No Lost Work: Why Onshape Delivers Unmatched CAD Reliability

Every engineer knows the feeling: Hours of design work lost to a crash, an overwrite, or a forgotten save. Traditional CAD systems, like SOLIDWORKS and Autodesk Inventor, rely on local files, manual saves, and separate PDM systems, leaving plenty of room for human error.

Onshape, PTC’s cloud-native CAD and PDM platform built for modern engineering, eliminates those risks entirely. With real-time backups, built-in version control, and crash-proof architecture, Onshape ensures your designs and your time are always protected.

Designed to Never Crash

Desktop CAD programs depend on your computer’s hardware and operating system. A graphics driver update, memory shortage, or power interruption can take your work down in an instant.

Onshape takes a completely different approach. Running entirely in the cloud, it’s built for a zero-downtime environment. Your work isn’t tied to one computer – it lives securely in Onshape’s redundant, enterprise-grade cloud infrastructure.

That means no crashes, no corrupt files, and no lost progress. Whether you close your browser or your laptop loses power, your design is saved automatically and continuously.

WATCH: Escape Traditional CAD Limits: Why Engineers Choose Onshape Over SOLIDWORKS

Automatic Backups, No Check-Ins Needed

In traditional CAD workflows, saving your work is a manual process, and forgetting to check in to PDM can mean losing hours of effort. Backups must be scheduled, managed, and maintained by IT.

With Onshape, every change is automatically saved and securely backed up in real time. There’s no “Save” button, and no need to check files in or out. The platform handles versioning, backups, and data protection automatically, so you can focus on design, not data management.

Your work is always safe, always recoverable, and always current.

Instantly Recover and Compare Versions

When you need to revisit a previous design, traditional CAD systems require digging through folders of duplicate files or manually managing revision numbers.

Onshape’s built-in Versions and History Graph makes that process effortless. It captures every change – every feature edit, every dimension tweak, every branch – so you can revert, restore, or compare any two design states with just a few clicks.

You get a complete design history, not just a list of file saves. That means total traceability and the confidence to experiment freely.

TECH TIP: How and When to Use Versions and Revisions

Collaboration Without Risk

In file-based CAD, collaboration can be risky. Multiple engineers working on the same file can easily overwrite each other’s changes or lose work when merging updates.

Onshape’s simultaneous collaboration model eliminates those risks. Every team member always sees the latest design state, and all edits are safely tracked in the shared history. There’s no “who saved last?” problem, just smooth, synchronized teamwork.

TECH TIP: Simultaneous Editing, Sharing and Real-Time Collaboration in Onshape

Reliability Built into the Platform

Crashes, corrupted files, and missing backups are symptoms of old-generation, file-based CAD systems. Onshape’s cloud-native design removes the root causes. It’s engineered for data integrity, uptime, and resilience, principles borrowed from mission-critical cloud applications, not desktop software.

The result is simple: You never lose work. Ever.

Why Onshape Means No Lost Work

• No crashes or corrupted files
• Automatic real-time backups
• Full design history and instant version recovery
• Safe, simultaneous collaboration
• No local files or manual saves

With Onshape, your design data is protected by default. No IT intervention, no extra software, no guesswork.

The Future of Reliable CAD

Traditional CAD tools were built for a different time when saving locally was the only option. Today’s engineers need tools that are as resilient and connected as the products they design.

Onshape’s cloud-based CAD platform delivers that reliability, ensuring every idea, iteration, and improvement is preserved automatically.

No crashes. No file corruption. No lost work – ever.

Ready to Experience Crash-Proof CAD?

Stop worrying about losing progress and start designing with confidence. Discover how Onshape’s cloud-native reliability protects your work and keeps your team productive wherever they are.

Try Onshape or visit the Onshape Learning Center to see how modern CAD makes lost work a thing of the past.