Onshape 3D CAD +4

After I discovered Onshape I basically had no justification to continue using Solidworks. I really like that I can use the same application across all devices and operating systems.

I have used basically every other CAD or 3D application on iPadOS and this application is the only one worth using for CAD with the sole exception of Shapr3D. There are a couple other good 3D apps like Sculptura and Nomad but they’re more like Zbrush and have no free tier.

Only two things really hold this app back. First, it doesn’t have a dark mode (although that criticism isn’t unique to Onshape, every CAD program I can think of has this issue). This might sound like a subjective personal gripe, but it is an accessibility issue for people like me with light sensitivity and it reduces battery life needlessly on devices with OLED displays. The second problem is that this isn’t fully featured despite the iPad Pro now being more than capable enough to support the entire feature set. With Fusion 360 now having an online version and reviving its free tier I would be mindful of users jumping ship, especially because that app still offers some features that no version of Onshape has, like integrated cloud FEA and PCB design.

I’m not one for writing reviews......but I have a few things to say.
First off, watch the tutorials. Maybe learn how to use the app before you rate it? You can design pretty much everything in the iPad app without ever opening the web browser version. I exclusively use the iPad version. I use Solidworks, and Fusion 360, and this app. I’ve also used Alibre, IronCAD and SketchUp. I’m certainly not an expert, but this app is simple and powerful. I like this app because I don’t have to drag around a laptop, just my iPad. I can design whatever I want wherever I want, and export it to Fusion or Solidworks and keep going with the CAM side of things. Use the free version first, draw stuff you don’t care if other people see, then decide. You can draw pretty quick once you get it down. I would like to see key board shortcuts in the iPad app—would save some tapping with the Apple Pencil.

There is a lot of functionality under the covers. I first spent several hours going through the self paced courses, watching the videos and doing the exercises using a PC and Chrome as the browser. I learned a lot about 3D modeling. Some of the exercises are not easy, but as I found my mistakes and corrected them, the more confident I am about this tool. I have not used any other 3D tool and have only used Visio as a 2D tool. I export my 2D drawings to a laser cutter. I have learned enough to be able to add tabs and notches to my drawings so that the objects that I cut with a laser cutter now interlock and the object is now more structurally solid now that I have these tabs. It’s nice to first see these parts on a screen being rotated around, and the more I check my work on the screeen-the more I feel comfortable that everything will work after I send the drawings to the laser cutter. While I plan to do most of my work on a PC with two monitors, I have used this app to make changes to my existing sketches in my “document”.