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FeatureScript User Community Spotlight

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Comments

  • dave_cowdendave_cowden Member, Developers Posts: 475 ✭✭✭
    @john_mcclary
    >>I know the import trick you are referring to but that may hide your code, but then again all someone has to do is add that import line to the top of their script and user your code like an interface

    We are in agreement. There are several limitations today that make it practically impossible to avoid having un-paid copies if that's the intent.

    My main point was just that there is already a way to prevent access to the actual source, which is at least something. It doesn't' seem like it'd be that hard for Onshape to fix up those couple of little sharing/permissions things, and/or add a little bit of work into the existing appstore to make it possible to limit use to those who have paid.
  • john_mcclaryjohn_mcclary Member, Developers Posts: 3,935 PRO
    edited April 2021
    If i'm being totally honest, if there was a pay per use, or a buy in I would not use the feature. (that's why I avoid the app store as well)
    That would put a bad taste in my mouth about Onshape if that became the norm. I'm sure I'm not alone here.
    But like I mentioned, if a donation was requested because a lot of effort was put into it, then yea I would be happy to tip the dealer.
    I mean how do you charge per use? what is a use? sometimes you model something up a dozen ways before picking the final design. I just don't agree with that model. Sometimes it's just a concept for a quote, sometimes it's a kid in his basement on a free account.
  • dave_cowdendave_cowden Member, Developers Posts: 475 ✭✭✭
    @john_mcclary thanks for your thoughts. I've definitely heard lots of people voice the concern that Onshape doesn't feel like a good solution if you have to pay for addins to get the job done. As a user i completely get that viewpoint. 

    To me, the solution doesn't feel like a good solution if you have to use addins at all, regardless of how much you have to pay. 

    Maybe that's why Solidworks makes it so hard to bundle and develop plugins-- they are only valuable if they can be delivered with the software install, which the user 'feels' like they got 'with the product'.

    If the majority of people share your thoughts (which they may) , then why would anyone who doesnt work for Onshape develop FeatureScripts with the extra care required to make sure they are well tested and robust? Just because its fun, I suppose? 



  • john_mcclaryjohn_mcclary Member, Developers Posts: 3,935 PRO
    I do it because I need a special feature, then share it with anyone who wants it. I never sat down and tried to imagine a solution to a problem that 'might' exist that I could sell. Although in Onshape I'm a designer by trade not a coder. I think if I were a coder by trade I would try and get on the App store where those metered payouts are set up
  • EvanReeseEvanReese Member, Mentor Posts: 2,135 ✭✭✭✭✭
    @john_mcclary
    Selection Fillet made the blue list 🙌


    Yea, I wouldn't use it on my typical models, but it was handy on something I worked with @romeograham where he had hundreds of selections with 2 simple rules...
    Whatever. Still counts!   :p
    Evan Reese
  • dave_cowdendave_cowden Member, Developers Posts: 475 ✭✭✭
    I do it because I need a special feature, then share it with anyone who wants it. I never sat down and tried to imagine a solution to a problem that 'might' exist that I could sell. Although in Onshape I'm a designer by trade not a coder. I think if I were a coder by trade I would try and get on the App store where those metered payouts are set up
    That makes sense! You're very generous!

    >> I think if I were a coder by trade I would try and get on the App store where those metered payouts are set up

    Exactly right! The app store simply doesn't support metering payouts for for Featurescript use. That's precisely what I wish Onshape would add.
  • john_mcclaryjohn_mcclary Member, Developers Posts: 3,935 PRO
    @john_mcclary
    Selection Fillet made the blue list 🙌


