I worked many years in CAD CAM automotive design using Unigraphics software. I’ve been retired many years now and as a newbie with Bambu Studio I don’t have a good understanding how a couple settings work.
In Unigraphics automotive, the master coordinate was absolute xyz, much like World Coordinate in Bambu Studio. x0, y0 z0. Then ever other part was designed in Part Coordinate with it’s own xyz location and within THAT part coordinate the part registered in absolute xyz reference and part coordinate in reference to it’s part coordinate in which z0 is z0, not one half of the part’s actual height as in Bambu Studio.'s Object Coordinate. I need to have confidence in what I’m doing in order to get desired results. This is where I get confused.
Having worked in both older and newer CAD environments, my best advice is to approach Bambu Studio on its own terms rather than trying to map it one-to-one with Unigraphics. Modern coordinate handling moved away from the Unigraphics method because it added unnecessary complexity and was essentially a workaround for the limitations of that era’s CAD. Once you get used to the current system, you’ll find it’s more consistent and requires less manual tracking of reference points.
That said, I also had to relearn old habits. I recommend going through the first six-parts(2-12 minutes each) of this series by Teaching Tech on using OnShape as a 3D CAD tool:
The first video is seven years old even though he continues to update them, but still one of the most direct, no-nonsense tutorials for getting into 3D printing CAD quickly. This comes from someone whose CAD experience started with the original AutoCAD in the eighties and later Pro/Engineer (now Creo) in the 90s.
I now use OnShape as my primary tool for 3D printing, Fusion 360 about 10% of the time, and recently gave FreeCAD a second chance after they finally released version 1.0 last year - only 22 years after the first beta release. As someone who started in software development (back when we just called ourselves “computer programmers”), FreeCAD reminds me of the old joke: “Is the software done yet? No, but when it is, you’re going to love it.” It’s powerful, and you may find it has more in common with Unigraphics than other CAD programs, since it really is more of an erector set with a less than polished user interface compared to more modern CAD systems.
I am having all kinds if problems with Onshape. It’s easy to say my mind is still stuck using Unigraphics but some of the simplest functions in Unigraphics is very difficult to deal with in Onshape.
Example; I need to make a part at 45 degrees off the X axis. Just making the 45 degree plane was difficult. Once made, now to thee adventure of locating the part to where it needs to go. I cannot lock into a view 45 degrees off the X like selecting “Top” and you’re there.
I UG all that is needed creating a Work Coordinate located where needed.
Onshape is hell bent on constraints. You can’t whip thru creating a few construction lines without constraints.
I get the frustration - I went through the same thing when I switched to parametric CAD. Fusion 360, FreeCAD, SolidWorks, OnShape… they all work from a 3D Cartesian system: you start with a 2D sketch, then extrude into features. It feels maddening at first, especially when constraints don’t click. Even after dozens of tutorials, I still only understand ~95% of constraint behavior and often just start over when things get messy.
From your description, it sounds like you want to create an angled offset and extrude from it. The easiest way I found is to create a plane at the angle you need. For example, for a 45° bracket, I’ll create a plane offset from the X-plane at 45° and sketch on that. Note there are fancier ways like picking a geometry point on a feature and then selecting the angle from there. My brain is simply too old to grasp that trick readily, so I keep reverting back to creating offset and angled planes.
Quick tutorial (jump to 1:38):
Here’s a tip I learned early on. For orientation in 3D space: select a sketch (or surface), then press N to snap the view to “Normal.”
One more tip I learned just yesterday - Too Tall Tobey’s June 4, 2025 video covers five great OnShape navigation tricks. The best one is the “Pick Other” command, which lets you select hidden/blocked features without constantly rotating the model. If I had only known this trick a year ago… :
Thanks. I’ve seen several TTT tutorials and he is very helpful. These will help!
In 7th grade I asked my Spanish teacher if she heard something in Spanish, then translated it in her mind into English before answering in Spanish or heard Spanish, understood and answered in Spanish. She said she flips into Spanish as a 2nd nature. No rethinking needed. I gave up on Spanish which I have regretted over time. In this odd way I’m still thinking English to Spanish questions except I must do research to find how-to dos.
