The Onshape integration: send CAD models straight to SimplyPrint

The SimplyPrint app for Onshape lets you export parts and assemblies straight from a browser document and upload them to your SimplyPrint account in one click. Pick STL or 3MF, dial in resolution and units, press Send, and the file lands in SimplyPrint ready to slice and print - no downloads, no SD cards, no extra software on your machine.

What you can do

• Export STL or 3MF directly from Onshape to SimplyPrint
• Works on Part Studios (pick the parts you want) and full Assemblies (one combined file)
• Tune resolution (coarse / medium / fine), units (mm / cm / m / inch / foot), scale, and STL orientation
• Chunked uploads for huge designs - multi-hundred-megabyte parts just work
• New parts added to the Part Studio are picked up automatically
• Runs entirely in the Onshape browser UI - nothing to install locally

Install from the Onshape App Store

The SimplyPrint app is free and runs inside Onshape. You'll need an Onshape account (the free tier works fine) and a SimplyPrint account.

1. Open the SimplyPrint listing on the Onshape App Store.
2. Click Subscribe on the listing and approve the OAuth permissions Onshape asks for. This grants the app read-only access to your documents so it can read part geometry.
3. Open any Onshape document. A SimplyPrint tab appears on the right-hand panel of every Part Studio and Assembly. The first time you open it, you'll be asked to connect your SimplyPrint account too.

Where to find it

Once subscribed, the app shows up on the right-side panel of every Onshape document:

Right panel on Part Studios
A SimplyPrint icon is added to the right-side panel of any Part Studio. Click it to open the export panel and pick the parts you want to send.

Right panel on Assemblies
The same SimplyPrint icon shows up on Assemblies. There's no part picker here - the whole assembly is exported as a single combined file.

How to send a model to SimplyPrint

1. Open the document you want to print in Onshape.
2. Open the SimplyPrint panel from the right-hand sidebar.
3. The first time, click Connect SimplyPrint. A browser tab opens with SimplyPrint's sign-in page - approve the request and return to Onshape. You stay signed in for future exports.
4. Part Studio: tick the parts you want to send. Assembly: the whole assembly is exported - no picker needed. Tweak the export options (format, resolution, units, scale, orientation).
5. Click Send. SimplyPrint opens in a new tab with the file uploaded, ready to slice, queue, or print on one or more printers.

Export options explained

Format

Resolution

Controls how finely Onshape tessellates the model into triangles. Higher resolution means smoother curves and larger files.

Units

Choose the unit system the exported file should use: mm, cm, m, inch, or foot. Slicers expect millimeters by default - stick with mm unless you have a specific reason to change it.

Scale

A numeric multiplier applied to the exported geometry. Leave it at 1.0 unless you know you need to scale the part up or down before slicing.

Y-axis up (STL only)

Onshape's coordinate system treats Z as vertical, but some slicers (and some downstream tools) expect Y as vertical. Tick this if your slicer brings parts in lying on their side.

Part Studios vs Assemblies

Onshape splits design work into two document types, and the SimplyPrint panel handles each one slightly differently:

• Part Studio - a design space containing sketches and one or more parts. The panel shows a checklist of every part in the studio; tick the ones you want and they're combined into a single STL/3MF (or one file per part for 3MF).
• Assembly - combines multiple parts and sub-assemblies into a finished model. The panel exports the whole assembly as one combined mesh, no picker needed. Mate constraints are baked into the export.

If you only want a single part out of a multi-part assembly, open the underlying Part Studio instead and send from there.

Working with Onshape configurations

Onshape lets a single Part Studio or Assembly hold multiple configurations - variants driven by parameter values (for example a bracket that comes in three hole spacings, or a part with metric vs imperial threads).

The SimplyPrint panel always exports the configuration that's currently active in the viewport. To print a different variant:

1. Switch the configuration in Onshape using the configuration list at the top of the feature tree.
2. Wait for the viewport to update.
3. Hit Send in the SimplyPrint panel - the new variant exports with whatever options you had set.

If you need to print every configuration in a sweep, send each one in turn - they arrive in SimplyPrint as separate files you can queue together.

