I’ve heard of some things that interest me in OnShape. I current have Fusion 360 (Free), but my design skills are lacking.
I’m intrigued by OnShape. I figure I should give it a try, because Fusion always feels a little like walking in sand. I certainly could focus on Fusion, and I’m sure I’d get better.
But - if I look at OnShape, is there anything in 2024 that I need to be aware of in the free version? The paid version is a bit steep for a hobby where I may end up wanting to put a few things up on Etsy (which I understand would require a license for either app.) Fusion would be 1/3rd the cost if I did end up trying to sell anything.
Are there any OnShape restrictions on file formats, number of projects, anything hidden that I might not discover until I look for it? Just wondering if its worth a look.
I’ve been trying to sort this out too. I had been using Fusion for awhile but was getting frustrated at how easily you can break a model. Onshape looks cool but I’m having a hard time getting past that price if I ever would need to buy it.
I’m currently going down the path of learning FreeCAD. There are 1.0 release candidates and it seems to have improved since the last time I tried it. It’s not clear yet if that’s where I’ll land but it might be worth considering.
Onshape is structured slightly differently, but not by that much.
The difference in the way you work in Onshape, tends to get you into better habits, which causes the models to be more stable.
I think if you operated the same way in Fusion, you would have just as much success.
I have had models lose references in Onshape just as much as I have in Fusion.
I haven’t tried it, but I think Fusion has a tool to try to repair references when they break. Onshape does not. If you get a broken reference in Onshape, you have no choice but to redo it (As far as I was able to find).
Some things are better in Onshape, some better in Fusion. It just depends on which “bad parts” happen to intersect with the way you work.
Ryan works much better in Onshape. I feel more productive in Fusion.
After learning Onshape, I can see that FreeCAD has a much more similar workflow to Onshape than Fusion, so I think now, at least for me, FreeCAD would be easier to pickup after getting over that hump.
Also, let me add, that Onshape has a really, really good Learning Center that has a structure that makes it very easy to learn.
It is worth doing the courses if you have any interest in quickly becoming proficient in it.
Either the “New to CAD” or the “New to Onshape” guided learning paths are both great ways to get familiar.
Honestly would recommend anyone that isn’t extremely proficient in another tool to just go ahead and start in “New to CAD”. You never know what you might pick up that you never know you missed.