Frame / Sheet Metal / Platework Weldment Cut-list Improvements

Mitch_Lamoureux

Hi There,

With the introduction of the frames featurescript, it would be nice if there was some automation in making a frame weldment that may contain gussets that are done with boss extrudes, and sheet metal that are all contained in the part studio. This would allow for a weldment of mixed plate, sheetmetal, and frame members.

This was pretty easy to do in SolidWorks, but right now for plates it needs to be manually added to the cutlist, and then the description typed out. It would be preferential if a cutlist coule autogenerate a string like Plate 1/4" x 6" x 8" for its bounding box dimensions.

If there is already an improvement request underway, please let me know and I'll add my name to it but I didn't see it.

Thanks
Mitch

emagdalenaC2i

@Mitch_LamoureuxI think you will have news soon... and that will mean that I will have to update my FeatureScripts again to maintain compatibility with those changes

shawn_crocker

@Mitch_Lamoureux
I agree. improvements are needed for welded structures big time.  In the mean time, I modified the cut list feature to push all the properties it is creating automatically into custom properties of the parts rather then the cut list of the composite part.  I also don't use extrudes to create gussets and such because they are made from sheet metal in the shop so I use sheet metal in software.  I just use available tools to automatically populate sheet metal cut sizes into custom properties.  To me, it is far more flexible to have the properties in the parts themselves because I can reuse a part of a weldment somewhere else and cutting information travels with it.  I view a composite part that has a cut list table traveling with it as a really big, "Ummmmm, its going to take us waaaay too long to complete this properly, and the next big onshape super star event is coming up, so this will have to do".  Every so often I step back and evaluate if I'm maybe just being an idiot and if I'm sure I can't just make use of composite frame parts.  And I simple can't.  Having a system that automatically tallies up total materials consumed with one click of a button just doesn't work when the sizes of stock can't be accessed by the BOM.  For all the plethora of ways Solidworks is much less relaxing to use, they definitely nailed weldments down pat.  Being able to bust a weldment out into an assembly of parts, all properly positioned and properly instanced, I fear, is going to be years in the making for onshape to catch up to.  I'm just glad I'm usually dealing with sheet metal centric models with a bit a framing sprinkled through out.  It is not a huge chore to use the composite part as a skeleton to mate extra instances of a part onto when needed.  If only featurescript could make it into the assembly environment and then we could make these things happen ourselves possibly.

lukas_szwugier

@shawn_crocker
I was wandering how you do this "push all the properties it is creating automatically into custom properties" and "I just use available tools to automatically populate sheet metal cut sizes into custom properties". I looking for solution to do that and I'm stuck. How you do that?

If you may share this it will be great.

For me it is biggest pain that OS have from my point of view. custom properties with dimensions of parts that propagate in BOM should be implemented right in the beginning of Onshape journey. If someone make project for shop floor it is must have feature.

shawn_crocker

@lukas_szwugier

     What I did was create a slightly modified version of the standard cutlist feature.  When digging through the code of the standard feature, I noticed at some point, the onshape genies have created this wonderful imported function that looks at a query of frame items and automatically filters them out to keep only unique frame parts.  The feature uses this filter query of frame parts to create that cutlist table that gets attached to the composite.  My modified cutlist feature still lets the feature make this table but I also sort of hi-jack the cut list data and have the feature insert the frame data like profile description, length, angle1, angle2 right into each frame parts custom properties.  So when done, any frame part that was picked up by the feature, is renamed appropriately with the description if the profile.  I will usually just delete all the frame parts that did not get renamed because it indicates they are identical and I will just instance the other ones in an assembly.  If you are interested, I can share this feature with you.  I will look through it to find the customized code and see about isolating it into a function that you could easily modify for the custom properties you plan to use.  Its probably time I update this feature anyways.  For sheet metal, you can create a calculated property that pushes the flat pattern size.  I know it can be done but I actually have not explored created calculated properties yet.  I had already made a customized finish sheet metal feature that does the flat pattern size and puts it into custom properties of choice.  I have never had an issue with it so I have just kept using it even with the advent of the calculated properties.
     So, inevitable, you do need to use featurescript a bit to achieve a more desirable behavor on more material consumption focus parts.

lukas_szwugier

@shawn_crocker

This is what i looking for    If you be so kind to share i say yes please.
Generally what i looking for is to insert general parts dimension: length , width and thickness to use it in BOM and for supply guys , for any type of feature (frame, sheet metal, standard solid body, pipes, what ever have  volume)
 I was wondering why this functionality don't came up in the beginning of Onshape. 
About computed (calculated) properties i also read about, but because i`am newbe in Feature studio`s this is over my league right now.

As i assume you have to make those custom properties (profile description, length, angle1, angle2) in company settings first, then you able to push properties to parts by your modified cutlist feature?

shawn_crocker

You are correct.  Just thinking though, regular solid body parts like something machined would need a different feature to pull out the bounding box style dims.  Now you got me thinking.  It would be nice to have one feature that just did what needed to be done on any selected part and would just figure out what type of part is was.  I will probably end up doing this but for now, I will dig out my cutlist feature and share it.  If you do a search for calculateBounds, this custom feature will allow you to choose between value bounds and flat pattern bounds.

ben_partouch

@shawn_crocker
Do you mind sharing this feature please?

I want to create a feature that has a simple distance measuring tool by manual selection, associate a name to that result and spit it out to a custom property that I can then pull into BOM.
I have no idea if what I described here makes any sense but that's basiclly what I need to do.
Thanks,

shawn_crocker

@ben_partouch
Here is a link share to the document containing our customized sheet metal features.  In the tab SET SHEET METAL PROPERTIES, this is where the code exists for assigns data to custom properties.  The structure of the code is not my most favorite or intuitively layout our code so feel free to inquire more if something seems convoluted there.

https://trebormanufacturing.onshape.com/documents/7cb3a2aaddb5ef9738251ee3/w/a227091b7cf37b893b5234a4/e/66862ce4229ceeaf05b99b99

ben_partouch

Thank you @shawn_crocker.

How do you link the feature to the custom property in the company settings?
In other words, I assume you had to create a custom property to correspond to this feature. How'd you do it?

shawn_crocker

ben_partouch said:

Thank you @shawn_crocker.

How do you link the feature to the custom property in the company settings?
In other words, I assume you had to create a custom property to correspond to this feature. How'd you do it?

You are correct.  You can use properties that already exist but you probably will want to create new ones.  You create them in you company/enterprise settings.  When you create the property, you can copy the property ID to use in your feature.

ben_partouch

Thank you @shawn_crocker

shawn_crocker

@ben_partouch
Let me know if you need it shared again.  I unshared it to keep our admin from querying me on why unknown names were showing up in our activity feed.

ben_partouch

Will do. Much appreciated.