the events calender and follow through to see meeting discussion and outcomes!
FC under v active dev/improvement: See WIP Wed
Actively backporting to PRs to v1.1 dozens/100s??
Good first issues
How many issues listed are related to dev/weekly versions, ie NOT to released v1.1?
Developer days inc grants for travel
Google SOC - which is running ATM.
Sponsorship from Kicad (CERN plays a big role in Kicad now) and other commercial and private sponsors......
The depth of FC:
+BIM, FEM, Materials, Addon Manager + #issues & bugs for each
Materials - scope what already acheived is staggering - eg can just use as basis of CAM - Machinability - advanced SF
CAM - Machines(way beyond multi-axis and includes new postprocessors architecture)
One dev @Tarman seems very focussed on CAM bugs AND more so on IMPROVEMENTS!
SheetMetal
Addons+Community is staggering well over 100.....Solar, Road, Robots, Rockets, Guitars, Boat hull, Plane Wings, Gears, Optics, Kicad integration, Pipes, Frames, Columns, Beams, Windows, Doors, Stairs, Threads, Bolts, several PLM, multiple wire/cable, several Parts Libraries, and there are many more unofficial, ie not requested to add!
FPA grants+bugs
FPA employed/grant to help improve addons (including chasing me to update an addon)
#freecad #braindump
Naty
Yee Chie
kingfisher
electric brain dump
Scott Ninneman/SpeakingBipolar
Professor MsPaint