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Re: 360 degree Spiral (helix) with tangent end points
There is not a default way to do this with the helix feature yet.
You can however, do it with custom features like Parametric Curve by @mahir.
Or here is a default workflow without any custom features at all:
Adjust the start and end tangency of the spline within Sketch - Helix profile. This will control the helix path. In the example, it is set to be tangent for both the OD and the ID.
https://cad.onshape.com/documents/cc91f79bfd12172c026d3af9/w/4fd26f7d83b5099a4778600e/e/3e5558e5af4…
Re: 360 degree Spiral (helix) with tangent end points
For fun: 3 native features can do it! Adjust the approximation to taste.
https://cad.onshape.com/documents/ae804e4d73d5db653040c651/w/62d8bc92dcecd2895263cb0a/e/94411e37f517998d7c30163e
Re: Tabs on Sheet Metal?
I've just run into that same issue last week. I don't frequently do sheet metal, these days, but I was expecting some things from the days when I did my CAD things in Spaceclaim. They had (and possibly still have) a sheet metal environment they developed together with the well known sheet metal machine manufacturer Trumpf, and got quite some input from them. With Spaceclaim being a direct modeler in most parts, the approach was different, though. Anyway, tabs like these, and all types of flanges that would only occupy part of an edge, were a breeze to make, pattern and modify. Things like the relative position of tabs on an edge or the width of a tab could be defined by driving dimensions. Bend reliefs were always following the modifications made to a tab. It not actually being a feature, some kind of feature-like algorithm took care of that. Anyway, it was highly usable and had a ton of dedicated tools. All these were accessible in a tab/sheet metal stuido in the Spaceclaim GUI.
When making these relatively simple tabs in OS, recently, I expected someting similar to happen, but I was surprised that even creating simple tabs of a specified width, that didn't go all along an edge was a difficult thing to do, and it required a lot of partially contardicting steps to finally get what I wanted. Finally I had to draw the reliefs first, just in order to get a manageable sketch- or dimension-driven flange/tab width. Me manually making the reliefs is not how a sheet metal toolset is meant to work, though. That was pretty disappointing.
OS sheet metal makes it hard to design possible stuff (left) while it lets me do impossible stuff (right) without hesitation:
So, whenever you feel like creating an improvement request, let me know and I'll create 20 more onshape accounts just to vote for it! ;0)
Re: 360 degree Spiral (helix) with tangent end points
I like the Parametric Curve approach.
Re: Tabs on Sheet Metal?
You can use "up to entity with offset" and two variables one for the width of the tab and one for the "offset".
Re: Tabs on Sheet Metal?
I would vote for a partial flange that is symmetric around a point on an edge. That point could be a vertex, offset from a vertex, mate connector, or percentage along the edge.

Re: Issues with a surface that should be a part.
That did it. Didn't even know that tool existed. Thanks.
Re: Tabs on Sheet Metal?
I opened a request, for people to vote:
Yes, there is an up-to-with-offset partial flange option, but that will always reference to elements of the model that will almost certainly change when editing the sheet metal part, such as the (two!) ends of the (full) flange edge. I couldn't reference both to one end with different offsets. They do apparetly work in opposite directions. I'll stick to the sketch option, then, I suppose.
I think there should also be a width option for the partial flange. That would feel only natural and should not be overly hard to do.