Creating Beam Profiles

NeilCooke

The custom feature called Beams comes with a limited set of steel profiles. As requested (by many), I've created the video below to detail the step-by-step process of how to create and add your own profiles.

This video refers to the original method of creating custom beam profiles. This method still works, but in the latest version of the Beams feature, you can now also select a sketch from another Document and use it directly. A video of how to do this can be seen halfway down the page here. This saves you having to create profiles using the method below and also means you don't have to maintain your own personal copy of the feature.

https://onshape.wistia.com/medias/m7t8tq5buy?embedType=async&videoWidth=640

barry_gibson

Thanks Neil. will help a lot of people me included, any body done some think similar in featurescript for fixings ie nuts, bolts etc

Tony_C_

That's a little more involved than I thought it was going to be, but very cool to know how it can be done.

konstantin_shiriazdanov

why don't derive those sketch profiles from some "library" part studio, or a number of part studios with profile families?

NeilCooke

@konstantin_shiriazdanov - for performance reasons. If you have hundreds of profiles you would have to import and rebuild each Part Studio for each family of profiles. You can still have your library Doc as a reference, but run this script to convert them to lines/arcs/circles (it only needs to be done once).

bill_daniels

For round and rectangular tubes there is no need for a library.  The correct profile can be made on the fly from no more than 3 parameters.  Rectangular tubes universally follow the "1T-2T" rule where the inside corner radius is 1x wall thickness and the outside corner radius is 2x wall thickness.  For a round tube only the OD (or ID) and wall thickness is needed.  I'd like a dialog box with fields for these parameters so any shape would be easily available.  

jackson_king

Hi @NeilCooke, I just finished up uploading 2000+ SW weldment profiles.  Any chance you have an automated way to get them into you beam featurescript?  Or is it still only manual like in the video?  It is a public document, currently it only contains ANSI profiles.  Here's a link to it: https://cad.onshape.com/documents/590759f751bde51111873326/w/e73160c9f331442ba2fc0755/e/1d17afa42a0b17c913e3bff0

Thanks, Jackson

NeilCooke

Hi @jackson_king it is still manual at present. The FS code could be adjusted to find all profiles in a Part Studio but there is no way currently to find the name of the sketch a profile came from (assuming the sketch has the same name as the profile). It could be done through the API though which is beyond my skill set (currently). 

Krz

Why not use what @grzegorz_kondracki made?
https://forum.onshape.com/discussion/6077/profiles-library-beams

Anyway would be good to merge profiles libraries made by several people (whoever has any valuable inputs) into one common FS.

jackson_king

Hi All,  I forgot to mention that the document I mentioned above is public.  Also, as I am in the US, I never had much need for ISO standard beams but it sounds like what @grzegorz_kondracki made for ISO would be great for the ANSI stuff I just uploaded.

Tony_C_

This is confusing.   I think it would have be better to do one from complete scratch instead of adding a profile to an existing sample with the script, in this case Timber.

Tony_C_

I think I'm getting it.

Just adding a new style of profile and all the }}}}{{{}{}{}{};;;;;;;;:,, symbols gets confusing.

john_mcclary

@Tony_C_

If it helps you any, try "Folding" the code by using the little arrows next to the line number

those will collapse some groups of { & } to help visualize the code a little easier

grzegorz_kondracki

Hi All,

I can do ANSI library or other but need some help.

1. What profiles do I have - dimensions

2. Someone has to check - is it working?

I am from Europe and the dimensions in inches :-) it's a little weird for me but will be willing to try.

What profiles should I do?

grzegorz_kondracki

Hi All,

I would very much like to thank @NeilCooke for FS Beams.

We are very much working with beams - crane boom etc.

Without this FS, work would be very hard - we can do it differently but it takes a lot of work.

We are very thankful.

Here I presented the results of our work with FS beams and our profile library.

https://forum.onshape.com/discussion/6077/profiles-library-beams

jackson_king

Hi All,

I finally had some time to put in on @NeilCooke 's FS beams.  Since I am in the US and @grzegorz_kondracki added in so many EU profiles, I have focused on ANSI profiles for steel.

