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Custom Features Collection
legandras
Member Posts: 16 ✭✭
I joined the Onshape design team in January of this year, having previously worked in NX for 11 years. At first, I was hesitant to get to know the software, but it quickly became apparent that beyond the built-in functions, there are also many custom solutions for different tasks. These are nice, but it is almost impossible to find them intentionally, you tend to stumble upon them randomly or the command remains incognito “forever”. Talking to others has also revealed that I am not alone in this.
According to a Hungarian saying:
“If you buy something and want to pass it on to future generations, then two basic principles must be met:
• The first is that you know where you put it!
• The second is that it does not get damaged during storage!
The absence of either of these two conditions calls into question what it was bought for?!?”
Well, this came to my mind because if we create a series of better than good “Custom Features”, but users barely know about their existence, or if they become obsolete during storage, and Onshape has not yet implemented them in its own interface, then how much is that worth?
There should be an interface where these can be found in a bunch and where the operating principles of these commands are described, preferably by their creators.
I have already started to write this down along my own logic and I would like to make it public for the community. The “Custom Features” I found are in the order of 300. The document that has just been published contains about 200 commands, it would be good if a third of them were processed, but even so, it is now ready for publication. After all, the links to the commands are already live, they are available for searchers.
This is a thought-provoking initiative on my part, where I look forward to the comments and contributions of active players. I imagine that I would fill in the missing descriptions of existing commands with the text of their creators, or perhaps with details of the model I want to show.
There are many creators whose commands have not yet been included in this document, I apologize to them, but you see, it has become too long. There are preferred commands and their creators, but those who have, some of which are noteworthy works. I don't know where my initiative will end, how much I will be able to fulfill the requests (I don't count the time anymore), but I will try to finish what I started.
Unfortunately, my English is not the best, so I apologize for the mistakes in the "translated" text.
Original Text. (Hungarian)
Idén januárban csatlakoztam az Onshape-ben tervezők csapatához, korábban NX-eztem 11 évig. Eleinte kétkedve ismerkedtem a szoftverrel, de hamar feltűnt, hogy a beépített funkciókon túl van számos egyéni megoldás is, a különböző feladatokra. Ezek tetszetősek ugyan, de ezeket megtalálni szándékosan, szinte lehetetlen, inkább botlik bele az ember véletlenszerűen vagy marad inkognitóban a parancs „mindörökre”. Másokkal való beszélgetés során is az derült ki, nem vagyok ezzel egyedül.
Egy Magyar mondás szerint:
„Ha az ember vásárol valamit és azt el szeretné tenni a jövő nemzedéknek, akkor két alapvetésnek kell, megfeleljen:
- Az első, hogy tudja hova rakta el azt!
- A második, hogy a tárolás ideje során,ne menjen az tönkre!
Ezen két feltétel, bármelyikének a hiánya, megkérdőjelezi azt, hogy minek lett az megvéve?!?”
Nos, ez azért jutott eszembe, mert amennyiben sorra készítjük, a jobbnál jobb „Custom Feature”-öket, de azok létezéséről alig tudnak a felhasználók, ill. a tárolás ideje alatt az elavul, az Onshape meg még nem implementálta azt a saját felületébe, akkor az mennyit ér?
Kellene lennie egy olyan felületnek, ahol ezek egy csokorban megtalálhatóak és ahol ezen parancsok működési elvei le vannak írva, lehetőleg az alkotóik által.
Én a saját logikám mentén ezt már el is kezdtem összeírni és szeretném is közkinccsé tenni a közösség számára. Az általam megtalált „Custom Feature”-ök, 300-as nagyságrendben vannak. A most közzé tett dokumentumban kb. 200 parancs található, ennek jó, ha a harmada lett feldolgozva, de ezzel együtt is, most már közreadható állapotra került. Végül is a parancsok linkjei már élnek, azok elérhetőek a keresők számára.
Ez egy gondolatébresztő kezdeményezés a részemről, ahol várom az aktív szereplők észrevételeit és a közreműködésüket is. Elképzelésem szerint, feltölteném a meglévő parancsok hiányzó leírásait az alkotóik szövegével, esetleg a megmutatni kívánt modell részleteivel.
