New Video Tutorial: Power User Selection Skills for Onshape

EvanReese

I finally got around to making a video that's been on my mind for a while. This video covers all of the ways to select objects in Onshape from basic to advanced, and I'm betting that most users aren't doing all of these things. Did I miss any methods?

https://youtu.be/o9HyVenlLW0

S1mon

This should be part of the standard training. The only somewhat confusing part is the bounded selections - are both bounded faces included or are they limits that aren't included? I might also demo translucent mode for selecting hidden things, as it affords slightly different opportunities than hidden edge mode.

10000% agree that create selection should even just have a "make parametric" or some such check box to make the selection update.

Nick_Holzem

Agreed, persistent selections would add value

roman_jurt190

thank you evan. this is great! i'm gonna implement this in my teaching.

eric_pesty

Great overview, I had never taken the time to fully understand what the pocket and protrusion actually did so thanks for that (also nice an concise explanation of the bounded option)! "concave connected" and "convex connected" might have been better names especially if they "sandwiched" the tangent connected option!

This should be a required watch for any new users!

ry_gb

https://forum.onshape.com/discussion/comment/113128#Comment_113128

I love that Selection Fillet is parametric! It's saved me so much time…

MDesign

Great vid Evan. Another idea from other systems that'd be nice to have is to have a 'select previous' function. might be related to you query selection idea but less smart.

EvanReese

https://forum.onshape.com/discussion/comment/113131#Comment_113131

In FeatureScript they are called that. it's qConvexConnectedFaces() and qConcaveConnectedFaces(). I'm sure it's a balance between being unambiguous about what it does, and it being too much of a mouthful, so I don't feel strongly either way personally. Once you know, you know.

jelte_steur814

Nice video. Is there an improvement request for persistent or associative selections? I'd love it as well.

i did a quick search and haven't found one, but i can't imagine this fundamental topic hasn't come up yet, i just may have not used the right key-words.

I think the query creation feature is a good way of building it. it might require all other features (including custom ones) would need adjustments to their query filters.

Another option could be to expand the current 'create selection' dialogue, with a checkmark called 'persistent' or 'associative'. (and perhaps with other 'boolean' options as well, like in Evan's selection fillet feature)

S1mon

@jelte_steur814

See:

https://forum.onshape.com/discussion/18616/implement-selection-filters-like-evan-reeses-selection-fillet-or-selection-draft-everywhere

EvanReese

I like the idea of it being a feature in the tree like a variable, but for queries. This would make it more explicit that it's being used, which would help team mates (or future me) understand the model. The greatest danger of this kind of ability is updates happening in unforeseen and unintended ways, so the more explicit it can be the better.

MichaelPascoe

Great video! Thanks @EvanReese.

Being able to store selections (Queries) in variables and then use those variables in standard feature queries would be fantastic for automation.

billyzelsnack

Awesome. Thanks for this. Very useful.

EvanReese

Thanks, y'all!