WebGL not working

gregory_oakes

I am trying to learn OS, but cannot get started due to WebGL problems.  I am running Windows Vista 32-bit with Intel 965 Express video and using Google Chrome.  My video driver is slightly newer than Jan 1 2009.  When I test WebGL with available test programs, it reports it is working.  Google Chrome has it enabled as well.  When I try to create a document in OS, I get message that 'Rats! WebGL hit a snag - Ignore or Reload' and message box that says "It looks like your browser doesn't have WebGL enabled. Click here for more information".  I have checked the information and all looks ok.  I tried the Ignore and Reload buttons, but in the center of the screen I have Loading Workspace with pinwheel progress graphic going around forever.  Any suggestions?

gregory_oakes

Using 'https://get.webgl.org/' I get the spinning cube and message that browser supports WebGL, but OnShape still same problem with WebGL.

peter_hall

Hi, Ther was a previous discussion around problems with Google chrome see : https://forum.onshape.com/discussion/comment/12848#Comment_12848
It might give you some clues. I personly run Firefox and have no problems. Good luck and persevere because Onshape is well worth learning.

gregory_oakes

Thanks for the clues, but no luck so far.  I have not tried Firefox yet, but might look into that idea.  I have been using Sketchup for a few years, and OnShape was suggested to me as something worth learning.  Recenly, I have been doing some fairly complex drawings in Sketchup and experimenting with 3D printing, but I think I have been stretching the limits of Sketchup a bit when it comes to scale mechanical type objects.  For example, Steam Winch for Liberty Ship where drawing is full size (~9 feet wide by ~7 feet deep by ~5 feet high) and when 3D printed it needs to be scaled down to 1/96 size for the model ship it will be used on.  I would like to try to redraw this in OnShape, but might start with something simpler to practice on. 

gregory_oakes

Hmmmm....Loaded Firefox 42.0 and logged into OnShape.  Drawing seems to work ok with Firefox and no other changes on my system.  Chome still not working, so I guess I can change to Firefox for using OnShape for now.

pete_yodis

@gregory_oakes I would highly consider upgrading your hardware.  Your time is worth a lot.  Upgraded hardware would pay for itself many times over with respect to your time.  This would have implications far beyond just the use of Onshape.  A $200 device today would probably very handily beat the system you are currently running on.  A Christmas present to yourself if you can afford it?  Sometimes you have to take time to sharpen the axe.

gregory_oakes

A hardware upgrade is something I have been planning, since my Dell Studio 1535 is approaching 7 years old.  It works fine, and I have been accomplishing lots with no problems using SketchUp and other productivity software.  I was a bit disappointed a new software product like OnShape would force a hardware upgrade, but I do understand that as all software continues to evolve, it usually wants more CPU and memory and current functionality in the environment to deliver the same results and offer the new features.  I suspect my OnShape exposure will have to wait a bit until I can resolve the hardware requirements.  Even with the hardware difficulties, I was starting to grasp some of the concepts, features and capabilities from watching the videos, tutorials, and doing some practice drawings.

abefeldman

@gregory_oakes - To shed some light on the underlying issue, Onshape is fairly light on CPU and memory requirements, but does require some modern graphics hardware and drivers to run properly.  In your case, Google Chrome on Windows uses DirectX 11 to run the WebGL libraries for Onshape.  Vista has limited support for DirectX 11 provided you've upgraded to SP2.  Firefox, on the other hand, uses DirectX 9, which is supported by every Windows OS.

If you'd like to try to run Onshape in Chrome, I'd recommend first attempting to update your graphics card drivers to a version released in 2012 at the earliest.  I would then recommend ensuring your DirectX version is 11.0.  You can find more information on DirectX here:  https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/179113.

You should also check to see if hardware rendering is allowed for WebGL on your machine.  This can be found by typing chrome://gpu in the URL and looking at the bottom of the first section "Graphics Feature Status."  If WebGL says that hardware acceleration is disabled, you can attempt force it by navigating to chrome://flags and clicking enable under the first option "Override software rendering list."

Let us know if any of that helps, although your best option for running Onshape is to upgrade your system to something newer as @pete_yodis recommended.