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Building a helix on a torus...

roger_m_kolaks
roger_m_kolaks Posts: 30 ✭✭
in Community Support
https://cad.onshape.com/documents/fe0d53673e7eb639664f6ae0/w/cd029c352411afd1d03893a7/e/13c491ba9e5c3598f51ace18

Is there a simpler way to construct this toroidal helix than my method?  It's in the Parts tab _Toroid Helix_.



I realize there I need to get rid of the redundancies.

   ..rmk

Best Answer

Answers

  • Matt_Shields
    Matt_Shields Posts: 984 PRO
    I made these a while back.  They might help.

    https://cad.onshape.com/documents/540024dc238c4892e65f18d4/w/2e339b4cfdf2c56505abd48c/e/d61ac75b4954f410514f1aba




  • john_lopez363
    john_lopez363 Posts: 143 ✭✭✭
    edited August 2024
    @roger_m_kolaks ...Try the Feature Script called 3D Spiral!  Then Sweep the profile.


  • martin_kopplow
    martin_kopplow Posts: 1,608 PRO
    edited August 2024
    I did not even know about this FS. We urgently need need need a place to search and browse all existing feature scripts! With Images of what they do! In this case one user is looking for a toroidal curve, and he's bound to never find the 3D spiral which would provide an immediate solution, just because the search prompt misses it by a hair. I don't understand why OS is not taking care of this powerful selling point.
  • Matt_Shields
    Matt_Shields Posts: 984 PRO
    True.  But, did you know that they added the ability to search public for published FeatureScripts a while back?


  • rick_randall
    rick_randall Posts: 434 ✭✭✭
    Matt_Shields, would you mind explaining the process of setting up the search parameters in a little more detail - I'm not getting the results that you did and this seems handy.
  • Matt_Shields
    Matt_Shields Posts: 984 PRO
    Last November, Onshape added the ability to formally publish FeatureScripts.  And with it, the ability to search public documents by published FeatureScript.  When you open the search parameters box, you can add "Published FeatureScript" as a criteria.  When you set the criteria to true, it adds "hasPublishedFSVersion:true" to the search box.  Searching for "name:curve hasPublishedFSVersion:true" got me that list of 5 Feature Scripts.

  • MichaelPascoe
    MichaelPascoe Posts: 2,943 PRO
    edited August 2024

    I agree that the current custom feature search methods are not sufficient.


    RENDERCAD
    rendercad.ai - Photorealistic product rendering.

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    ________________________________________________________________________
  • roger_m_kolaks
    roger_m_kolaks Posts: 30 ✭✭
    The Toroidal Spiral script appears to operate in failure mode at the scale I need, and  fails entirely when Numbereof Coils greater than about 40..


       ..rmk
  • rick_randall
    rick_randall Posts: 434 ✭✭✭
    edited August 2024
    Thanks Matt, Got all the boxes to show what you had, but still no - just blank screen (no matches found). Maybe not for us free guys?
     And Micheal, I just +1 on the vote.
  • martin_kopplow
    martin_kopplow Posts: 1,608 PRO
    Matt_Shields said:
    True.  But, did you know that they added the ability to search public for published FeatureScripts a while back?



    Yes, I know about that one, though it does not appear to return much useful results to me. If you don't get the very exact search prompt the publisher used (most of us are not native englishmen), then you'll find nothing. There is no way to narrow in on results and if the publisher made a typo (Torroidal curve!) there is no chance at all to find an existing FS, even if you know the exact term. I've had quite some frustration with it, even after the admitted improvement.
  • Matt_Shields
    Matt_Shields Posts: 984 PRO
    Good feedback.  I just added a "Steps" parameter to the UI, which helps.

  • _anton
    _anton Posts: 549 image
    Or, if you want full control, you can use Parametric Curve: https://cad.onshape.com/documents/578ff8b3e4b0e65410fcfda3
  • Caden_Armstrong
    Caden_Armstrong Posts: 461 PRO
    martin_kopplow said:
    I did not even know about this FS. We urgently need need need a place to search and browse all existing feature scripts! With Images of what they do! In this case one user is looking for a toroidal curve, and he's bound to never find the 3D spiral which would provide an immediate solution, just because the search prompt misses it by a hair. I don't understand why OS is not taking care of this powerful selling point.
    This is why I created fs.place. I wanted an easier way to find high quality featurescripts.
    But now I face the challenge of getting developers to add their features to the database.
    If you have features, please add them!
    www.smartbenchsoftware.com --- Renaissance --- Kestrel -- SmartLink
    Experts in Onshape Automation - Custom Features and Integrated Applications
  • S1mon
    S1mon Posts: 4,487 PRO
    edited August 2024
    @Caden_Armstrong
    I very much appreciate the effort, but the challenge is now we have now have yet another incomplete way to find useful FeatureScripts. 
    1. Searching/asking on the Forums
    2. Searching public FS in Onshape (with or without the published flag)
    3. https://fs.place/
    4. https://www.cadsharp.com/featurescripts/
    5. bubble.io - used to have a good list, but seems to be no longer supported/updated
    6. https://onshape4frc.com/cad-library
    7. https://www.onshape.com/en/features/custom-features#spotlight-features (finally updated to remove obsolete features!)
    8. Searching/asking on Discord
    9. Seeing things shared on social media
    It's also frustrating how there isn't a great way to share a list of FeatureScripts. 

    Simon Gatrall | Product Development, Engineering, Design, Onshape | Ex- IDEO, PCH, Unagi, Carbon | LinkedIn

  • MichaelPascoe
    MichaelPascoe Posts: 2,943 PRO
    edited August 2024

    @Caden_Armstrong's fs.place is the most legit one yet. But the issue remains, unless it is a button like the app store, people just can't find it. I imagine most users don't know the forum exists, and an equally large number of them don't even know that custom features are a thing.
    Then the users who learn about custom features, like myself when I learned, don't understand that you can add them to your toolbar. This is why there are a million copied documents for custom features. Probably only a small percentage of those are intentional copies for fs development purposes or enterprises.


    RENDERCAD
    rendercad.ai - Photorealistic product rendering.

    ▚▞▚▞▚▞▚▞▚
    ________________________________________________________________________
  • roger_m_kolaks
    roger_m_kolaks Posts: 30 ✭✭
    Answer ✓
    Looks like you fixed it.  Good job.



       ..rmk
  • shaper29
    shaper29 Posts: 3 ✭

    Don't know if this is needed but,

    The new update reigns down...

    https://youtube.com/shorts/dJLx9CVbL68?feature=share

    It's in sweep to apply the twist.

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