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First thoughts

jonathan_stedmanjonathan_stedman Member, Mentor Posts: 65 PRO
I hope your developers are split into two types - those who have never used an old CAD system and those that have used them in anger.

Lock them in a room and let them fight it out until the VC funding runs out, so eventually we get software that uses the best of existing techniques but junks all the stuff that is limiting your/our imagination and skills to take things forward.  

GOOD
  1. Thank Ahura Mazda we don't have to worry about installing software - that's your problem now -  I now just have to make sure my Internet Provider does not F**k up.  I'm not in an earthquake zone, am far from the shore line, my optic cable is buried deep etc etc - just got to remember to pay the bill. However all is not forgotten and I do bear a grudge and when I track down those responsible for SW1997-2002 installations I will battering you with a large, wet fish !!!
  2. Version control, back up and general file admin - I hope its as good as you say.  I am sure it is.
  3. 'Measure ' info in bottom right corner - give that man free doughnuts for a week.  
  4. Clean interface , no shadows or other crazy fake render stuff to distract the brain - brilliant.  Thank you.
BAD
  1. No way to lock first part in an assembly to the origin and the xyz planes - or have I missed something? I feel very untethered when an assembly is not locked in space or is that just me?  Are those guys in the locked room actually working or have they called a truce?  Anybody checked recently :-)  
FUTURE
  1. I think this is going to be a winner.  Just don't let anyone who thinks in $partname-function-parameter-this   and $partname-function-parameter-that  anywhere near the customer facing side of this software.  Keep them in a locked room on their own, in the basement preferably.  Drag and Drop - not typing is the future.  Its hard enough designing products that work well without having to type correctly when driving the CAD software as well.
  2. I can live without drawings - so 20th century - but put your A Team onto parametric 'configurations'.  Lots of share bonus schemes for the best minds on this feature.  Parametric software without being able to have configurations is not parametric.   All I know is what ever I design, the customer always seems to want the other configuration !!.  And when the customer gets what he wants he is happy and I get paid more.  So please, pretty please - configurations - and I'm sure you will do it in a 21st Century way.
Regards

Jon



Comments

  • john_mceleneyjohn_mceleney Onshape Employees Posts: 57
    Jon,

    We will give the "measure man" some donuts and don't worry, we will have drawings : -)

    John
  • caradoncaradon OS Professional, Mentor Posts: 300 PRO
    edited March 2015
    @Jonathan_Stedman Great comments!

    Big + on configurations!
    I'm very interested to see how Onshape is going to handle configurations, patterns (with all kinds of variation like skipped instances) and derived patterns (assembly patterns driven by a part's patterns).
    In my company we use these functions a lot. It's in all of our top level assemblies. It's dictated by the kind of products we make.

    Btw, SolidWorks' implementation of configurations was one of the main reasons why we chose it over competing packages.

    Dries
  • dave_cdave_c Onshape Employees Posts: 42
    Hi Jon -  I was VP of R&D at SolidWorks from 1999-2003 so you can batter me with the large wet fish I suppose.  You will have to find Mike Payne to batter for '97 and '98.  Hopefully you will take into consideration that Onshape never requires an install and go easier on me!
  • jonathan_stedmanjonathan_stedman Member, Mentor Posts: 65 PRO
    @John_McEleney.  - splash out on the ones with sprinkles .  

    @Dries - configurations are everything for me and like you - in the top level assemblies.  

    SW 2012 was when I finally stopped paying subs to Dassault - no progress on core problems and lots of jollys to Las Vagas  etc every year to spend the sub money.  All the features were working fine, but every time I seem to open up an assembly after leaving it for a week it seemed to rebuild in a manner that always had errors.  The configurations always were screwed and re-built wrong.  Lets see how OS do it this time .  I have no computer programming knowledge but I presume the techniques to get it right at the start have been learnt in the last 2 decades and can now be implemented .  I hope so

    @Dave_C     No battering with fish for you - I get the sense you might like it.  I'll keep the fish for Mr Payne 

    Jon
  • jakeramsleyjakeramsley Member, Moderator, Onshape Employees, Developers Posts: 657
    1. No way to lock first part in an assembly to the origin and the xyz planes - or have I missed something? I feel very untethered when an assembly is not locked in space or is that just me?  Are those guys in the locked room actually working or have they called a truce?  Anybody checked recently :-)  
    We give you the option to constrain to the origin.  If you want your first instance to not move with respect to the origin, create a fasten mate between the instance and the origin.  You can do this by either starting the fasten mate first, then selecting the implicit mate connector on the instance and then the orientation of the origin you want to fasten to.  Another option would be to turn on snap mate mode by either clicking the button along the top or pressing 'S'.  From here you can find the implicit mate connector you want to fasten to the origin, click and drag it to the origin and create the mate there.

    Or if you want to do away with the constraints and modeled something in your part studio about the origin, you can insert it into the assembly without moving and then right click on it and choose fix.  At this point the instance won't move from its current position.
    Jake Ramsley

    Director of Quality Engineering & Release Manager              onshape.com
  • philip_thomasphilip_thomas Member, Moderator, Onshape Employees, Developers Posts: 1,381
    edited March 2015
    @Jonathan_Stedman  - thank you so much for trying Onshape. We found your comments both funny, and insightful. Please keep them coming as we are all committed to making the Onshape experience as enjoyable for both groups of people as possible. And yes, there are 'discussion rooms' (but no doughnuts :)).
    With regards to orienting parts and positioning WRT the origin, see if this gif answers your questions. Many thanks - Philip . . . 

    ps - you can also mate (or snap mate) to the origin (hint, use the A (alignment) or Q (quadrant) keyboard shortcuts when mating to the origin to specify the orientation) 

    Philip Thomas - Onshape
  • kevin_quigleykevin_quigley Member Posts: 306 ✭✭✭
    @Jonathan_Stedman There is a name I remember from a past life...hard to believe it was 26 yrs ago we graduated! Mike Payne will be at Develop3D Live in a few weeks so Ill bring some fish.

    btw the comment on the programmer? Spot on. Would not believe the arguments I have had over the years with CAD developers who insist this sort of thing is acceptable or when they create a tool that is "mathematically accurate" yet totally incomprehensible to the user.


  • jonathan_stedmanjonathan_stedman Member, Mentor Posts: 65 PRO
    @Kevin Quigley - yes 26 years ago.  I never did change the world .  Hope all is well.  Still see a few of the crowd. I hear from Tom Devlin every now and then. I see from the map he is just up the road from Onshape - still doing teeth :-).  I don't get out of Cornwall much so for old times sake, and if you don't mind, you can have the honour with the fish.  Be merciful - defrost it first.

    Jon
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