I guess I find sketcher an overkill in many cases. UG was parametric. I could add blocks, circles points, lines that were parametric into my work, all without a sketch. I fully understand where sketcher would be an industry requirement and, in their case, yes but for me it’s an overkill that eats up time.
Don’t get me wrong, I want my models to be a accurate as possible. I just don’t agree I need sketcher to do that. If my work was to be passed on to be in production, well yes, sketcher would be required.
Some things are clicking but still struggling some. I’m just an old dog trying to learn new tricks so disregard my rant! I believe Onshape will work out fine. Take care.
I’m actually making progress. I was able to rework my design WITH all CONSTRAINTS actually OKAY! I have a little more to do but it’s easier doing things with confidence when you understand what you are doing!
It’s been tough but worth it. Your help made it happen as I was about to give up. Thanks!
Glad to hear about your success, and thanks for sharing it. If you ever truly master constraints… well, as the Ferengi say, I’m all ears - because they still trip me up too!
Hi.
The transition from Unigraphics to OnShape was difficult because graphics I used 3-D Cartesian system which this is very new. Adjusting to center point was not natural. I really cannot imagine why they started putting the coordinate system in the middle of each part. It just seems like that would be a very confusing way of doing things because there is always a variable on a part to basis. For smaller parts the issue probably is not so big but when you do large assemblies, then I can see where that would be a real nightmare.
Anyway, I got through it and made my teapot as shown in the picture shows and 3d printing it right now. I do not mean to say that I mastered all the constraints at all. What I basically did was I got accustomed to how OnShape worked and accepted a new way of doing things. And I remade my model from scratch. I did not delete anything out, but I basically started fresh and as I went along, I put constraints in. When the constraint lines turned black, I knew my model was clean. That built confidence.
So, I finished the model but there is still a lot of problems with constraints throughout it. I thought maybe I would go back through my model and try to clean it up and see what works and what does not but I do not think I will be making any more of these.
Anyway, a few things I would like to see in OnShape. One thing I do miss is miss is in Unigraphics is I could put three points on a edge and develop a plane from those three points or create a curve off the edge or a plane with the three points. I found that feature useful as we worked with translated data in which nothing was parametric. Maybe I could get OnShape to include that.
With curves, there are multiple ways but I’ll show just the simplest using a 3 point arc. You Could do this as easily with a 3 point circle or if you were trying to do a multipoint curve, you could also use a spline but that is more advanced.
It should be noted that planes and curves are one of OnShape’s superior features that they tout.
If you want to look at some advance features. Check out Evan Reese’ channel. He was a partner in a design firm Ovyl but it looks like he took that channel down which is a pity because it was friggen awesome. Even my bookmarked videos of his are no longer accessible.
I recommend this video on mates that he did a couple of weeks back. There he shows some things with using points, curves and lofts that my brain is still trying to digest but it really shows off the power of OnShape’s curves and planes in a non-linear manner.
Yes, I was able to create a plane! I was trying to use the point feature to create the points on an edge first. There’s so much to learn. I’m on the free OnShape software and find it is surprisingly high quality. Much to learn. Thanks!
I looked for Evan one YouTube first and realized he must be on the forum here. Got to look later as I have things to catch up on.
I’d be surprised if Reese on this forum or at least under his name which he seems to actively promote elsewhere as he builds his online brand.
His YouTube content has never mentioned Bambu, and when he does touch on 3D printing it’s usually in passing - like the obscure Core X/Y style machine he once showed in his office. That makes me think his focus isn’t really 3D printing, but industrial design more broadly. His academic path reflects that as well: he started at Virginia Tech, a respected engineering school, but transferred to Academy of Art University in San Francisco to finish a BFA. Engineering degrees map directly to defined skills, while BFAs are harder to interpret, yet Reese has clearly made his background work in a distinctive way.
What sets him apart is how he bridges both worlds. He approaches engineering problems through an artist’s lens - curves and form rather than just geometry and logic - and that perspective is valuable. Add in the technical depth of his OnShape scripting, and you get someone who is both creative and capable. That is why I follow him: he often teaches me things I did not know I needed, even if the lessons sometimes feel like magic shows - compelling in the moment but harder to recall a day later.
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