Almost all of today’s CAD products are pretty capable right out of the box, but I’ve often wanted them to do more to suit my particular needs and workflow. Over the years I’ve created macros and used Visual Basic and AutoLISP for defining, customizing, and automating functions and processes not found in CAD products out of the box. My results varied widely – some were good, some were OK, and some were downright unpredictable and bad.

Several years passed and I didn’t really do too much with CAD programming, so my interest waned. That all changed, though, when cloud-based Onshape’s FeatureScript came along earlier this summer.

FeatureScript is a programming language designed by Onshape for building and working with 3D parametric models. The language is built into Onshape and provides the foundation of Part Studio modeling, including geometric references, parametric tools, and a type system with types built for math in three dimensions.

The standard feature types in Onshape, such as Extrude, Fillet, and Helix are already written as FeatureScript functions. Using FeatureScript, custom feature types extend this same function mechanism to Onshape.

Is FeatureScript the first specific programming language to be released for a CAD product? No, not exactly, but it is unique in many ways and adds to Onshape’s positive differentiation in the crowded CAD marketplace.

Introducing Onshape’s FeatureScript

Your marriage to SOLIDWORKS is on a good steady road and then, all of a sudden, either (1) the boss asks you to get SOLIDWORKS CSWP certified or (2) you decide on your own to get certified.  Not all certifications are planned or intentional, but if you find that an exam is on the horizon, you can still take steps to prepare for a healthy full-term certification.

SOLIDWORKS Exams are completely paperless, timed exams.  The CSWP exam is broken out into 3 consecutive segments “trimesters”, totaling 3 hrs and 30 minutes of active labor.  Answers are usually not multiple choice.  Testers submit answers by manually entering a value: the volume, weight, or center of mass of your SOLIDWORKS model.  If you’re really good at cheating on tests, you won’t fare well on this exam.  Be aware that you are going to have to give birth to your very own SOLIDWORKS creation starting with not so much as a zygote.

Question 1 starts with something along the lines of “Make this.”

Seems reasonable…until Question 2 slams you with something along the lines of “Change what you just did into this whole other animal.” [insert expletives and panic here]

Just remember that getting a Certification is a beautiful, magical thing.  It’s just as much about the journey as it is the end result.