Okay well first off with
CAD and modeling in general your quality of workflow is going to be entirely dependent on the hardware you run on. They run very differently on a cheap Ultrabook vs. a dedicated workstation. For example when I am doing multiple loft airfoils. On a cheaper computer I have to break it up into segments, on my workstation it handles very complex drawings easily.
Keep that in mind when you are making things. Some times you are doing things 100% right and it is the hardware that is limiting your workflow.
CAD can be a powerful tool if you use it properly but realize it is 100 times easier to make characters on different programs. How I use
CAD in modeling is to create a dimensional accurate base that I will then take into Blender and remesh and sculpt off of. Here is an example of what I mean:
https://imgur.com/a/NZhYzJL
So if I'm copying something in real life I'll take my rough outline and define it dimensionally. That means when I import it into blender everything is already scaled properly.
FreeCAD has a fundamental flaw in it. The big thing about
CAD is being able to adjust something no matter how far into the work you are. FreeCAD has a issue with this. If you go back change a face and that face was used to define anything the model explodes and you have to go back and redefine relations. The model is still there it just doesn't know where to build off of.
https://wiki.freecadweb.org/Topological_naming_problem
Workbenches can be very useful. The main three I use are Image, part and part design. I suggest you learn the inner workings of all three.
Image is great for placing an image directly on a work plane as reference.
https://wiki.freecadweb.org/Image_Workbench
Part is great for importing stls and converting it a working mesh. ( SOLIDWORKS struggles with, outside of slice command. This strong point for FreeCAD). It's still hot or miss but I've had more success with FreeCAD at it than SOLIDWORKS.
https://wiki.freecadweb.org/Part_Module
Part design is your main workbench. This is where you will spend 90% of your time. Learn extrude, cut, revolve and revolve cut and you will have a majority of your parts made. Define everything it will help you out later. It doesn't need to be perfect when you sketch it just make sure you apply proper constraints and you can get it exactly how you want it.
https://wiki.freecadweb.org/PartDesign_Workbench
Find some fonts you like and download them it makes it easier if you ever what to use text.
If you get into lofting one of the most important things to remember if you want to have clean lines is to match points if you make a box with 4 points you will be artifacting if you try and go to a crescent with 13 points. Keep point count the same, that normally means overdoing it on simpler shapes.
https://wiki.freecadweb.org/PartDesign_AdditiveLoft
My best advice is to play around with it see what you can do. Have an idea and stumble through it. This will help you to learn. They have a good manual read through it when you get stuck. The search function is your friend. Develop your own workflow and when you get stuck just Google it someone's already had the problem you're experiencing.
https://wiki.freecadweb.org/Main_Page
