Steep infuriating learning curve, Onshape.

[jimbo84]

This is a bit of a late night rant.

I’m trying to learn some CAD so have signed up to the free version of OnShape.

Why on earth can’t you simply just click on the rectangle and drag it over to the circle where I want it to go? It’s clearly me because the bought version of this is thousands of pounds so must be useable if it commands that price.

As you’ll see from the tab I’ve googled it which suggest going into transform then translate by distance which to a ludite seems an incredibly long winded way of doing things. I’ve tried this suggested way which doesn’t work either.




I’m baffled. Anyway time for bed.

 

[Screwdriver]

Looks like a decent bit of software but is it true, the free version means all your designs are free for everyone to download?

 

[iNf]

Looks like a decent bit of software but is it true, the free version means all your designs are free for everyone to download?

The free version means all your designs are public. If for some reason you don't want anyone copying your designs you could give it an obscure name, someone is unlikely to search for ("%&£74÷%€£0) or you could save it in whatever format you wish then delete it.

 

[Erie Fred]

I have been using FreeCad.....after a few teething problems, I'm doing o.k. with it.
It works just like Inventor (save for different names for commands).
Free, no internet connection needed, no limitations on file size that I have found (yet)

FreeCAD: Your own 3D parametric modeler

FreeCAD, the open source 3D parametric modeler

www.freecad.org

and then downloaded the sheetmetal add on.

 

[knighty]

I use onshape... took a bit of getting g used to but like it now

Recommended to me by my brother who used to do 3d stuff as a large part of his job.


Im not sure wgat youre trying to do when you say joining them...

Can do describe or make a rough picture of what you want?

 

[Kram]

Looks like a decent bit of software but is it true, the free version means all your designs are free for everyone to download?

Yes and it is publically searchable. You can also view the latest items.

I gave up with the tutorial video when it kept on about the version control, having worked in IT, I found the video extremely irritating.
I had a few goes on my own, how hard could it be... Very. The functional 3d part of the software seem to be buried under layers of document stuff like a game of origami!

If anyone knows a decent yt or web based tutorial?

My designs so far have all been in bambu studio, I've achived near mastery of manipulating primitives but it is extremely limiting.

 

[ukracer]

Yes and it is publically searchable. You can also view the latest items.

I gave up with the tutorial video when it kept on about the version control, having worked in IT, I found the video extremely irritating.
I had a few goes on my own, how hard could it be... Very. The functional 3d part of the software seem to be buried under layers of document stuff like a game of origami!

If anyone knows a decent yt or web based tutorial?

My designs so far have all been in bambu studio, I've achived near mastery of manipulating primitives but it is extremely limiting.

I find the same with fusion 360 but I know enough to do really really basic stuff which is not intuitive in fusion or intuitive in any of the other 3D software I have tried.

I spent some time looking at tutorials on sketching and that seemed to help until I forgot what I had learnt..again

I was reccomended this

Bit i found Paul Mcwhorter easy to understand but his "boom" just did my head in sadly.

 

[jimbo84]

I’ve had another go and managed to draw what I need to but the placements of the removed material is wrong in terms of their distance from each other (one top and one bottom is correct), it was just to see if I could do it.

I got pretty good at photoshop years ago and it was all layers, you could select the layer and then just drag it to where you wanted to go and it would go, I was expecting CAD to be similar in that respect. It’s infuriating why you can’t just do that in this CAD software.

I’ve still no idea how you actually just get hold of a sketch and move it to where you want it to go

Also how do you measure the distance between points, EG. the gap between those two cutouts?

 

[Dr.Al]

This is a bit of a late night rant.

I’m trying to learn some CAD so have signed up to the free version of OnShape.

Why on earth can’t you simply just click on the rectangle and drag it over to the circle where I want it to go? It’s clearly me because the bought version of this is thousands of pounds so must be useable if it commands that price.

As you’ll see from the tab I’ve googled it which suggest going into transform then translate by distance which to a ludite seems an incredibly long winded way of doing things. I’ve tried this suggested way which doesn’t work either.

View attachment 526140


I’m baffled. Anyway time for bed.

It looks to me like you're exiting the sketch too early. There is (as far as I know) no way to drag a sketch around, but it's very easy to drag the sketch entities around when you're still in the sketch. To get from here:

to here:

I just clicked and dragged on one of the corners of the rectangle.

 

[Misterg]

I was expecting CAD to be similar in that respect...

And that's the problem.

From the little I've used OnShape, it operated very similarly to Fusion360 (and Creo, FWIW). It isn't particularly intuitive, especially if coming with a 2D, non parametric mindset.

Initially, you shouldn't be trying to drag anything anywhere - draw the thing where it needs to be, constrained to any other parts.

It's worth looking for a couple of basic OnShape training videos on YouTube (I presume they must be there - one of the strengths of F360 is the sheer volume of tutorial and training videos out there).

 

[Dr.Al]

Also how do you measure the distance between points, EG. the gap between those two cutouts?

View attachment 526157

Measuring is very easy, just click on the two faces and the distance will appear in the bottom right of the screen:

However, if you care about the distance, you should be constraining it.

