Simulation used to mean installing heavy software, managing licenses, configuring solvers, exporting files, and hoping your workstation could handle the mesh.

With Onshape Simulation, things work differently:

• There is no installation.
• No local solver.
• No exporting between CAD and CAE.
  

Everything runs in the same cloud environment where you design. And with branching and merging, you can set up simulation changes in a separate workspace without affecting your production model — keeping design and analysis perfectly in sync.

Let’s walk through everything you need to know.

What is Onshape Simulation?

Onshape Simulation is a cloud-native, fast, and easy-to-use Finite Element Analysis (FEA) environment built directly into the Onshape assembly interface.

Unlike traditional desktop simulation tools that require:

• Complex exports
• Separate CAE software
• High-end local hardware

Onshape Simulation runs directly in your web browser and handles the heavy calculations in the cloud.

As Onshape Simulation is fully integrated with the Onshape data model, your simulation stays directly connected to your design. There’s no exporting or file translation, and when you modify a part, your results update automatically.

Want to try Onshape but haven’t had a chance yet? Sign up for a free account or try Onshape Professional, including Simulation, CAM Studio, and Render Studio, through the Discovery Program.

What Does “Cloud Simulation” Actually Mean?

Cloud simulation in Onshape means:

• You create your model in the browser
• You set up the analysis inside the same document
• Meshing and solving run on remote cloud servers
• Your computer does not perform heavy calculations

Even on a standard laptop, you can run structural studies without slowing your system.

The real advantage is that simulation remains fully linked to your CAD model. When geometry changes, you simply update and run the analysis again. There’s no need for file exports, model cleanup, or frustrating translation fixes — simulation becomes a natural part of the design process.

Onshape Simulation Capabilities

Linear Static Analysis

Onshape Simulation helps designers make better decisions early in the design process. Because it works directly inside the assembly environment, you can check your design’s strength without leaving your CAD model.

Its main tool is Linear Static Analysis, which is one of the most common types of simulation in engineering. It answers two simple questions:
Will it break?
Will it bend too much?

This analysis calculates stress and displacement when a constant load is applied. It assumes normal material behavior and small deformations — which is enough for most everyday mechanical parts.

Engineers can evaluate Von Mises stress, principal stresses, displacement, reaction forces, and factor of safety to determine whether a bracket will fail, a housing is strong enough, or deflection remains within acceptable limits. For most mechanical components, this covers the majority of day-to-day validation needs.

Linear Static Analysis of Connecting Rods

Modal Analysis

Modal Analysis is more than just checking strength. It involves analyzing the behavior of a design as it vibrates.

Rather than applying constant force, Modal Analysis calculates the natural frequency of a part of a design. This can prevent resonance, which happens when an object is exposed to an outside force equal to its natural frequency, causing extreme vibrations.

Resonance can be particularly problematic with lightweight frames, rotating parts, or products used in a dynamic environment.

By analyzing vibration at an early design stage, engineers can make their product stiffer, less noisy, and more reliable.

Example of a Modal simulation performed on a car brake

Inertial Relief

For more advanced cases, Inertial Relief allows you to analyze parts that are not fixed in place. This is useful for things like aircraft in flight or satellites in space, where you cannot simply “bolt” the model down. The system balances the loads automatically without adding fake supports.

Example of Inertial Relief analysis performed on Lower control Arm

Mates as Physics

Onshape also has a smart idea, which is Mates as Physics. In other FEA applications, defining the mating of parts can also be very time-consuming. We need to specify bonded, sliding, friction, and other types of mating. This can get complicated, especially with more complicated assemblies.

If you ask a simulation expert what the hardest part of their job is, they won’t say “the math.” They’ll say “Contacts.”

Traditional FEA requires manually defining how every part touches every other part:

• Bonded?
• Sliding?
• With friction?
• With gaps?

In large assemblies, this can take hours. Onshape has made this very simple. They use your Assembly Mates. This means:

• Fastened Mate → Bonded connection
• Revolute Mate → Rotational freedom
• Slider Mate → Controlled translation

By knowing how the assembly is mated, the simulation can set things up very quickly. What used to take hours can now be done in seconds.

Traditional FEA SIMULATION

In traditional FEA software, you spend a lot of time setting things up before you even run the simulation. Contacts, mesh, solver settings — it can feel heavy and slow.

With Onshape, once your assembly is fully defined, you just add a load and see the results. It’s straightforward and fast. Simulation becomes part of your normal design process, not an extra step.

Accessing Onshape Simulation

Simulation is part of the modeling environment. Onshape Professional, Enterprise, and Educator users have access to Onshape Simulation.

