Colour edited faces

martin_kopplow

So I had a stupid idea and it didn't work.

I have a small part I want to print for assembly testing. It is going to be an injection molded part some day, but for now, I'll use my desktop printer so I have a set of workable parts by tomorrow. To print snappable parts off the model I made, I'd need to apply certain offsets, depending on the specific printer accuracy. I also want to colour all the offset faces in a contrasting colour, so everybody, including future me, can clearly identify the faces that have been modified.

So, I derive all parts I want to print into a new part studio I name "PRINT assembly test parts" and then create an offset variable I know is good for this specific printer. Then I use that variable in several move face features I apply. In order not to forget a face; I do usually assign the modified faces a contrasting colour.

Here comes the silly idea: I wanted to make the colouring more or less automatic by querying the faces previously selected for the move face feature(s). But then, face colour is not a feature. Can I do it anyway?

Caden_Armstrong

You definitely can make a face colouring feature that takes in a query variable - I made the rainbow faces feature.
I just pushed an update that lets you specify a specific colour (by hex code) instead of making them all a pretty rainbow.

eric_pesty

You can use the "Part color" FS:
https://cad.onshape.com/documents/d997b0ffc30f659113b10c00/v/4d2f56ee7f2ec4a55451f198/e/b6db0c9545b9a2df1d7ea546

EvanReese

I second the Part Color feature. It has a place to input faces. Move Face (mostly) doesn't create new faces, so "Created by" after the fact isn't going to work. You'll want to create a QV first, then use it in Move Face and in Part Color and you're golden… or whatever color you choose.

jelte_steur_info

Agree. a query variable cannot be used yet in the appearances panel so this is the best way.
(and the part color feature is more understandable since it's in the feature tree, rather than hidden in an appearances panel.)

But either way you may consider voting for:

https://forum.onshape.com/discussion/29168/allow-query-variables-in-appearances-panel

martin_kopplow

@jelte_steur_info true, I upvoted that one.

EvanReese

I hate it when I go to upvote an IR and I already have haha. Agree it would be a nice touch.