6 ms·

I mean… Onshape, Creo, and Solidworks use the same kernel so it’s not too surprising the UI/UX is similar (I’m speculating for OnShape but given the company his

I mean… Onshape, Creo, and Solidworks use the same kernel so it’s not too surprising the UI/UX is similar (I’m speculating for OnShape but given the company history, they probably are). Rhino and the like are geared towards 3D graphics on top of CAD so it’s not surprising either that they’re a Freeform surface modeler first. That being said, I don’t know about the open source part not being a goal. It’s like KiCAD vs Altium. If they manage to have 90% of what Onshape has to offer but open source, I can imagine people using it. I get the angle of cost though, since Solidworks license is about the order of $3-5K, most companies would rather pay it and use something proven. FWIW, Onshape was created for less than $10M to make a MVP in less than 3 years. I don’t think you need decades of PhDs to make a new CAD program nowadays.

s1mon 2y ago
Onshape and Solidworks (and Shapr3D, and Nx amongst others) use the Parasolid kernel. Without Parasolid, Onshape wouldn't have happened so quickly. It also helped that it was founded by many of the core team behind Solidworks. Parasolid started being developed in 1988. [0] Creo uses the Granite kernel, which was developed by PTC, starting in 1985. [1] Onshape and Solidworks (and many others) also license the same 2D solver, D-Cubed, now from Siemens as well (originally from a company founded in 1989). [0] None of this is to say that it is impossible to start fresh, just that there are insane numbers of person-years of development work embodied in these libraries. To get anywhere near the level of completeness and power will take a lot. [0] https://www.engineering.com/story/parasolid-d-cubed-and-siemens-the-heart-of-your-cad-software-belongs-to-another https://www.engineering.com/story/parasolid-d-cubed-and-siem... [1] https://www.shapr3d.com/history-of-cad/parametric-technology-corporation https://www.shapr3d.com/history-of-cad/parametric-technology...

s1mon 2y ago

Onshape and Solidworks (and Shapr3D, and Nx amongst others) use the Parasolid kernel. Without Parasolid, Onshape wouldn't have happened so quickly. It also helped that it was founded by many of the core team behind Solidworks. Parasolid started being developed in 1988. [0] Creo uses the Granite kernel, which was developed by PTC, starting in 1985. [1] Onshape and Solidworks (and many others) also license the same 2D solver, D-Cubed, now from Siemens as well (originally from a company founded in 1989). [0] None of this is to say that it is impossible to start fresh, just that there are insane numbers of person-years of development work embodied in these libraries. To get anywhere near the level of completeness and power will take a lot. [0] https://www.engineering.com/story/parasolid-d-cubed-and-siemens-the-heart-of-your-cad-software-belongs-to-another https://www.engineering.com/story/parasolid-d-cubed-and-siem... [1] https://www.shapr3d.com/history-of-cad/parametric-technology-corporation https://www.shapr3d.com/history-of-cad/parametric-technology...