New user tearing his hair out

buk_browseruk054

I have a .step file that I have uploaded to OS and when I double click it, the screen reads "No preview available" "Type is translatable" and that it.

I cannot find any options to "translate it", I can't view it. It seems to be a black box that I can do nothing with?

owen_sparks

Hi and welcome to the forum.

"Translation" is automatic, when you upload something OS has a look at it and decides if it can do anything with it.  If it can it will translate it, if it can't (say a firmware file) the it'll just store it in a tab a bit like dropbox.

If it can translate it then it'll appear in two tabs along the bottom of your screen.  The first is a copy of the file, this is the "No preview available" "Type is translatable" you're seeing, but then you'll also see (I hope) a nice new shiny partstudio with your part in it.  (A new partstudio, not the one you had open when you hit import.)

One will have a step icon, the other a partstudio icon:-



Does that make sense?

Cheers,

Owen S.

buk_browseruk054

owen_sparks said:

... two tabs along the bottom of your screen.  ... but then you'll also see (I hope) a nice new shiny partstudio with your part in it.

Thank you. Yes. I see that now.

Does that make sense?

That it shows me the thing I cannot do anything with and hides the thing I can? No, not much!

But ... I'll know where to look next time.

Thanks. Buk.

owen_sparks

Sure thing.

Owen S.

buk_browseruk054

owen_sparks said:

Does that make sense?

BTW. Despite having been coming here and trying stuff until the frustration level made me quit, on numerous days since I signed up;

and having worked my way through all the a dozen or more 2-minute sounds bite videos (each of which seems to consist 30% telling what he told in the last video and what he's going to tell you in the next, another 25% (re-)telling you how to click a box and type; and 20% telling you about a feature that he isn't going to tell you about "until a later video" -- which must be one of the paid-for ones cos I cannot find them for free)

At the moment, I'm finding the UI here about as intuitive and Heisenberg ;(

When I have more, similarly simple questions -- and there are bound to be lots -- is it the done thing here to start a new thread for each, or should I post each new question as a reply to you or my OP or ...??

konstantin_shiriazdanov

I think you gave rather suiting name for this thread, and now it looks good for all kinds for new user questions

buk_browseruk054

konstantin_shiriazdanov said:

I think you gave rather suiting name for this thread, and now it looks good for all kinds for new user questions

Okay. I have a part https://cad.onshape.com/documents/e17dfb014f810c1f373cb3d3/w/a8c7d45c16c852929f3e226d/e/80ea6b3901d18db76d93ee27
And I want to put a bend in the two bits that have points. I've found the "sheet metal tools" -- flange tab etc. and I've tried them all but other than getting a dialog to appear, I cannot work out what I am meant to do with it.

Eg. I click "flange", a dialog box pops up. There is text inside a blue box saying "Edges or side faces to flange" and if I hover over that box it says: "Select edges to flange.

But no matter where I left click (select is left click right?) nothing is selected?

If I right-click, it pops up a dialog asking me to conform flange 1, and if I click it, nothing happens. The drawing is unchanged?

NeilCooke

@buk_browseruk it has to be a sheet metal model before you can add a flange - use the start sheet metal feature, then use the thicken option to convert your part to sheet metal

The sheet metal training module is only available for paid plans, but you can learn everything you need from the recorded webinars e.g. https://www.onshape.com/videos/sheet-metal-essentials-07-13-17

buk_browseruk054

NeilCooke said:

it has to be a sheet metal model before you can add a flange - use the start sheet metal feature,

Then why allow me to select the tools if I cannot use them? Why pop up the dialog? Why, when I click confirm, does the flange 1 item just silent disappear without providing any feedback as to what just happened or didn't happen or couldn't be done or ... basically, nothing.

then use the thicken option to convert your part to sheet metal

I don't want to thicken it -- its the right thickness as uploaded.

If "thicken" is code for "convert to sheet metal"; why use code?

(And why does a part need to be converted to "sheet metal"? It's just a bunch of lines/shapes. What does converting it change that allows it to be recognised/used as "sheet metal"?)

The sheet metal training module is only available for paid plans, but you can learn everything you need from the recorded webinars e.g. https://www.onshape.com/videos/sheet-metal-essentials-07-13-17

owen_sparks

buk_browseruk said:

BTW. Despite having been coming here and trying stuff until the frustration level made me quit, on numerous days since I signed up;

and having worked my way through all the a dozen or more 2-minute sounds bite videos (each of which seems to consist 30% telling what he told in the last video and what he's going to tell you in the next, another 25% (re-)telling you how to click a box and type; and 20% telling you about a feature that he isn't going to tell you about "until a later video" -- which must be one of the paid-for ones cos I cannot find them for free)

At the moment, I'm finding the UI here about as intuitive and Heisenberg ;(

When I have more, similarly simple questions -- and there are bound to be lots -- is it the done thing here to start a new thread for each, or should I post each new question as a reply to you or my OP or ...??

Howdy.

