Older Mac OSX

Tony1tf

My old MAcbook with Chrome browser doesn't support webgl which it is claimed is needed.  I am not happy to have an OS upgrade just to use your software.  Is there a solution? I am writing this question on a Samsung Android tablet but that isn't well supported either.  Basically I am scuppered. 

abefeldman

Hi @Tony1tf - there are ways to force WebGL support on older systems, but it all comes down to whether your graphics card can handle it.  Could you give us some information on what card you're using and how much VRAM it has?'

To force WebGL:Google Chrome
1. Type chrome://flags into the address bar
2. Enable the flag called Override software rendering listOnce you set this you will see a restart button and you can test WebGL at http://get.webgl.org/.If you then see a spinning cube, you might want to try Onshape again.  Let us know how it works!-Abe

john_rousseau

For browser support, WebGL is required. How old is your MacBook? The Android app is well under way (I use it every day), but it's not ready for production use yet. If you want something specifically for Onshape, take a look at some of the Chromebooks. They run it well and are reasonably priced, especially compared to what you would need to buy to run a desktop CAD system.

Tony1tf

Thanks for your reply, John but .......
My Macbook is several year old using a dual core 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo running MacOS  X 10.6.8.
Its adequate for all my needs so far, and the last thing I need is to replace it just to use a web application which is supposed to help me designing of things for the 3D printer in our Hackspace, and not requiring an expensive upgrade. One of the reasons we have old Macs is they avoid the 'always having to upgrade' mentality of Windows PCs. I will wait for the Android version which will hopefully run on my Samsung tablet SM-T320. I did try it that with OnShape a few days ago but the standard Chrome browser was hopelessly slow on it.
cheers
Tony

Tony1tf

Trying a workaround solution - gone back to Safari Version 5.1.10 (6534.59.10) which does seem to support WwbGL, although it seesm very slow and gave the following message (among many) when I tried to download the wind meter exapmle:

"Could not initialise shaders for id-backfacesil-faces: ERROR: One or more attached shaders not successfully compiled"

Then it would not connect.
Not working I am afraid.
Tony

john_rousseau

I totally understand wanting to get off the upgrade treadmill. However, 10.6.8 is pretty old and the WebGL support there is rudimentary. Sorry, but I really think you are going to need something more recent (probably hardware- and software-wise) to have a good experience with Onshape.

Tony1tf

Perhaps a quad core Raspberry Pi will do the trick - I want to get one soon to upgrade my collection of Pi's and it is rumoured to be able to run Windows as well as Linux, so I might just have to use one specifically to run your code. I have a superb HP LP2475W HDMI monitor for high resolution images, so spending $30 on a new Pi may be the cheapest way forward.
Tony

john_rousseau

Sounds cool! My first gen "B" RPi won't run Onshape. 

Post some pics when you have it running!

pete_yodis

@Tony1tf If you are trying to stay on the cheap, and already have a beautiful large screen, this one is being bantered about by some of us here...

http://www.cnet.com/news/intels-150-pc-on-a-stick-dongle-now-available-for-preorder/

I wouldn't mind plugging this into my large Samsung TV and pairing a bluetooth mouse and keyboard.  It's a little low on the RAM and potentially storage side, but for $150 - you can't complain.  It might beat the Raspberry PI experience.

chris_aicher

What about a Chromebox? I have debating about trying one...

http://promos.asus.com/us/chrome-os/chromebox/

mcconnell113

hmm never heard of the not always needing to upgrade. I run a mac and can't live without updating to the newest OS each time one comes out.

Tony1tf

Hi John
Perhaps it's me then as a bit of a 'Luddite'. The difference is that I don't want every new feature in my computer and  I dont want software writers to use features only found in some new OS for routine browsing.  An example is that I get Adobe Acrobat asking me year after year to upgrade when all I want to do is open and view standard pdf files which the s/w could do from day 1.
I wonder how many other users think like me! 
Tony 

abefeldman

Hi @Tony1tf - there are ways to force WebGL support on older systems, but it all comes down to whether your graphics card can handle it.  Could you give us some information on what card you're using and how much VRAM it has?'

To force WebGL:Google Chrome
1. Type chrome://flags into the address bar
2. Enable the flag called Override software rendering listOnce you set this you will see a restart button and you can test WebGL at http://get.webgl.org/.If you then see a spinning cube, you might want to try Onshape again.  Let us know how it works!-Abe

Tony1tf

Thanks Abe. Your instructions were perfect - am now enjoying looking at the Wind Meter on my Macbook. I never knew about those flags hidden in Chrome, and in any case would not have known what to do with the "Override software rendering list" one. My Raspberry Pi 2 arrived today, so I will be testing that soon on OnShape.

thanks again

Tony

ps You asked about what the video set up is on my Macbook, so here is the printout from the 'about' for the display: 

NVIDIA GeForce 9400M:

Chipset Model: NVIDIA GeForce 9400M

Type: GPU Bus: PCI VRAM (Total): 256 MB

Vendor: NVIDIA (0x10de)

Device ID: 0x0863

Revision ID: 0x00b1

ROM Revision: 3385

abefeldman

@Tony1tf that's great to hear!  @LouGallo was working on running Onshape on a RasPi as well I believe.  There should be a forum post on it if you search around.

As for the graphics information, some cards are blacklisted (which is solved by that override you just performed) and if you have less than 128 MB of VRAM, we've found that it becomes very difficult to run Onshape.  You're good across the board though.  Happy Onshaping!

-Abe

mcconnell113

I agree that its nice to have software that does what it did before. Unfortunately the backside to producing more efficiency is to rewrite certain parts of the code. So they make it better but it breaks so you have to upgrade, if that makes sense. This is why I upgrade because I know that software gets written in a more efficient way making things run better.

3dcad

It's great that OnShape brings cad to all kind of devices. Ipad app feels great and I'm waiting for Android to have it on phone also.

BUT

If you're going to make any 'profitable' design work, you need to have decent up-to-date computer with 2 decent sized screens and 3D mouse - otherwise it's just playing around. If getting used equipment, it should be no more than $500 for complete package. Double that and have new ones. IMHO.