Improvements to Onshape - August 23rd, 2016

NeilCooke

There's a ton of really cool stuff in this latest update! Please watch the videos and then take a moment to try out these new features and improvements and let us know what you think!

FILTERS, LABELS, AND LIKES 

The Document filters on the left-hand side of the Documents page can now be used to filter your search results, labels can be applied by dragging and dropping Documents, and Public Documents can now be rated and sorted based on the number of likes, links, and copies.

http://onshape.wistia.com/medias/2aacrtbgsg?embedType=async&videoWidth=640

PROFILE IMAGE AND TEAM/COMPANY SEARCH

You can now add an image as part of your profile. This image will display anywhere your name or social cue icon would normally appear - in the top right corner of Onshape, in Teams and Companies, in the Share dialog, and in Comments. A new search field has also been added to Teams and Companies to locate a user faster.

http://onshape.wistia.com/medias/qln42idqij?embedType=async&videoWidth=640

TAB FOLDERS

You can now organize your tabs in your Documents using folders.

http://onshape.wistia.com/medias/ybof27ee3w?embedType=async&videoWidth=640

VERSIONS FROM HISTORY AND VERSION COMMENTS

You can now create a Version from any point in history without having to restore that history point first. You can also create intermediate Versions before existing Versions. Comments can also now be added to existing Versions to document your designs better.

http://onshape.wistia.com/medias/1ji88glb7i?embedType=async&videoWidth=640

FEATURE DIAGNOSTICS

Onshape will now highlight on screen where a feature is failing to help you diagnose what's wrong.

http://onshape.wistia.com/medias/cwxbf3c5bw?embedType=async&videoWidth=640

RESTORE SKETCH

If you press the X button on the sketch dialog to cancel the sketch without saving any changes, a new popup message appears at the top of the Document for 10 seconds, giving you the opportunity to restore the changes to the sketch if you pressed the X button by mistake. Once the message disappears, the sketch will remain as it is.

DRAWINGS

• Flip dimension arrows - arrows on linear, radial and angular dimensions can now be flipped by clicking the orange dot on the arrowhead.
  
  
  
• Explode notes - you can now convert notes on Drawings into Polylines. This is useful when you need to export a drawing to older 2D CAD software or machine controllers that do not support note entities. Select a note, right-click and select Explode.
  
  
• Link dimension property to Drawing value - by default all dimension properties, like the number of decimal places, are linked to the values set in the Properties dialog unless you manually override them with some other value. After a manual modification, you can now link a dimension back to the value in the Properties dialog and any subsequent changes to those values will update the dimension. Simply select the value with (Drawing) next to it to link the value back to the Properties dialog.
  
  
  
• Export Drawing templates - you can now export an Onshape Drawing in DWT format to quickly create a custom drawing template. Sheet 1 of your drawing will be the primary template and Sheet 2 will be the continuation template. Right-click the Drawing tab and select Export.
  
  
  
• Images in templates and exported DWG files - images added to a drawing are now included when exporting to DWG or DWT format.
  
• Feet and inches in custom templates - you can now create new custom drawing templates in feet and inches.
  
  
  

FEATURESCRIPT

• Collaborator name added to cursor - whenever another person makes an edit in a FeatureScript tab, a small popup will appear next to the cursor with the name of the person making the edits. This makes it much easier to determine which user is making edits if there are several people working on the code at the same time.
  
  

• Remember previous search terms - in the search tool within a FeatureScript tab, a drop down arrow next to the search box lists all previous search terms, making it easier to find strings of text over and over again.
  
  

• New queries:
       qFarthestAlong - a query for the entity farthest along a direction in world space.
       qParallelPlanes - a query for all planar face entities parallel to a plane or normal to a vector.
       qWithinRadius - a query for all entities within a specified radius from a point.
       qIntersectsLine - a query for all entities touching a specified infinite line.
  
  

IMPORT FEEDBACK

Several improvements have been made to the import and notification dialogs, including the import tab in the Document, to make it easier to determine whether a file has been translated on import. Imported zip files now list their contents and guidance notes are provided to explain which formats are supported.

ENVIRONMENT PROFILE SETTINGS

You can now store hardware-specific graphics preferences for different combinations of computer and browser. This is useful if you have a computer with a high pixel density display and you want to use a lower resolution for better performance. You can let Onshape determine the best setting for you or you can force or disable high pixel density support. Go to Manage Account, then Preferences.

We hope you enjoy using these new features - as always, all feedback is welcome. Waiting for a particular new feature? Please use the Feedback tool to request it - we're already hard at work on the next round of updates for you!

