Onshape Quickstart (First 30 Minutes)

Use this page before CAD 100 if you are brand new to Onshape. It is focused on the exact actions you need for your first week on Team 2180.

Outcome

By the end of this quickstart, you should be able to:

• Create a document and part studio.
• Build a basic constrained sketch and extrude a part.
• Insert COTS hardware from MKCAD in an assembly.
• Create a drawing and export PDF, DXF, and STEP.

0) Setup (5 minutes)

1. Sign in to Onshape and open the team workspace.
2. Set units to inch:
   • Account menu (top right) -> Preferences -> Units -> Inch.
3. Open MKCAD document and star/bookmark it for quick access.
4. Create a document named 2026-Training-<YourName>-Quickstart.

1) UI map (3 minutes)

Know these areas before modeling:

• Left panel: features list and part list.
• Top toolbar: sketch and feature tools (Sketch, Extrude, Fillet, Hole).
• Bottom tabs: Part Studio, Assembly, and Drawing.
• View cube (top right): orientation control.

2) Build your first part (10 minutes)

1. In Part Studio 1, click Sketch.
2. Select the Front plane.
3. Draw a rectangle with center at the origin.
4. Add dimensions so the sketch is fully defined (black).
5. Click Extrude, set thickness, and confirm.
6. Rename the part in the parts list.
7. Right-click the part -> Assign material (use Aluminum 6061 for training parts).

3) Build your first assembly (7 minutes)

1. Click + -> Create Assembly.
2. Click Insert and place your custom part.
3. Click Insert -> Other documents -> find MKCAD.
4. Insert one bearing and one bolt.
5. Apply mates (Fastened is the usual default for fixed connections).
6. Run Interference detection once before you leave the assembly.

4) Create your first drawing and exports (5 minutes)

1. Right-click your part -> Create drawing of....
2. Place at least two orthographic views and one isometric view.
3. Add dimensions for size and hole location.
4. Fill title block fields (name, date, revision).
5. Export:
   • Drawing tab -> Export -> PDF
   • Sketch or flat profile -> Export as DXF/DWG
   • Part/assembly tab -> Export -> STEP

High-value Onshape shortcuts

These are default shortcuts for most Onshape profiles:

• S: open shortcut toolbar at cursor
• N: normal-to selected face or sketch plane
• D: place dimension while sketching
• Shift + /: open full shortcut list in-app

If shortcuts differ on your machine, use the in-app shortcut list and keep one standard profile for the whole team.

Common operations -> where to click

• Start a sketch: top toolbar -> Sketch
• Turn sketch into 3D: top toolbar -> Extrude
• Add/round edges: top toolbar -> Fillet / Chamfer
• Add holes: top toolbar -> Hole (or sketch circles + extrude remove)
• Add COTS parts: assembly tab -> Insert -> Other documents (MKCAD)
• Constrain components: assembly toolbar -> Mate
• Export manufacturing files: right-click tab -> Export

Quick troubleshooting

• Sketch stays blue: you are under-constrained; add dimensions/constraints.
• Part did not update: check you edited the correct feature in the tree.
• Assembly explodes when dragging: missing mate(s) or wrong mate type.
• Wrong mass: material not assigned.

Next step: complete CAD 100 (Rookie).