Thoughts about OnShape #2

[PatCouture]

Hi! Since it's been almost two years since this thread thread724-386645 I would like to get feedback from people using OnShape for a living. I receive a ton of articles from OnShape telling me how it's the new way to work, how easy it is to setup, that your files are secure, you can use it everywhere, etc.
They have valid benefits that I could use but for obvious reasons they won't tell you the drawback of being at the mercy of this service. So It would be very useful to get some real experience from OnShape users.

Questions I have:

What happens if OnShape suddenly gets bought out from a competing giant and they decide your user name doesn't work anymore? Can I have my files back?
What if suddenly their 100$/month fee changes to 5000$ and I can't pay I'll no longer be able to work? At least with SolidWorks my current license is permanent.
I have a couple of clients where I can't get the internet from my cellphone so I'll need to be sure I can connect to their wifi before working.
How well does OnShape handles large assemblies 6 000 parts to 10 000?

Thanks

Patrick

 

[IRstuff]

Seems to me that your first two questions are somewhat related. Just because "they" store your files doesn't mean that you shouldn't have backups of your own; eggs in one basket right? Assuming that you can get your files at all...

If you can, and do have separate backups, then you can switch to another program, if something bad happens to that company. Companies are never forever; we've learned that over the last 30 yrs. Even companies that were leaders and have been around for over a century can suddenly disappear or die. Montgomery Ward is one example; Sears might be a future example. There once was a great company in the wild and woolly days of the original PC that built and awesome and well-liked and respected PC clone. When they finally got enough sales and profits, they naturally wanted to reward themselves with an IPO. The day after the IPO hit, their newly-millionaired president bought a Ferrari and died that day.

TTFN (ta ta for now)
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!

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[Sparweb]

1) export your part models to STEP files, which you keep on your hard drive. Even if you can't edit them there, you can upload them to the new service later, if it comes to pass.
2) There are competitors offering similar services.
3) Screen captures before you visit those clients may present 99% of the information they would glean from a 3D model, anyway.
4) I don't think OnShape has been out there long enough for many people to find out. 10,000 parts implies a project approaching at least a million dollar value. I'm not going to be the first!

My tone probably sounds negative to OnShape. I've actually signed up, and modeled parts and assemblies there myself. It is the future - but the future just isn't quite here yet.
*EDIT*
I mean that I signed up during the free unlimited trial 3 years ago. A paid subscription is needed for many functions required for "business use" now.

STF

 

[PatCouture]

I too subscribed when you could have 5 private projects. Unfortunately now you can only have public project with the free account.

What I'm most interested in is having someone coming from using SolidWorks that switched full time to OnShape. I would like to know if there's any basic catch that I'm not aware of. Obviously OnShape doesn't have all the features that SW does but I'm sure there are a couple of basic features that may be missing that can make switching a bad idea. At least for now...

Thanks, Patrick