Apple Pencil support on Safari?

nuno_sousa

Hi,

Short question: Are there any plans for Apple Pencil support on the web version on Onshape?

Longer version: I know you put a lot of effort into Onshape Mobile, but it'll never be as good as the web version, and will always be outdated. In fact, there's no need for it at all!

Since Apple released iPadOS, all we need is decent bindings for the web version: Apple Pencil support!

steve_shubin

@nuno_sousa

You said — There’s no need for Onshape Mobile at all.

You also said — it'll never be as good as the web version

There are things I can do in Onshape via my iPhone, that you will never be able to do with your desktop or notebook computer and in some cases, not even with an iPad.

In a nutshell, the word convenience should give you some hint as to what those things are.

First off, Onshape is readily accessible to me — at all times — as I always have my iPhone with me. I don’t need any special case to carry my iPhone around. It fits easily into any of my four pants pockets or my shirt pocket. And as fast as I can reach into my pocket and wake up my iPhone, a few seconds later — I’m using Onshape

Now — is an iPhone more convenient than a tablet? Of course it is. You don’t slip a tablet into one of your pockets unless you have giant pockets in your pants, and most people don’t. And myself, I’ve never seen anybody that takes their tablet with them everywhere. On the other hand, many people take their cell phones with them everywhere.

With my iPhone in one pocket, and with a small INEXPENSIVE Bosch laser in another pocket, and with a tape measure clipped onto another pocket, I could walk into any room in my house, and without having to find a place to set a notebook computer, and without having to fumble with a tablet stylus, I can hold my iPhone in my left hand, and my Bosch laser in my right hand, and I could take measurements, and while still holding that Bosch laser in my right hand, I could use my right index finger to input into Onshape. If I can’t find a surface to easily bounce the laser off of, then I slip the laser into my pocket, unclip the tape measure from my other pocket, and take a measurement that way, and then input into Onshape, without missing a beat

I can very easily climb up a ladder, with my iPhone in a pocket and laser in another pocket, and take measurements and input them immediately into Onshape, while standing at the top of that ladder.

I never have to look for any kind of a surface to place the tape measure on or to place my laser on. I never have to set anything down. Everything is easily carried in one of my pockets or by hand. As such, I am able to quickly move through a room (or building for that matter), and take measurements.

You also said that the mobile version is outdated

The main two things that come to mind, that mobile is lacking, is configurations and drafting. I guess you can edit a configuration after you’ve created it on the desktop. But you can’t create configurations from scratch on mobile. Other than these two things, there are some other differences, but a good portion of the desktop tools and FeatureScripts exist on my iPhone.

Let me talk about mobile CAD. There is absolutely nobody that has CAD in a form factor as small as an iPhone, where you can actually begin a project right from that iPhone, and do a lot of the work, if not all, right on your iPhone, with a toolset that is as effective and extensive as with Onshape on my iPhone. Nobody has a product like this.

I waited years for CAD, IN THE PALM OF MY HAND, that actually works and works well. My one regret is that this didn’t come earlier, as now I don’t use CAD to make a living. I use it as a hobbyist. This would’ve been a dream come true when I was actually using CAD to make money.

As to why there is a mobile version and a desktop version — some of the tech people from Onshape could answer that. And I’m sure they have a very good reason as to why that is the way it is

steve_shubin

@nuno_sousa
 

A little more. Using Onshape through a browser on an iPhone is not the way you would want to work. The browser interface is too big for an iPhone. The Onshape iPhone app was designed specifically for an iPhone. It works great the way it is. And the program boots fast using the iPhone app.

The GIF is only playing at 10 frames per second so there are evidently some dropped frames compared to the original screen capture. Because of this, the GIF looks a little jerky, but in actuality the movement is very smooth

But what the GIF does show, is exactly how fast the program starts up. The GIF was not sped up or slowed down. What you see is REAL TIME. The actual time it takes for me to tap buttons and to see the app start and to see the document open up

NeilCooke

@steve_shubin thank you for your kind words. The reason we have a mobile app is to get direct access to the graphics card on the device (which sometimes is faster than using WebGL on desktop) and to have better control of gestures and the UI.

If you ever visit downtown Boston, come and visit us at Seaport. There are a lot of people here (especially the mobile team) that would like to buy you a beer!

steve_shubin

@NeilCooke

Thanks to you Neil and to the folks at Onshape for that invite. I really do appreciate that.

As far as the kind words — you folks are letting me use one heck of a program for free. The most impressive program out there on the iPhone IMO. And on top of that, you at Onshape, have helped many to better understand Onshape through this forum, whether a pro user or hobbyist. As a free user, I have been helped a lot through this forum

So we free users have good reason to thank you

owen_sparks

steve_shubin said:

 you folks are letting me use one heck of a program for free. 

Not only that but now they're trying to buy you beer too!  (Well earned too.) Cool bunch of folks

steve_shubin

@owen_sparks

Yeah that is pretty doggone cool

Free killer app
Free help
And beer too