Beams feature problems

MBartlett21

The beams feature won't take projected curves as input.
Is there any reason for this?

MBartlett21

@NeilCooke
I have now fixed the problem.
I replaced this line of code

</code>loopPlane = evPlane(context, { "face" : qGeometry(qEdgeAdjacent(firstEdge, EntityType.FACE), GeometryType.PLANE) });</pre><div><a rel="nofollow" href="https://forum.onshape.com/discussion/comment/38753#"></a></div><br>with this block of code<br><pre class="CodeBlock"><code>
        try
        {
            // this will be two faces so just have to return the first
            loopPlane = evPlane(context, { "face" : qGeometry(qEdgeAdjacent(firstEdge, EntityType.FACE), GeometryType.PLANE) });
        }
        catch
        {
            const lineResult = evAxis(context, { "axis" : firstEdge });
            definition.axis = lineResult;

            var baseNormal = perpendicularVector(lineResult.direction);
            var normal = rotationMatrix3d(lineResult.direction, 0 * degree) * baseNormal;

            return plane(lineResult.origin, normal, lineResult.direction);
        }

It now works fine.

tim_doctor

@NeilCooke

Bumping this old thread because I'm having the exact same issue described above using v18 of the Beams Feature. I have a Projected Curve between two straight lines. Beam feature fails and seems to not like using a projected curve as an input. Obviously, I don't really know how to read FeatureScript code to figure this out for myself. Has @MBartlett21 's solution not been rolled in to the official version of the Beam Feature?

Here's a dummy model showing what I'm looking at. Beams works with sketch entities, but doesn't like the projected curve... even though it's a line. What am I missing?

NeilCooke

@tim_doctor - I must admit I don't recall seeing this code (sorry @MBartlett21) - I've added it (without QA) to V19

NeilCooke

It is probably a spline

MBartlett21

@NeilCooke

I created it by making a projected curve between two straight lines.

If I create a plane, then make a sketch on it and project those lines into the sketch, the Beam feature works fine like that.

NeilCooke

Without looking at the code maybe I restricted selection to sketch entities and model edges. 

MBartlett21

@NeilCooke

The filter is: EntityType.EDGE && (GeometryType.LINE || GeometryType.ARC)
I don't think that would be a problem 

MBartlett21

@NeilCooke

I copied it here and it is this section of code that is having a problem:

function getPlane(context is Context, definition is map, edgeLoop is array) returns Plane
{
    const firstEdge = qNthElement(definition.edges, edgeLoop[0].edge);
    
    var loopPlane;
    
    try 
    {
        // check if the first entity is a sketch edge, if not check for solid or surface edge
        loopPlane = evOwnerSketchPlane(context, { "entity" : firstEdge });
    }
    catch
    {
        // this will be two faces so just have to return the first
        loopPlane = evPlane(context, { "face" : qGeometry(qEdgeAdjacent(firstEdge, EntityType.FACE), GeometryType.PLANE) });

        if (size(edgeLoop) > 1)
        {
            const point1 = edgeLoop[0].vertex[0].origin;
            const point2 = edgeLoop[0].vertex[1].origin;
            var point3;
            var normal;
            var success = false;

            for (var i = 1; i < 2; i += 1)
            {
                for (var j = 0; j < 2; j += 1)
                {
                    point3 = edgeLoop[i].vertex[j].origin;
                    normal = cross(point3 - point1, point2 - point1);
                    if (norm(normal).value > TOLERANCE.zeroLength)
                    {
                        success = true;
                        break;
                    }
                }
                if (success)
                    break;
            }
            loopPlane = plane(point1, normalize(normal), normalize(point2 - point1));
        }
    }

    return loopPlane;
}



This specifically is the line of code throwing the error:

loopPlane = evPlane(context, { "face" : qGeometry(qEdgeAdjacent(firstEdge, EntityType.FACE), GeometryType.PLANE) });

MBartlett21

@NeilCooke
I have now fixed the problem.
I replaced this line of code

</code>loopPlane = evPlane(context, { "face" : qGeometry(qEdgeAdjacent(firstEdge, EntityType.FACE), GeometryType.PLANE) });</pre><div><a rel="nofollow" href="https://forum.onshape.com/discussion/comment/38753#"></a></div><br>with this block of code<br><pre class="CodeBlock"><code>
        try
        {
            // this will be two faces so just have to return the first
            loopPlane = evPlane(context, { "face" : qGeometry(qEdgeAdjacent(firstEdge, EntityType.FACE), GeometryType.PLANE) });
        }
        catch
        {
            const lineResult = evAxis(context, { "axis" : firstEdge });
            definition.axis = lineResult;

            var baseNormal = perpendicularVector(lineResult.direction);
            var normal = rotationMatrix3d(lineResult.direction, 0 * degree) * baseNormal;

            return plane(lineResult.origin, normal, lineResult.direction);
        }

It now works fine.

tim_doctor

@NeilCooke

Bumping this old thread because I'm having the exact same issue described above using v18 of the Beams Feature. I have a Projected Curve between two straight lines. Beam feature fails and seems to not like using a projected curve as an input. Obviously, I don't really know how to read FeatureScript code to figure this out for myself. Has @MBartlett21 's solution not been rolled in to the official version of the Beam Feature?

Here's a dummy model showing what I'm looking at. Beams works with sketch entities, but doesn't like the projected curve... even though it's a line. What am I missing?

NeilCooke

@tim_doctor - I must admit I don't recall seeing this code (sorry @MBartlett21) - I've added it (without QA) to V19

CBowers

@NeilCooke I'm having an issue with ends of beams being automatically coped if the trimming beam is projected along a curved path and the trimmed beam is of the same size or larger. Is this something that can be easily fixed? Having to use a workaround where I use replace face for the tops and bottoms of the beams needing trimmed, but it's kind of tedious.

In this picture the bottom dark grey beam is along a curved path. The diagonal light blue beam is automatically coped and I can't choose to have it do anything else. These are HSS 8x8x1/4.

NeilCooke

@CBowers - it is a major change to get this to work and I'm fairly confident that if I fix this, it will break other things. I'll have a think if there is a better way I can do it, but in the meantime your method is the best/only way.