I'd start with the "Learning Center" button (top right corner of any Partstudio) and I must say the help files are pretty good, again top right of the screen under the question mark icon.

Up next are the free webinars.  They're excellent, there is a topic each time, and you're free to ask question in real time.  Did I mention they're free?

Next the forum, there are a bunch of experts and a few enthusiastic amateurs like myself who tend to be happy yo help.  Guidelines for getting help are at the top of the forum here:- http://https//forum.onshape.com/discussion/9107/forum-post-checklist We only ask a few things, have a search first, link to an example doc, make the thread title describe your issue (so others with the same problem can use the search) and appreciate we're probably taking time out of our working day to help, so if the answers are a bit brief please bear that in mind.

Please don't ever be afraid to ask for help, if you've been struggling with something for more than a quarter of an hour, let alone getting to the hair pulling stage then help is available.

Cheers and happy CADing,

Owen S.

konstantin_shiriazdanov

buk_browseruk said:

Okay. I have a part https://cad.onshape.com/documents/e17dfb014f810c1f373cb3d3/w/a8c7d45c16c852929f3e226d/e/80ea6b3901d18db76d93ee27
And I want to put a bend in the two bits that have points. I've found the "sheet metal tools" -- flange tab etc. and I've tried them all but other than getting a dialog to appear, I cannot work out what I am meant to do with it.

Eg. I click "flange", a dialog box pops up. There is text inside a blue box saying "Edges or side faces to flange" and if I hover over that box it says: "Select edges to flange.

But no matter where I left click (select is left click right?) nothing is selected?

If I right-click, it pops up a dialog asking me to conform flange 1, and if I click it, nothing happens. The drawing is unchanged?

So, flange command adds flange to the existing sheet metal part, there are no auto recognizing capabilities for imported sheet metal parts, so you need to create new native s/m part based on geometry you imported. Moreover, currently you can't just bend s/m part from flat state, you need to create some reference geometry and use Sheet metal model command with one of the options.
Check if this looks like what you needed? https://cad.onshape.com/documents/653ddecef61fee115e316fb2/w/b2026cfab7e2e77aeb84b65d/e/d046cad7d0f02aaa862617dd

buk_browseruk054

owen_sparks said:

 I must say the help files are pretty good

The exact opposite of my experience. If I could find a help text that related to what I am trying to do, it might be okay; but I've yet to click the "context sensitive" help and get anything other than the "Welcome to Onshape Help" page.

Click "Things to know" and I get information about app stores despite that I'm using a desktop.

Click "Getting started" and its says "Context menus are everywhere" -- but they just aren't. And when there is one, more than half the options seem to generic facilities that cannot be applied to the current context.

Up next are the free webinars.  They're excellent, there is a topic each time, and you're free to ask question in real time.  Did I mention they're free?

Presumably you have to watch them live to ask questions; which presumably means you have to wait for the one pertaining to your current problem to come around? And then be available at the time it is run?

Having now watched the "sheet metal basics" once you get past the bit where he tells you what he's going to tell you; and then listen to him read the agenda bullet list -- that you'd finished reading before he'd started -- and in any case is just a repetition of him telling you what he's going to tell you, you finally arrive at a bit where there appears to be a drawing of something that contains sheet metal on screen. Accept, its an already fully defined and assembled part with electronics and knobs and a fully formed sheet metal enclosure.

Where is the "Here's a flat piece of metal, let's put a bend in it" webinar?

Next the forum, there are a bunch of experts and a few enthusiastic amateurs like myself who tend to be happy yo help. 

I think they will tire of me pretty quick.

I have 4 different 3D CAD programs on my PC. Each has it strengths and weaknesses; but in all of them, I managed to work out how to use them for the basics in half a day or so, and dip into the (textual, searchable, mostly concise and clear) help as and when I need to do something more complex. I use different ones for different purposes.

Here, literally nothing is intuitive. So why use it? Three reasons:

• It's free.
• It's very powerful, if you can ever work out how to use it.
• A bunch of us are looking for a way to collaborate without perpetually shipping modified versions of our design around the net.

But, I find the sketcher here entirely unusable. So, I thought that if I do the part design locally and uploaded it here for assembly, I might find the going easier. So far, not so good

Guidelines for getting help are at the top of the forum here:- http://https//forum.onshape.com/discussion/9107/forum-post-checklist We only ask a few things, have a search first, link to an example doc, make the thread title describe your issue (so others with the same problem can use the search) and appreciate we're probably taking time out of our working day to help, so if the answers are a bit brief please bear that in mind.

I'm familiar with the generic rules of on-line self-help fora; but each place has its own conventions and accepted practices.

On one, it is an unwritten rule that starting a new thread if the subject of the question is even vaguely related to that of an existing thread is strictly verbotten.

In another, the preferred practice is to confine each thread to one single question.

Hence my question. I'm just trying to avoid doing anything that will upset the apple cart.

Please don't ever be afraid to ask for help, if you've been struggling with something for more than a quarter of an hour, let alone getting to the hair pulling stage then help is available.

