The Matrix tab of the Demo doc: 40 shape and option combinations, all made with PolyPipeX.
Some of you may remember PolyPipe, my 2023 Onshape FeatureScript. It was a remix of the simple 'Pipe' FeatureScript.
This October I sat down with Grok to see how far it could go. That "GrokPipe" work grew into something new, and on Nov 2 I released PolyPipeX V1.00.
What it does
PolyPipeX sweeps a profile along ANY edge: sketch lines, arcs, splines, construction lines, intersection curves, helixes and 3D curves.
The fun part is part edges. Pick an edge right on a part and add or cut a profile along it. It's like the reverse of Fillet and Chamfer. Pick several edges and you get several pipes at once.
One block, three PolyPipeX features, each on an edge picked right off the part (no sketch): a round bead added along a top edge, a 4 x 4 rabbet cut and a round-over cut. This example is in the new "PolyPipeX Demo Part Edge" tab: https://cad.onshape.com/documents/bdedb1c31094967e66258764/v/7a0555a7372ca5b0a802fdbb
The menu
Profiles: Circle, Arc, Polygon/Star, Rectangle, Slot and Round over. Any of them can be solid or hollow.
Results: New, Add, Remove, Intersect, like Extrude. You can keep the pipe as a part, and cut a bore through the target.
Path options: reverse, use part of the path, extend or shorten the ends. Twist by turns or by pitch.
Uses: washers, edge trim, O-ring grooves, wire bundles and cables, reverse fillets, countersinks, flanges, round-overs.
The PolyPipeX dialog set up for that groove: Rectangle profile, Remove.
An O-ring groove cut (Remove) around a round part, along a sketch path.
The Uses tab: 9 example parts made with PolyPipeX.
A 4-wire ribbon bundle and a sleeved cable with copper-tipped conductors, all swept with PolyPipeX.
Working with Grok
Grok was a great help while writing this Onshape FeatureScript. Many thanks go to my Grok Bots, the Grok Dev Team, and Elon Musk.
Try it
How to add it:
- Open the PolyPipeX FeatureScript doc: https://cad.onshape.com/documents/e1d7954fe30ceed624c58ca8/v/e1e5b11796a2374ccb7bcce5
- In a Part Studio, open the Custom features (puzzle-piece) menu, then Add custom features.
- Search "PolyPipeX" (or paste the doc link), pick the PolyPipeX V1.00 feature studio, and it appears in your toolbar.
- Demo doc (tabs: Demo, Matrix, Uses, Options, Operations, 3D Paths): https://cad.onshape.com/documents/bdedb1c31094967e66258764/v/7a0555a7372ca5b0a802fdbb
- Forum thread: https://forum.onshape.com/discussion/32094/polypipex-for-onshape-v1-00-any-edge-is-a-path-the-reverse-of-fillet-and-chamfer
Let me know what you make with it, or what breaks.
--eldonb
