Fusion 3D Trials & Tribulations

[Susquatch]

So what's the approach with Fusion360. Once you stop paying do you lose the ability to look at your old files, edit your old files etc.?

For now, hobby use is free but limited to 10 working files. Relatively easy to swap working files in and out so virtually no real file limit.

The free version is also missing some advanced functionality. For a newbie like me, it's no biggie.

That's what I know John. I'm sure the wizards can add more.

 

[TorontoBuilder]

I love this. I assume you used a contactor to activate the reverse circuit.

Did you consider just braking? It seems to me that would be both faster and simpler.

I used the VFD inputs which basically are a relay

 

[TorontoBuilder]

So what's the approach with Fusion360. Once you stop paying do you lose the ability to look at your old files, edit your old files etc.?

No you keep all your files.

YOu can read, print and do cad work from old files. You just need to toggle files as editable or not editable. Sort of like activating components.

You get 10 editable files, but in reality you only ever work on a couple at a time, maybe four before they take up too many resources with them all open, so really isn't an issue

 

[slow-poke]

I decided to make a lathe stop out of steel, using the 3D model I printed yesterday as a reference. All done...next project?

 

[DavidR8]

I decided to make a lathe stop out of steel, using the 3D model I printed yesterday as a reference. All done...next project?
View attachment 54212View attachment 54213View attachment 54214

Nice work!

 

[slow-poke]

Nice work!

Credit to Blondihacks for providing the model, working from a dimensional prototype sure saves a lot of time.

Quite a while back I worked at Ontario Hydro research division, down the hall from us there was a machine shop and they would make a lot of specialty devices mostly for the nuclear division, man could those guys make beautiful parts, every one a piece of art. In comparison my suff looks like it was hacked out of a rusty car with a dull chisel.

 

[gerritv]

Question. My Alibre maintenance expires in a month and they want another $485 to renew my support plan. It would be fine if they added features I could use but the latest effort on their part seems to be on some sort of collaboration software for teams and cloud based file storage.

Sound familiar? The problem is that many people now can supply projects designed with Fusion360 but they want $685 per year for access after the trial period. So more expensive than Alibre but with Fusion360 one can take the fusion drawing and export as STEP format which can be imported into Alibre.


So what's the approach with Fusion360. Once you stop paying do you lose the ability to look at your old files, edit your old files etc.?

I have been on the Fusion360 free plan forever. The 10 editable file limit is no biggie, I save a file copy locally (as .f3d and .step) once my design is done. ditto with the CAM if I added that.
Even the only-1-tool limitation/no-rapids in CAM is easily bypassed using a fully functional add-in available from Github.
Tim also has an excel app to sync your tool tables between Fusion 360 and your machine.

The other limitation relates to some 4th axis features, but I have tried that yet. 2D, 2.5D and 3D milling ops are definitely there.

Another bonus is there are more YT videos for Fusion360 than Alibre by people such as Tyler Beck and Brad Tallis
gerrit

 

[DavidR8]

I have been on the Fusion360 free plan forever. The 10 editable file limit is no biggie, I save a file copy locally (as .f3d and .step) once my design is done. ditto with the CAM if I added that.
Even the only-1-tool limitation/no-rapids in CAM is easily bypassed using a fully functional add-in available from Github.
Tim also has an excel app to sync your tool tables between Fusion 360 and your machine.

The other limitation relates to some 4th axis features, but I have tried that yet. 2D, 2.5D and 3D milling ops are definitely there.

Another bonus is there are more YT videos for Fusion360 than Alibre by people such as Tyler Beck and Brad Tallis
gerrit

Thanks for the GitHub tip @gerritv as I’ve spent a few hours investigating CAM options to work with Alibre Atom3D and all of the full featured ones are very spendy.