Best Of

Huh, nice job, Caden! We didn't think it was possible to build a CAD system that you install on your desktop…

You asked, and we answered!

Now available from SmartBench Software - the industry leaders in Onshape automation, integrations, and FeatureScript - the world's first Onshape Desktop Client.

The Onshape Desktop Client [ a SmartBench experience ] has been a passion project for us, combining our expertise in the Onshape API and interest in porting new software to outdated technology.
This new, yet somewhat derivative, tool features:

Unexpected Crashes

When was the last time Onshape crashed on you? Maybe never! As a result, your CAD can no longer be an excuse for missing deadlines. The Onshape Desktop client introduces random crashes that absolutely ensure data loss. As part of this desktop specific error logging, we encourage users to ship their laptop to our headquarters in order to replicate the issues. In the event of extreme cases - we will ship users a developer’s computer because “it works on my machine”.

We also included a convenient “Uninstall” button so that users can more easily ditch their Desktop CAD and move to the cloud. We’re hoping this button becomes a trend in the industry.

A Vintage User Interface

Bringing you the best of Windows XP styling, the Onshape Desktop Client is made exclusively with Microsoft Winforms. That's right, the Onshape Desktop Client is built on a technology older than your newest hires. That nostalgic look will trigger all those memories of looking at loading bars, while you look at loading bars. And for those junior designers, this client will provide a bit of a history lesson in how things use to be "in the good ol days".

Slower Load Times

Did you know Onshape doesn’t even have a loading time estimate? Unbelievable. With the Onshape Desktop Client, we had to create a proprietary file format to replace all that cloud-interconnected-fileless-data just to work with the version history graph. As a result, our slower load times ensure that you will get plenty of coffee breaks during the day. To aid in opening very large and difficult assemblies, we've also introduced 13 different assembly view modes so you can mix and match performance and usability. Introducing the lightweight assembly mode, flyweight assembly mode, super lightweight assembly mode, featherweight assembly mode, and more. We recommend spending a few days testing each one to figure out how you can even get your assembly to open.

More Menus - More Value

In order to keep the interface clear from clutter, we’ve leveraged the Winforms menu technology to give an incredible 7 layers of menus. While they can be a bit finicky, we can assure you that the feature you are looking for is there somewhere.

The Onshape Desktop Installer

Picture this - it's your first day at a new job. It’ll be easy; you’re going to spend all day getting your new laptop setup. Except, the company uses Onshape! There's no installation, your account is set up in under 5 minutes. It's 9:10am and you’re now expected to do actual work.

The Onshape Desktop Client is here to help! Downloading and installing the desktop client takes so long, you’ll likely be promoted before it even finishes. With an average install time of 92 hours, starting on a Friday means you won’t even have to show up on Monday. And the best part? With Onshape updates rolling out every 3 weeks, the Onshape desktop client needs to be reinstalled 16 times per year! I hope you budgeted for extra hard drive space, as these downloads are beefy. While this is an offline ready client - it will still require a mostly constant internet access for license checks and downloading of files.

System Requirements

While Onshape is supported by Windows, Mac, Linux, Chrome, and probably smart fridges, we weren't able to get the same compatibility with the Onshape Desktop Client.
- Only available for Windows Vista - 32 bit
- 64gb of RAM
- 12 Qubits of quantum computing power
- 3kw power supply
- 10gb of something
- A Graphics card from our pre-approved list
- Requires Microsoft Excel 2007 to be installed
- A specifically 1080p monitor connected at all times

Competitive Pricing

You can now buy the Onshape Desktop Client exclusively through mail order with expedited shipping (3-4 weeks, 5-7 overseas). Pricing available after purchase.
Keep an eye out for the Onshape Desktop Client service pack 2, expected to arrive sometime in August, but until then keep submitting those "business critical" bug reports, someone might actually read them!

We want to hear from you! What features are you excited to see in the Onshape Desktop Client?

Hi there, Citrus Circuits Head Coach Mike Corsetto here!

I want to thank @IgnacioMartos and @DrewB_PTC for helping make this login screen possible. Our students were thrilled to have this opportunity to showcase their hard work to the entire Onshape community.

For some background, Citrus Circuits is a team of over 100 high school students and nearly 20 coaches from Davis, California. Our design subteam consists of nearly twenty 9-12 grade students who divide up the robot by subsystem and collaborate to design, prototype and build each part of the robot. The feature image shared above was generate by our senior Design Lead, Emma, and every subsystem shown was designed in Onshape by this amazing group of high school students.

The 2025 season has been incredible so far, Citrus Circuits has won all three of our regional events we've attended this season, including our event this past weekend where we set the World High Score. You can watch our robot compete on the red alliance in this match, look for the "1678" on the bumpers: https://youtu.be/fHMbXjOybrM?si=NTMFoqlNx5wYpvjc

This is our 7th season using Onshape, and what we've accomplished would not be possible without this amazing software. We look forward to continuing to train more students in cutting edge CAD through Onshape.

-Mike

Hey everyone, I've been spending time working with meshes and have a few videos lined up on the topic. The first one is ready today! It walks through my process for scanning an object, then modeling on top of that scan to create a 3D printed part that fits it perfectly. The future videos will cover some new custom features I've been developing for mesh work.

https://youtu.be/rscjUkmr-8g

Our new login screen highlights Citrus Circuits! A FIRST robotics team with some impressive winning streaks!

Check out their website and blogs here: https://www.citruscircuits.org/build-blog-2024.html

Check out the FIRST competitions here: https://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/frc

Thanks all for the feedback. The first release of the Onshape AI Advisor (which we hope to have out very soon) will focus on answering questions regarding using Onshape. It won't be optimized on day one for writing FeatureScript or interacting with the API. We want to ship it as soon as it adds value, and then iterate with improvements in each release.

But we've heard you (and others) loud and clear, and are prioritizing this capability for a future improvement.

@S1mon It is built using Amazon Bedrock

@MichaelPascoe It will include the majority of the data sources that you reference. However, the Onshape AI Advisor will not include any user data (even public forum posts) as a source. This is a clear line we are drawing. It's possible (with enough requests) that we add something like this in the future, but only after a user gives explicit permission.

We feel there is a lot of potential for the future, and appreciate all your feedback.