Remember: The updates listed here are now live for all users when creating new documents and over the next few days these features will also be available in documents created before the date of this update.  

alex_22

As always, great updates. Onshape continues to impress me.

coleman

Tab Folders = Awesome! 

brian_brady

Thanks for the updates. The Version Comments will especially be helpful as I start using OS for teaching solid modeling in just 6 more days. Since students will have to share a version with me for grading, I can comment on that specific version, allowing them to know what to fix and what they've already caught and fixed themselves before resubmittal or reuse in another assignment.

Plus tab folders, I love you.

3dcad

Jiihaa!! Finally search only my documents + other impressive additions to doc searching!!

And TAB folders in same update!

Once again, thanks for listening.

coleman

Search only my documents = Awesome! 

brucebartlett

I just got a fright, to see my picture in the Onshape toolbar. Initially I thought something was wrong with my browser then realised an update must have rolled in. Great Work... 

Andrew_Enslow_HPI

There I was...creating a new part studio in Onshape when I see...What's this? Create New Folder? Then all of a sudden I fly to the question mark, click forums and see "IMPROVEMENTS TO ONSHAPE"! 

Thanks for every single update. This is a fantastic set up updates. I really appreciate the Likes/Links/Copies! Thanks for such a quick turn around on my request. Now...off to establish myself as the best Onshape designer!!!

Narayan_K

Great work again.Creating folder in document will help me to manage my big documents.Also finding failed fillet,Boolean will save our time in identifying failed edge or area.
Thanks for the updates.

shashank_aarya

Superb updates! What I loved most is the tab management through folders which is helpful to manage bigger documents.



Thanks a lot for the great updates!

daryntaylor

Good solid update, please keep it coming.

owen_sparks

Good work guys, great update.

Just curious.  On the fillet fail I'm wondering why the selected edge was a problem?  (The first example before even hitting play on the video.)  The selected problem edge looks very similar to the yellow highlighted edges on either side of it that presumably its happy with.
Cheers Owen S.

NeilCooke

Hi @owen_sparks - it's actually two edges that fail (the top two in the image) due to the arc shape in the cutout area. Parasolid reports a failure as soon as it finds it so we cannot highlight the other problem edge at the same time. If you remove the red edge from the list, the other edge (at the top) then becomes red. Simple fix for the demo was just to change the radius 

owen_sparks

@NeilCooke Gotcha, so red is failed, and yellow is either "ok" or "not not yet evaluated" if a previous problem point is seen.
Perhaps a future version could evaluate the entities one at a time and set good to green, and bad to red?
Thanks, Owen S.

_Ðave_

Long awaited update, Thanks.

Tab folders are great but I really dislike that the folder opens/expands when I drag and drop a tab into it.
I would much prefer that the folder stays closed until I decide to open it.

Thanks
_Ðave_

fastwayjim

Some fantastic usability and drawing updates, WOW!

chris_8

owen_sparks said:

@NeilCooke Gotcha, so red is failed, and yellow is either "ok" or "not not yet evaluated" if a previous problem point is seen.
Perhaps a future version could evaluate the entities one at a time and set good to green, and bad to red?
Thanks, Owen S.

Another future perhaps:   Could Onshape suggest the largest successful radius for a fillet job?   I do a lot of trial and error trying to find what works and what doesn't for fillets.   Maybe Onhape could do that testing automatically and spit out the largest usable value?

florian

Great update with a little less embarrassment, when showing your drawings to others It's always good to be remindid of features you requested a while ago when they suddenly appear. keep it up!

viru

Wow.... organize tabs in documents using folders and image as part of our profile are great sets of update.
Incredible work as always! You guys are awesome!
I'm really enjoying Onshape at the moment !

3dcad

chris_8 said:

Another future perhaps:   Could Onshape suggest the largest successful radius for a fillet job?   I do a lot of trial and error trying to find what works and what doesn't for fillets.   Maybe Onhape could do that testing automatically and spit out the largest usable value?

It would be great to have somehting like 'insert value between 1,85 to 523,4' for radius
+1

brucebartlett

I am loving the new Tab Folders for great way to clean up documents and get organised especially when sharing with others. I am now wishing to share just the folder view only or view with link to suppliers or customers. I.e. now I can group all my dxf's together in a Tab Folder to share with my laser cutter but don't want them see the whole document. 

3dcad

Great idea @brucebartlett ! That together with time limited share (it would be a mess to maintain each folders share to avoid eternal share with your ex-cooperatives).

chrisjh777

Just watch Tab Folders.  I think they increase storage required per project.  I have a project I am working on whose storage size was around 34MB and, after I reorganized my design into logical folders, the storage jumped to 49MB.

Having said that, I really enjoy the concept and I find my working efficiency has improved because of the logical storage design approach.  I now file in the following order:

Top Level Assembly

Parts

Sub Assemblies

Fasteners

Drawings

Research Data