FEATURE REQUESTS

3dcad

Do you have feature request, please write it here

3 categories:
1. I need these features in order to get OnShape in production use and if these will be there it will be worth $100/month for me.
2. I would like to see these features in OS someday in near future
3. I would like to see these features in mobile apps

@LouGallo Can you make this stick on top or create a similar one?

kinsleymark

1) Surfacing (even just basic surfacing for now - i.e. boundary surfaces, stitching, etc), Lofting, and Drawings/Documentation are the main things I would need to make OS a full-time CAD replacement for me. Also, keyshot LiveLinking. Better Macbook Trackpad support would also help.

2) I'm not sure how this would be possible, but some sort of offline support would be a nice thing to have for times when I am without a good connection (which happens frequently on work trips - and obviously in airports and on planes.). 

3) Offline viewing would be a nice feature in the mobile apps. This would be a great benefit to show models to people when in poor reception areas (tradeshow events come to mind)

3dcad

List seems to grow very quickly when working with GD and thinking what's still missing in OS.. So here's the beginning:

Category 1.

• Auto login from my static IP
• Configurations (in part studio and assembly)
• Parametric dimensioning with equation editor
• Proper hole tool with built-in pattern
• Support for 3dconnexion
• Dimension / measurement tool in right click menu in all workspaces
• Intuitive right click menus for each workspace, edit / delete dimensions and figures in sketch mode to begin with
• Symmetric and collinear constraints in sketching
• Feature pattern / mirror
• Keyshot live link
• Known windows shortcuts like ctrl+x / c / v, F2 for rename, F5 for refresh and so on. If browser hijacks some of them, then use alt+ctrl+? and alt+F? so we can just nail alt button on while working on OS and everything works by the nature with shortcuts.  
• Some sort of quick 2D drawings or other proper tool to show part/assembly from multiple directions with visible dimensions (saved views in 3d workspace preferred)
• Windows 10 offline app with auto-sync (ooops, I hope not )

Category 2.

• On-the-fly dimensioning for rectangle, circle and line
• My own common-part library with rules for auto-constraining into assembly
• Millions of other things

Category 3.

• Perfect measurement tool to quickly show measures from model
• A lot of automation which could be managed in settings (pc and mobile)
• Measure-tapes and human/cola can/matchbox/coin -figure to show rough scale when representing models  
• Read-only offline view (+1 for what @Mark suggested)

A lot of further testing is needed to have a complete list for my needs. I'm designing mainly flat-pack furniture for my own factory production and secondary everything from small machine spareparts to complete factory layout with buildings and machines. In a nutshell, I use 3d cad for everything that needs to be drawn.

JJ

Our needs a a bit unique in that we are working in the movie FX industry. 

Mesh and/or SubD to Solids conversion (Fusion 360 does this through their T-Splines acquisition although it is limited)

Solids to quad SubD export (Modo with Powertranslators is very good at this but so it MOI 3D)

Needs to handle very large and complicated mesh assets and convert them (We use Modo with NURBS exporter for this, but is prone to crashing from memory usage)

Needs to be able to generate shop drawings with nice layouts easily (Rhino, Solidworks, and Fusion 360 do this well)

In general we need to be able to go from VFX software (Modo and Maya) to CAD and back again.

I am not as worried about doing SubD modeling in OnShape since Modo will always be a much better SubD modeler than any CAD program could be, but translating models is key for us. In the translation, models need to be validated and if issues are found they need to be able to be fixed.

billy2

No to the windows short cuts

"I don't do windows"

Javier

2 - LOFT
Lofting along variable irregular profiles in order to get free/organic surfaces... that's the tool I use on a daily basis, and the one tool I didn't find on my first attempt!

billy2

There is no loft at this time.

xiaoshizi

Lofting is indeed a realy nice missing feature,
Text is another feature, font selection, size, etc.
Ability to write own macro driven features should add another boost.
fi free up a corner for lasercuting, slots, ...
Parametric dimensioning
Greetz,
XiaoShiZi

franky_the_pierre

2-Simple request: for the measure tool, would like to be able to choose the number of decimal places displayed.  Right now for me it rounds it to x.xx (showing 0.12 when I know it is in fact 0.118).  This is a problem for me sometimes...

david_sohlstrom

+1 for measurement tool

lougallo

@David_Sohlstrom There is already a measure too.  You can make selection and the measure information is in the lower right.

lougallo

Hey everyone.  We are working on a way to use the forums for posting requests and voting.  If you have improvements you would like, it is best to submit them to us using Feedback.  If you are not familiar here is how it works:

• While in Onshape, Click ? menu in the upper right and select Feedback (markup/comment/submit) PRO TIP: CTRL U will launch it too.
• From Onshape, Click on your Name (Upper right) -> View support tickets -> Submit a request (upper middle)

Either of those will work to send in your thoughts.  We then match them up to our internal bug/improvement tracker with all the details, scope, UI etc so we can then schedule and deliver them to you.  We do extract tickets from the forums but it doesn't work for laundry lists of features that are requested in one comment.