Tips for big assemblies

Onshape assemblies can hold thousands of parts, and the mesh you export is only as detailed as you ask for. A few rules of thumb:

• Resolution scales the mesh more than scale does. Going from Fine to Medium typically halves the file size with barely any visible difference on most prints. Drop straight to Coarse for low-fidelity test prints.
• Hide what you won't print. The Assembly export bakes in everything visible in the viewport. Hide hardware (screws, dowels, bearings) that you're not actually 3D-printing before sending.
• Print sub-assemblies separately. For really large designs, open each sub-assembly individually and send it as its own file - that way the SimplyPrint queue treats each one as a discrete job you can stage onto different printers.
• STL is faster than 3MF. If you don't need 3MF metadata (multi-material, per-part colours), STL is synchronous and arrives instantly.

Large files

SimplyPrint accepts uploads of any size from Onshape. Files over ~99 MB are automatically split into chunks during upload so they survive flaky connections and won't time out - you don't need to do anything special, just wait for the progress bar.

Working as a team

Onshape is collaborative by design - multiple people can be inside the same document at once - and the SimplyPrint app fits that model:

• Each user subscribes individually. The app is added to a user's Onshape account, not to the document. Every team member who wants to send to SimplyPrint subscribes to the app from the Onshape App Store on their own account.
• Shared SimplyPrint workspace. Have everyone sign in to the same SimplyPrint workspace and your queue, printers and history are visible to the whole team.
• Document-level access still applies. The app can only read documents the signed-in Onshape user already has access to - revoking someone's Onshape access also revokes their ability to send that document via SimplyPrint.

Signing out or switching accounts

Open the SimplyPrint panel in any Onshape document and use the Sign out option at the top of the panel. Your SimplyPrint token is cleared and you can connect with a different account next time. Signing out in Onshape doesn't affect any other SimplyPrint plugins you may have installed (Blender, SketchUp, Fusion 360, etc.) - each handles its own session.

To remove the app entirely from your Onshape account, go to the Onshape App Store, open your subscriptions, and unsubscribe from SimplyPrint.

Requirements

• An Onshape account (free tier works)
• A SimplyPrint account
• A modern browser with third-party cookies allowed for simplyprint.io (needed for the OAuth callback to return to Onshape)

Troubleshooting

"Connect SimplyPrint" window opens but never returns.
The OAuth callback needs to return through simplyprint.io back into the Onshape iframe. Allow third-party cookies for simplyprint.io in your browser settings, or open the dialog in a private/incognito window briefly to confirm it works there. Safari's Intelligent Tracking Prevention can interfere - try Chrome or Firefox if you're stuck.

My new part isn't in the export list.
The Part Studio panel polls Onshape every few seconds for changes. If a part you just added isn't showing, click the refresh icon at the top of the panel, or close and reopen the SimplyPrint tab.

3MF export seems slow.
3MF generation runs asynchronously on Onshape's side - SimplyPrint polls until it's ready, which can take a few seconds for large parts. STL exports are synchronous and arrive instantly. If you don't need 3MF-specific metadata (colours, per-part info), stick with STL for faster exports.

I can't find the SimplyPrint panel in my document.
Click the + at the top of the right-hand panel inside Onshape and add SimplyPrint to the document. The app is per-document, so older documents from before you subscribed may need this manual add.

Upload fails halfway through on a huge model.
The app chunks uploads over 99 MB automatically, but very slow networks can still time out individual chunks. Try a wired connection, or drop the resolution to Medium to produce a smaller file.

The wrong configuration was exported.
The app always exports the configuration currently active in the Onshape viewport. Switch the configuration in Onshape's config list, wait for the viewport to refresh, and send again.

The app icon shows but the panel is blank.
A browser extension (ad blocker, privacy extension, content blocker) may be blocking the app's iframe from loading. Disable extensions for *.onshape.com and refresh - if that fixes it, allowlist the SimplyPrint domain in your extension.

FAQ

Do I need a paid Onshape account?
No - the SimplyPrint app works on every Onshape tier, including the free hobbyist and EDU plans.

Can I use the app offline?
No. Onshape itself is cloud-based, and so is the SimplyPrint app - both need an internet connection.

Does the app modify my Onshape documents?
No. The OAuth scope is read-only; the app reads geometry to build the export but never writes back.

Can I share my exports with other team members automatically?
Yes - sign in to a shared SimplyPrint workspace and every export from any team member's Onshape lands in the same queue.

How do I uninstall the app?
Open your Onshape account settings, find your app subscriptions, and unsubscribe from SimplyPrint. The panel will disappear from your documents on next reload.

Where is my data stored?
Geometry sent through the app is uploaded to your SimplyPrint workspace's storage. The app itself doesn't keep a copy after the upload finishes - rerunning an export pulls fresh geometry from Onshape.

Updated on: 25/08/2026