CAD Forum

I have only used Onshape for a couple of hours doing some basic tutorial stuff. I'm interested in how it manages part, assembly and drawing information. I'm assuming that using the word "files" is the wrong way to look at it. It all goes into a database? Where individual parts exist by linking together various features in the db?

Can someone give me kind of an overview of how all this works?

Thanks.

The best way to learn Onshape is to go through a few of the videos from the learning center area.

They were very helpful when I started to learn Onshape.

https://learn.onshape.com/

The self paced section on Onshape fundamentals should help. Most of these are avialable to all users including people on the free version.

https://learn.onshape.com/catalog?label ... tals%22%5D

There is also the Onshape forum that is helpful as well:

https://forum.onshape.com/

Hope this helps

I just wanted some behind the scenes info that isn't immediately obvious by using the software. Any info about how the db is structured would be welcome.

Ok, the question got me curious, and the cagey response got me even more curious. If you're interested in this topic, you can find a bit of an answer here:

https://www.onshape.com/en/blog/data-ma ... -databases

Interestingly, part of that response is also of the "you don't really need to know" variety, which is incredibly unsatisfying. But he gets around to answering the question in general terms. So as expected, 3dx uses a wonky shortcut, Solidworks PDM uses a different but similar wonky shortcut, and Onshape does something more along the lines of what you expect from a database in the age of big data.

rumpus wrote: ↑Fri Jul 22, 2022 8:24 am I just wanted some behind the scenes info that isn't immediately obvious by using the software. Any info about how the db is structured would be welcome.

I imagine that's proprietary. But I would guess they use SQL or Oracle DBs......I wouldn't think they would reinvent the wheel but who knows.

matt wrote: ↑Fri Jul 22, 2022 8:56 am Ok, the question got me curious, and the cagey response got me even more curious. If you're interested in this topic, you can find a bit of an answer here:

https://www.onshape.com/en/blog/data-ma ... -databases

Interestingly, part of that response is also of the "you don't really need to know" variety, which is incredibly unsatisfying. But he gets around to answering the question in general terms. So as expected, 3dx uses a wonky shortcut, Solidworks PDM uses a different but similar wonky shortcut, and Onshape does something more along the lines of what you expect from a database in the age of big data.

Matt,
I just want to add to your wonky list..might as well add these guys too.. Siemens Teamcenter uses a wonky shortcut, PTC Windchill uses a wonky shortcut..I think using the full market players is fair "reporting".

jcapriotti wrote: ↑Fri Jul 22, 2022 11:43 am I imagine that's proprietary. But I would guess they use SQL or Oracle DBs......I wouldn't think they would reinvent the wheel but who knows.

I believe it's MongoDB

Adrian_V21 wrote: ↑Tue May 23, 2023 4:37 pm I believe it's MongoDB

You're right.....found this article https://www.design-engineering.com/feat ... ng-change/

matt wrote: ↑Fri Jul 22, 2022 8:56 am Ok, the question got me curious, and the cagey response got me even more curious. If you're interested in this topic, you can find a bit of an answer here:

https://www.onshape.com/en/blog/data-ma ... -databases

Interestingly, part of that response is also of the "you don't really need to know" variety, which is incredibly unsatisfying. But he gets around to answering the question in general terms. So as expected, 3dx uses a wonky shortcut, Solidworks PDM uses a different but similar wonky shortcut, and Onshape does something more along the lines of what you expect from a database in the age of big data.

I found the Onshape live sessions on how it all works amazingly open, perhaps because they need to build that trust. See



And



Onshape is certainly not as feature rich as many but the foundations seem solid! Plus they seem to have a very high bar for quality only releasing features often with unique takes on the process such as sheet metal, weldments, simulation when they are ready. vs many others releasing buggy features. plus featurescript is a unique approach that could be very beneficial vs macros.

Fundamentally seems extremely robust if cloud suits your business and you go into it eyes open that if you wanted to leave it would be a case of exporting parasolid as there are no Onshape file format as such.

Who knows what would have happened if this skilled people with a proper vision had stayed with SOLIDWORKS/ Dassualt rather than the 3d experience car crash. 3dexperience SolidWorks is clunky unreliable and lacks fundementals users expect from cloud products like versioning.

The super hero browser based X apps designed to compete with onshape offer little innovation, suffer the same issues of being on the 3d experience platform and are only just getting semi usable drawings

PTC are now launching creo + which for all the world looks like what that hybrid SOLIDWORKS cloud could have been. I by that I mean still local install but cloud data model with low management overheads be a PDM system.

not much detail at live works but seems like it uses the onshape data model and even some of collaboration, with more limitations.