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@nick_papageorge_dayjob Creo and SW are indeed priced higher, but Fusion is the critical threat when it comes to CAM and small companies. Take a look at their pricing.
I used the hobby version for a year at home before discovering OS. If a company used that, I'd quit on the spot. It'sfine for hobby of simple trinkets, but try making a product with it and you'll go jump out a window.
Edit: the above was for the CAD. The CAM, I actually still use (export OS step to it), and find its pretty good. Design work in CAD, no way. You can't even reorder a complex history tree because it's not labeled, and you can't see what feature is what. Its a pure guess.
I think Onshape has a lot of benefits in the educational sector - every student just having to get an account, assignable exercises - hard to beat.
And it is great for hobbyists who can use the free version, which is indeed less frustrating than e.g. Fusion.
Onshape is in a very good position to be attractive to these groups. But they don't have any realistic offer for them.
Instead they try to fight for pros that are either used to certain more expensive but also more capable software, having experience there for decades or are bound to this software because the file format is obligatory for exchange with partners. The two main reasons why these companies can ask for as much as they do.
Many startups I know who don't have such constraints just use Fusion. It is the natural choice over Onshape because Onshape doesn't make them a competitive offer: Onshape is more than four times as expensive, less capable and even more lock-in than Fusion with no possibility to export files with history staying intact. And many just don't yet know whether their idea will fly as a product. They start working in their freetime on something new and see where it goes - perhaps it stays a hobby, perhaps it gets a product that is worth to build a startup around. These "6 month for free" offers aren't helping much. First because they are only for people who have already started their startup with funding etc. And second because you lose access to the editable models unless you pay four times more for the rest of the time you need it afterwards.
Imho Onshape have a very compelling product. But I don't get why they position it exclusively in a segment where people have several good reasons to just stay with what they have. And on the other side having no reasonable offer for a lot of new people who would gladly pay to step up from their educational or free plans to start working on promising ideas, using CAM with their 3 axis CNCs in homes and maker spaces, hoping to make their ideas fly. But not at the price of two to three additional monthly rents, every year from now on.
I'm really glad you made this point here, because I just dipped my toes into Onshape and I'm mystified by the lack of a tier between their free and first paid tier. If they had a small step up from free to get your drawings private, perhaps without direct support, they'd draw a lot more people in. How can one, as a hobbyist or startup, even experiment with something they could foresee as a viable business when their drawings are out in the public.
I was made an offer I can't refuse to get into the paid tier but then what do I do when I have to pay full price? A price I simply cannot afford.
That said, I commend them for at least having a free tier to play with. I'm just saddened that I have no inexpensive options for private storage and cannot afford the paid tier with no income from the investment. I think they would get a lot of people willing to pony up a few extra bucks for private storage that can't go all the way.
As a hobbyist and founder/director of a Hackspace, I have said the same to @NeilCooke multiple times since Onshape was created, but it has gained no traction.. Onshape (now PTC) just aren't interested in supporting the Maker/Hobbyist to Small Business market, which is a crying shame.
I know they are afraid a lower cost offering would be abused by larger businesses, but small Onshape user businesses won't grow into larger ones if they aren't using Onshape in the first place!
I think the easiest way to incentivize large companies to still go for the more expensive tiers would be to reserve the advanced company wide PDM and PLM features to Pro and Enterprise. Companies with many employees need these features. All the rest in Pro (private documents, 3 axis CAM, rendering etc.) is also helpful or even crucial for individuals who iterate on potential new business ideas and even hobbyists and of course in education, too..
I am convinced that this would generate a lot more revenue for Onshape than the current model.
Great update onshape team!!
Will use alot of these new updates straight away.
Awesome start to 2025, keep the sheet metal features coming :)
@S1mon
Thank you for your interest in Form feature. We rely on you to let us know if any of your experiments with forms do not work as expected. The design is intended to support customization of shapes. You don't have to specify both added and subtracted bodies, so punches and stiffeners should work ( worked in our testing).
@lana
I haven't had time to dig into the Form feature yet. Is it, or will it be possible to configure a form? It would be great to be able to configure the number of pins on a FPC (flexible printer circuit) tab and have the width of the tab also get modified.
I'd also dearly love to be able to model keep out areas on a FPC in 3D, and have them show up in the right location in 2D.
Past discussions of these issues:
https://forum.onshape.com/discussion/13974/sheet-metal-extrusion-for-flexible-printed-circuit-boards-etc
@S1mon yes you just need to configure the "Form Part Studio" - it behaves like configuring a selection field. Or you can configure a variable and drive it with that which may be easier.
