Feedback on F360 use

[gil.wery]

Hi all,

It's been a while that I started to use F360 and I finally decided to make a list of the things that I would like F360 to have (for a commercial use). Or maybe am I missing some tips on the soft, please do not hesitate to give yours or if the devs are working on some of those points 🙂

1. Not having all the features available in Edit In place. Especially for the sheet metal part, having to open in another window just to make a new flange is kind of a waste of time imho.

2. The need to have a sketch perpendicular to a hole axis and on the top surface. I know that there are several workaround for that (use the hole feature with the 2 references) but it would be way easier if I could just select a reference direction (a plane by example) and a point on a sketch (whatever the plane of this sketch is). It just adds extra clicks/construction plane/sketch or non adaptive design (when the position with the 2 references is used).

Moreover, why is it always that the first diameter that F360 proposes is something really huge (like Ø40mm)? In the picture, we see that I can't make a through hole, I would need to make a new sketch on the top surface and project my point. I can't as well do a hole perpendicular to the small face, I would need to use the 2 references option in the hole feature but this won't follow my points if I move it in the first sketch. Or I could make a new sketch and project, that is how I work but it's just another sketch creation for almost nothing.

3. The non collapsible structure tree, I don't work with a lot of sub-parts (max 40 I'd say) and I try to create sub-assemblies when possible but once you start to open several parts in your tree, a "collapse all" like in Inventor or Catia would be welcome, this would save time from clicking on every arrows 🙂

4. the wired view of the Edit In Place is also a bit disrupting, I mean in Catia when working on a sub part we have the assembly around still in a "solid" view and that is pretty good if you need to take some measurements on other parts

Also on some parts, when I use EIP, the part or assembly that I want to edit is also in wired view (while in non associative context). It can come back to a normal view when switching to an associative context but I prefer to leave that off in order to avoid any mis linked reference. Or when switching to a local context but then you loose the possibility to take some measurements.

5. The fact that we have to edit a part in an assembly to change the status of its plane/origin/sketch. It would be great to be able to not have to enter the part to make those small changes.

6. While sketching, having the possibility to right click between 2 non parallel lines and make them parallel by choosing a dimension instead of an angle (instead of add a // constraint and then a dimension)

7. Not having the properties (weight, reference,...) available in the data panel. And it would also be a huge gain to be able to modify the name and reference in the data panel.

8. While using the derive a sketch option in a part, the construction planes turn visible after having updated the father sketch. It is kind of annoying because I need to open the child part and modify the visibility of the planes, so again extra clicks.

9. Still while using the derive feature, when the child part is in an assembly with its father, after updating the father I need to save it (and therefore the whole assembly with it) and only then, the child will get updated (+ the construction planes which turn on) so I need to save the assembly again to save the child's update.

10. Having a bolt/nut/washer library with interchangeability (axis and support faces are the same between the components) would be also a big bonus! 🙂

Well, after all those remarks, I still love F360! And I admire the work and auick updates that you are doing and the integration between CAD, FEA, CAM! This is just my wish list if I had to use it as my professional software, I am currently on Catia V6 (not the best version but stuck with it...) and I know that it's not the same price tag at all but the points that I raised are not the one that will change the price I believe 🙂

Thanks for this wonderful software and do not hesitate if you have any tips regarding what I wrote or if you need more screenshot or screencast 😉

Gil