Grouping Items in the model tree, and embedded sketches within a feature

robert_zschoche

Filtering items in the model tree is cool and common throughout the industry. Coming from Pro E/Creo I am accustomed to the ability to group features in the tree.  IE select a set of inline features, group them, give the group a name, hide, suppress, mirror, array, delete.....the entire group as as a single set when needed. You can have groups within groups and they will expand or collapse with a + sign in front of the group. This is very useful when dealing with a large and busy tree. For parts studios it will allow grouping of the features in the tree for any given part definition such that you can find the items related to the part by locating its group.  At the assembly level it is almost required to group parts of a large machine assemblies into groups that define their idea, (IE, frame, conveyors, guarding, motors, and so on) without the need of creating redundant sub assemblies simply to isolate them in the tree.  Another Creo way to keep things clean is allow sketches to be embedded into the actual feature it is used in.  IE instead of sketch and then extrude showing in the tree, only the extrude is there with the sketch embedded and editable from within the feature. For flexibility a sketch can exist as a stand alone line in the tree, or remain in the tree and linked to a feature, or the feature can be unlinked from the sketch so it becomes embedded such that the original sketch can be deleted without affecting the feature.  Maybe this is not in the form of a question, but I wanted to express that expandable grouping is not a new thing, but it is a necessary thing especially as parts studios and machine assemblies grow

shashank_aarya

This could be one of the priority by Onshape and hope it will come soon. But you can still address the same in improvement request at 
https://forum.onshape.com/categories/improvement-requests

clayton_ertley

I have already put in an improvement request for this. My models have very long feature trees and a lot of the the feature can be concentrated or grouped around one specific part in the file, so creating folders to name would be very helpful for navigation.

3dcad

+1

viru

+1

develar

Why not just use subassembly? You can select parts in your existing assembly and "Move to new subassembly". 

andrew_troup

develar said:

Why not just use subassembly? You can select parts in your existing assembly and "Move to new subassembly". 

Not in a Part Studio, you can't

tommy_williams

+1 i agree this and ensuring sketches are hidden under their derived feature will clean up the model tree which at current is a major issue in Onshape. Having multi-body parts available requires this functionality... it would be neat if you could colour code items in the model tree based on group, so you can easily find which features relate to the body...thanks

yuval_rakavy_

+1

nickw

Big time +1, first feature request since starting to use the software. In Photoshop it's really useful to group layers together, that way you can keep it organized. Sometimes it doesn't make sense to create a new part when you're dealing with derived dimensions or features. I find myself going back and forth between parts just to grab dimensions or keeping multiple tabs open at the same time. And when I go to delete a feature I have to wait to see which derived features break and delete those as well.

Johan_8

Yes i totally +1 this improvement as well!

lougallo

https://forum.onshape.com/discussion/comment/15471#Comment_15471

DavidvanderMeer

What I think could work really well is if in the Parts browser in a part studio, you had the ability to expand each Part as though it was a folder, containing only the feature-tree items that make up that part (all the 'parents'). It would be like an instant and automatic filter giving you everything you need to work on just that part. You can already quickly isolate that part ('hide other parts'), and if it also gave you hide/show controls for the sketch elements that make up this part you can quickly jump in and out of only those features to make the required edits.

fastwayjim

+1 on grouping/folders, but please, please, please do not embed sketches under the features in the tree, it is completely unnecessary.

Just hover over the feature, and the sketch it uses pops up on the screen!