Fusion 360 Personal the best option for a newbie?

If anyone happens to be a student or teacher they can get a 3 year free license for all the Autodesk products. On their website there is info. You need to show your student or university ID. If you had a child at home in school it might be a good option. If they got to be a super expert at that CAD/CAM software they have a marketable skill compared to just being a pro at whichever video game they put time into!
 
Cadillac STS said:
If anyone happens to be a student or teacher they can get a 3 year free license for all the Autodesk products. On their website there is info. You need to show your student or university ID. If you had a child at home in school it might be a good option. If they got to be a super expert at that CAD/CAM software they have a marketable skill compared to just being a pro at whichever video game they put time into!
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This is true.

But in three years they have you by the short hairs, when they tell you you have to pay $2K or even more to access your own files, because they changed their licensing rules. I'm sorry, Autodesk is infamous for this. I prefer not to deal with snakes. Once you learn one version of CAD, you can transfer most of your knowledge to another, should you need to in a commercial setting.

There's nothing magical about Autodesk, except they are more prone to be allied with he-who-shall-not-be-named than with benevolence. They want you to be tied to them, so they can screw you over by changing their terms and conditions. It's their whole business model, since their beginning.
 
I agree. And to be fair, it isn't just Autodesk. It is the entire industry. They know there is a limited supply of users, and work to corral them in underhanded ways. And it isn't just CAD people. Word processors. Social media. The whole Apple platform is built in a walled garden. It would be different if the 3D file formats were portable, but each player is just different enough to lock up all your work.

No. Thank you. Not again.
 
@AlfromNH Like many have said on here, once the fundamentals of HOW to operate in a CAD environment are understood, the WHAT to use becomes less of an issue.
Fusion 360 would be a good choice due to the robust community support, including YouTube videos. I would personally not use any output from Fusion to try and 3D print with. You will need to use a dedicated slicer such as PrusaSlicer, SuperSlicer, Cura, etc for your printer.
I tried FreeCad and did not like it at all, but that is a personal preference. I have spent most of my time in the Solidworks environment.

As far as a particular company holding your files hostage and having to pay thousands of dollars to access your own files is hogwash. If one is that concerned, you can export your files out of any program in a STEP214 format. This allows interoperability between CAD platforms should you decide to switch CAD programs or share them.
 
7milesup said:
@AlfromNH Like many have said on here, once the fundamentals of HOW to operate in a CAD environment are understood, the WHAT to use becomes less of an issue.
Fusion 360 would be a good choice due to the robust community support, including YouTube videos. I would personally not use any output from Fusion to try and 3D print with. You will need to use a dedicated slicer such as PrusaSlicer, SuperSlicer, Cura, etc for your printer.
I tried FreeCad and did not like it at all, but that is a personal preference. I have spent most of my time in the Solidworks environment.

As far as a particular company holding your files hostage and having to pay thousands of dollars to access your own files is hogwash. If one is that concerned, you can export your files out of any program in a STEP214 format. This allows interoperability between CAD platforms should you decide to switch CAD programs or share them.
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Using step files for anything is awful. Can't seem to do much with them. Perhaps I don't know how to use them properly, but if someone gives you a step file, good luck using it. Yes, you can see stuff but its awkward to use it again. With a true export you can cut and paste various bits of your model for reuse. A step file is only useful for a small part, at least that has been my experience. If your experience is otherwise, please enlighten me, as I would truly like to know.

Lets just say, once you have been burned, you aren't going back... The software terms and conditions can be rewritten whenever they like, whether you are ready for it or not. You don't own the software - it has merely been licensed to you, and they can take it back or render it inoperative whenever they like, or simply jack up the price for use, or prevent you from saving new files, with little to no warning... Or declare that useful modules and add-ons that are critical to you are subject to new fees or subscriptions.
 
Us analog guys that have never done any cad at all find fusion 360 very difficult.
I gave up.
But, many of you find Fusion360 to be the bees knees.
I'm just too stuck in the past:)
 
WobblyHand said:
Using step files for anything is awful. Can't seem to do much with them. Perhaps I don't know how to use them properly, but if someone gives you a step file, good luck using it. Yes, you can see stuff but its awkward to use it again. With a true export you can cut and paste various bits of your model for reuse. A step file is only useful for a small part, at least that has been my experience. If your experience is otherwise, please enlighten me, as I would truly like to know.
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I think you are confusing STEP files with STL files. There is a big difference, although I can import an STL file into Solidworks and convert it.
 
slodat said:
I have been a paid subscriber of Fusion 360 for several years. It is invaluable in my workflow. For learning 3d modeling, and pairing it with a 3d printer, I feel Fusion 360 is great. I don't get into all the whining and complaining about their business model. They have been up front about the fact that features will become paid over time. I do agree the roll out is less than ideal at times. The community around 360 makes it easy to learn.
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Same here and totally agree. Well said. I moved from 2D to Fusion 360 during Covid. Took me about 9 months with the Personal edition to get Autodesk Expert certification, and then I bought a 3 year license on sale for about $800. Fantastic product. That works out to $1.00 per day - about 1/3rd what I spend at Starbucks. But to get started, the Personal edition is great. You may find you never need to advance to the paid subscription.
 
7milesup said:
I think you are confusing STEP files with STL files. There is a big difference, although I can import an STL file into Solidworks and convert it.
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Nope. I'm talking about STEP files, not STL files. STEP files are better than STL's, I will give you that!
 
Janderso said:
Us analog guys that have never done any cad at all find fusion 360 very difficult.
I gave up.
But, many of you find Fusion360 to be the bees knees.
I'm just too stuck in the past:)
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Hey Jeff, I understand your frustration. I really struggled at first until I had a good friend point out some key elements that I was doing incorrectly. Then it started to click, but it is somewhat of an uphill climb. I know that you could do it, you are a smart guy.
 
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