Sok olyan alkotó van, akinek a parancsai még nem kerültek bele ebbe a dokumentumba, tőlük elnézést kérek, de látjátok, így is terjedelmesre sikerült. Vannak preferált parancsok és alkotóik, akik viszont igen, egy némelyik figyelemre méltó alkotás. Nem tudom hova fut ki a kezdeményezésem, mennyire fogom tudni teljesíteni a kéréseket (az időt már nem számolom), de igyekszem az elkezdetteket befejezni.
Sajnos az angoltudásom nem a legjobb, ezért a „fordított” szöveg hibáiért elnézést kérek tőletek.
Comments
Wow. That's an epic project you have started! Thank you for putting in the time and effort for this. I think most of us would just be happy with that list at the start but you're going further with docummentation!
Bookmarking this one.
That looks very useful. Perhaps Onshape could find a way to make that PDF accessible from within Onshape itself, may from Help? I suppose that user could just import into an Onshape document, but wouldn't that use up some server space if widely implemented?
This is a lot of great work. This is the most complete list I've seen. I'm not sure it scales for one person to maintain something like this.
We really need a FeatureStore which has user ratings and better discoverability. A few people have attempted to do so, but this really needs to be a PTC Onshape feature. There's already an App store for other types of add ons - that should be extended for FeatureScripts.
Part of what needs to be covered is deprecation and overlap by built in features. There are a few obvious examples like Beams which - as far as I know - is fully replaced by Frames. @EvanReese 's FaceCurves is mostly covered by Isoparametric curve (although there are still some great improvements over the built in).
Simon Gatrall | Staff Mechanical Engineer | Carbon, Inc.
@legandras WOW! This is a herculean undertaking. Incredible work so far. I'll take some time to digest the list soon.
The Onsherpa | Reach peak Onshape productivity
www.theonsherpa.com
Thanks for the feedback, I'll need it...
The more people use it, the easier it would be to continue. It's currently suspended for two weeks, but if the creators could and wanted to help me with authentic information until then, that would be the real deal.
I come from the world of NX, where there was a command for everything.
At first, I thought this software was very simple, but as the unique functions came to mind, I realized how much this software is capable of.
I don't know why the Onshape platform doesn't provide enough of an interface, if it's so "good" that anyone can write custom functions in it. I could imagine independent pop-up windows that we could stack here and there as we please.
I think the icons for custom commands are much more important than many people think. It goes far beyond the "appearance" of the command, but this conversation would lead us a long way. In any case, anyone who thinks about this beyond the functions and creates a meaningful icon for their new commands deserves praise, after all, the design engineer will associate the command with that and not its initials.
Regards.
Might be worth forking https://github.com/dcowden/featurescript and adding this in. Since it's not actively maintained, a reorganized version with ability for others to contribute
Thanks for your feedback!
I was not secretly hoping that my initiative would reach “you”.
As I mentioned, I will be gone for 2 weeks, but I intend to finish everything I started in August.
I am aware that the story is endless, but I will undertake the editing up to 250 pages, the important thing would be that each page is filled with authentic and relevant information.
(What motivated me?
Maybe it was that I wanted to see an information document like this, but I haven’t come across one in half a year, so I created it!
That’s just how it is!) 😎
Right on, well enjoy your time off!
As someone who doesn't know enough about this stuff, I wonder if an AI could crawl the entire forum and infer the top features and their descriptions. Any of you geniuses know how to do that? The forum is still the main place for me to find custom features, but only because I keep up with new posts week-to-week and have for years. If I were just coming to Onshape I don't know whether I'd catch up on that.
The Onsherpa | Reach peak Onshape productivity
www.theonsherpa.com
Hello!
I would like to use an analogy:
“There is an event where the host, the Onshape platform itself, and we are both guests and hosts, with everyone bringing homemade cookies and sandwiches. Yes, but the host doesn’t provide a table for all the delicious food. The party is great and a large number of people gather, but people don’t know where the other person got their sandwich or cookie from. Then someone comes along and takes the trouble to count the volunteer makers and prepares a menu.”
So far so good!
But the solution is there, which @S1mon mentioned .
