Create a query from a Z_AXIS

Comments

• antlu65 Member Posts: 61 EDU

  August 2022 edited August 2022

  I was wondering the same awhile back. I don't know if this helps, but you might consider using 'opPattern' with 'rotationAround' instead of 'circularPattern'. That's what I ended up doing.
  
  Example here:
  

  const axis = Z_AXIS;
  var Ta = [];   // Array of transforms to apply.
  var names = [];   // Array of instance names.
  for (var i = 1; i < n; i += 1)
  {
     Ta = append(Ta, rotationAround(axis, i*360*degree / n));
     names = append(names, toString(i));
  }
  opPattern(context, patternId, {
     "entities" : qEntity,
     "transforms" : Ta,
     "instanceNames" : names
  });

  For patterning bodies and faces, this should produce the same result as using 'circularPattern'. A benefit is you aren't restricted to rotations about an axis.
  
  

  3
• monroe_weber_shirk Member Posts: 102 EDU

  August 2022

  Thank you! This side steps the problem and is a great general solution.
  

  0
• EvanReese Member, Mentor Posts: 2,619 PRO

  August 2022 edited August 2022

  The circularPattern feature is looking for a query, as you found. opPattern just uses transforms and is the better solution like you said. If you ever needed to get a query of a line for an axis you have to create the actual geometry and then delete it. You could make a sketch line on the front or right plane; a sketch circle on the top plane; a mate connector at the origin; or a 2-point fit spline. There may be others too, but generally opPattern will be easier to code (though less like actual modeling), and faster to regenerate.

  Evan Reese
  The Onsherpa | Reach peak Onshape productivity
  www.theonsherpa.com

  3
• Jacob_Corder Member Posts: 139 PRO

  August 2022

  if you want the Top plane to get the z axis from, you can simply call qCreatedBy(makeId("Top"),EntityType.FACE)
  
  

  annotation { "Feature Type Name" : "top plane axis" }

  export const topPlaneAxis = defineFeature(function(context is Context, id is Id, definition is map)

      precondition

      {

         

      }

      {

         var topPlane = qCreatedBy(makeId("Top"),EntityType.FACE);

         addDebugEntities(context, topPlane, DebugColor.RED);

         var tPlane = evPlane(context, {

                 "face" : topPlane

         });

         addDebugArrow(context, tPlane.origin, (tPlane.normal*25*millimeter) + tPlane.origin, 5 * millimeter, DebugColor.RED);

      });

  
  default features should always exist.  I am not saying this is the way to do it, but it is a way to do it.

  2
• monroe_weber_shirk Member Posts: 102 EDU

  October 2022

  Jacob, this is a long overdue response that got lost in my drafts! Thank you! This code is great. I think one of my challenges in writing FS code is that it is hard to know how to search for these code examples.

  0
• Jacob_Corder Member Posts: 139 PRO

  October 2022

  I just noticed this also. you can just call  
  
  qTopPlane(EntityType.FACE);  
  
  but you can also simply do this.
  
  plane(vector(0,0,0)*meter,vector(0,0,1));
  or
  

  plane( WORLD_ORIGIN,Z_AXIS);
  or even faster
  plane( WORLD_ORIGIN,Z_AXIS,X_AXIS);
  and even faster yet
   {"origin":WORLD_ORIGIN,"normal": Z_AXIS,"x": X_AXIS} as Plane;// this i believe bypasses the plane function to normalize already normalized vectors.

  
  

  0