I made it through:
L Angle
C Channel - Structural
I/S Section Beams
Sch 10 pipe
Sch 40 Pipe
Sch 80 Pipe
DOM (Drawn Over Mandrel) Tube & Bushing Stock
Rectangular Tube (RHS) - Mechanical
Rectangular Tube - Structual
Square Tube - Mechanical
Square Tube - Structural

I plan to do further work on the list as I have time, but this was enough for now;) . Aluminum profiles will be a big group for sure!

I also had fun using configurations to drive the sketches from a couple dimensions, thanks Onshape  for configs!

https://cad.onshape.com/documents/661b4cdeb6c1518cd9c394e3/w/3f38e99b9e74b7d16c7acf14/e/68a64af678f0bd1e6365b99e

-Jackson

BStump

Hello @NeilCooke .  I was trying to add W flange beams and it did not work.  Not 100% sure as I was able to add some instances for other section types, but this one failed likely because it was a new section type.  The question is, can you update the Beam FS to V3 and include the various sketch profiles as part studios.  This way we can edit sections and then add the FS to the various beam profiles much easier. 

NeilCooke

@BStump - not sure what you are requesting? You can of course add sketches of your own beam profiles as Part Studios to your own copy of the beam feature, then convert them. This would be no different than me adding the sketches (and there are a lot of them!).

BStump

Another question @NeilCooke .  I was trying to add my modified Beam FS to the toolbar (after committing to it).  It did show up but the new profiles and profile group did not show up.  I was only able to use it buy opening my copy of Beam FS and adding a part studio to do the modeling I needed within  my copy of Beam FS.  What am I missing?

BStump

@NeilCookeMy reason for asking is that when I created my W Beam my sequence matched the S Beams sequence yet there were just over half as many points.  I believe S Beams have a couple more curves in them so it makes sense for more points yet both showed "sequence" : "ALALALALLLALALALALLL", which implies they are identical patterns yet mine had less points.  I was hoping you could add in the section sketches into Beam FS so it is easier for us to add what we find is missing or in this case change from a S Beam to a W Beam and generate the sequence and points.

NeilCooke

@BStump you need to create a version in your beam doc for a change to show up in the toolbar. 

So are you looking for one sketch per profile type rather than for each size? That’s still a lot of work. 

BStump

TY.  Makes Sense.

franco_otaola

hello
i am trying to add new custom profiles but i couldnt succed to show them i am putting a print screen of the code, doenst give me any error but when i am trying to use the feature it doesn't show the new "standard" that i created "Custom franco"

john_mcclary

Double check you clicked the "commit" button on the top

Wait until the file has finished commiting

If you are using beam feature in another document, you will need to create a version, then update your other document as well

NeilCooke

@franco_otaola do you have the original beams FS in your toolbar? If so, remove it to avoid confusion. If you are in the same doc as your code, there is a pull-down menu on the far right that has your custom code (a cube with braces). If you are trying to use your new code in another doc, you must create a version before it can be added to your toolbar.

franco_otaola

@NeilCooke i am using the  cube with braces inside feature and @john_mcclary also i  commit before using it.

i leave the link to see if for you guys it works ( i am haing some problems with my account i cant use drawings already in contact with onshape support , so maybe it is only me.....)

franco_otaola

franco_otaola said:

@NeilCooke i am using the  cube with braces inside feature and @john_mcclary also i  commit before using it.

i leave the link to see if for you guys it works ( i am haing some problems with my account i cant use drawings already in contact with onshape support , so maybe it is only me.....)

sorry i didnt realize that i didnt put the link
https://cad.onshape.com/documents/f0f9a6681e6ca61d815c8116/w/7dbdb3af8e542ccd446992e2/e/c55f391c123fbf78fbce9c80

john_mcclary

@franco_otaola

You need to add your profile set to the list for the Precondition as well:

derek_block

When I go to hit commit I get a "No smoking" circle by my hand icon.  Can you not do FS with the free version?

derek_block

Hi @NeilCooke I get a "No Smoking" red circle by my hand icon when I go to hit commit while working in FS.  Is it that FS editing isn't an option in the free version?  Or is there something else going on?

NeilCooke

@derek_block yes FS works in free plan. Do you have write access to the doc? If it is one of the public FS docs you will need to make a copy first if you want to edit it.