Browser-based CAD. Where does your work actually live?

The browser is the doorway. It is not the storage plan.

Two CAD tools can open in nearly identical browser windows and behave quite differently. SolidCraft downloads an application that models on your device. Onshape organizes work around online documents, with cloud services handling the document workflow. This affects network dependence, recovery and how you move between computers.

A local workflow is useful when you want to start a small part without creating an account. A cloud document is useful when the document, its permissions and the people working on it need to stay together. Neither approach makes the other obsolete. Choose around the next handoff: to tomorrow's browser session, to a second computer, or to another designer.

• Compare the SolidCraft and Onshape workflows

Before opening a serious project, make one small part

Use a current desktop browser, a keyboard and a mouse or trackpad for your first check. Start with a modest sketch: select an edge, enter a dimension, orbit the view and undo an edit. A page loading successfully does not establish that precise selection or a larger model will feel comfortable on that device.

SolidCraft's first launch downloads the CAD application. Allow that download to finish before deciding it has stalled. If the default rendering path fails, use the WebGL2 launch option on the Online page. Graphics support and available memory still matter when the modeling runs locally. Onshape also requires WebGL; its browser check reports graphics and connection capabilities.

• Confirm that canvas selection, text entry, orbit and undo work with your actual input device.
• Download a native backup, then reopen it before investing time in the design.
• On a managed school or work computer, check whether downloads and site storage are permitted.
• Use a tablet or phone only after testing the particular editing task. A readable article is not a mobile CAD benchmark.

• Check SolidCraft browser requirements and launch options

A browser copy, a file and a cloud save solve different problems

For an ordinary single-person project, use a working copy and a separate native backup. A browser copy is convenient for resuming on the same machine. A downloaded original is easier to move and to keep independently of the site. Cloud saving adds an account-based way to reopen a design elsewhere.

Site storage belongs to a browser profile and origin. Another profile, another browser or a private window does not automatically inherit it. Clearing site data can remove it; browsers can also evict storage under some conditions. Treat a bookmark as an address, never as a copy of the design.

Move to another computer with a native file

This route needs no SolidCraft cloud account. Use a .solidcraft file rather than an STL: a mesh may describe the shape while losing the sketch and feature relationships you intended to revise.

Do the first transfer while the original is still available. If the receiving editor cannot open the file, you can go back, check the version and export again. Files saved by a newer editor may need that version or a compatible newer one; an older emergency editor is not a universal reader.

1. 01

   On computer A, download the native design

   Use the editor's native backup/download action. Give the file a name that identifies the part and revision, such as bracket-2026-10-30.solidcraft. Check that the file arrived in Downloads.

2. 02

   Transfer the file itself

   Use a drive or a file-transfer method you trust. Sending the Online page URL or a workspace bookmark does not send the design.

3. 03

   On computer B, open and inspect

   Start a compatible SolidCraft editor and open the native file. Check the dimensions, feature timeline and one editable dimension. Keep the original until this succeeds.

4. 04

   Choose the next working copy

   Edits on A and B now belong to separate copies. Decide which is current and download a fresh backup after the next useful change.

• Rehearse with the editable 40 → 50 mm block
• Download the native handoff example (.solidcraft)
• Read the native-transfer verification record

Use cloud saving when you want an account-based handoff

Sign in, open the design and choose Save to Cloud. Wait for the successful save before leaving the machine. On the second device, sign in to the same account, open My Workspace and choose that project. Check the last saved state before editing.

The current Free service includes 3 private projects and 128 MiB of total cloud storage; the per-file limit is 16 MiB. These are hosting-service limits, separate from local modeling. The pricing page lists current Pro capacity and retention. A cloud project is private storage, not a public sharing link.

Save again after making changes. Two open devices are not live collaborators: a newer cloud revision can conflict with an older open copy. If that happens, preserve the local work as a native backup, reopen the current cloud version and decide which changes to carry forward. Repeatedly pressing Save does not merge them.

• Open My Workspace
• Check current project, storage and history limits
• Read what the cloud service stores

An offline session starts with an online rehearsal

A local modeling engine does not guarantee a fresh offline launch. The application must already have downloaded, the relevant files must remain cached, and a native design must be available. A first visit without a connection cannot fetch the application. A browser clearing its cache changes the outcome.

Before travel, open the exact workspace online, load your design, save it locally and download a native backup. Then disconnect and try reopening that workspace and file. Repeat on the device and browser you will actually take. Cloud opening and uploading need a connection; do not count on them while offline. Onshape's documented workflow calls for reliable internet.

When the design seems to have disappeared

First check the context: same browser, same profile, same site and same workspace? A missing local design on a second machine is often a storage-location issue. If you saved to the cloud, check the signed-in account and last saved time; local edits made afterward will not be in that snapshot.

If a rendering failure keeps the editor from loading, try the alternative launch option or the recovery tools linked from the Online page. Preserve any native files already downloaded. Avoid clearing site data as a first troubleshooting step when the browser may hold your only copy.

• Find the editor, version selector and recovery tools

FAQ

Questions before you start