Improvements to Onshape - January 2nd, 2018

Jason_S

@tago_kalbri,  what is the workflow that you need Standard Content in the Part Studio?

michał_1

I'm amazed, this development is carried out with such a clear vision.
Feature Script, In-context Editing, Branch and Merging, and now Configuration, if we can just "wrap our heads around" these concepts and manage consequences, we could have robust and nonstreamlined workflows.
Great work, I'm impressed.

tago_kalbri

Jason_S said:

@tago_kalbri,  what is the workflow that you need Standard Content in the Part Studio?

I rarely use Assembly in daily work as I don't need usually moving parts.

Today I use custom featurescript called "PP-Capscrews beta" so I just make sketch and use one tool to make tapped and clearance holes + attach screws. This feature sadly does not have washers and nuts. 

Imagine that you need to fit 3 different sheetmetal parts together with screw's + washers + nuts...one sketch for locations + one feature to make holes and add bolts would be lovelly

owen_sparks

Regarding standard parts in studios:-

I often want to design parts that will accept standard length fixings so it's important to have the fixing in the design stage to check for clearance, thread depths, nut pocket depths
 etc. 

So in my workflow they form part of the design process, not just a "drop into place at the end" thing.

This is in no way a criticism of the new features, it just how eventually I'd like to use them.

Cheers Owen S.

Jason_S

So what I am hearing is that you guys want a hole feature that works well with Standard Content.

The big thing you guys value is the visual feedback that the fasteners give when they appear graphically in the Part Studio, correct? This gives you the “yeah, that looks good” reassurance without having to go to the assemby to check. 

You could have a custom feature that places Mate Connectors at sketch points. In the assembly, place the content at those Mate Connectors, then edit in context to remove the material for the fasteners. Yes the holes would not be correct, but it would work for a quick and dirty changing of the location of holes with updates to the context and not having fasteners in the Part Studio. 

We are working on a solution that should help this scenario. @gaby_rochino @pete_yodis @andy_morris

raj_Onshape

tago_kalbri said:

Jason_S said:

@tago_kalbri,  what is the workflow that you need Standard Content in the Part Studio?

I rarely use Assembly in daily work as I don't need usually moving parts.

Today I use custom featurescript called "PP-Capscrews beta" so I just make sketch and use one tool to make tapped and clearance holes + attach screws. This feature sadly does not have washers and nuts. 

Imagine that you need to fit 3 different sheetmetal parts together with screw's + washers + nuts...one sketch for locations + one feature to make holes and add bolts would be lovelly

This is not a good practice from data management and performance point of view.  Part studios do not support instance like assemblies do. So if you have the same screw inserted into three different holes in a sheetmetal part in a part studio, They would be regarded as three different screws and three different parts. Modifying the first feature in the part studio will cause a regeneration of all three screws as well.  

owen_sparks

Hi Jason, sounds great. I'm away from home just on a phone so I'll post something more helpful in a couple of days.

Thanks for listening and congrats again on the great update.

My favourite is the sketch create selection.  Just kidding, but it's still a great addition.

Cheers, Owen S.

tago_kalbri

raj_Onshape said:

tago_kalbri said:

Jason_S said:

@tago_kalbri,  what is the workflow that you need Standard Content in the Part Studio?

I rarely use Assembly in daily work as I don't need usually moving parts.

Today I use custom featurescript called "PP-Capscrews beta" so I just make sketch and use one tool to make tapped and clearance holes + attach screws. This feature sadly does not have washers and nuts. 

Imagine that you need to fit 3 different sheetmetal parts together with screw's + washers + nuts...one sketch for locations + one feature to make holes and add bolts would be lovelly

This is not a good practice from data management and performance point of view.  Part studios do not support instance like assemblies do. So if you have the same screw inserted into three different holes in a sheetmetal part in a part studio, They would be regarded as three different screws and three different parts. Modifying the first feature in the part studio will cause a regeneration of all three screws as well.  

Yes, you have a point...but I don't see modifying screw feature to be an issue for example. 
If I need to change screw it's most common that I will change it everywhere where I have placed them with that feature. 

Performance wise I haven't tested what would be speed difference my solution vs Assembly + new Standard Content.

For my workflow I see single Part Studio still easier/faster than Part studio + Assembly. 

austin_ortega704

Great update! Please improve ordinate dimensions for curves (such as splines and elliptical curves). Thank you.

konstantin_shiriazdanov

we can now specify independent continuously variable parameter in configs, but can't find the way to automatically take it into account in text properties. it seems to be static text fields that don't provide any pre-evaluation of text expressions. so generally some interface between variables and text properties requared

john_mcclary

Oh noes! Still no Assembly configuration.

OnShape planning on this? Or should I create a improvement request?

PeteYodis

@john_mcclary

We are planning on this as well.  

fastwayjim

Awesome update! Wow! Happy New Year to us!

brian_brady

Yes, my top ten wish list is more like a top 4 or 5 wish list now. Great job.

brucebartlett

john_mcclary said:

Oh noes! Still no Assembly configuration.

OnShape planning on this? Or should I create a improvement request?

