fs.place - a marketplace for FeatureScript

Caden_Armstrong

Introducing fs.place - a marketplace for FeatureScripts and Onshape designs!

fs.place allows users to easily search and purchase high quality Features. All listings are required to include a description and public demo document. This ensures that all fs.place users can see the feature in action without needing to guess. We also encourage all authors to include detailed documentation with their features and demos.

We want developers to be incentivized to write and share high quality features that solve real problems. fs.place allows users to sell access to their features. Authors can either sell features with their included source code, or obfuscate their features.

How fs.place works is pretty simple: when you purchase a feature, the private document containing the feature is automatically shared with you. Simply add the feature to your toolbar to gain access to it and start using it. For enterprise users, Feature authors can offer an enterprise price. Enterprise purchases duplicate the source document, and transfer ownership to the purchaser, who can then transfer the document into their enterprise.

Because fs.place is simply sharing access to an Onshape document, authors can also share designs, such as parts, assemblies, and drawings.

We are now in open beta, anyone can join and start using fs.place. If you have any questions or issues, don’t hesitate to reach out either to me directly, or info@fs.place

S1mon

Hmmm. The links to fs.place and smartbenchsofteare in this post aren't working. I was able to edit them to get to the site.

Caden_Armstrong

@S1mon
Thanks for pointing it out. Should be fixed now, the forum link tool was removing the href from the tag.

rafael_telgmann

I hope the library will grow quickly. Searching for FS in Onshape is a pain.

MichaelPascoe

Legit work @Caden_Armstrong! Features AND designs!!

Onshape has needed a Feature Store for a while now. I know there are at least 31 other users who will love this tool too.

martin_kopplow

Great work! 

Now I wonder how all the usefuls FS already out there would make their way into this place?

I wonder why Onshape hasn't created this already. If it was an OS integrated place, publishing a FS could be made to directly put it into an accessible searchable collection, but they're obviously giving away an important asset by not implemeting it.

Ste_Wilson

Looks good, I can see my FS list ballooning!

I thought I could put up a public Onshape Doc as a design (for free) for the F1 in Schools competition, but it says My Source code and demo links need to be different.

I'm not sure what to do, or am I missing the mark on the kind of content you are looking for?

Caden_Armstrong

@Ste_Wilson We'll look into it (this is why we're in beta). The intent was that paid listings need a public and non-public URL.
Until its fixed I think you can just have one tab as the demo and a different tab in the same document as the source code?
That document is certainly welcome!

@martin_kopplow - Getting people to add their features is certainly going to be a challenge, especially some of the legacy ones that might not be maintained anymore. At the very least I wanted to encourage new development of high quality features that solve real industry problems. The kinds of features that only get made by professional developers like me, but stay private because they were made for a specific client. 

Ste_Wilson

@Caden_Armstrong
That got it, however, I've been foiled by my company's firewall! (At least I assume that's what it is)

I'll try from home later.

502 - Web server received an invalid response while acting as a gateway or proxy server.

There is a problem with the page you are looking for, and it cannot be displayed. When the Web server (while acting as a gateway or proxy) contacted the upstream content server, it received an invalid response from the content server.

Done!

MichaelPascoe

Something that would be neat, is if users could subscribe to fs.place to get notified when new features are added to the store. Also if they could choose to subscribe to all or only specific content creators.

Ste_Wilson

Also on the wishlist, views/ uses.

Caden_Armstrong

Great ideas, we'll put them in the todo list of improvements.
Our current priority is to just get the marketplace full of great features.

kenn_sebesta167

Very cool!

One thing that would be very helpful in the store is the ability to communicate with the featurescript author. I got the Transform to Align tool, and noticed several either UI hiccups or low-hanging fruit upgrades[*]. I could copy the FS code and then fix things myself, but that's effectively forking the FS. Definitely not optimal, esp. because the original author should get the glory (and the upgrade).

Another thing which would be nice to see is what the store overhead is. There's a brief mention of fees, "Payout fees cannot be estimated and are subject to change.", but that's obv. not terribly committal. Is the store operating for free; for a 10%, 20%, 30%… commission; for a price-per-month?

—

[*] 1) A flip normal button would be very helpful for the planar alignment feature; 2) the chosen color showing the selected plane is reddish, and reds are historically associated with "failure to regenerate" errors, leading me to think that I was doing something wrong; 3) selecting mate connectors while using the planar alignment doesn't seem to result in a transformation (!); 4) An offset dialog would be nice, as the user intent could be "align these two parts with a precise offset" and it would be nice to get this done with one-stop shopping.

Caden_Armstrong

@kenn_sebesta167

fs.place is still in its early stages/open beta. We have plans to add profiles at some point, so that users can provide contact information.
In all of my features, I have documentation, which includes a link to my website/contact info. Any issues, you can send me an email.
I include the source code in many features because I want people to remix, modify, learn, and make it useful for their needs. Its hard to make a feature that works for everyone. But the feedback does also help decide how to improve them.

The percentage paid out to feature authors is in the TOS.
Of the list price, the seller gets 70%, we take 30%. Free features don't cost anything for the author.
The transfer fees for paying out that amount are unknown, because we are relying on transferwise to pay sellers - which does not have a fees list. If you want an estimate of the transfer fees, punch the amount and your local currency into transferwise and it should give you an idea. For example, right now, 100 USD payout would be 93.73 euro - which is about 1.75% in transfer fees. Let me know if that is clear.