Fusion 360 Defunctioning

[ArmyDoc]

Things like this are going to hurt the software rental system the big companies are pushing. People see this sort of thing and push back. It's nice to be able to pay a smaller amount per year and get updates for many people.

MS Office used to run $500 or so for the bigger versions. Home users couldn't justify that, so pirated or used something else. It's currently $70/year, which is pretty reasonable for what you get. I still wouldn't have it if my wife didn't insist on it. She uses it at work a lot, so using something else is irritating for her. I use that sort of thing rarely, so I just use OpenOffice on my computer. When I don't just use a text editor. I rarely use the fancy formatting tools for the stuff I do.

MS Office had different versions with different levels of programs at different price points. I din't mind shelling out $200 to $400 every few years IF I wanted to upgrade. If I didn't, I could keep using what I had purchased. When the upgrade was worth the price, I upgraded. This served as and incentive for them to upgrade their product and fix bugs.

I think I'm going to try to use FreeCAD and if I can get it to work for me, I'll send $ I would have used on something else to them. I really dislike the attitude some of the companies have with this stuff. It's a little like Darth Vader.. "I have altered the deal. Pray I do not alter it further." And as a paying customer for F360, I think I have the right to be irritated. And for hobby users, $400/year is a big ask. For a business, it's a good deal though. Other than the issues with them possibly altering that deal as well.

I've heard pirated Solidworks is out there. If I wind up going that way, maybe I'll run that version on an isolated VM so they can't mess with it and pay for the $40/year club. But I'd rather support the open source guys if it will do the job.

I agree. $400 a year is ridiculous. I did one project this year. I'd be willing to pay $400 for a permanent license and no upgrades. I'm not willing to pay several grand for the same thing.

I might be willing to pay $50 a year for access to the software under the current offering for hobby users, but not for something without the stuff I need to export files to my 3d printer.

 

[jwmelvin]

... but not for something without the stuff I need to export files to my 3d printer.

They haven’t removed STL export. That’s what I use for my 3D printer. Why do you use something different?

I get that STEP files allow a workflow that includes other CAD programs, but for the typical use in 3D printing, I have never needed one.

The ten-active-file limit is a little more annoying, but I can’t say I’ve had a time where I’m working on more than ten designs in a given week. They allow you to archive designs and exchange active vs archived designs, so the new approach is certainly clunkier but I don’t think will change much.

Hopefully one can make multiple single-sheet drawings of a particular project. Though drawings may count as active documents...

I’m happy they didn’t get rid of exporting a sketch as a DXF, as that’s super useful for laser-cutting services.

It would definitely be nice to have a lower cost option to get back some of the restrictions. But everyone has their own feature set they care about and I imagine it’s pretty tough to satisfy everyone.

 

[BGHansen]

I think it's been posted before. EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) offers a free home use license of SolidWorks with membership. Memberships start at $40/year and decrease if you join for longer durations.

I haven't used Fusion360, but I've been told there's a bit of relearning to use SolidWorks. Haven't tried installing the Solidworks CAM software, but according to the EAA forum it's included too.

SOLIDWORKS Resource Center | EAA

Yup, saw your post in the past and took advantage of it. My wife is a Unigraphics designer and we have a SW seat at home through the EAA offer. One of these years I'll have her teach me how to use it.

RJ will chime in; think he uses SW and HSMExpress for CAM. The F360 change really hurts hobbyists doing CNC work as there are lots of CAD options, but not many CAM packages.

Personally, I understand AutoDesk's tact as they are a company in business to make money. Almost like a neighbor who always borrows your tools, then gets PO'd if you start charging them to borrow stuff. Not a problem if he needed to borrow a hammer to pound a couple of nails. I wouldn't know if he was actually using it to build a house as a contractor.

Bruce

 

[graham-xrf]

It's difficult as a software vendor: You offer a free version, you find that many of your customers that should pay don't, because the free version gives them all they need. A hobbyist and a pro need the same features, really. Step file export is an excellent example.

OnShape is fairly cunning in this respect. The free version does not allow you to keep and edit private documents. Everything you draw is public. As a business, that's not something you can get away with. As a hobbyist, I really don't care.

As for web apps, subscriptions and software as a service... Like it or not, that's the way the commercial world is going. The advantages are numerous: It's truly cross platform. You can't lose data. There's nothing to install. It's never out of date. Your work is not tied to any local storage.

FreeCAD, I expect to feel just like Blender: great, powerful features with the most pointlessly clunky, migraine inducing interface. I'm keeping an open mind and hoping to be pleasantly surprised.