No Pressure, but with the totally awesome blow your mind implementation of configurations on part studios, I can't wait to be able to apply the same to my assemblies, I am really excited about the possibilities here, building out all product variants with a few clicks. 

matt_strong

I love the configuration update!  I saw that you can add an input and it creates a variable you can use.  One of the variable options is text.  I have a design that uses customizeable text on a sketch.  Before I would edit sketch, edit text, then actually change the text.  I tried to create a text variable as a configuration input, but I don't see how I can assign it to my text.  I was able to add an input for a dimension and that worked well so I get the idea of how to do it.  That same process doesn't seem to work for the text though.

sebastian_glanzner

matt_strong said:

I love the configuration update!  I saw that you can add an input and it creates a variable you can use.  One of the variable options is text.  I have a design that uses customizeable text on a sketch.  Before I would edit sketch, edit text, then actually change the text.  I tried to create a text variable as a configuration input, but I don't see how I can assign it to my text.  I was able to add an input for a dimension and that worked well so I get the idea of how to do it.  That same process doesn't seem to work for the text though.

You can use the PP-Surface Text Feature-Script to create a 3D Text on your part (without a sketch).
Then you can right click the "Text" in the feature and add it as variable to your configuration table:



Here you can find Dave's PP-SurfaceText-Beta:
https://forum.onshape.com/discussion/6423/new-featurescript-pp-surface-text-2-0#latest

matt_strong

sebastian_glanzner said:

You can use the PP-Surface Text Feature-Script to create a 3D Text on your part (without a sketch).
Then you can right click the "Text" in the feature and add it as variable to your configuration table:

So the only way to use this new built in feature is to import some user script into every design?  Doesn't quite seem right to me...

brucebartlett

@sebastian_glanzner nice workaround on adding text and some big Vote Up's to @dave_cowden and his feature scripts. 

@ilya_baran it is so cool that we can configure feature script's, which makes this solution possible, I am not sure I should even call it a workaround.

dave_cowden

@brucebartlett thank you for the mention!

The new configuration functionality is way cool indeed!

dave_cowden

@matt_strong the surface text feature may be community authored,  but that doesn't mean it's poor quality.  I hope you will try PP Surface text  to see how it works for you. Installation  is super easy, and the functionality is quite robust. I think you'll find it to be a seamless and pleasant experience.  Using Featurescripts in onshape isn't anywhere nearly as clunky as addins, scripts, or macros  in other CAD systems..

Onshape has done fantastic work by allowing third party Feature Script. 

ilya_baran

@matt_strong
There are a couple of things here:
1. Sebastian showed how to configure the input to @dave_cowden's surface text feature using a table input.  You cannot currently configure regular sketch text with a table input, but that is planned very soon.
2. You asked about a configuration variable of type "text", which is a different thing and is indeed (for at least some time) useful only with custom features.  Dave's custom feature cannot be used with that directly, but a slight rewrapping of it can -- here's an example of a part with a text variable configuration input controlling my rewrapping of Dave's feature: https://cad.onshape.com/documents/370197508187d5d8b361a414/w/64f8595ca2deaa8d5338db1a/e/fe4c2d2550f7c2d63b2704f9
3. The difference between "some user script" and our built-in features is less than you might think: our features (like extrude, loft, chamfer, and sheet metal) are all written in FeatureScript.  It's not like running someone's Word macro -- FeatureScript has very strict constraints on what it can do and it runs in a secure sandbox on our servers -- click "Learn more about FeatureScript security" at https://www.onshape.com/featurescript -- and Dave has done a fantastic job with the surface text feature!

matt_strong

@ilya_baran
I made a test document to show what I'm trying to do, which I think is addressed in your first point by saying it's planned very soon.  Can you just confirm for me that with that update, I will be able to assign the actual text in the Text sketch to the SketchText variable input and be able to change the text "No Effect?" in the Configurations section and that will be what the text changes to?

https://cad.onshape.com/documents/5dadd21e0d06409434e31201/w/29975a24af4e94eddfb46260/e/876bc0689a5b937ceaa6473c

I didn't mean to take away from what Dave has done.  I would just prefer to use things that are "built in" for a lot of reasons that mostly have to do with support and ease of use.

3dcad

Awesome update What a great way to start new year!

Regarding to configurable text, wouldn't it be convenient to drive text content using a variable value as text content and configure variable value if needed?

Looking forward to:
- assembly configs
- add dimension and edit possibility on dwg viewer
- user library on standard parts (wood workers use many type of special fasteners that we could model ourself but would still like to benefit on quick insert into assemblies).

Hans_Ole_Leirvik

Thank you - Great update 

I hope you will come with Weldments soon also - then OS will be perfect for my use ...

sebastian_glanzner

@matt_strong

If you choose to use @dave_cowden 's feature script, you can also configure the text height, which is really cool! Imagine if you have a small configuration and your Text is too big.
(Set the "Text Align" as left, right or center, then you can edit the "Text Height")

MBartlett21

john_mcclary said:

Oh noes! Still no Assembly configuration.

OnShape planning on this? Or should I create a improvement request?

I hope this comes very soon.

ilya_baran

@matt_strong
The case your example illustrates is my second item, not my first.  I totally get the desire to stick with built-in functionality; at the same time the "text" configuration variable was designed primarily for use with custom features.  You can think of it as FeatureScript functionality rather than configurations functionality.

lana

@jared_fitzclarence
Thank you for request list. Could you please write them as separate improvement requests? Please add more details on "green material" - an example would be most helpful. 

jrs_spedley

Got to be the best and biggest update I've seen so far!