In addition to allowing the creation of custom templates from scratch, Onshape also provides a number of public drawing templates for you to use and customize. These templates are typical of what most users would need and may be sufficient used as-is by many users. To use a drawing from a different CAD package as a template in Onshape, see Using traditional CAD drawings as templates in Onshape.

You can think of a drawing template as being comprised of the format of a drawing that includes the title block, border, and zones, if desired, as well as the properties that describe the function of the drawing that are found under the drawing Properties panel. A drawing template is nothing more than formatting the desired appearance and defining the drawing properties and behavior, to be available for reuse for every detailed drawing.

For best practices when creating native Onshape drawing templates, see Best practices for creating native onshape drawing templates (Onshape account required) in the Learning Center.

If you need a custom drawing template, to enforce company drawing formats, follow this procedure:

  1. Sign in to your Onshape account.
  2. On the Documents page, select the Public filter.
  3. Type either Onshape ANSI Drawing Templates or Onshape ISO Drawing Templates in the Search box located at the top of the page.
  1. The search results will include at least 2 documents owned by Onshape and containing drawing templates:

    You can use these links to find the templates as well:

    Custom ISO templates document

    Custom ANSI template

  2. Open the document containing the template you want to customize.
  3. Once in the document, right-click on the tab containing the template you want to customize and choose Download.

    You now have a file named something like "ANSI_A.dwt" on your local drive.

  4. Edit that file with another editor (AutoCAD, Ares, or some other DWG editor) to make changes.

    For example, you could add your company logo or alter the title block (in vector form).

    Note while editing:

    • There are 2 sheets in the DWT file - one for the first sheet of a drawing and a second sheet for continuation sheets in your drawing. You may need to edit both sheets.
    • The template contains many settings that are helpful when creating Onshape drawings. You'll generally see better behavior if you avoid removing items from the template and instead just modify, add, or move items in the template. For example, it's fine to add additional text and areas to the title block.
  5. When finished editing the DWT file, save it to your local drive with the current name or another name and be sure it still has the file extension .dwt.

    Onshape uses the names of tabs when searching for templates. So if your template has "ANSI" or "ISO" in its tab name, it will be found when the user clicks on the ANSI or ISO filter in the drawing creation dialog.

  6. To access your newly created custom template, create or open a new document in Onshape. (You will use this document to hold your custom templates.)
  7. Click on the Plus sign icon menu in the lower left corner of the Onshape window and choose Import to import the DWT file you just saved:

Example screenshot of Import highlighted

This creates a new template tab in the document.

At this point, the next time you create a drawing, when you click on My templates or Created by me, you will see that template tab listed and you are able to choose it as the template for your new drawing.

As soon as you begin creating a drawing of a part in Onshape, you have the choice to select an existing template, or to create a custom template:

  1. Select Create a drawing from the part's context menu in a Part Studio to access the Create drawing dialog:

    Example screenshot of Create Drawing highlighted from the part context menuCreating a custom drawing template by selecting from an existing template

  2. At the top of the dialog, select Custom template (shown above, to the left of the red arrow) to access the Custom template dialog:

    Custom template dialog

  3. Design your template:
    1. Standard - ANSI or ISO
    2. Language - The language in which title box text should be displayed.
    3. Size - Choices are presented based on the Standard selected
    4. Units - Inches, Millimeters, or Feet and inches (defaults are by standard, but you can choose whatever you want)
    5. Decimal separator - Period or Comma (defaults are by standard, but you can choose whatever you want)
    6. Projection - Third angle or First angle (defaults are by standard, but you can choose whatever you want)
    7. Border - Include a border, or create the drawing without a border at all.
    8. Horizontal zones - Specify the number of horizontal zones in the border.
    9. Vertical zones - Specify the number of vertical zones in the border.
    10. Start zones - Specify in which corner of the drawing to begin labeling the zones.
    11. Titleblock - Include a title block, or do not include a titleblock (you can still create your own titleblock once in drawing mode)
  4. Select whether to automatically include 4 standard views or leave the drawing empty (no views)
  5. Click OK (or Cancel).

When you have a drawing edited the way you want it, you are able to use it to create a template for future drawings.

When exporting a drawing as a DWT file, keep in mind that:

  • Only the first and, if present, second sheets are exported to the DWT file. No other sheets are exported.
  • All views are deleted, and only non-view geometry and text remain.
  • The format will be DWT; the version will be 2013, the primary template will be the first drawing sheet and if present, the second sheet becomes the continuation template.

Steps

  1. Right-click the Drawing tab and select Export to open the Export drawing dialog:

Example screenshot of Export highlighted from the drawing tab context menu

  1. To create a drawing template, select DWT as the format (as shown above).
  2. Click Export.

To use the template:

  1. In a document, use the Plus sign icon and select Import.
  2. Select the drawing template.
  3. When creating a drawing, select the Created by me filter.
  4. Select the template you created.
  5. Click OK.

Create an Onshape drawing template as described in the instructions above. Then, in Onshape, create an empty drawing:

  1. At the template step, select Custom Template.
  2. Select Do not include the borders.
  3. Select Do not include the title block.
  4. Set size, standard, and other characteristics as needed.
  5. Click OK and close the open dialogs in the drawing.
  6. Import your exported traditional CAD drawing (in DWG/DXF format) into Onshape (through the Plus sign icon menu > Import).
  7. Open the empty drawing you created.
  8. Use Insert DWG/DXF Insert DWG/DFX icon tool to insert the file just uploaded.

  9. To tweak the fonts, select the text and change the font to an internally supported font of your choice.

    1. To add Revision Table or Block functions:
      1. Generate a drawing using the newly uploaded DWG/DXF.
      2. Place a table where needed (for example, the upper right corner).
    2. To include a company logo in the drawing template:
      1. Upload the logo through the Insert Image command.
      2. Insert the newly uploaded image, properly place and size it in the drawing.
    3. Insert drawing fields as necessary in the appropriate areas of your drawing:
      1. Add a note to the drawing.
      2. Select the Insert field button.
  10. Use the Move to command on the View’s context menu (right-click) to add elements to: Title block, Border frame, and Border zones. Nothing on the Drawing layer will be exported; only these three layers.

    11. Elements will be added to the corresponding layer: title block, border frame, or border zones.

  11. Right-click the drawing tab and select Export.
  12. Select a Format of DWT.
  13. Select the Option of Store file in a new tab.
  14. Click Export.
  15. When selecting a template for a future drawing, this template will appear in the Created by me and Shared with me filters in the drawing creation dialog.
  16. Test the drawing template before using.