I am going to be building a way for you to put in requests and show them in a list to vote on here as soon as I can.  While we are in Beta, the feedback tool allows us to prioritize improvements for the future.  Thank you for your input. 

3dcad

Thanks @LouGallo for clearing up the best procedure for feature requests.

andrew_troup

Thanks,  Lou

I greatly appreciate OnS going to the trouble of converting my forum posts to request tickets, as you have been.

I will amend my procedure to free up OnS staff so they can spend their time more directly on making  more magic happen.

I think the team are off to a superb start. It seems to me there are three main ways we can contribute usefully:

1) Alerting them to features, workflows, or concepts missing in the state of the art packages, which would make a big diff to us
2) Pointing out features etc. poorly implemented in OnS and/or the competititors
3) Pointing out features etc. well implemented ditto.

and saying why (and giving a context around that)

I think we can safely assume OnS realise a great many features are missing at present, but I for one would rather they attack them in the order which best supports an awesome product in a year's time, and (even more importantly ten years' time, rather than rushing to implement quickly just to placate the most vocal contingent from the public beta program.

I personally think there's little chance of OnS stumbling into the latter trap, but it seems to me it can't hurt for the rest of us to think more strategically about this phase.

A paradigm shift is not a recruitment campaign, and it's easy to miss the big strategic target in the distance when the focus goes on picking off small tactical targets in the foreground. I think short-term-ism of this type is the single most serious vice of modern US business practice.

daryntaylor

#Andrew_Troup said:-

"A paradigm shift is not a recruitment campaign, and it's easy to miss the big strategic target in the distance when the focus goes on picking off small tactical targets in the foreground. I think short-term-ism of this type is the single most serious vice of modern US business practice."

Hi Andrew, I absolutely agree with all of your comments and as far as I can tell Onshape will indeed bring about a paradigm shift.

I would also add that short-term-ism, isn't just a huge problem for the US, but for the majority of Westernised business.  

Jonathan_Shargary

Dont waste your time with drawings -> MBD (model base definition) is the future -> with free viewer

And something for technical publication (like SW Composer but not as bad) for instruction sheet -> with free viewer

ts_2

The mouse rotation behavior drives me up the wall.  Everything feels topsy turvey like its spinning on too many axises when I move the mouse around.  Often I feel like I'm just fighting the camera, and swirling my mouse around to upright my view.  Don't know if that's a CAD standard, but every other program I use does it different.  Blender, Tinkercad, 3dsmax, maya.   Maybe take a look at how mouse behavior works there and at least provide the option to use it that way.

christopher_46

Fun user experience feature:

I am a ui and ux designer. From the website introducing you to the service to the workflow itself the User Experience is fantastic! I come from experience from various platforms including autodesk inventor. I have by reflex hit CTRL S multiple times while using this amazing platform I've been waiting for for years. Eventually all software will do away with manual saving but until then its a good habit I don't want to get out of just yet. I suggest override CTRL S that currently offers to save the website as a html. Reassign it to a notification area used for other notifications and put incouraging remarks like
keep it up,
good work,
are you a genius?
etc.

pete_yodis

Jonathan_Shargary said:

Dont waste your time with drawings -> MBD (model base definition) is the future -> with free viewer

And something for technical publication (like SW Composer but not as bad) for instruction sheet -> with free viewer

I agree, except with the part about wasting your time with drawings.  They are needed for a little while longer.  Check out this one...https://forum.onshape.com/discussion/261/assembly-documentation/p1

pete_yodis

Ts said:

The mouse rotation behavior drives me up the wall.  Everything feels topsy turvey like its spinning on too many axises when I move the mouse around.  Often I feel like I'm just fighting the camera, and swirling my mouse around to upright my view.  Don't know if that's a CAD standard, but every other program I use does it different.  Blender, Tinkercad, 3dsmax, maya.   Maybe take a look at how mouse behavior works there and at least provide the option to use it that way.