I think you just might be

The interface is switchable between several modes users might already be used to. I posted this before in another thread, but they are ..
Open Inventor (Left click hold-down mouse ROTATE the model, middle click hold is PAN, Shift+Left-Click is SELECT). Not good for sketches
CAD (Default - Left-Click is SELECT. Shift + Right-Click-hold is for ROTATE. probably essential for sketches. Awkward for main model viewing)
Revit
Blender
Maya-Gesture
TouchPad
Gesture (Seems to rotate mode like OpenInventor, but allow hover highlighted pre-select like CAD mode)
OpenCascade

Interestingly, "TouchPad" and "Gesture" can be used with mouse desktop, despite they were made for touchpads. I haven't fullly explored them all, but "Gesture", in the firs few seconds, looks handy.

Of course, some users rig up custom macros to let the interface emulate other software. I like Open Inventor for rolling a model around, but that compromises the (more standard) CAD interface which pre-selects and highlights whatever surface or object is going to get attention. CAD mode is simply necessary when making sketches. I plan to use the Right-Click+Hold when in CAD mode to map to Shift+Right-Click-Drag for rotate, to have the best of both styles, but it something like that may have already been done for me among the choices.

My point is - just about every interface is there, and Blender is only one of them. Also, none of them are permanently unchangeable.

 

[gerritv]

As a Mac user Solidworks is a non-starter so it will have to be FreeCAD for me.

So you are willing to pay 30-40% over what is the value of a machine but you won't pay US297/year for using software that includes mutli-axis CAM? Interesting decision.

 

[matthewsx]

The real expense for any software is the time invested into learning it. I’m such a FOSS person that I just loaded Ubuntu INTO my Windows 10 system at work.

Glad I never went down the Fusion360 path, FreeCAD and LinuxCNC for me.

John

 

[DavidR8]

So you are willing to pay 30-40% over what is the value of a machine but you won't pay US297/year for using software that includes mutli-axis CAM? Interesting decision.

I've been a Mac user for years as it's been the platform of choice for photographic editing which is my other hobby. That said, I'm using a 2014 MacBook Pro which runs the current MacOS no problem. Six years on the same hardware seems like good ROI to me.

My reluctance to pay for F360 is that for me it's near $400 CAD and I don't use it enough or have the CAD/CAM needs to warrant that expense.
In all honesty, SketchUp lets me draw what I need but I'm always looking to expand my knowledge base.

 

[Flyinfool]

I have always liked flying things, I do have a pilots license even though I have not flown a full size plane in almost 15 years now. I am a former EAA member. This looks like just the right push to rejoin EAA to get the free Solidworks, AND motivate me to get my pilots license back to current............Hmmmmmmmm.........


But I still hate that SW would still be on the web.

 

[matthewsx]

I have always liked flying things, I do have a pilots license even though I have not flown a full size plane in almost 15 years now. I am a former EAA member. This looks like just the right push to rejoin EAA to get the free Solidworks, AND motivate me to get my pilots license back to current............Hmmmmmmmm.........


But I still hate that SW would still be on the web.

My dad was a homebuiler and EAA member who flew until his medical got pulled from diabetes, I saw the EAA Solidworks deal and it looks like a great thing for members. If you can fly a plane, or operate machine tools even you could also definitely learn Linux and FreeCAD.

I don't share your distrust of cloud based software but for something like CAD I don't see any advantage unless you're part of a distributed design team.

John

 

[graham-xrf]

I have always liked flying things, I do have a pilots license even though I have not flown a full size plane in almost 15 years now. I am a former EAA member. This looks like just the right push to rejoin EAA to get the free Solidworks, AND motivate me to get my pilots license back to current............Hmmmmmmmm.........


But I still hate that SW would still be on the web.

I haven't explored it yet, but i see there is a whole AirPlaneDesign workbench in FreeCAD. My interest in flying involved flying gliders (sailplanes), which, as flying goes, is a pretty complete experience in all attitudes with attendant G-forces. I do feel for you about getting the license back, but I can't imagine a masked checkout sharing a canopy that has to be deep cleaned afterward can be any much fun.

I wanted to fly the "Jurassic Coast Zig-Zag" this year. That is, to take videos from motor-glider while flying zig-zag out over the sea, and then back in over land, with a pal in a partner airplane, while riding the shore lift. That's not going to happen anytime soon!

At least I can mess with machine stuff (and CAD) while hiding out from the pestilence!