Learning OnShape: I created a steel-legged table. I can't get a rectangle to snap over all the parts

florian_ford

Hi guys, I made a model of my steel legged coffee table in a process to make my learning OnShape more interesting. Many frustrations here:)

I would like someone to take it and show me the "good" way to build it efficiently. Maybe Fairy onShape:). Now getting back to earth ... the link to my model is: https://goo.gl/MLhEUI

The actual question for this post is how do I make a rectangle that would snap to the corners of the parts that make the legs? I want to create the board that tops the table. I tried a few methods. I even created a plane from one of the top faces and entered sketch mode but I can't get the geometry of the other object to activate snapping.

The other aspects of the design intent and design process that I had trouble with are:
 - None of this geometry is moving so I would have expected to be able to group some parts for mirroring purposes instead of mirroring a selection of parts. No groups in Part Studios and moving objects in assemblies they say.
 - How can I mirror against the midpoint plane of another part? Do I have to create a Plane at one end of this part and move the plane to the middle of it? It is not very intuitive to me how to easily mirror a part. I want to mirror a part and move it across an obect that it sits at the one end of it.
... Example is the light blue bracket that I needed to mirror and place its copy at the other end of the tube.

I think that is enough for now:)

Thanks all for answering this newbie question.  

_Ðave_

@florian_fordTo your first question. You cannot snap to a part that is not a part of the created sketch plane. After creating the sketch entity you can constrain it to any part of any part you wish. see gif below.
_Dave_



 

_Ðave_

@florian_fordTo your first question. You cannot snap to a part that is not a part of the created sketch plane. After creating the sketch entity you can constrain it to any part of any part you wish. see gif below.
_Dave_



 

florian_ford

That's an elegant solution you have there. I managed to do that by selecting the two extreme points of a diagonal and then press Use. Then I could snap a rectangle on them.

What software are you using to create the GIFs? I've seen many like these on the forum.

Regarding my other questions should I open new threads for them?

florian_ford

Ok, I hope choosing an answer will not lock this thread for future discussions ... I there any way to have this document reused in another document? I don't see a way to import a Part Studio from another OnShape Document...

Narayan_K

@ florian_ford , Yes you can copy the part studio and paste it in required document.







 

florian_ford

Yes that wasn't very intuitive:) ... I've eventually stumbled upon it on the web. But in the meantime I have realized that it's not only the Part Studio that I would like to have it reused, but an assembly too, where that part studio and maybe many other part studios are put together. How about having a whole OnShape Document being re-used in another one.

Say I have a motor designed in one doc. I like to use that motor in many other documents. It's an RC motor, I'll reuse it whenever I create an RC model. I maybe have different designs for RC toys, all using the same motor. I hope I make sense. I want myself (and the whole community) to reuse that whole motor document in their projects. They should be able to use it as is, so whenever I change it changes for them too or fork it to a new design, thus keeping the freedom to modify it without affecting the "Master".

I can only see "Import" and "Copy Workspace" functions in a new document and I believe both will just create new instances of a CAD file (for the import) or a whole Workspace thus loosing any connection to the original. If I modify later on the original parameters the instances will not update.