Too late I'm already walking on egg shells trying to avoid saying something that will get my account revoked. I really want to make this place work for me; but that is beginning to seem a forlorn hope.

Buk

barry_gibson

buk_browseruk 
Hang in, there it does, and will take time to get some sort of grip of how onshape works, im two and more years in and only scratching the surface, all in all its a very good cad software with some very helpful people on here that will help you no end, remember this, patient is the  virtue sort by many found by few    

buk_browseruk054

barry_gibson said:

buk_browseruk 
Hang in, there it does, and will take time to get some sort of grip of how onshape works, im two and more years in and only scratching the surface, all in all its a very good cad software with some very helpful people on here that will help you no end, remember this, patient is the  virtue sort by many found by few    

I hate to say this in reply to your attempt to reassure me, but that's actually the very last thing I wanted to hear

It feels like I've already wasted enough time on this without getting anywhere at all; and aphorisms about patience do not sit well. I could patiently continue to bang my head on this wall, but I doubt it will stop hurting anytime soon; besides the blood is dripping in my eyes and I'm seeing red.

owen_sparks

@buk_browseruk

I feel the opposite, I found the learning curve with onshape to be stress free, logical and intuitive.  (I was an utter CAD virgin and of the school of fiddle with it until you understand it rather than strict lessons) but defiantly found good value from the help, videos, webinars, forum etc. 

I think maybe I started with simpler operations though.  IMHO sheet metal should only be attempted after a firm grasp of the standard 3D modelling concepts have been obtained.  That said I'd say someone will be able to do useful work in onshape well within 20 hours of learning.

The very first thing to master is the sketch environment.  For me "constraints" were a new concept, as was "design intent" but once those "click" mental effort is thrown at the design not in how to drive the software. I now love the sketcher and it's solver, it's simple and just woks, can't ask for more there personally.

With regards to the sheet-metal, OS's approach is different.  You don't start with the flat and bend it, you design the 3D part you need and then tell OS to make it into sheet metal for you...

If you're at all interested I wrote a little about the learning experience here:-
https://forum.onshape.com/discussion/7728/ok-so-how-does-your-cad-brain-work

I hope things start working for you soon, and shout with any specific questions as they pop up.

Cheers,

Owen S.

cameron_shaw_doran

I'm a new user going through the tutorials and I'm stuck here
 I can't figure out why I can't select the same area to mirror on the small grip as the large
 wondered if anyone can help
Thanks 
https://cad.onshape.com/documents/e4c0e2d414ee836c98a71240/w/753c3b58f1ac84d191e85444/e/e44d38b59a044a4dbde034e0

larry_hawes

cameron_shaw_doran said:

I'm a new user going through the tutorials and I'm stuck here
 I can't figure out why I can't select the same area to mirror on the small grip as the large
 wondered if anyone can help
Thanks 
https://cad.onshape.com/documents/e4c0e2d414ee836c98a71240/w/753c3b58f1ac84d191e85444/e/e44d38b59a044a4dbde034e0

Your question is way too vague to offer any meaningful help but perhaps you are mirroring parts instead of features or faces? In the mirror dialog box there are 3 choices of which types of entities to mirror - parts, face or features. You have parts selected currently, try another entity type? Other than that there is very little to go on.

The drawing also shows the mirror plane as the face of extrude 5 - would it work better to use the mid plane as a mirror plane? Again, sorry, just don't understand the question.

larry_hawes

Check out extrude 7 in this model and compare to posted model. I think the small arm and small arm grip might have been called out incorrectly in the merge scope? Thrashing but I did get the small grip pin to extrude.

https://cad.onshape.com/documents/cd7be0a13a7907e4c9bbfe1c/w/70736c9aa1e8efdfa11061fa/e/804ccea31a78b5226d12b6ed

owen_sparks

Wow, you give up your time, try to be helpful, offer help in the future to any further questions and then get down-voted, how awesome is that?

Owen S.

emagdalenaC2i

My +1 for you @owen_sparks and for all the people here that try to help other users and to improve Onshape

owen_sparks

Thanks @emagdalenaC2C I appreciate the comment and the effort you put into helping people

Cheers,

Owen S.

larry_hawes

Not as bad as that behavior above but sometimes "you give up your time, try to be helpful, offer help in the future" and get no response from the OP - ever. I pretend it's all about my learning different techniques but it's nice to hear back to see if your help actually helped.

As an aside, I always thought (and still do) that the whole vote me up, vote me down thing was a bit childish - just never got it to be honest.

brian_jordan

@larry_hawes I agree there is nothing more disheartening than when the OP ignores an answer, right or wrong, but don't be disheartened - your input matters. Out of interest I am a "voter upper", I use it when I read a question or reply which adds to my knowledge when I have nothing to add to the thread.

larry_hawes

Thanks for the comment Brian and perhaps I'll become a "voter upper" as well for the reason you suggest.

brucebartlett

To voting up builds creditability in the community. If you adding a valve for others then you should get an upvote which therefore encourages you to keep up the good work or the opposite for a downvote.