    Yea, I wouldn't use it on my typical models, but it was handy on something I worked with @romeograham where he had hundreds of selections with 2 simple rules...
    Whatever. Still counts!   :p
    Oh wait, is that your featurescript? Evan
  • wayne_sauderwayne_sauder Member, csevp Posts: 554 PRO
    @dave_cowden
     I agree with some of the others that if I knew the feature would cost me something I probably would not link it unless it solved a regular problem. However, what I have thought should be promoted more, (as someone who has a poor understanding of coding), is that there are fellows out there that would be interested in looking at a problem and coming up with a feature to solve the issue for a fee, then the parties involved could decide whether that becomes public or not. I have a few challenges that I would like a Featurescript for and I would be glad to pay something for it, however, they have not become important enough to track one of you down.  :)  
  • EvanReeseEvanReese Member, Mentor Posts: 2,135 ✭✭✭✭✭
    @john_mcclary
    Selection Fillet made the blue list 🙌


    Yea, I wouldn't use it on my typical models, but it was handy on something I worked with @romeograham where he had hundreds of selections with 2 simple rules...
    Whatever. Still counts!   :p
    Oh wait, is that your featurescript? Evan
    hahaha yes! I'm not offended. Overly "smart" models can bite you. In development it can be great, but once you've started producing stuff and just want to change that one thing it can get scary. With great power comes great responsibility.
    Evan Reese
  • dave_cowdendave_cowden Member, Developers Posts: 475 ✭✭✭
    @wayne_sauder thanks for that insight!

    Indeed, my experience has been that the majority of the time, people willing to pay for FS development generally want the source to stay private. I've been in discussions along those lines about 1/2 dozen times, ( not a lot to be sure), but so far all of them would have wanted to retain the code as private. It makes sense --  if you paid for it, its worth something, so then why would you give it away? 
  • lemon1324lemon1324 Member, Developers Posts: 225 EDU
    I do it because I need a special feature, then share it with anyone who wants it. I never sat down and tried to imagine a solution to a problem that 'might' exist that I could sell. Although in Onshape I'm a designer by trade not a coder. [...]
    This is why I did mine - laser-cut parts and jigs was a huge part of my grad school experience, and I just wanted to make that less painful for myself.

    @dave_cowden you've mentioned a couple of times being paid "per use", do you mean "per user who added it to their toolbar", or actually "per use of the feature"?

    I definitely am happy to use features for free and publish mine for free with the source available, but I'm also definitely coming at this from an academic's point of view.
    Arul Suresh
    PhD, Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University
  • dave_cowdendave_cowden Member, Developers Posts: 475 ✭✭✭
    @lemon1324 I have in mind "per use" meaning either (a) each document in which you actually use the feature , or (b) the point at which  actually use the feature some number of times.

    I'm both of these cases, I am imagining a micro payment, something in the order of $0.05 or $0.10.


  • Henk_de_VlaamHenk_de_Vlaam Member, Developers Posts: 240 ✭✭✭
    [...]

    Ones I use all the time are front and center on the tool bar





    @john_mcclary,
    How do you get the FS-icons in your toolbar. I tried it with Customize toolbar... without success.
    Henk de Vlaam (NL)
  • john_mcclaryjohn_mcclary Member, Developers Posts: 3,935 PRO
    If i recall there was a trick to it. 
    I think i ended up stretching the browser so wide that none of the icons were in dropdown menus
  • alan_baljeualan_baljeu Member, User Group Leader Posts: 111 ✭✭
    I'm interested to create feature scripts for purpose.
    Creating knowledge-driven design automation software, for molds, etc.
    www.virtualmold.com

  • EvanReeseEvanReese Member, Mentor Posts: 2,135 ✭✭✭✭✭
    @rodrigo_rivas_costa
    looks like a powerful feature! I'm looking forward to the situation where I need it. Thanks for sharing.
    Evan Reese
  • imants_smidchensimants_smidchens Member Posts: 63 EDU
    This is so cool!
    I've been using a configurable doc i made a while ago (with octoid profiles) and for the life of me I couldn't get parametrically accurate spiral bevels to come out correctly. Instant favorite FS right here.
  • konstantin_shiriazdanovkonstantin_shiriazdanov Member Posts: 1,221 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited July 2021
    Find solution - a tool for finding numeric parameters of design satisfying given values of driven ones.
    It uses your feature list as a function to solve for.