I notice it a little bit too.  They might be compromising to also make the system work well with touch devices - or maybe there is still a better way.  I wonder if an auto-recenter could be done when the view manipulation tends to "walk" across the scree a bit.  Is that what your are noticing?

Stefan_23

After playing a bit I'm really enjoying the way Onshape works. Very user friendly, great quick tutorials. What a great job! 

What I would need to make it worth paying the monthly subscription are as follows:

-Sheet metal flat development and *.dxf export
-Lofting
-Surfacing tools
-2D drawings with BOM
-Built in rendering, something similar to Keyshot?

I really think Onshape is starting off in the direction others will only follow(cloud collaboration). Please keep us updated of new features etc. or have a "what's new" section on the home page.

The guys tinkering with 3D printers will love this stuff. Great for creating content to be 3D printed I'm sure. 

Anyway, just my thoughts and humble opinion...

peter_paul

1.

• 3D BOM with export to excel or CSV format
• Material property for parts.
• Drawings -- we sometimes use small shops. No CNC.  They prefer drawings + step file.

2.

• History free modeling like space claim / Solid edge ST. How needs parametric if you combine with onshape data management.
• MBD / PMI.
• Export to 3D pdf. Maybe I missed it
• Routing tools! Piping and electrical!
• Save measurement values
  

3.

• If you stay parametric import feature recognizer tools. Otherwise go history free!

kristoffer

Lofting

Darren

Social Features:

- A way to tag the documents to make finding a category of document easier.

- A way to create personal document collections and a way to save public documents to these collections.  Similar to Thingiverse or Instructables.

- A way to add public comments to documents.

michael_chai51554

I only have request for category 2.
- auto creation of standard bolts and nuts by just inputing the required measurements.
- auto creation of gear by inputing the required measurements like pitch, diameter & etc.

those features will save a lots of time

kirk_2

x2 on the bolts and gears.  I have a program that will generate gear profiles to DXF, so that DXF import to sketches will work, but built-in gear profiles would be very convenient.

mikael_jaakkola

Hi,
I tried OS for a while and it feels promising but there are many essential features still missing before it is useful for commercial use for me.
Lofting both surface and solid would make a big difference and be able to make sheet metal parts is a must.
Boundary surface is the most versatile surfacing tool in Solidworks and a similar surfacing tool would be great.
Also inbuilt rendering and FEA would be nice. 
Pricing of 100$/month feels too much with current set of tools compared to fusion 360 with better modeling and rendering tools for 40$/month or 300$/ year.
Free use for learning, evaluation and hobbyist use is good and is a good way to get new users intrested in you product.  

andrew_troup

Perhaps some of those who intend to go Pro subscription in the future might consider making an advance payment for a few months-worth of subs, by way of saying "I don't consider it's ready yet, but here's a tangible vote of confidence that it will be".

Sort of like a Kickstarter investment ... if enough people were to do it, it might help keep the financial buckeroos at OnS from unduly pressuring the code jockeys to release stuff which still needs work. 

I guess OnS would have to provide some sort of mechanism to make such advance payments possible.

mikael_jaakkola

I was using Onshape with my surface pro windows tablet and I would have appreciated same zooming and rotating capabilities than with the mobile version. Could it be possible to implement same features than on the mobile app then people using windows tablets could use standard Onshape  like the mobile app when no mouse or keyboard are attached. Maybe if you just added a tap somewhere where you could enable or disable zooming and rotating using your fingers on the touchscreen.

sietze_blankers

3-D sketching and frame generator are essential tools.

leonardo_teixeira

ts_2 said:

The mouse rotation behavior drives me up the wall.  Everything feels topsy turvey like its spinning on too many axises when I move the mouse around.  Often I feel like I'm just fighting the camera, and swirling my mouse around to upright my view.  Don't know if that's a CAD standard, but every other program I use does it different.  Blender, Tinkercad, 3dsmax, maya.   Maybe take a look at how mouse behavior works there and at least provide the option to use it that way.

I absolutely agree! It's strange to see such a nearly unusable feature in an otherwise brilliant web based app. The 3D rotation feels almost like an early 90's 3D application, before the time people realized that when you orbit a view, it's kinda important to keep the camera upright and not tumble sideways.