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.

I have used onshape on my pc for years and I have always wanted an iPad because of how good shapr3d looked. But now that I have tried it, I realize that shapr3d is frustrating and waaaayyyyyy too expensive. Onshape is very accessible and very free, which is already much better than shapr3d. There are a few big things they need to fix on the iPad version of OnShape though. Selecting objects can be a pain, and selecting views takes too many inputs and often has missed inputs. Deleting mistakes is incredibly unintuitive and I often have to just undo a few steps and redo them instead of deleting individual items.

If they made this work more like the pc web version kit would be a lot better.