Getting Started with Onshape - VEX CAD Tutorial

Sign Up for Onshape Education (Free)

Onshape Education is completely free for students and educators. Full-featured, no software to install.

Step 1: Open the Sign-Up Page

Visit onshape.com/en/education and click the "Get Started" button.

        Tip: Chrome or Edge work best with Onshape. Safari is also fine, but may occasionally have minor compatibility issues.
      

Step 2: Choose Your Account Type

Onshape will ask you to select your role. Choose "Student". If you're a teacher or coach, select "Educator".

You'll need to provide:

Email — A school email (.edu) is recommended for faster approval, but a personal email works too
First and Last Name — Use your real name
School Name — Enter your school's full name
Country — Select your country

Step 3: Verify Your Email

After submitting, Onshape will send a verification email to the address you provided.

⚠️ Some email providers don't receive Onshape emails!

Chinese email services (QQ Mail, 163, 126, Sina) often fail to receive Onshape's verification emails entirely — not in spam, just never delivered.

Recommended email providers:

Gmail (most reliable)
Outlook / Hotmail
School email (.edu)

        Other reasons you might not get the email:
        Check your spam/junk folder
Wait 2-3 minutes and check again
Make sure you entered your email correctly

      

Click the verification link in the email to confirm your address.

Step 4: Set Your Password

After email verification, you'll be prompted to create a password. Requirements:

At least 8 characters
Must include uppercase, lowercase, and a number

Once your password is set, your account is created.

Step 5: Wait for Approval (Education Plan)

Education accounts require approval from Onshape. Typical wait times:

School email (.edu): Minutes to hours, often automatic
Personal email: May take 1-2 business days for manual review

        Speed tip: If using a personal email, entering your school's full official name helps Onshape approve faster.
      

Step 6: Log In and Start

Once approved, you'll receive a confirmation email. Open cad.onshape.com and log in.

See the Onshape dashboard? Congratulations, you're all set!

        Next: Head back to the tutorial and start with Chapter 1 to learn the basics of CAD.
      

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, completely free. Onshape Education gives students and educators access to nearly all professional features. The only difference is that documents are public by default, but you can set them to private.

Any device with a browser works! Onshape runs entirely in the cloud:

Windows / Mac / Linux computers
Chromebook
iPad (the Onshape App from the App Store is recommended)

A computer with a mouse is recommended for the best 3D modeling experience.

If it's been more than 2 business days:

Check your spam folder
Try re-registering with a school email (faster approval)
Contact Onshape support: onshape.com/en/support
Ask your teacher or coach to contact the Onshape Education team

If you already have a free Onshape account, you can use it as-is. The Education plan adds a few perks:

Private documents (free accounts require all docs to be public)
More storage space
Access to Onshape education community events

If you don't need these, the free plan works fine for all tutorials.

You can sign up on a phone, but for 3D modeling, a computer or iPad is strongly recommended. The phone screen is too small for comfortable modeling. Onshape has apps for iOS and Android that are great for viewing models, but not ideal for building them.

All set? Let's start learning!

Head to Chapter 1 to learn why CAD matters, then follow the tutorial step by step.

Start Chapter 1: Why CAD?