I use onshape too. The free version. I really hope they are committed to keeping onshape free for makers.
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Fusion 360 is a bit more difficult to study, especially at start. But it’s great investment into your skills. Both parts - CAD and CAM.
Honestly it has even more parts - realistic render, various simulations and new modules related to electronic schemas and pcb design.
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Yes, I spent a fair amount of time over the weekend watching tutorials for various CAD programs and liked the Fusion 360 ones by Product Design Online and decided it was the way I wanted to go. I just started a thread as it seemed to download successfully but is now just sitting on an introductory page idling.
Now it’s working
No where did it say to restart but that was apparently the key. You’d think I’d know by now that turn it off/turn it on again is always worth a try.
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Well, I’ve got Fusion loaded and apparently functional but one thing has puzzled me from the start. The only CNC work I’ve ever done was on a milling machine and ‘X’ moved the table left and right, ‘Y’ moved the table away and towards me, and ‘Z’ moved the quill up and down. When Fusion opens the little isometric cube in the upper right corner shows ‘X’ going left/right, ‘Z’ going away/towards, and ‘Y’ up/down.
Am I missing something that makes this a good thing?
I got tired of my 3D print models loading into Cura 90deg off, so now I start my new models by orienting the view cube with Z pointed up (by clicking the FRONT face), and then right-clicking to Set Current View As -> Top.
That sets top to be the XY plane with Z pointed up.
THANK YOU! I apparently couldn’t find the right search terms to learn how to do that.
Since you say “now I start my new models by orienting the view cube” I’m guessing you can’t make what you’ve done a default setting?
The only other CAD program I’ve ever worked with was as I expected, ‘Z’ was vertical, is there some reason I’m missing why Fusion is different?
I think I found it.
Upper right corner, right click on your name
Click Preferences
On the General selection, change Default Modelling Orientation to “Z UP”
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THANK YOU! Ya done good!
I’ve looked at a number of basic tutorials but none of the ones I’ve seen mentionedt setting preferences. I just find it difficult to think of ‘Z’ as anything but the vertical axis.
At least there’s one less thing to confuse me now. 
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