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Weldments (Beam Feature)
rick_conard
Member Posts: 30 ✭✭
I wanted to give feedback on using the "beams" feature since I know it is in development to provide weldment capability. Using the feature to make a simple box frame, see https://cad.onshape.com/documents/8353ba3ff1573159f59b4501/w/cc8fe200f3a749ace107e2f7/e/ce27dcaf7f779b4cccd66066
I may be missing something, but I have used the Solidworks weldment function and comparing to that, the Onshape beams feature seems difficult to use. Since there is no 3D sketch available, I had to create 4 sketches to define the box geometry. Once this is done, the frame can be created, but only by picking a specific combination of sketch entities. The entities must all be in the same sketch plane. So, if I want the vertical post, "beam2" , to extend through the top and bottom frame, "beam1", this cannot be done with the sketches created so far.
Since you have to use two "beam features" to make the frame, you have to change both of them if you want to edit the profile.
If you change profiles, like going from 4040 to 8080, the trimming faces have to be updated. This is a simple example. If it were a complex frame, these issues would become much more trouble.
I feel the weldment (or beams) function should work in 3D space, with 3 element corner joints, without having to draw more than one sketch and create more than one feature. This would put it on par with the Solidworks tool.
I may be missing something, but I have used the Solidworks weldment function and comparing to that, the Onshape beams feature seems difficult to use. Since there is no 3D sketch available, I had to create 4 sketches to define the box geometry. Once this is done, the frame can be created, but only by picking a specific combination of sketch entities. The entities must all be in the same sketch plane. So, if I want the vertical post, "beam2" , to extend through the top and bottom frame, "beam1", this cannot be done with the sketches created so far.
Since you have to use two "beam features" to make the frame, you have to change both of them if you want to edit the profile.
If you change profiles, like going from 4040 to 8080, the trimming faces have to be updated. This is a simple example. If it were a complex frame, these issues would become much more trouble.
I feel the weldment (or beams) function should work in 3D space, with 3 element corner joints, without having to draw more than one sketch and create more than one feature. This would put it on par with the Solidworks tool.
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