Fusion 360. All I can say is WOW!!!

[Inflight]

I drew up a Parker 6" linear slide

Most items listed on McMaster-Carr's website are directly importable into your drawing as a full 3D component. Maybe your linear slide is one such item.

I've been using Fusion360 for a couple years and I love it. The 2D side is slowly coming together but keep in mind that you can export a sketch as a DXF directly from the modeling environment. The Render and Animation are also very useful tools if you need to present your design to others. And I can't say enough about how wonderful the CAM toolpath system works. It's so easy if you are into CNC. I was literally cutting parts within an hour of installing Fusion360 the first time I tried it.

Matt

 

[hgneese3rd]

Does anybody use turbocad 2017; I still trying to learn

 

[MikeWi]

Does anybody use turbocad 2017; I still trying to learn

I've tried that product several times, and Just couldnt' get the hang of it. I know there's people who use and like it, but it's just not for me. Fusion 360 was far easier.

 

[Winegrower]

I have Solidworks. I know it's expensive, but once you learn a package, it's too hard to switch. I'm not expert, but anything I can make I can draw. Not true the other way around.

 

[bill70j]

I have Solidworks. I know it's expensive, but once you learn a package, it's too hard to switch. I'm not expert, but anything I can make I can draw. Not true the other way around.

Winegrower:

A couple of months ago I got a one year trial of Solidworks for students (which they offer to vets for free). Could you give us a ballpartk figure what it costs an individual on an annual basis??

I love the tool, and am putting a lot of effort into learning it. It would be nice to know if I can afford it after my freebie expires.

Thanks!

 

[Winegrower]

Since you asked, a few years ago, for my R&D business, I bought a Solidworks package, the entry level stuff (but there is a lot in there). I recall it was around $3K. You can pay more for specialized add-ons like thermal analysis, finite element analysis, electrical wiring, etc.

You own the package, so there is no annual fee. On the other hand, you can do an annual subscription for around $1K, and you get software updates. I could be telling more than I know, because I have ignored basically daily offers to upgrade. Maybe there are more options now.

It is difficult to learn, and hard to remember, but maybe that’s just me. For what I can make with a lathe and mill, it’s not so bad, and it is very easy and fun to make dimensioned drawings from your solid model.

 

[bill70j]

Thanks much for the info - exactly what I was looking for. I am thinking it best to abandon Solidworks due to the initial investment, and move to Fusion 360. Appreciate your input, Winegrower.

Bill

 

[7milesup]

Winegrower:

A couple of months ago I got a one year trial of Solidworks for students (which they offer to vets for free). Could you give us a ballpartk figure what it costs an individual on an annual basis??

I love the tool, and am putting a lot of effort into learning it. It would be nice to know if I can afford it after my freebie expires.

Thanks!

Hey guys...

So, if you become an EAA member (Experimental Aircraft Association) you can download a full version of Solidworks for free. EAA Solidworks Linky. A side benefit is that you get a really nice magazine every month too along with some other benefits. Who knows, you might become intrigued and decide to build and airplane. For $40 a year, you can't go wrong.

I downloaded and started to use it. Solidworks is very powerful but I also found it to be almost overwhelming and some of the program's rationale seems to be left over from the '80s. Maybe it is just me.
I have been dabbling in Fusion 360 for a little while and finially made a serious effort to learn it, and I am glad I did. Fairly powerful program but more importantly, their development team listens to the concerns of the their end users and make changes/improvements on a regular basis.

TurboCad, as far as I am concerned, is dead considering the offerings now from the likes of Autodesk and Dassault Systems.