How do I invoke the Sketch toolbar?

stanley_max

HI Onshape colleagues,

Could someone please explain to me how to invoke the Sketch toolbar?  In other words, how do I get the Sketch toolbar to show.

Thank you.

Stanley

Matt_Shields

Hi Stanley,

When you open Onshape, you will see the Features toolbar at the top (Extrude, Revolve, etc.).  Click Sketch and then sketch one of the planes, Front, Top, or Right.  That will change the toolbar at athe top from the Features toolbar to the Sketch toolbar.  When you complete the sketch, you'll be back to the Features toolbar.

cheers,
matt

stanley_max

Thank you, @Matt_Shields, for your response.

Now a slightly lengthy comment.

I am just learning Onshape, and so far I am favorably impressed — except with respect to invoking toolbars.  So now I have had to create an object that I did not want just to call up the Sketch toolbar!  Really?  Then next, I guess, I will have to delete that unwanted object just to proceed with drawing the object that I do want.

This procedure for invoking toolbars is unacceptably and tortuously complicated.  The user should be able to bring up a Document toolbar, a Feature toolbar, a Sketch toolbar, an Assembly toolbar, or a Drawing toolbar by pressing one or two buttons.  That's it.

This method of invoking toolbars is so aggravatingly difficult that it is turning into a deal-breaker for me to the point where I am contemplating just forgetting about Onshape altogether.

I understand that you may not be responsible for the toolbar issue — and I thank you for answering my question — but I just may not be able to deal with it further, and I will have to consider moving on to some other Cad program.  I don't know.

Stanley

S1mon

@stanley_max

Sounds like you might want to spend just a little time watching some of the training videos. There are keyboard shortcuts for many of the things that you want.

It's also not really clear what you are expecting. This is not Autocad. Onshape is for 3D parametric collaborative mechanical CAD. While you can do things that are just 2D, or work non-parametrically, or work by yourself, or work on things that are organic, or whatever... Onshape is made for very specific types of work.

https://cad.onshape.com/help/Content/shortcut_keys.htm

https://learn.onshape.com/courses/introduction-to-part-design
https://learn.onshape.com/catalog?labels=%5B%22Self-Paced%20Courses%22%5D&values=%5B%22CAD%20Basics%22%5D
https://learn.onshape.com/catalog?labels=%5B%22Self-Paced%20Courses%22%5D&values=%5B%22Onshape%20Fundamentals%22%5D

mahir

@stanley_max I'm confused regarding your toolbar expectations. The toolbar is context sensitive. It shows commands that are actually able to be executed in the given context. There is zero use for any of the sketch functions (lines, circles, etc) unless you are actively editing a sketch. So if you don't want to create a sketch object, why would you need access to the sketch toolbar? Same goes for drawing and assembly toolbars. Assembly features only work while editing an assembly, and drawing features only work in the context of a drawing. I think perhaps there is some miscommunication happening, and you might be trying to execute actions in a manner that the software just wasn't built to handle.

steve_shubin

Now @Matt_Shields, @S1mon, and @mahir all make EXCELLENT points

Below are a couple ways that are painless and not torturous  

To add to what Matt, Simon, and Mahir have said, if you haven't made any sketches yet, you can click on a plane or mate connector, and then click on the SKETCH button, and this will also bring up the Sketch Toolbar without having to sketch anything. Actual time is less than a second to do. The GIF is slower than realtime,

If you've already made a sketch, you can bring the toolbar up by double clicking on its' name in the Features List, and this will again show the toolbar

stanley_max

Thank you @Matt_Shields, @S1mon, @mahir, and @steve_shubin for you helpful and clarifying comments.

Actually, what @steve_shubin wrote particularly helped me.  I didn't realize that you had to double click on the name, and doing that invokes the Sketch toolbar.

eric_pesty

@stanley_max
Right-click => edit also works...

stanley_max

Thank you, @eric_pesty.

bernd_brincken

Same here, have used CAD software like Spaceclaim before and think about to move to Onshape.

Registered, first lesson:

https://learn.onshape.com/learn/course/fundamentals-sketching/starting-a-sketch/starting-a-sketch

After choosing the sketch plane, the video says and shows that the sketch toolbar appears.

But - it does n-o-t appear.

BTW, why is this bug still active after the first complaints about it came already 8 years ago?

NeilCooke

bernd_brincken said:

Same here, have used CAD software like Spaceclaim before and think about to move to Onshape.

Registered, first lesson:

https://learn.onshape.com/learn/course/fundamentals-sketching/starting-a-sketch/starting-a-sketch

After choosing the sketch plane, the video says and shows that the sketch toolbar appears.

But - it does n-o-t appear.

BTW, why is this bug still active after the first complaints about it came already 8 years ago?

If you watch the video it says, "So let’s start a sketch. One of the easiest ways to start a sketch is to select a plane or planar face, then click the sketch command in the toolbar."

bernd_brincken

NeilCooke said:

If you watch past 7 seconds of the video it says, ""So let’s start a sketch. One of the easiest ways to start a sketch is to select a plane or planar face, then click the sketch command in the toolbar."

Yees, and I clicked the "Sketch", a modal window appears, and the Sketch toolbar appears behind.
Now I have to click the green tick icon, in order to continue.
The effect is: Sketch Toolbar disappears.

Folks, your software is buggy.
And if this happens on the second step of the first lesson - how is it going to continue?

NeilCooke

And what happens if you don't click the "I'm done sketching" green checkmark?

bernd_brincken

Sorry, such a window or checkmark does not appear here.

When I click "Create new Sketch", a modal window by the name "Sketch 1" (or 2, 3..) appears, and only the green tick button works.

After that, the sketch toolbar disappears.
Maybe you want to try that yourself?

NeilCooke

You need to keep the "modal" dialog open - don't touch it until you have finished sketching.

bryan_lagrange

You need to click the sketch icon then click/select a plane to start sketching. Do not click the check mark until you are done sketching.

bernd_brincken

... and move it away from the window I want to sketch in.

So it's not modal after all. 

And the green tick icon wants to say "I'm done" and not "Ok, go ahead."
One might consider explaining that in the video, obviously I am not the only one stumbeling over this.

NeilCooke

https://learn.onshape.com/learn/course/fundamentals-sketching/completing-a-sketch/completing-a-sketch?page=1