It has a name.
FeatureStore!
We need a table where we can uniformly unload the brought delicacies.
This is a great idea and amazing effort!
That said a "live" and editable version would be easier to edit/maintain than a PDF. I would think a Wiki or similar would be ideal.
Hello everyone!
I would like to make a general appeal to you.
As you can see, individual scripts are quite numerous and diverse, and their use often requires explanation. I would like to ask for your help with the latter. I would primarily rely on the authors' comments, descriptions of their own scripts, but I would also be happy to receive any valuable comments. The first published document (V1.2) contains the works of only 10 people, - some of whom are prominent - but I know that there are many more valuable creators whose works (individual scripts) are already in use by many. I did not leave these out, but I simply did not have time for them. It is not enough to just sprinkle them into the document, they also need to be edited.
If you provide a description, perhaps a visual explanation, for your scripts, I would be happy to receive it and insert it into the document in the usual way.
You can also send your message privately to the following address:legandras@gmail .com
This is fantastic, nice work @legandras!
Don't forget to vote on the Feature Store - Improvement Request so that we have a legit place to store our features so that people can easily and naturally find them without having to be a detective.
Here is a list of my public features with descriptions:
fyi, I'm willing to share this sheet for any who whish to also use it for their features. @legandras can manage it! 😁
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Learn more about the Gospel of Christ ( Here )
CADSharp - We make custom features and integrated Onshape apps! Learn How to FeatureScript Here 🔴
I've been compiling a list on a Notion page:
https://yummy-library-363.notion.site/Featurescripts-24390daa1cf1809d9be4f216a19bba1d?pvs=74
@legandras Wow! You've put a lot of work into this. This is something that is badly needed, though it should not be the task of individual volunteer users, but this should be done in some kind of FS-Library integrated in the GUI and the Onshape-Ecosystem. Publishing a FS should automatically put it up in the library, users should be able to search for it by different critieria and also comment on it. Onshape is missing out on a great opportunity and an important asset here!
Hello!
I'm glad the team got involved.
I have two general comments:
I'm not in a position to study the operating principles of every script and write an exact description of them, so I have to rely on the descriptions provided by the author.
Every new, expanded sentence brings the user closer to applying the individual functions you have created. Every eloquent screenshot also serves the same purpose. So if you provided them with these, this compilation would be more informative. Formally and systematized, I'll solve it, you wouldn't have to deal with that. I gave my own email address for this, so we don't fill the forum with work-related copies.
We can be initiators in the creation of a possible Feature Store in the sense that we come to the system operator with ready-made ideas. It's not out of the question for this interface to be what the practicing community imagines for itself and not what an IT specialist is tasked with by the parent company (Onshape) in a "closed" room.
I knew I was messing with my axe, but how could I...? (You're lame, here's a hump!)
Thanks for letting me manage your custom features, but I'm afraid that by the time I come out with a new release, you'll have released two new scripts...
I'm ashamed, but I didn't get involved in your Feature Store initiative, so I didn't even know about its existence. I really support it!
Thank you for sharing your list, I didn't know about its existence and its free access, but I'm flattered that I found ¾ of it anyway. I think this also proves the right to have a Feature Store, which Onshape should provide.
I hope you don't take it as an intrusion, but I would also expect an official statement towards our community. It's possible that the existence or management of this causes them a serious problem, we just don't know about it, but it would be nice if they informed us about it.
Freedom for script writers! Feature Store! Feature Store! Feature Store! Feature Store!... 😎📢😎
Thanks for sharing, I'll try to process your work.
I think we already have a huge collection of scripts. what needs to be done are:
1. allowing users to find scripts. this can be done by adding tags and properties which are searchable and sortable. I have my list in Notion currently and tbh, it could be a great platform for the job, as you can create databases with columns, and datatypes of all kinds to help sort and filter. But the job of assigning properties and tags will be some work. but once done, the page will be "live" and update instantly with additions, rather than a static pdf
2. helping people understand the scripts they find. this should be done by the authors (when possible) and should include one or more of description, instructions, screenshots, video
Dang, so many different collectors out there putting together lists of useful scripts and not a single one of mine made the cut in anyone's list XD
Guess I'll have to commit the time to writing the user docs and publishing them properly to make them more discoverable and explain their use cases a little better.
