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NEW Video series: Expressions in Onshape
Onshape does a good job at blurring the lines between CAD and code without being overwhelming for beginners. One way this happens is by allowing access to FeatureScript functions in any input field. In this series I'm covering pretty much everything I know about it from basic to advanced. Videos 1 and 2 are out now with another 4 or so on the way.
Part 1: Math and Units
Part 2: Number manipulation
9
Comments
Will have to watch! Thanks for putting this together.
Dope!
This is a much needed topic. Opens up so many possibilities. Nice job Evan!
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pt 3 just dropped covering true/false and if/then
Part 3: Boolean Logic
The Onsherpa | Reach peak Onshape productivity
www.theonsherpa.com
Thank you, for a non-coder this is really useful.
I'm trying to trick non-coders into coding without realizing it 🤫
The Onsherpa | Reach peak Onshape productivity
www.theonsherpa.com
Well its working!!!
Love this mentality and it makes so much sense with what you mentioned at the end of video three, how Onshape is also tricking us all to code by using a CAD system. I 100% agree that the sooner people realize this the sooner they can become a CAD magician.
chadstoltzfus@premiercb.com
Part 4: Containers is now live
The Onsherpa | Reach peak Onshape productivity
www.theonsherpa.com
I just watched #4 (at 2x).
These are great. I know that things like this can be done, in theory, but seeing actual applications and examples is really powerful.
Simon Gatrall | Product Development Specialist | Open For Work
Thanks, Simon! I think I didn't do maps justice here, but might add a bonus in the next one if I can think of a good case to show.
The Onsherpa | Reach peak Onshape productivity
www.theonsherpa.com
Maps are a bit weird. I understand some of their uses in FeatureScript, but as an end user I'm not as sure where they would come into play, other than perhaps some sort of configuration tool.
Simon Gatrall | Product Development Specialist | Open For Work
if they'd autocomplete with their keys as you type they'd immediately become more useful as a way to group related variables. That's the one thing keeping me from using them that way.
The Onsherpa | Reach peak Onshape productivity
www.theonsherpa.com
Maps are important for "object oriented programming", or just structured data. Data doesn't just exist, but the value belongs to something.
In the context of just the feature tree (no featurescript) generating the data is probably the hindrance to it being useful. But knowing how to reference the data might useful if you were to have a FeatureScript generate the data.
For example, if you had a featurescript generate a series of objects (lets say boxes). Each has a property, length,width,height. As named variables, for N boxes, you'd have to create each variable and give it a unique name, like "Height_1", "Height_2". Which doesn't seem bad until you see downstream effects.
But if you created a variable that had an array of maps - where each map has the properties of that specific box. The properties of each box could be easily indexed and referenced.
box[ i ].height is a lot easier and more flexible than trying to reference "Height_i". The height of the ith box could be an input, but the indexed box could be configured, and its infinitely scalable.
Custom FeatureScript and Onshape Integrated Applications
In fact individual part studio variables are already equivalent of key-value pairs in the map. The map is only required if you need to dynamically add or remove keys, or ensure key uniqueness. Also in some cases it is handy to check equality on maps since they not depending on order, but thats unlikely to be used for normal modeling
Yep, great clarity. You're both hitting on why I struggle to come up with a believable use-case that doesn't require any "real" featurescript coding. When coding an actual feature they're indispensable, of course.
I really would use it in Variable features like this though though if it autocompleted the contents, just as a way to organize my variables better. It could be used to create something resembling a file path so you could drill down to the right variable without being hit by all variables at once for autocomplete options. I use a lot of variables.
For now all I've got is "you can do this! neat right? Any idea what you'd do with it?"
The Onsherpa | Reach peak Onshape productivity
www.theonsherpa.com