I'll add my vote to the "Cam for Educational users." I use onshape with my students for 3D printing projects but I'm forced to go to Fusion 360 for CNC router projects.
Sketching in drawings, detail view truncation, stacked callouts. At last, I should be able to add points for dimensioning "difficult to dimension" things.
@GregBrown uploaded a more in depth video to his YouTube channel about the sheet metal forming tools. This answers a bunch of questions I had about using them for FPCs. I imagine it will be interesting for a bunch of people.
Great improovments. What about CAM for educational users??
Whoop Whoop!
Probably one of you best Onshape Updates, I know CAM is stealing the limelight but all the other improvements here are really big hitters for us.
Keep listening and keep improving you are continuing to create a fantastic product.
Well done Onshape
This is such a great update, thank you! Parametric sketching on drawings is just so needed, and I'm stoked it's finally here
Carvera and (in my case) Carvera Air support would be great indeed! Assuming CAM Studio will get viable for owners of CNC machines in that price range (Carvera Air is now $2100, thus one would get more than one new machine for the yearly subscription of CAM Studio with basic 3D paths. So I fear Carvera owners are not the target group of Onshape as of today, it is more priced for owners of >$100k machines who already have a Pro CAM anyways).
Edit: That calculation assumes the TCO of a CNC machine over realistically 10-20 years. Thus CAM Studio basic would cost 29570-59500€ (incl taxes) in that scenario for one seat. So 30%-60% of a 100k€ machine, which would be fitting (except that owners of a 100k€ machine need more than CAM Studio basic - and would get an all bells and whistles perpetual license of a Pro CAM with occasional maintenance upgrades as needed for that money. So I simply don't understand the pricing politics of Onshape. But I think my point of view came across, let's just wait, hope and see how things develop.)
Stacked callouts. Thank you!
Love the improvment to sheet metal form tools. I'm imaginging all sorts of ways of using this to standardize certain sheet metal profiles. Finally dimensioning created geometry in drawings is also huge. I've been waiting for this for so long I actually forgot I wanted it! It was the main thing in my experience that made coming from SolidWorks drawings to Onshape drawings a bit of a drag.
Very big update!
I've been waiting for these for a long time, can't wait to try them out!
CAM Studio, Drawings sketcher with constraints, stacked callouts in Drawings
I have a sudden urge to buy a CNC machine now… Anyone know what the Formlabs equivalent is in the CNC world?
I would say the Makera Carvera CNCs are the Bambulab x1/Prusa MK4 equivalent of the CNC world. Desktop size, housing, not too expensive, good quality. That's what I would consider for private "getting your feet wet" experiments if the work area size is ok for your projects. Then it really depends what you want to do. Our Makerspace has a Haas machine for metal (which are entry level production machines with 3-5 axis) and two Felder (Hammer/Format4) CNCs for woodworking (one small one large for e.g. furiture). These are too expensive for private persons, take a lot of space and are very loud, so not good for living rooms :) So better search for a Makerspace that has those. Or design your stuff and send them to a fab lab to mill it for you.
Nevermind.
Heckuva update here OnShape! Sheet Metal Forms and drawing improvements will be the most beneficial here but the other improvements I see making this a much more capable package which is always a good thing. I've seen lots of makers on YouTube using OnShape as well which I hope you are seeing growth from as well. Keep up the good work!
For desktop, look at Sherline or Taig lathes and mills with CNC upgrades. For a little larger machines look at Tormach or Syil. There are also numerous CNC routers if yu want to do wood and softer metals, like aluminum.
I have a Taig and it's good for hobby. If I were to get a new one today, I think I'd get this one. Shariff DMC:
https://shariffdmc.com
He designed it with an enclosure which is really nice if its in your home shop.
The Shariff DMC sounds very promising indeed! It is reported to be able to mill steel and even harder materials. This will probably need a very well isolated home shop and/or very tolerant neighbours and family members though :) The Carvera isn't made for cutting anything harder than aluminium on a regular basis. (Can technically be done but with very low feeds and speeds - It has a 200W spindle…) Upside is that is closer to a beginner friendly "send the gcode to the machine and wait for the finished part" experience similar to a 3d printer.
Exciting! Been looking forward to CAM Studio for a while!
😎👍️
And forming AND sketch drawings?!
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Simple question I hope that @michael3424 brought up.
Is custom post processor something that is being considered so we may accomodate our own machines?
At least the description mentions: "CAM Studio supports the most common machine types. Moreover, users can customize their tool libraries, machines, and post-processors to accurately represent their capabilities and equipment."
Editing / creating new post processors is usually possible in pretty much any CAM software.