Where to Find It

• Open the Simulation Panel on the right side of any Assembly tab
• Select “Show Results” to begin calculation

Once active, the simulation definition stays with your model. Results are versioned and available throughout design history.

Onshape Simulation Interface

Onshape Simulation feels like a helpful guide, making the process simple even if you’re new to simulation.

Simulation Panel

Your command center for:

• Loads and Constraints
• Analysis type (Static or Modal)

• Connectivity methods

Connectivity Visualization

A dedicated mode that shows how the solver interprets your assembly:

• Different colors for rigid bonds
• Highlighted moving degrees of freedom

Results Legend

Dynamic legend for:

• Stress
• Displacement
• Factor of Safety

You can adjust the upper and lower limits to focus on specific areas. For example, you can highlight regions where the safety factor is below 2.0 to quickly see potential risks.

Graphics Area

Results are displayed directly on your model using clear color maps. You can rotate, zoom, and inspect the model easily.

You can also animate the deformation to see how the structure bends or twists under load, making it easier to understand how it behaves in real conditions.

Viridis Color Scheme

Onshape uses the Viridis color scheme to display results clearly. The colors are easy to read and designed to be accessible, including for users with color vision deficiencies.

Geometry, Materials, and Setup

You can simulate:

• Individual parts (they must be placed and defined inside an Assembly to run the simulation)
• Multi-body designs
• Assemblies

Materials include properties such as:

• Young’s modulus
• Poisson’s ratio
• Density
• Yield strength

Loads and constraints can be applied to:

• Faces
• Edges
• Vertices

Meshing is automatic and cloud-based, with control over refinement for balancing speed and accuracy.

What Is Available as Add-Ons?

For more extended simulation needs, Onshape integrates with partner applications from the Onshape App Store. These add-ons extend the platform beyond built-in structural analysis.

Thermal and Fluid Simulation (CFD) – Add-On Available through partners like SimScale.

Enables:

• Heat transfer analysis
• Airflow simulation
• Temperature distribution

Example: Validating cooling performance in an enclosure.

AI-Driven Physics Simulation Available through Luminary Cloud.

Enables:

• Fast physics predictions using AI
• Rapid design exploration
• Early-stage performance insights

Example: Comparing multiple design variations in minutes.

Which Onshape Plans Include Simulation?

Access to structural simulation tools is primarily available to:

• Professional accounts
• Enterprise accounts

Can You Try It for Free?

Yes. The Onshape Discovery Program

Qualified CAD professionals can access Onshape Professional for up to 6 months at no cost.

This includes:

• Onshape Simulation
• CAM Studio
• Render Studio

It allows you to explore the full “More than CAD” experience before purchasing.

Static vs Modal Analysis – Quick Comparison

The primary difference is simple:

• Static analysis focuses on structural integrity under constant load.
• Modal analysis focuses on vibration characteristics.

Onshape vs Traditional Desktop CAE

Solving in Seconds

One of the biggest advantages is speed. Results often solve in seconds, not hours.

You can see live demonstrations of assembly-level static simulations being set up and solved in literal seconds here.

Speed changes behavior. When solving is fast, engineers simulate more often — and design decisions improve.

What It Doesn’t Do (And Why)

Onshape is honest about scope.

It is a structural powerhouse, but it is not a full multiphysics platform.

If you need:

• High-speed crash testing (nonlinear explicit dynamics)
• Complex fluid flow (CFD beyond add-ons)

You may need specialized tools or App Store partners such as SimScale or Ansys.

Onshape focuses on giving 90% of engineers the tools they need for 90% of daily structural problems.

Why Choose Onshape Simulation?

Professional engineering is about risk management.

You want to:

• Prevent field failures
• Avoid over-engineering
• Iterate quickly
• Collaborate efficiently

Onshape Simulation delivers:

Speed – Results in seconds
Accessibility – No high-end hardware
Collaboration – Share a secure URL, not screenshots
Integrity – Mathematically sound structural results

Final Thoughts

If you’re already using Onshape daily, Simulation feels like a natural extension of your workflow. There’s no need to switch tools or export files. Instead, you can test your design directly inside the same document where it was created.

It becomes part of your everyday process — adjust, simulate, refine. And when simulation becomes simple, engineers use it more often.

• Author
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Hanen Bdioui

Sales Development Representative at ChampionXperience

Hanen Bdioui is the Editor-in-Chief at ChampionXperience, where she leads content on CAD, VR, and emerging engineering technologies. She works with Dassault Systèmes as a Content Creator and SOLIDWORKS Application Engineer, and contributes as a technical writer for Engineering.com and EngineeRules, covering topics in CAD, PLM, and simulation. Hanen also creates specialized content for 3DEXCITE, the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, and Onshape, supporting engineers and companies in adopting modern digital workflows.

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