For example, after extruding the original circle, draw your first rectangle on a sketch on the top face and constrain it to be where you want it:

Then (after extruding the first rectangle to cut it out) do a sketch on the opposite face and, with hidden lines visible, constrain it to be the distance you want from the first slot:

 

[BrokenBiker]

I use fusion, I signed up for onshape free version, seemed about the same to use but with it's own quirks...I prefer fusion, but probably because eits what I know

 

[Dr.Al]

And that's the problem.

From the little I've used OnShape, it operated very similarly to Fusion360 (and Creo, FWIW). It isn't particularly intuitive, especially if coming with a 2D, non parametric mindset.

Initially, you shouldn't be trying to drag anything anywhere - draw the thing where it needs to be, constrained to any other parts.

This is really good advice. Drawing with tools like photoshop is a completely different approach (and skill) to drawing with CAD tools. Most 3D parametric CAD tools are very similar: I can switch back and forth quite easily between Solidworks. Onshape, Solid Edge, NX and FreeCAD - they all work in a fairly similar manner. Fusion 360 seems different enough to be annoying but it's still much closer to the other ones than something like Photoshop.

It's worth looking for a couple of basic OnShape training videos on YouTube (I presume they must be there - one of the strengths of F360 is the sheer volume of tutorial and training videos out there).

Yes, there are some good training videos for onshape, or at least there were when I learnt how to use it. When I learnt onshape I found that the videos by onshape themselves were really good and that there were far fewer onshape videos than fusion ones, but the onshape ones were all helpful and accurate whereas a lot of the fusion ones were for old versions and things weren't in the same place any more. Quality over quantity and all that! A lot of time has passed since then, so I imagine the fusion situation has got worse and onshape is probably now suffering from the same problem.

 

[jimbo84]

It looks to me like you're exiting the sketch too early. There is (as far as I know) no way to drag a sketch around, but it's very easy to drag the sketch entities around when you're still in the sketch. To get from here:

View attachment 526163

to here:

View attachment 526164

I just clicked and dragged on one of the corners of the rectangle.

Even still being in the sketch it won’t drag it, best I can do is resize it by clicking and dragging a corner however on resizing the measurements have disappeared so you’re resizing the rectangle to a size you have no clue to because there are no measurements.

 

[jimbo84]

Measuring is very easy, just click on the two faces and the distance will appear in the bottom right of the screen:

View attachment 526169

However, if you care about the distance, you should be constraining it.

For example, after extruding the original circle, draw your first rectangle on a sketch on the top face and constrain it to be where you want it:


View attachment 526166

Then (after extruding the first rectangle to cut it out) do a sketch on the opposite face and, with hidden lines visible, constrain it to be the distance you want from the first slot:

View attachment 526168

This is amazing, thanks.

How are you getting those measurements visible on the objects? Mine is measurementless! I’m sure it’ll just be a setting I haven’t clicked.

 

[tigdlo]

How are you getting those measurements visible on the objects?

Add a dimension, shortcut key is d

I moved to Fusion 360 and went back to Onshape, CAD software is a professional tool for engineers, it's not going to be easy for most people but well worth learning the basics even for DIY projects.

 

[Martin Hocking]

You’re in the same boat as me @jimbo84 I’m pretty sure it’s the parametric bit that eats away at the user friendliness. I’ve found that the models often require constraints (and measurements) setting that I often haven’t thought about. My other half said to me after a period of prolonged frustration ‘if it makes you look like that you probably shouldn’t be doing it’! Keep at it!

Re: moving objects in the sketch it’s the transform function you want. (I’m not sure how to do just by clicking like al says)



Click transform and highlight the bit you want to move.

Drag it by the little box and double click away from it to confirm.

Set constraints on it to attach it to other bits etc.

On my computer the transform bit was in a drop down bit with other stuff like fillet etc.

 

[Dr.Al]

Even still being in the sketch it won’t drag it, best I can do is resize it by clicking and dragging a corner however on resizing the measurements have disappeared so you’re resizing the rectangle to a size you have no clue to because there are no measurements.

I'm reading between the lines here, but I think I understand what's happening. If you drag on a corner, it'll move that corner and try to keep everything else where it is (i.e. the opposite corner will stay put and it'll resize). If you add a dimension ('d' key or the dimension button on the toolbar) to its width and height, then moving one corner will move the opposite one as well (as the rectangle size is fixed and so they both have to move together). Does that make sense?

 

[Martin Hocking]

I'm reading between the lines here, but I think I understand what's happening. If you drag on a corner, it'll move that corner and try to keep everything else where it is (i.e. the opposite corner will stay put and it'll resize). If you add a dimension ('d' key or the dimension button on the toolbar) to its width and height, then moving one corner will move the opposite one as well (as the rectangle size is fixed and so they both have to move together). Does that make sense?

I’ve just tried this and you’re absolutely right al. Thank you. Hopefully it works for jimbo84 too.

(I was actually going to send you a pm to ask if I could start a dedicated onshape thread as I suspected it would be you doing most of the heavy lifting! Looks like we’ve got one!)

 

[Dr.Al]

I’ve just tried this and you’re absolutely right al. Thank you. Hopefully it works for jimbo84 too.

(I was actually going to send you a pm to ask if I could start a dedicated onshape thread as I suspected it would be you doing most of the heavy lifting! Looks like we’ve got one!)

I'm watching this one now, so if messages come up I'll try to answer them. Honestly, I mostly use Solidworks these days, but Onshape is so similar that it's very easy to swap back and forth.