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Onshape hidden tips and tricks

Onshape hidden tips and tricks.

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Here is a list of useful Onshape tips that you may not know about:

How to get Onshape dark theme

Search for the DarkReader chrome extension.
Add the chrome extension to your browser.
(Optional) Right click and pin the extension for easy access.
Done!

Creating a desktop shortcut for Onshape

Copy the url to the Onshape page.
Right click on your desktop > create shortcut.
Paste the url in the shortcut’s destination.
(Optional) Change the icon by right clicking the shortcut > properties > change icon.
Done!

Searching for published FeatureScripts

Go to the public library.
Expand the search drop down.
Add criteria “Published FeatureScript” and set it to “True”.
(Optional) Enter the name of the feature you are looking for.
You now have a list of published features ready to add to your tool bar!
Open the feature document and add it to your tool bar by pressing the [ + ] icon near the top of the screen.

Viewing a model in AR

Using an iphone or ipad, select the view cube.
Scroll down and select AR View near the bottom of the list.
Now you can view your models in augmented reality!

By Keith|January 25th, 2024|0 Comments

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Adding FeatureScripts to your toolbar

How to add a custom feature to your toolbar?

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Open the Onshape document containing the custom feature.
While viewing the Onshape document, click on the icon near the top of the page.
Select the custom feature from the list.
The custom feature will be added to your toolbar for use in any document.

Looking for custom features? Check out our FeatureScript Library.

By Keith|October 25th, 2023|0 Comments

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What’s New In the 2024 SOLIDWORKS API

The most notable news with the SOLIDWORKS 2024 release is the addition of the ability to save 2024 models to 2023 or 2022 versions. This entirely solves the complaint of lack of backwards compatibility that has generated countless complaints over the decades. This is interesting for me, personally, because in 2014 I wrote a tool called SolidTranslate that used the SOLIDWORKS API to translate models from newer to older versions. I didn’t release it for personal, legal, and business reasons, but the codebase lives on in other interoperability software that will be released at the end of this year. Stay tuned!

Now, onto the API… and not just the SOLIDWORKS API. This post will also cover the PDM API and Document Manager API. And if that’s not enough, I’m also going to cover back to 2020 for completeness’ sake, since the last time I did a “what’s new” post like this was in 2019. Before I do that, please note that this list only covers notable enhancements. You can see all additions and their related API calls in the Release Notes article in the API Help. You can find it in the local API Help by searching for “Release Notes” in the category tab. Note that the local API Help Release Notes will only be as up-to-date as the service pack you have downloaded.

New SOLIDWORKS API Calls and Interfaces

2020
- Support for opening and saving documents in SOLIDWORKS Connected.
- Sort cut list
  - ICutListSortOptions
- Explode multi-body parts
  - IPartExplodeStep
- Redesign of mass property API
  - IMassProperty2
2021
- API calls available to SOLIDWORKS Connected only.
  - Get the type of 3DEXPERIENCE application that owns a given model.
    - IModelDocExtension::Get3DExperienceModelType
- Get all of the unobscured drawing components in a drawing view of an assembly drawing.
  - IView::GetVisibleDrawingComponents
2022
- Creation of the SOLIDWORKS Inspection API.
- Support for belt/chain assembly features.
  - IBeltChainFeatureData
- Close and reopen a specified drawing document with an ExitDetailingMode option.
  - ISldWorks::CloseAndReopen2
- Reload or replace a model document with a force reload option.
  - IModelDocExtension::ReloadOrReplace
- Prompt users for the name of the file to open with options.
  - ISldWorks::GetOpenFileName2
2023
- Many enhancements to sheet metal API calls. See here.
- Determine whether a configuration is a defeature configuration.
  - IConfiguration::IsDefeature
2024
- Access the configuration-specific custom property manager of cut-lists.
  - ICutListItem::CustomPropertyManager
  - IConfiguration::GetCutListItems
- Access the configuration-specific custom property manager of components.
  - IComponent2::CustomPropertyManager
- Retrieve errors that occurred during the last call to IFeatureManager::CreateFeature
  - IFeatureManager::GetCreateFeatureErrors
- Set whether to save as a previous version during model save
  - IAdvancedSaveAsOptions::SaveAsPreviousVersion

New PDM API Calls and Interfaces

2020
- Extended search functionality includes the ability to:
  - Create an extended search object. See IEdmVault21::CreateSearch2.
  - Use new search syntax. See Search Syntax.
- Get whether a document has cut list items
  - IEdmFile17::HasCutlistItems
- Get and set whether focus is on the data card view.
  - IEdmCardView64::IsFocusOnDataCard
  - IEdmCardView64::SetFlagIsFocusOnDataCard
- Get whether a BOM row is a virtual component.
  - IEdmBomCell2::IsVirtual
2021
- New interfaces for creating and modifying SOLIDWORKS BOMs.
  - IEdmBomMgr3
2022
- Creation of the SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional Web API.

New Document Manager API Calls and Interfaces

2020
- Get how SOLIDWORKS Connected views this configuration.
  - ISwDMConfiguration17::Get3DExperienceType
- Gets the physical product represented by this configuration in SOLIDWORKS Connected.
  - ISwDMConfiguration17::GetRepresentationParent
2021
- Get the type of 3DExperience application that created this document.
  - ISwDMDocument26::Get3DExperienceType

Does anything we’ve covered stand out to you as particularly useful or exciting? If so then let us know in the comments!

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By Keith|October 23rd, 2023|0 Comments

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