Improvement Request

ryan_blackwood

I've been using OnShape for a couple weeks now, and am loving it.  However, I have come across a couple improvements I would like to see.  I'd also like to hear if anyone else wants the same improvements, and I'm not just using OnShape wrong due to lack of experience with more professional CAD SW.

1) Editing a sketch shouldn't necessarily change previous extrusions. 
For my designs I am often going back and editing a sketch, sometimes to change a part that was already extruded (nice feature), however, sometimes I am just adding a reference line, or a new line to extrude a completely new part using a combination of the new lines and the original lines.  I've found that when I add a new line to a sketch I've already extruded, it causes a hole in previously extruded parts.  I understand why it's doing it, but it would be nice if maybe along with all the constraints I could tell it which lines should affect the previous part, and which lines should not (The ones that do could be a different color than the ones that don't).  I have a 4 part item that I am making from the same sketch, because they need to fit together precisely, but when I add or modify a line for a new part, it causes issues with the already made parts, and I'm having to go back and edit the extrusions.  So just a quick click of a constraint to tell it whether to modify existing parts or not would be nice.

2) Folders inside documents. 
I have 1 document in which I am working on an assembly with almost 20 parts, most of which were imported.  This document now has more than 40 tabs, and I would consider this a pretty small project.  It's becoming time consuming trying to find the tab I need to view/edit, and would save me a ton of time if I could (A) put the original imported files into a folder (or even hide them) or better yet (B) be able to make some folders in which I can move items I no longer need to edit, or a folder of all the PDFs, or something like that.

3) Copy parts from one studio to another. 
I'm trying to make this assembly with 20 parts, where most of the parts are imported, but some are custom made, but they all have to fit together.  For some reason I can't copy an imported part into another part studio, so I can't have my own part and more than 1 imported part in the same studio to be able to design new parts around them.  I'm not sure if I'm missing something, or if this is a limit of OnShape, in which case it really needs to be fixed (probably 99% of my use of OnShape will revolve around making parts that share geometries with multiple imported parts).

4) OnShape OffLine.
Another nice feature would be to have at least a basic offline editor.  Something where I can download a version or something to work on offline (such as when going somewhere with no cell/wifi coverage) then upload the edited file back into OnShape online(preferably with all the edit history that OnShape maintains).  Something with just all of the sketch and extrude tools would be good, I could get away with not having the mating and some of the advanced features until I'm back online.

shashank_aarya

@ryan_blackwood  I would like to suggest some workaround methods for couple of your improvement requests

Point-1   You can extrude by selecting the entire sketch from model tree. Now even if you add any lines in this sketch which is already extruded by this method, it will not change anything in extruded geometry. 




Point-2  At this point of time Onshape may be working for defining proper folder structure as per user's requirements. But if your requirement is to search parts which you have created inside the document there is a workaround method. By pressing Ctrl+F from keyboard you will get a search window. In that if name is typed, it highlights in Onshape as below.

I feel this is a browser functionality. I am using Google Chrome, so I am getting this window at top right hand corner. In Firefox, position of this window may be different.

Thanks,
Shashank

ryan_blackwood

That's good info, thanks.  Unfortunately the extrude workaround wont work for most of my designs, because there are no full extrusions of a sketch, they are all different bits of the same sketch.  Is there a way to make copies of a sketch?  That might work too.  Make a copy to extrude from, then not mess with that copy again, except to change the items extruded from that copy.  I tried doing this today, but it kept giving me an error about not enough constraints or something.

5) Setting units by part studios, not entire documents.  I came across this issue today as I was working on 2 different part studios in the same document, one of them was in inches, the other in mm.  As I switched from one to the other, I had to keep changing the default units back and forth.  I know I can specify the units within the individual parameter boxes every time I make something, but I was doing 30+ actions in each one before going back to the other.  It's not a big deal, but would be nice (I had a couple times where I started sketching and it took me a couple steps to realize that it was in the wrong units.

andrew_troup

@ryan_blackwood  : You can (since the last glorious update) copy sketches, but it's a dead rather than a live copy. Dead copies are generally more useful than live ones, but I do hope they get around to giving us the option of live.

I'm puzzled by your subsequent comment, in which, having asked whether sketches can be copied, you seem to be saying you did nevertheless copy them... not sure what method you used, but more detail would be useful to get to the bottom of your "constraints" issues.

brucebartlett

@ryan_blackwood item 1. I've experienced the same problems when working from a single sketch to build multiple parts. I love the flexibility to select regions from  various sketches and faces combined together but sometimes can work against when you modify the main sketch and parts are effected which you didn't plan/foresee. I think with practice and structure you may become more used the way Onshape uses geometry to create parts however there's always room for improvement. 1 solution maybe to create new sketch and use the use feature to project geometry from the layout sketch, this may protect from adjustments and changes in regions up stream.  Just some thoughts Bruce.

ryan_blackwood

@andrew_troup I was saying that I tried to copy the sketch, but got errors and it would not let me copy it.  I couldn't quite figure out what the error was trying to tell me, if it was just telling me that I couldn't copy sketches, or that I was doing it wrong.

@brucebartlett I've started doing that, which should work fine for some things, but I have a couple projects that I will have to be very selective how many sketches I do and which ones affect which parts.

OnShape is still a lot better than other programs I've used, and the learning curve is fairly shallow (I've never used SolidWorks, or any Professional software for that matter, just freeware).  In the past I've done almost all of my modelling for 3D printing (I actually 3D Printed my first OnShape model today, and it turned out great), but now I'm designing my own 3D printer and components, and am working with people that use Solidworks exclusively (I've definitely sent them invites to collaborate and am awaiting their take on OnShape).

Narayan_K

@ryan_blackwood for item 4) OnShape Offline.it may require installation of Onshape in our system as we do for conventional CAD.Now we are not worried about such things..

brucebartlett

@ryan_blackwood for item4) when I started with Onshape I was of the same opinion but now I am would say full cloud and stay that way. I know that's not for everyone but think it will suit the majority with half decent internet which will only improve as time goes on. 

shashank_aarya

@Narayan_K

@ryan_blackwood for item 4) OnShape Offline.it may require installation of Onshape in our system as we do for conventional CAD.Now we are not worried about such things..

I think another approach which Onshape could make its offline version may be in this way. If I access any mail servers such as outlook, after clicking new email option I can start typing the mail. But even if the server is disconnected I can still type inside and save the outlook file to my computer. When server reconnects I can open that outlook file to modify or send it. I agree that this needs to install MS office in computer. But if you see the latest MS office-365, it is also a cloud platform which allows you to save your documents to your computer as well as to their own cloud server known as One-drive.

lougallo

@ryan_blackwood Thank you for the post.  The best way to submit your requests is to use the feedback tool.  You can go to the ? menu in the upper right and select Feedback.  This will send in a ticket for your request.  Also please try to send in a ticket per request so we can make sure you are notified when those features are live on the service.  

As a side note, we will be launching a public voting system soon... it got pushed a bit due to the holiday here in the US.  Hope to launch this soon.  So you will then have the current feedback system and a way to just cast a vote for requested improvements.  

3dcad

2. Feel free to delete imported originals, when translation is finished you don't need them anymore..

3dcad

3. Derived parts (insert part into existing part studio) is not a feature yet. It's highly requested though and I wouldn't be suprised to see it in future updates.

3dcad

4. I would suggest to use some traditional cad for this and use export to move in onshape when available. From what I have understood (and what I prefer) Onshape is and is going to be full cloud cad without any local installation. You can use even with 3g mobile connection (H+/4g preferred) so it shouldn't be a problem.