I've created a feature store - fs.place, and while I've proven the concept, and even made money selling features, its been difficult getting traction from other developers to add to the store. The challenge is that everyone has their own ideas on what "searching public features" should entail. There are git hub repos, private lists, excel sheets, and …pdfs. No matter what resource exists, it will always be incomplete. New developers need to know which resources are being maintained, used, and are worth contributing to. But many of the most used features are from developers who might not be in the community anymore (ex, a lot of student written features), don't have the time to add to every new database out there, or just aren't incentivized.
fs.place is a fully functional marketplace, checks all the boxes people are listing.
But its always going to be lacking due to the above reasons - only Onshape making an official one is going to see any improvements.
I personally look forward to being able to shut down fs.place because Onshape made it obsolete.
But until then…
Custom FeatureScript and Onshape Integrated Applications
Yes please! Yours are very good.
The Onsherpa | Reach peak Onshape productivity
www.theonsherpa.com
@Caden_Armstrong your approach has my vote until something native comes along. Any thoughts of adding a voting system or way to sort my popularity so it can help the good stuff bubble up to the top?
The Onsherpa | Reach peak Onshape productivity
www.theonsherpa.com
@EvanReese We have a list of improvements to make (comments, voting, subscriptions, etc), but we were waiting to see how much traction the platform got.
Custom FeatureScript and Onshape Integrated Applications
Sounds right. I'll acknowledge that I've not made the time to get mine up there, yet, but I do think a list like this makes most sense as a way to sort through the massive number of features of varying levels of completion and quality.
The Onsherpa | Reach peak Onshape productivity
www.theonsherpa.com
as an experiment, I added @MichaelPascoe to a notion database with tags just to see if it was feasible. But I think FS.Place may be the better option for now.
Wow, I agree with what you said so much!
I understand the annoyance of static .pdfs compared to their online counterparts, which are constantly updated and can be edited by anyone (authors), but at the same time it has its advantages. On a relatively standard interface, you see the different functions together and can also interpret them with the help of visual explanations.
During my half-year research, I never once got stuck in this Notion, until you shared it with me.
I am a user, unlike most of you who write these cool scripts.
When we want to solve a design task, the first thing we do is search for a function (or a custom function) using keywords. When we find something and open it, we try to understand what the “poet” wanted? How should we use it? What input parameters does this function work with? Etc.
Here I would like to note:
How important is the appearance of the icons belonging to the scripts:
The existence of pop-up windows appearing above the commands:
I don't want you to misunderstand, I really respect every development engineer who forces himself to write custom functions. He does this for years. We "simple users", who have no idea what complex relationships there may be behind a checkbox, will only use those in the long term whose name, "iconic image", and/or explanatory image help us recognize them. Those commands that we can't find even after half a year of searching, or whose icon is the same as the other 15, or whose explanatory interpretations cannot be found, no matter how sophisticated the solutions are, will not be used by anyone, or only by a few familiar people.
I assume the goal is to have a solution used by as many people as possible and for Onshape to incorporate it into its own platform as soon as possible.
I don't know how much Onshape is "listening" to the discussion here, but some comments are also addressed to them. I feel a menu window (Customize Toolbar) is very necessary, which could be placed on another screen, and in which only the commands that we have packed it with are visible. There would be a place here for search functions and related content, links, etc.
@Caden_Armstrong
Well, this is the closest I can imagine it being.
Can only you edit this?
What does it take to get relevant features added here?
(I wanted to add this to Caden_Armstrong's comment.)
By analogy of a saying:
„Prepare for peace, but keep your gunpowder dry.”
„Let's build the online space, but keep the files offline.”
For a no-code solution Notion is great. I actually made an FS library for our team when I was at my agency using Notion. It was super handy to be able to tag things by use-case, author, etc and then create filtered views for those lists. That way if you're into 3D printing, you're only looking at features relevant for that, for example.
The Onsherpa | Reach peak Onshape productivity
www.theonsherpa.com
Not me over here making my own Notion repository as we speak. Nope.