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Improvements to Onshape - July 6th, 2017
![cody_armstrong](https://profiles.onshape.com/0dcc2196d291ee05e510ee5afe83fe1e57228b9f99cba59a6581e2aab42b2bfd.png)
![](https://us.v-cdn.net/6022175/uploads/0ZP89G269V75/logo-onshape-gray-green-401x.png)
We have an awesome update for you! This update includes major new surfacing tools, a new drawing view tool, improvements to Loft, Hole feature, and more. Let's check it out.
FILL
You can now create a surface defined by a boundary of edges or curves.
ENCLOSE
Create a solid part from an enclosed selection of surfaces or planes.
GUIDES AND END CONDITIONS IN LOFT
You can now use a combination of guides and end conditions in the Loft command. In the past, you had to choose one or the other.
SECTION VIEWS AS NAMED VIEWS
If you are in a Section view, and create a Named view, this will be saved with the Named view. Meaning when you return to your Named view, the Section view state is also restored. Great if you find yourself repeatedly creating the same Section view.
HOLE FEATURE IMPROVEMENTS
There were many improvements to Hole feature with this update. Including new standard hole sizes, and the ability to create holes in sheet metal parts.
SECTION VIEW IMPROVEMENTS
You'll find a new "Angular" section view type in Onshape Drawings. This option allows you to create section views at an angle. Also added with this update is the ability to change a view's label.
COPY/PASTE CONTEXT MENU IN ONSHAPE DRAWINGS
You can now right-click "Copy" and right-click "Paste" entities in Onshape Drawings. In this past this was limited to keyboard shortcuts.
![](https://us.v-cdn.net/5022071/uploads/editor/4n/kd1hqhodzu3z.png)
WELD SYMBOL IMPROVEMENTS
A few important improvements to Weld symbols were added with this update. Including live updates to the Weld symbol preview, as well as support for staggered welds.
![Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5022071/uploads/editor/u9/a4lfhkwakccp.png](https://us.v-cdn.net/5022071/uploads/editor/u9/a4lfhkwakccp.png)
ORDERED ARRAY OF FEATURESCRIPT PARAMETERS
The foundation has been laid to allow you to make per selection changes to parameters in Onshape while creating a feature. This means you can have different settings for each selection within a dialog. Currently, you can only see this in the Fill command (where you can make "per edge" continuity choices), but we are working on more features with this capability. Below is an example of the custom "Port Feature" that has been modified to allow the user to change port size for each selection.
![](https://us.v-cdn.net/5022071/uploads/editor/18/qmlau3r9zeaj.png)
PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENTS
Performance has been improved in several areas including assemblies, drawings, holes and more.
Please take a moment to try out these new features and improvements and let us know what you think!
Remember: The updates listed here are now live for all users when creating new Documents and over the next few days these features will also be available in Documents created before the date of this update.
FILL
You can now create a surface defined by a boundary of edges or curves.
ENCLOSE
Create a solid part from an enclosed selection of surfaces or planes.
GUIDES AND END CONDITIONS IN LOFT
You can now use a combination of guides and end conditions in the Loft command. In the past, you had to choose one or the other.
SECTION VIEWS AS NAMED VIEWS
If you are in a Section view, and create a Named view, this will be saved with the Named view. Meaning when you return to your Named view, the Section view state is also restored. Great if you find yourself repeatedly creating the same Section view.
HOLE FEATURE IMPROVEMENTS
There were many improvements to Hole feature with this update. Including new standard hole sizes, and the ability to create holes in sheet metal parts.
SECTION VIEW IMPROVEMENTS
You'll find a new "Angular" section view type in Onshape Drawings. This option allows you to create section views at an angle. Also added with this update is the ability to change a view's label.
COPY/PASTE CONTEXT MENU IN ONSHAPE DRAWINGS
You can now right-click "Copy" and right-click "Paste" entities in Onshape Drawings. In this past this was limited to keyboard shortcuts.
![](https://us.v-cdn.net/5022071/uploads/editor/4n/kd1hqhodzu3z.png)
WELD SYMBOL IMPROVEMENTS
A few important improvements to Weld symbols were added with this update. Including live updates to the Weld symbol preview, as well as support for staggered welds.
![Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5022071/uploads/editor/u9/a4lfhkwakccp.png](https://us.v-cdn.net/5022071/uploads/editor/u9/a4lfhkwakccp.png)
ORDERED ARRAY OF FEATURESCRIPT PARAMETERS
The foundation has been laid to allow you to make per selection changes to parameters in Onshape while creating a feature. This means you can have different settings for each selection within a dialog. Currently, you can only see this in the Fill command (where you can make "per edge" continuity choices), but we are working on more features with this capability. Below is an example of the custom "Port Feature" that has been modified to allow the user to change port size for each selection.
![](https://us.v-cdn.net/5022071/uploads/editor/18/qmlau3r9zeaj.png)
PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENTS
Performance has been improved in several areas including assemblies, drawings, holes and more.
Please take a moment to try out these new features and improvements and let us know what you think!
Remember: The updates listed here are now live for all users when creating new Documents and over the next few days these features will also be available in Documents created before the date of this update.
5
Comments
For the future, together with 3D sketches, we really really need the ability to show surfaces in drawings.
1. Holes in Sheet Metal
2. Loft improvements
3. Fill
As I'm using a lot of pins for alignment, I hope the next update will expand the hole feature to pin holes (clearance & press-fit)
checkbox for thread with diameter / pitch / depth (that shows up on drawings and hole callout)
Textbox for notes that can show up in the drawings hole callout ("press fit" / "slip fit" / "Fit to sub detail 16513_a"... etc..)
That way if they are missing a thread size ... ahem.. M18x1.. M12x1.... We can still call it out in design using custom hole option.
Then OS won't have to worry about EVERY hole possibility.
For the holes I would like to see quick menu for say 10 user holes - for me that would be all I need in 95% of time. User hole should include all data so it's just one click to proceed + edit if needed (preset values).
And I had also something else in my mind.. what was that.. um.. yeah, CONFIGURATIONS - I'm ready if you're ready
Twitter: @BryanLAGdesign
gapClearance
tofunction(length) { return length * 1.15 + 0.1 in; }
then you can use#gapClearance(1.5 in)
as an expression in later features. Also, as a result of this, the parametric curve and surface custom features no longer need the suppressed variable step to work (@mahir, you may wish to update the documentation to reflect this).Beer o'clock Devs?
Owen S.
HWM-Water Ltd
Update: The documentation no longer references the suppressed variable. This works sooo much better now.
2nd'd
And can we PLEASE have indicators in the feature list AND in the Variable edit dialog box for when a variable is defined by a function, rather than a static value! The Variable edit dialog STILL shows only the final value until you actually click on the variable. Even better, have two lines - one for the expression, and one for the evaluated value. The variable below is set to 2*3, but there is zero indication of that an expression exists. This is error prone and makes things unnecessarily difficult. Surely on our big modern monitors we can afford an extra line in the dialog box, and a flag in the Feature list. :-)
And suggesting that Onshape's power should be limited to those with developer knowledge is really unhelpful.
I have programmed 3D CAD systems in assembler in my professional career, but I have no desire to write a custom feature every time I need an expression in a variable or dimension.
Ok, I misunderstood the request. What I meant to say is that we're unlikely to have the full power of the IDE in the expression box for writing complicated multi-line functions (where programming knowledge is already required). However, I agree that the current box approach doesn't scale well even for moderate-sized expressions and some form of autocomplete is also needed. We do plan to address this in the future.
Cheers, Owen S
HWM-Water Ltd
You get a preview of that if you mouse-over the variable in the tree also if that helps for the time being
Hole feature supporting sheet metal was an important improvement, now I can add a tap hole and my dxf will come out with the hole to the tapping drill size. I am not sure I like the countersink coming out at the outside diameter, I will quite often put countersinks in a sheet metal part after the hole has been cut or punched, this format doesn't suit this workflow. Also, the taping annotation doesn't seem to be coming into a drawing for a sheet metal part.
Twitter: @onshapetricks & @babart1977
For editing, I would still prefer external editor (simplified spreadsheet) where I can set multiple variables in one go (rebuild) and even more important I wan't to use any given dimension as variable without the need to create new var for each.