Still no way to assign a 3D package to a device in a non-managed library?

[seonr]

Hi folks,

I'm a little perplexed... Do I still have to make my library a managed library to be able to assign a 3D package to a device? How is this still a requirement?

I can see my 3D packages locally. I can launch the package generator from inside my Eagle (non managed) library and create the package and have it listed locally, but I can't assign it to a device?

I know I can "add a 3d package" to a footprint in the PCB view, but that's on a per board basis, and if I  am using the same device in multiple projects, I have to manually assign the package  every time.

Why is this functionality such a difficult thing to add at the device library level for non managed libraries?

Thanks,

Seon

Unexpected Maker

[matt.berggren]

Hi Seon,

You can do this by either right clicking the part in PCB & assigning a model to it (the model needs to be online but doesn’t have to be in a lib) or by uploading models first to library.io and then using that same workflow to assign in PCB. Adding a model from the client side and keeping the model completely local creates issues of performance, versioning, transformation and a few other things which just felt a bit wonky. We can definitely rethink this if we need to but the workflow was designed to solve the worst-case of complexity first (shared models, cross-geo, etc). On the backend we create a real mechanical version of each part and thus translate STEP to fusion-native F3D and OBJ for web-rendering / webgl to enable alignment.

We need to store that somewhere where both eagle and fusion can access it and doing that via the library.io backend was a clean way in which all things authenticated properly using a three-legged authentication scheme.

If you want true offline-offline, I’m not sure that improves the workflow except to make collaboration and sharing across installs worse. I know that’s probably not a perfect answer but I hope that helps. Press me if you think I need to rethink this and we’ll give it it more thought. I’d just like to know the limitation in the current workflow that elevates the priority bit better.

Thanks!

Best regards,

Matt

[seonr]

Hey Matt,

Thanks for the quick reply! 

I totally get the "keeping it online makes sharing and collaboration WAY easier for you to design/manage", but I don't share and collaborate like that, so I have never had the need or desire to move my "I only use these myself" libraries to managed versions.

And the truth is, I have enough issues with internet services disconnects and login/authentication fails and not being able to connect to my Autodesk account often enough to flat out refuse to have my files online only if I don't have to.

Like, this started happening to me last night as I was trying to figure out how to make 3d parts and conned them...

https://www.dropbox.com/s/hjbcm9eznt65ouh/library_io_login.mov?dl=0

Maybe everything is super smooth for online workflow in the US, but I spend at least 30% of my time in Eagle in offline mode simple because I can't authenticate with the license server.

I have days where I just can't use Fusion because it's sooooo slow. Last night I was just trying to close Fusion after saving what I was working on, and 15mins later the "0/1 saving" message finally went away. It was a tiny project that usually takes 5 seconds to save.

So my rule is... If I have no choice, I'll use an online service, or an online component of a service, but if I have a choice, it's local all the way.

BTW, I'm on the fastest NBN (100/40) and can regularly reach those numbers, and even surpass them... but accessing my data in Fusion *sometimes* feels like I am working on my old 56K modem 😉

It's about the "connectivity experience"... not about the functionality.

Finally, why I'm perplexed is that it seems like all of the pieces needed to have the 3d package connected to the device seems to be here, locally on my Mac. I am able to create a package from a footprint,  I can see it in my local library. I can assign a package a device in the board view.... it all seems possible, apart from just saying "this package is for this footprint in this device" - and having that connection there for any instance of that device I use in a project - assuming I "update the library in the project" like I have to anyway when a change is made that I need.

Cheers,

Seon

Unexpected Maker

[seonr]

Update: I can use library.io in Chrome... just not in Safari. 

DNS flush didn't help. Clearing safari cache, cookies & all autodesk login items also didn't help.
I can login to my Autodesk account in safari, I can of course, login to Eagle and Fusion360, but I can't login to library.io in safari.

This is on macOS 10.15.3