Before we tuck in for end-of-the-year festivities and fill ourselves with delicious sweets, Onshape’s Greg Brown and Mike LaFleche bring us a list of the top 10 Onshape feature releases of 2022.
We saw over a dozen feature release dates this year, improving the way CAD users do what they do best – design awesome products.
However, with a slew of experience-boosting features, it’s near impossible to pick the top 10 of the year. Here’s our best effort to pick the best. If you disagree, head on over to the Onshape Forum and let us know your favorites or which has changed your workflow for the better.
Nominees for Top 10 Onshape Features of 2022
Before naming the top 10, our team compiled a list of contenders, which were broken down into four categories: CAD, Control, Collaboration, and PDM.
(However, Greg notes, “It’s sometimes difficult to categorize things as being in either CAD, control, collaboration or PDM, because with Onshape, it’s all together.”)
Queue in music for the nominees…
Nominees in the CAD Category
| – Sketching - Drag to Trim – Simulation – Frames – Partial Flange – Holes & Threads – Drawings Style and Hatch, Format Painter – Drawings Show and Hide Parts – Fillet Options – Bezier Curve – Lidar 3D Scan – Mixed Modeling |
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Nominees in the Control Category
| – Variable Studio – Publications – Computed Mass – BOM Sorting and Override – Search Custom Features – Action Item Dashboard – Last Signed In – Auto-Reconnect |
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Nominees in the Collaboration Category
“This is a rich category because collaboration was already a strength of Onshape with the big blue square [share button],” Greg says. “This is a pretty exciting category.”
| – Render Studio – AR View – PCB Studio – 3MF Import / Export – iOS Keyboard |
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Nominees in the PDM Category
| – Selective Branch & Merge – Multi-Organizational PDM Viewing – Search, Filter & Navigate Version History – Onshape-Arena Connection |
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The Top 10 Features of 2022
With that feature recap, here are the best of the best feature updates from this year alongside some extra commentary from the Onshape community!
Simulation
From jacques_spillmann: OMG, I want to cry, I had to pinch myself, no it is not April 1st and I'm not dreaming, this is huge, Simulation, are you kidding?
From Hans_Leirvike_1: Wow, simulation, publications and more. Thank you - very good :) :)
From Axel_Kollmenter: WOAAH Simulations is a huge improvement! Thank you!
From shawn_crocker: I just noticing the simulation integration right into the assembly environment. This is huge! I didn't realize is was going to be available right in front of you all the time. That makes a huge difference in deciding to perform a test when you don't have to shift mental gears to do so.
Arena PLM Connection
From MichaelPascoe: Oo, Arena. Nice! Thanks team!
PCB Studio
From sam_holland: Can't wait to implement pcb studio on our next project
From Phillip_B: PCB Studio is really nice!
Publications
From brucebartlett: Great Release, Publications looks like a great solution for sharing, hopefully exactly fulfilling that need for sharing without using dropbox/drive/etc.
From glen_dewsbury: Love 'publications'. Has been on my wish list from way back. Already made one for customer that shows what they need with out over whelming them with a whole document for a non OS user.
From guidoNADEC: Publications!! Great. Thanks!
From Alex_Pitt: Mind-blowing! A very substantial update indeed! Can't wait to try out Publications. Thank you Onshape team!
Render Studio
From john_mcclary: oohhh, rendering Sweet!
From Hans_Leirvik_1: Rendering - Thank you :)
From ian_d_gardiner: Rendering! Thank you!
From don_williams909: Wow! Just. Wow... Rendering. Fantastic. Gonna need to upgrade to Pro.
From danny_payne: I really like these updates. Looking forward to working with the rendering.
From Matthew_Curran: Very impressed with the current rendering capabilities! I can't wait to see what new features get added in the future!
Selective Branch & Merge
From Jolls: Selective Merge?! That's awesome!
From emagdalenaC2i: Selective merge... Awesome!!
From john_mcclary: So happy about selective merge. Now maybe I won't be so scared to create branches and merges on actual production work.
From john_allen289: Selective Merge UI is excellent, this is really helping us tidy up our Version Tree and & Branches and giving us way for confidence to be agile between different workspaces and branches.
AR View
From M_Hitchinson: WOW, the AR feature is super cool.
From Rhett_Robinson: Really glad that I can finally play around with the AR view this morning!
Surfacing: Bezier Curves
From christopher_dziuba: I love the bezier curves! I have really missed them so much.
From S1mon: Beziers!!!!! Selective merge! Flag notes! BOM sorting! These are all things I've been wishing for for years. This is one of my favorite updates so far.
From GWS50: What a great update....Bezier Curves and BOM sorting just 2 of the new improvements that will make CAD life even better...thank you
Frames
From a_campbell: Wow! The new frames feature will be super useful for quickly knocking together woodworking designs. Thanks!
From chrisjh777: Can't wait to try out "Frames". Weldment cut lists at last!!
From gkuhns: Yes!!! Thank you! Frames!!!
From thomas_frederiksen: frames 🤯
From devin_johnson79: All I can say is, well done #TeamOnshape. I have been looking forward to Frames for quite some time as I used the Beams feature extensively in my designs. I will also be adding descriptions to my variables as this is a must!
From daniel_cook: I saw Frames and audibly gasped! Just saved days of work for future me!
Variable Studio
From S1mon: Coming from Solidworks where I avoided variables because of how awkward they were, I've had to warm up to them slowly. They were already much easier to use in Onshape, and Variable Studios will make them substantially more powerful.
From Lucas_Kuhns: Very nice update. I always love seeing enhancements to drawings. Global variables will be really nice.
From AlexD: Variable Studios: Great, truly global.
From ian_d_gardiner: Outstanding Onshape Team! Global variables and Named positions is a huge plus for us.
From janos_horvath: I love the morning coffee with reading through Onshape updates, it is like Christmas again! :) Global variables is the big gun now, but the smaller improvements are really nice too! Thanks, and keep up!
From brooke_spreen: Yay, it's an Onshape update day! Stoked about the global variables. Thanks y'all :)
From ben-partouch: Wow. The global variable is so exciting I had to text my girlfriend about it.
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