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New Feature: Text path
jnewth_onshape
Member, Onshape Employees Posts: 60 
Here is my latest custom feature: Text path.
The purpose of this custom feature is to lay out characters, words, or number sequences following a geometric arrangement (clock faces, wheels, dials) or alignment.
You can watch a demo video here: https://www.loom.com/share/19705d168c314cedab26787a13961b64?sid=2e4d09f9-bae3-4f08-857d-38b7ea599fa2
You can get the feature here: https://cad.onshape.com/documents/4e187c2b2f7f4974f4e2b612/v/04e7ad76e7b3e4008b7632cc/e/8639f00c4f54af50704861a9
Some common examples (arranging numbers for a clock):
Or arranging numbers along a slider track:
But it can work on most surfaces, even irregular ones:
Let me know what you think!
The purpose of this custom feature is to lay out characters, words, or number sequences following a geometric arrangement (clock faces, wheels, dials) or alignment.
You can watch a demo video here: https://www.loom.com/share/19705d168c314cedab26787a13961b64?sid=2e4d09f9-bae3-4f08-857d-38b7ea599fa2
You can get the feature here: https://cad.onshape.com/documents/4e187c2b2f7f4974f4e2b612/v/04e7ad76e7b3e4008b7632cc/e/8639f00c4f54af50704861a9
Some common examples (arranging numbers for a clock):
Or arranging numbers along a slider track:
But it can work on most surfaces, even irregular ones:
Let me know what you think!
5
Comments
@GWS50 Yes, Onshape's text tools are good enough for laying out one or two strings or characters, but for number sequences or geometric arrangement of different text elements, I think this is a better tool. Or at least that was the hope
Nice icon too
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I have worked with surface text, with which I have some problems. I'd like to "carve" the letters 0.4 mm deep into a surface and then extrude these new surfaces again for 0.4 mm to be level with the surface again - but as seperate parts. It's for text on the first layer and non protruding text.
With Surface Text I haven't found a way to do this yet. Text will always stand out from the surface.
Is Textpath capable of "engraving" text as seperate paths? Something like that:
The Text has first been removed / carved into the body surfeace and the next step is filling the removed letters with extrusion mode "New", to get all letters as seperate parts. Thus I can use different tools in my printer (Prusa XL) to print text in different colors - smooth an not protruding.
Because text is (in my experience) sort of weird to work with, I didn't make a lot assumptions about how designers will use the text. In fact, the default Text path behavior is to not produce parts at all - just sketches:
If the user wants to create parts, they select the "Create solids" option:
From there, you can do a boolean subtraction to subtract the text from the base part, but select "Keep tools" to leave your text bodies:
And then you get what you want:
Alternatively, you could just create the Text path sketches, then re-use the sketches, once for engraving, once for extruding.
While you were typing I texperimented a little more and found the sketches. From there all has been easy ...
I know, I'll love that feature!!!