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How do I learn how to use the Sheet Metal features?
We don't do a lot of sheet metal, but we do a lot of bent Lexan, and it would be nice to leverage the sheet metal tools to make our parts.
But everything we try and do seems confusing, frustrating, and unintuitive. We'd like to learn more, but there doesn't seem to be an official tutorial on the whole sheet metal methodology.
How can I learn how to use it?
There's basically nothing useful here: https://learn.onshape.com/catalog?query=sheet%20metal
This was a recent part, modeled traditionally, then offset surface > convert to SM just to get it laid flat for CNC.
Re: Assembly Planes - Where are they?
I believe mate connectors are essentially your assembly planes
MDesign
Re: API for beginners
For anyone stumbling on this post (I'm an external developer and not part of Onshape):
Internally Onshape has data models of the features.
When a API REST response is returned, it contains the model of the feature.
The data model of a feature includes (but is not limited to):
- The feature data required to generate it using featurescript, the param is
feature - The parameters for the feature itself
parameters - The type of feature
btType - Conditional: The dependent features to generate the feature
featureIds
I've attached a POSTman collection below. Read the comments carefully and it should generate sketches, fillets, extrudes
(The collection does not include documentation on how to authenticate)
The most important nugget of information is the queryString in step 11 (create mirror). It contains a query that returns an entity from a feature id. This should give you enough tools to use the API in combination with feature script queries to completely generate features in Onshape.
Re: CNC tube bending Drawing
Im one of the developers on the Frames featureset. I'd love to hear more about a) what you need b) what your tube suppliers need c) what you have liked/disliked about other CAD and CAM packages doing similar things. I would have characterized this as a CAM need rather than a CAD need -- but I'd much rather hear from customers than relying on my own wrong conclusions! Could I ask you both for a favor? Please file this with support (same process as creating a ticket). Discussing on the forums is great and I want to encourage it but generating that improvement request starts the paper trail the product and dev teams need to start design and scoping discussions.
Re: Complete beginner
Since Nick has the question already handled, here is some more useful info for new users:
Try the Learning Pathways. They will take you completely from beginner to advanced Onshape user.
Re: Complete beginner
Use the symmetric constraint to make the top and bottom lines of the rectangle symmetric about the front plane.
The tutorial you followed "probably" used the center-point rectangle, and aligned the center point with the origin. Right now you have the tangent of one of the circles aligned with the origin.
Also your circles are all construction lines. If you want to make a board with holes, change them to solid lines. Click the circle and press the Q key to do that.
Re: dimensioning
Also - you can quickly create variables "on the fly" without leaving the sketcher. As soon as you create a variable, it's placed above the Sketch you're working on in the Feature List - and becomes available right away to use in the same Sketch!
So, you could double-click on the "50" dimension, start typing a name - (sometimes for this I'll use a simple "a" or "a1" designation for the variable - that way I don't have to think of a perfect meaningful name while I'm in the sketcher) - create your variable "#a = 50". Then you can immediately double-click on the "18" and use your #a variable: "#a-32" or whatever.
You could choose to rename those variables later so you don't get confused - maybe "sketch1_a" or something.
You'll find that variables are super useful in many workflows and to capture design intent. You may find that you want to move that "50" variable to the top of your Feature List and reference it all over the place!
Re: All current onshape Number fonts
I wrote fontpicker.fs which is a featurescript predicate to add a fontpicker to your featurescript. I also include an example that shows how it works. You can take a look here: https://cad.onshape.com/documents/0fef4e86805ae7e232be4d16/w/ec57ef78ea054e59b79f6d04/e/3362073c5fec65a5a6f94169
Find the Example.ps and go through the fonts. You can change the fonts and see how it works, like this:
jnewth
Re: Sketch: how to find, select and remove identical entities drawn on top of each other?
I can't think of a specific tool for this but sometimes the left-to-right rectangle selection can help. It will grab only items fully inside the selection box, not ones that overlap the box.
Re: Sketch: how to find, select and remove identical entities drawn on top of each other?
Nothing automatic.
The rare times I've run into this, I select the line and press delete, then repeat, until there is no line on the screen. Then I press the undo button once to get the last line back. Repeat with the other duplicate lines.