Onshape to Flux

Bring your Onshape project to Flux and continue it here. Flux edits the imported parts and assemblies, designs new parts around them, and adds electronics and firmware in the same project.

Export STEP files from Onshape

1. In Onshape, open the document.

2. Right-click the Part Studio tab or the Assembly tab, then select Export.

3. In Format, select STEP.

4. Click Export. Onshape saves all of the parts and their positions in one STEP file.

To export one part, right-click the part in the Parts list of the Part Studio, then select Export.

Import the STEP file into Flux

Attach the STEP file to a message in the Chat panel and tell Flux what to do with it.

To do it in the UI:

1. Open your Flux project, or create a new project.

2. In the Inspector, open Assets, click Manage Assets, then click Add Item.

3. Upload the .step file. In Assets, Flux accepts .step, .stp, .stpz, .iges, .igs, and .brep files.

4. Open the View panel and use the 3D view to see the model. For an assembly, Flux keeps each part in its original position, with its color and repeated instances.

You can also attach the STEP file to a message in the Chat panel and tell Flux what to do with it.

To add a component with its 3D model to your part library, select Flux menu → Import → Part… and upload the symbol and footprint files with the matching .step or .stp model. See Mechanical Design.

Import .x_t files from Onshape

Onshape also exports .x_t files. Flux imports them into your part library.

Export the .x_t file from Onshape with the steps below. Then attach it to a message in the Chat panel and ask Flux to import it.

To export from Onshape and import in the UI:

1. In Onshape, right-click the Part Studio tab or the Assembly tab, then select Export.

2. In Format, select Parasolid, then click Export.

Then, in Flux:

1. Select Flux menu → Import → Mechanical → 3D part or assembly….

2. In the Import Parts dialog, click Choose files and select the .x_t file. You can also click Choose folder, or drop the files or a ZIP file on the dialog.

3. Select the parts to import, then click the Import button. The button shows the number of selected parts, for example Import 3 parts.

4. Flux creates a new part in your library for each file. Drag the part from the Part Library into your project.

Connect Flux to Onshape

Flux can also write editable, parametric FeatureScript features for your Onshape documents.

1. In a Flux project, click the antenna icon (AI Integrations) in the chat composer.

2. Connect Onshape and sign in with your Onshape account.

3. Ask Flux for the feature.

What you can do with your design in Flux

Flux is an AI hardware engineer. After the import, your Onshape model is part of a Flux project. Ask Flux to work on it. Flux works on the mechanical parts, the electronics, the firmware, and the manufacturing in the same project.

Turn the imported model into a complete device

Use the imported Onshape part or assembly as the fit reference for a PCB. Then add firmware for the board and a wire harness for off-board sensors or actuators where the assembly needs one.

1. Ask Flux to design a PCB that fits the imported Onshape enclosure or mechanism. Include its mounting points, connectors, and clearances.

2. Ask Flux to design firmware for the microcontroller and peripherals on the new board.

3. If the assembly has off-board sensors or actuators, ask Flux to design a wire harness between them and the board.

Edit the imported model

Tell Flux what to change. Flux measures the imported model and converts its parts into editable CAD code. It saves each edit as a new model and keeps your original file unchanged in the project. In an assembly, Flux changes the part you name and keeps the other parts where they are.

Design new parts and mechanisms

Ask Flux for custom parts that fit your imported model: brackets, mounts, housings, hinges, and mechanisms. Flux builds them around the real 3D models of your parts and boards. It uses screws, standoffs, and other hardware from the Flux part library.

Build assemblies and complete products

Ask Flux to build multi-part assemblies and complete products, from a handheld device to a robot arm. Flux places the parts by face, edge, or axis constraints, and places the board and its components in the assembly.

Check fit, strength, heat, and mass

Ask Flux to check the fit and the clearances between parts and to find interference. For a part under load, ask Flux to analyze the stress and the deflection. For a part that gets hot, ask Flux to analyze the heat conduction through the part. Flux also calculates the mass, the center of mass, and the inertia. Flux reports the results with numbers and images. See Simulation.

Simulate air flow, liquid flow, and cooling

Ask Flux to simulate the air flow and the temperature inside an enclosure with vents, fans, or heatsinks. Flux also simulates liquid cooling and the pressure drop in channels, and the drag around a product.

Design the electronics, firmware, and cables

Flux designs the electronics inside your product in the same project. Ask Flux for the requirements, the parts, the schematic, and the PCB layout and routing. Ask Flux to write and test the firmware for the microcontroller. Ask Flux for the wire harnesses between the boards and the other devices, with a quote from a harness manufacturer.

Render your design

Ask Flux for a still render, a turntable video, or an exploded-view animation of your models. You can also ask for a product video of your device.

Export and manufacture

Ask Flux to export the 3D model of the project.

To export in the UI:

Select Flux menu → Export → Mechanical → PCB 3D model to export STL, STEP, STEP compressed, GLB, COLLADA, BREP, VRML, or XAO files. Open the STEP file in Onshape to continue the work there.

Ask Flux for 3D-printing quotes from vendors such as Craftcloud, JLCPCB 3D printing, and PCBWay 3D printing, and for laser-cut and sheet-metal quotes from SendCutSend and OSH Cut. Ask Flux to order the 3D-printed parts from Craftcloud. For the board, ask Flux for PCB quotes and orders. See Export and manufacturing.

Onshape concepts in Flux

Related pages

• Mechanical Design

• Mechanical Design FAQs

• Simulation