Soooo frustrated :( What seems like a simple task makes no sense, and directions/videos aren't clear

travis_grenell

I'm getting extremely extremely frustrated with Onshape. I'm coming from CAD where I mainly did 2d but some 3d as well. My drawings are all mechanical, and I cannot wrap my head around how Onshape is expected to work. It's so frustrating! Yes I can make some stuff, simple boxes stuff like that, but complex shapes are so convoluted I don't get it at all. I am struggling to even put this in words that can be understood - it's that convoluted to me, so please try to understand and be patient.

Here's a few things I simply can't figure out:

1. Creating a tapered part. I need the inner side not tapered, and outer part tapered in one direction. Draft would work except it tapers both sides of the extrusion. So that's a fail. I've read that loft would work but I can't figure out how in the world it's supposed to work. I watched the video from instructions, It was not helpful at all. I can't understand what in the world they are doing in the video or how/where some of those things came from. So I watched another video. That one makes a little more sense, but now I'm stuck with #2, assuming I'm right on how to do what I want, not sure cause can't figure out #2!

2. How do I specify a sketch to be at specific location? Ok yes I know I use dimensions, but that only specifies the location in 2 directions. How do I specify the 3rd? It's not on any surface, I need it above the surface a specific distance without moving the other 2 dimensions, so that I can do the loft. How?!!?!!!!!!! I try transform but it's moving it in some weird direction that makes no sense, not directly vertically up.

3. I drew a sketch in the base sketch. Now I need it in a different sketch for the loft. How can it be moved without getting moved? Copying it moves it in the other planes. It's so frustrating and makes no sense.

3. How do I snap to specific surfaces or edges of extrusions? They don't seem to snap at all, so how in the world are we to accurately place any lines when we need to create something based off a sketch in another plane? Truly frustrating!

4. Panning! What in the world? Right click and move the mouse, ok no big deal, but then it keeps moving after releasing the mouse key? Why? Such a bad user experience.

5. Why is EVERYTHING done with mouse and takes so many clicks? One example: Having to click the Edit button to rename a sketch or extrusion every time; really? It couldn't simply be an editable field? And I can't issue commands with keyboard? It's slow and aggravating to have to go click line every time after having to escape out of line to end the line so I can start it somewhere else.

glen_dewsbury

@travis_grenell
Sorry to hear your having such a difficult time. Sounds like your coming from a long history of ACAD.
It will take some time to adjust to OS or any other 3D (parametric) application. The concepts are notably different.
The renaming is available in the dialog box when making features as well there is a list of short cuts to memorize just as you had to do when starting with the previous program.

I highly recommend going to the learning center and go through the basic courses instead of trying to just look up what you think you need at the time since that will take a lot of time. The basic courses helped accelerate me through my introduction 8 years ago when switching over, even though I had Parametric CAD back ground.
Best of luck working through the change and certainly feel free to ask questions here on the forum. Many knowledgeable people to help.

Most of the questions you are asking now will be covered through the basics listed in this shortcut.
https://learn.onshape.com/catalog?labels=%5B%22Self-Paced%20Courses%22%5D&values=%5B%22CAD%20Basics%22%5D

steve_shubin

@travis_grenell

What @glen_dewsbury says is the most important thing to learining the program

In the mean time - here are some GIF's and links in this and the below message

steve_shubin

https://forum.onshape.com/discussion/5342/rotating-and-panning-parts-with-macbook-trackpad

https://forum.onshape.com/discussion/17494/printable-onshape-keyboard-mouse-shortcuts-quick-reference-card

nick_papageorge073

Straight up you have to do the training courses. Start with the fundamentals. Forget youtube. Go right to the OS training, and do the courses. They are not just videos. They are a short video lesson, followed by a simple test questions, followed by step by step exercises you do yourself. Should take you several hours for each course. CAD programs are very hard to learn just clicking away. Every time I've had a new job my first 2 weeks were spent doing nothing but the CAD training. I did the same with OS, even after using ProE for 20 years before, and it was a couple of weeks extremely well spent.

nick_papageorge073

For some direct answers to your questions:

1) Absolutely you can draft inner and outer surfaces of an extrusion independently. If you click the "draft" option within the extrude command, it does all surfaces. That's really meant as a shortcut to save an extra feature, as it's often the design intent. Leave that unchecked, and finish the extrude. Then, create a separate draft feature, where you will be able to pick only the individual surfaces (outer in your case) that you wish to have draft.

2) You make planes when you want a sketch at a new height. Planes are the fundamental datum in all parametric cad programs. OS also has something called "mate connectors" that can be used as well. They are coordinate systems and can also function as a plane. So you'd draw the bottom of your loft let's say on the default plane called "top". then you'd make an offset plane from the top plane, and call that loft top pln. You'd sketch the top of the loft on that new plane.

3a) You typically would not do it that way. Instead, you'd draw the bottom of the loft on the lower plane, and the top of the loft on the upper plane. While drawing the top of the loft on the upper plane, you can reference the sketch on the lower plane. Alternatively, if you really did want it all on the bottom plane, go to the upper plane, and "use edge" the sketch entities from the lower plane you want to be on the upper plane of the loft.

3b) Depending on the situation, you would use "coincident", or "use edge", or "pierce".

4) Something is wrong on your system, it's some sort of glitch you are experiencing, its def not supposed to do that. I saw your other thread about that. Try another browser termporarily to see if that fixes it, while you diagnose what the glitch is later. Also are you using a mouse or a trackpad? Maybe try the other just to see if it fixes.

5) There are shortcut keys. They are in the help menu in the upper right of the screen, to the left of your name. You can print them out and put on your desk. The most useful one though is the S key. And you can customize what it shows.

You've got to do the training. The questions you asked are good questions, but they make it obvious you have not used a parametric CAD program before, and you "don't know what you don't know". I'm not saying this to be mean:) Just you'll be fumbling through this and frustrated every time you use the program (or any other parametric cad program) if you try to figure it out without training.

Ignacio_Martos_

I would highly recommend you check out our learning center where you can find all manners of courses that will get you up to speed with the platform, you can find the self paced courses here: https://learn.onshape.com/catalog?labels=["Self-Paced Courses"]&values=["All"]

nick_papageorge_personal

Edit: double posted from my hobby and paid acct.

travis_grenell

Thank you all! This has helped very much. I was doing a training course, but clearly hadn't gotten far enough! I've gotten through more of it but your responses gave me enough to get the part done!

I still have some difficulties around snapping to object edges in ways I think should be possible but seem not to be, but thus far I've found workarounds.

I've also had difficulties in understanding why sometimes I cannot select an entity to be extruded as a solid - I have a support ticket on this one too and provided them an example part to review.

Issue #4 is not a system issue, but apparently some sort of incompatibility with touchpad software/drivers. It's so strange but even if I use the physical buttons instead of the touchpad right edge it still has issues. But when I switch to a mouse, no more issue. Apparently this is a known issue according to support. Also with the touchpad, its Lenovo running Windows; I use Windows or Linux as I can't stand Apple because they actively work to prevent 3rd party electronic repair shops from repairing their devices.

Again thank you!