    Set the names of driving parameters, set the names and desired values of driven parameters, pick the minimal feature list which fully constrains parameter dependencies and let the system gude you! The number of driving and driven parameters should match. The units of driven parameter target values should match the units of their current values. The feaure creates an instance of feature pattern applying found set of driving parameters which satisfyes target values of driven parameters up to a given precision, and prints found drivingnparameters in console.

    The feature uses tangents method for solving multidimensional systems of equations, and you should be sure that solution exist near the current point.

    Would be handy in situations when you for example need to constrain center distance of a belt transmission based on the length of the belt, or find a combination of dimensions which results to a reservoir of a given volume and surface area.

  • MichaelPascoeMichaelPascoe Member Posts: 1,988 PRO

    Texture

    https://cad.onshape.com/documents/46897a2d60ade8dbb04077f3/w/23398bd91a932d1432a5d204/e/201138fdd8eee8cfcd2dcac1

    With Texture, you can create solid body textures by clicking a surface or face.
    Use pre-loaded textures, or use your own custom texture by selecting custom.

    This feature is a derivation of Surface Pattern by  @maximilian_schommer (Onshape), Thanks Max! 


    Learn more about the Gospel of Christ  ( Here )

    CADSharp  -  We make custom features and integrated Onshape apps!   Learn How to FeatureScript Here 🔴
  • billy2billy2 Member, OS Professional, Mentor, Developers, User Group Leader Posts: 2,068 PRO
    Welcome back @dave_cowden, we missed you. The question about monetizing feature scripts has never been answered.

    With the cloud comes open source and how do others earn a living? This isn't the first instance of creating something useful for a community of users and getting some kind of support. I don't know what it looks like and have been trying to figure it out. 

    I'm hoping we avoid the microsoft paradigm where everything is dependent on a credit card. It seems like there could be  better ways to create an environment where developers get support.

    With linux, react & nodejs; how do these guys do it? Is there something we're missing?

     
  • bob_tiptonbob_tipton Member Posts: 3 ✭✭
    Hello Onshape Fans!

    Some of you may remember me since I was a member of the original modeling team.

    As part of a large project I'm leading we needed to design and test custom gears. We're also operating in one of the most remote places on Earth - Bantayan Island Philippines. It turned out to be faster and cheaper to write our own gear features in FeatureScript and 3D print them than to order off the shelf gearing.

    I've made two of the features available in a public document.


    One feature creates a pair of involute spur gears. The other creates a pair of spherical involute bevel gears.

    The features include most of the bells and whistles: Adjustable addendums/dedendums, fillets, helical, V-Helical and basic clearance control.

    They create 'blanks' which you can then modify by adding spoke cutouts, lightening holes etc.


    The preceding figure is a PROPRIETARY example of what Dark Sky's OroAzul team did with three gear features.

    I've made the features available as 'charity ware.' If you find them useful, please donate to Dark Sky's OroAzul project at - https://www.gofundme.com/f/OroAzul.

  • bob_tiptonbob_tipton Member Posts: 3 ✭✭
    Hi Niel,

    After I posted this I noticed that another user was doing similar work.

    It would be helpful if there was a catalog of available features so that I would have known his existed before we wrote ours. We've been requesting a feature marketplace for nearly 7 years now.
  • Brad_GoodmanBrad_Goodman Member Posts: 38 ✭✭
    I just made a handy FeatureScript I thought I'd share. I've spent countless hours designing these into a billion things I've designed - so - finally got around to just creating a script to do it!

    It creates these handy little "mushrooms" I use in 3d printed designs, mostly to be able to clip PCBs to the plastic designs through mounting holes without the need for any other hardware.

    Mushroom Clip Retainer FeatureScript




  • EvanReeseEvanReese Member, Mentor Posts: 2,135 ✭✭✭✭✭
    @Brad_Goodman Thanks for sharing! I added it.
    Evan Reese
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