An Executive's Guide to Onshape, the Leading CAD System for Agile Product Design

1. 14 Reasons Why
Today’s Best Manufacturers Are
Adopting Full-Cloud CAD
An Executive’s Guide to Onshape, the Leading
CAD System for Agile Product Design

2. Agile Product Design
A new approach to build products faster
and with more innovation – strongly
emphasizing rapid iteration, tight
communication within teams, and an
openness to embracing change.
(noun) [aj-uh l • prod-uh kt • dih-zahyn]
1.

3. Moving Your CAD System to the Cloud
Running in a web browser or mobile app,
Onshape is the first full-cloud professional 3D
CAD system.
Your other business-critical software – such as
product management, CRM, accounting, human
resources and data backup – moved from your
local hard drive to online years ago. Not because
being “in the cloud” sounds cool, but because it
saves considerable time, money and makes your
team far more productive.
Moving your CAD system to the cloud achieves
the same things.

4. “I’m usually in Utah and being able to actually look
at models together with our mechanical engineer in
Massachusetts has been huge for us. We can get into the
same part and start spinning it around and hiding and
showing different elements of the product.”
– Jim Christian, Lead Product Designer, Avatech
“I was astounded by how quickly I learned Onshape
because the learning curve on mechanical CAD is
historically horrendous. If I’m trying to hire somebody,
I’m no longer locked into one program. I can bring in
an aerospace engineer who’s got a huge amount of
experience in another CAD system and I have absolutely
no hesitation just throwing Onshape at them – knowing
they’ll be up to speed in a matter of hours.”
– Clive Smith, Founder of Thinklabs

5. Who Invented Full-Cloud CAD – And Why?
Company co-founder and CEO
Jon Hirschtick, along with other
core members of the original
SOLIDWORKS® team, started
Onshape from scratch because
THEY WERE FED UP.
They were frustrated with the
hassles of traditional desktop-
installed CAD.

6. WHY IS FULL-CLOUD CAD SUCH A BIG DEAL?
DESKTOP-INSTALLED CAD FULL-CLOUD CAD
Limited Access to Your CAD – Desktop CAD
runs on only the computers it is installed on.
CAD files are often saved locally, then not
accessible from other computers.
Desktop-Installed CAD Systems Crash –
When your computer crashes, you not only
lose work since the last time you saved, but
also lose the time required to reboot and redo
the work.
Confusing File Copies – It’s impossible to
work as a team using desktop CAD without
making copies of files. Copies to the server for
your co-workers. Copies shared by email or
Dropbox to work with customers or suppliers.
It’s painful, costly, confusing and inefficient.
CAD on Any Device Anywhere, Anytime –
Full-cloud CAD runs on any web browser, and
on tablets and phones. Your CAD lives in the
cloud, so you can always access and share it.
Redundant Servers Equals CAD Peace of
Mind – Full-cloud CAD runs and stores data
on multiple redundant servers. If one server
has issues, the other fills the void and you
keep going without any interruptions. No more
wasted time or lost work.
Real-Time Collaboration – Full-cloud CAD
has no files or copies. Your CAD system and
data always live in one place in the cloud.
Everyone on your design team can work on
the same model at the same time. You can see
colleagues making changes as they happen!

7. Full-cloud Onshape runs on
in a web browser or app (Android
or iOS). You are no longer tied to
one licensed computer. Your CAD
system travels everywhere you do.
ANY COMPUTER OR MOBILE DEVICE

8. So Why Are
Today’s Best Manufacturers
Adopting Full-Cloud CAD?

9. #1
Onshape is the first CAD
system specifically built for
teams. When teams work in
parallel instead of serially,
things move much more quickly.

11. If a meteor hits your computer
and damages the processor, you
can seamlessly move to another
computer, tablet, or phone and
keep on working. Every design
change is backed up redundantly
on multiple servers.
THAT IS THE POWER
OF FULL-CLOUD CAD
#2

12. #3 Onshape
provides free
automatic upgrades
in the cloud every few
weeks. With nothing to
download or install ever.
You save a tremendous
amount of time in IT
support.
Companies Save Tons of
Money on CAD Software

14. Companies Save Tons
of Money on Hardware
With Onshape, there is no need
to buy expensive high-end
workstations. Full-cloud CAD
runs on any computer, tablet or
phone. All the hard processing
work has been moved from your
computer to servers in the cloud.
#4

15. #5
Engineers Can Design
on Mobile
Onshape is the first and only CAD system
to fully run on Android phones and
tablets and Apple iPhones and iPads.
Unlike traditional CAD, Onshape Mobile is
not just a viewer. You’re carrying around
your entire CAD system in your pocket..

16. Software-as-a-Service
(SaaS) is Better for
Budgeting
Full-cloud CAD can be budgeted as
an annual operating expense versus a
capital expenditure that depreciates over
time (see CAPEX vs. OPEX: An Engineer’s
Guide to Controlling CAD Costs). Plus,
SaaS vendors need to continually win
your business every year.
#6

17. For Reasons #7-14 why
today’s best manufacturers
are adopting full-cloud
CAD, download your copy of
Onshape’s free eBook.
DOWNLOAD THE EBOOK