Onshape "Partners" and the Onshape APIs

pete_15

Hello - I've been told that our company is now a 'partner' of Onshape - I understand that it is because our CAM product can import the file formats that Onshape can export to.
That's great...but what about the possibility of a more direct integration.
What APIs are available and how can I start learning about them?
Thanks in advance,
Pete

lougallo

I will get someone to get in touch with you.

jon_hirschtick

Pete

May I ask which of our partner companies you are with?

Jon

onshaper

I find this thread hilarious. Can't wait to see what happens!

jon_30

"May I ask which of our partner companies you are with?"

Pete works for CNC Software, creator of Mastercam.

Pete is responsible for Mastercam For SolidWorks which has sold so poorly that CNC Software is now giving it away for free when you buy stand-alone Mastercam X9. Mastercam X9 should be available in the next few months.

Jon Banquer
CADCAM Technology Leaders group on LinkedIn

jon_30

"I find this thread hilarious. Can't wait to see what happens!"

It should now be clear that SolidCAM will be the first CAM that runs inside of Onshape. The owner of SolidCAM isn't very happy with Autodesk who refused to buy SolidCAM. Autodesk has also made it very difficult for SolidCAM's InventorCAM product because Autodesk wants users to buy CAM from them not a third party vendor like SolidCAM.

Integrated CADCAM from separate CAD and CAM vendors has never realized its claimed potential to be fully integrated like say NX CADCAM is.

I think users of Onshape would do well to look at stand-alone CADCAM products like Edgecam which has a superior user interface to any CAM that runs inside of SolidWorks.

Jon Banquer
CADCAM Technology Leaders group on LinkedIn


 

onshaper

I'm done with stand-alone CAD/CAM. I use Fusion now because the price is right, but I really hope Onshape works out a better solution. HSM is so odd.

3dcad

In my opinion cam should be in it's own menu or show/hide from settings. I'm in the business to use cam but still I don't feel the need.
Here's why:
- Our cnc machines have a lot of special drills inside and most of cams try to create also special holes with a router (reason might be that I haven't ever seen european woodworking machines listed in machines inside cam)
- We have currently just 3 and 4ax machines, programming is way faster than modeling with any cad.
- I like to use local/global/environmental variables of the cnc machines for easy program update and parametric behavior.
- I like to create cnc programs with 'design intent' so that other users (or me after a year) can see why things are the way they are (for example visible equations in hole placement). 
- I'm sometimes even importing dxf from cnc to cad for fast & accurate models
- For milling complex shapes I can just import dxf and set correct tool and depth in 30 sec.


I'm sure all these things can be worked out with some advanced settings in perfect cam but for my simple 3 or 4 ax machining it's just faster to create programs with integrated editors.

-1 for integrated 'always on your face' CAM (don't shoot me, it's just my opinion .. at the moment)

onshaper

Integrated means it is built into the program and your toolpaths update when you change your geometry. It doesn't mean that your CAM tools are in your face all the time.

 I can't speak to conversational CNC as I have never used it. I also like to use parameter driven gcode files, but these things don't have anything to do with this thread!

jon_30

Lets take a closer look at CAM that runs inside SolidWorks and why it's failed so far to be fully integrated CADCAM like NX is:

CAM that runs inside of SolidWorks has many parts that aren't like using SolidWorks at all and are unique to each CAM system that runs inside of SolidWorks. How you set up work coordinate systems, how you copy and paste machining operations, how you define and manage stock, etc. The sad FACT is that every CAM system that runs inside of SolidWorks has created their own unique (and often bizarre) ways to manage these tasks. Most CAM vendors who run  inside of SolidWorks do their level best to hide the exact details of how these parts of their CAM program work because it contradicts their claim that running their CAM inside of SolidWorks is just like the SolidWorks experience. This is especially true when you are dealing with an Assembly approaches to machining  multiple different parts

The only true fully integrated CADCAM that I've ever seen is when one vendor creates both the CAD and the CAM programs. This makes a huge difference because then the CADCAM vendor can create unique Assembly type files for CAM and for Stock that act just like their regular Assembly files. No CAM program I've even seen that runs inside SolidWorks creates its own unique Assembly type files for CAM and for Stock and instead what they appear to do is run on top of the SolidWorks Assembly file. When this happens the CAD and CAM integration is severely disrupted!

Creating CAM programs for multiple different parts really taxes the capabilities of a CAM system running inside of SolidWorks and nowhere is this more evident than when you are trying to do serious production machining on tombstones or where you wish to program multiple setups for multiple different parts and machine them all at once. While the CAD  tools you get with a CAM system that runs inside of SolidWorks are much better than legacy code systems like Mastercam, Surfcam, FeatureCAM, Gibbscam, etc. they still aren't anywhere near ideal or good enough compared to what I've seen in CADCAM systems where one vendor is creating both the CAD and the CAM parts of the program.

Jon Banquer
CADCAM Technology Leaders group on LinkedIn

3dcad

@Onshaper 
Yes, I understand what integration means, it's just that good and deep integration goes into RMB menus and appears in many stages of design process. What I ment is not to think cam is the only output for manufactured models.

We might get into interesting conversation as we are both into machining stuff though you are (if I understood correctly) cam/gcode man and I have seen gcode only couple of times (during 20 years) using purely simple dialog-wizard based cad / converters built in cnc software.
I'm not the one who vote you down since I'm wide open for new ideas and like to hear other approach than my own.

Have you tried Top solid? (I haven't, just would like to know if it's any good)

onshaper

I'm not familiar with top solid. If I understand you, you're talking about conversational CNC which I would like to try but haven't had the chance.

I imagine CAM in Onshape being another tab. In the same way that an assembly has a unique tool set when compared to a Part Studio, a CAM Setup would be unique as well. And since it's integrated it would be able to link geometry to update toolpaths if you say change a hole from 1" to 1.5"

jon_30

Here is proof of what I said about CNC Software now giving Mastercam For SolidWorks away for free when you buy stand-alone Mastercam X9. Mastercam X9 isn't released yet:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sLrPIYZ310

I'm very familiar with TopSolid CADCAM 7. Here is a comprehensive review I did several years ago:

CAD:

http://cadcamtechnologyleaders.blogspot.com/p/topsolid-cadcam-cad.html

CAM:

http://cadcamtechnologyleaders.blogspot.com/p/topsolid-cadcam.html

Jon Banquer
CADCAM Technology Leaders