Onshape
Onshape is a cloud-native, browser-based MCAD platform founded in 2012 by ex-SolidWorks executives including Jon Hirschtick. PTC acquired Onshape in 2019 for $470 million, using its Atlas SaaS substrate as the foundation for PTC's broader cloud-native product strategy (including Windchill+ and Atlas-hosted services). Onshape is the reference for what enterprise CAD looks like when the file does not exist as a primary artifact.
Why it matters
Onshape is the architectural counter-example to every legacy CAD product still organized around files and check-out/check-in. Its existence forced every major MCAD vendor to articulate a cloud strategy, and its purchase gave PTC both a product line and a SaaS platform substrate it would otherwise have had to build from scratch.
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Cite this definition
Finocchiaro, Michael. “Onshape.” DemystifyingPLM PLM Glossary, 2026, https://www.demystifyingplm.com/glossary/onshape