Fusion 360 Discussion and Laser use

[Philipp Pap]

Hey guys, have you seen this?
https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusio ... sonal-use/
So very soon dxf and dwg export will not be possible anymore.
Only 10 active projects (but you can swap with archived ones), it it really too expansive for autodesk to add some drive space?

[Gene Uselman]

I am not surprised I guess. I am sure that everything adds up and we live in a 'make money' world. If they get a lot of flak maybe they will offer a low cost storage plan. I wonder how may of us geeks there are on the zero pay plan?

The days of people doing things for nothing are over I am afraid- everyone has to protect themselves from the stockholders. Not saying it is a better system but it is the system we have I fear.

[sebastien laforet]

classic strategy for software products : distribute them free and once the users are acquired, start restricting and make them pay.

i remember when sketchup was free, and it is now a costly bloatware, and the web version is so restricted it is useless.

that's why i tend to stick to open-source. inkscape, librecad, blender. but there is no parametric 3D modeling today, except maybe freecad but i can't use it as the UI is so botched (not to speak about the documentation). i'd like to be able to use blender for real 3D "CAD" modeling (using exact dimensions and constraints)

[Doug Fisher]

>>classic strategy for software products<<

Yes, software and drug dealers! Get you addicted and then start turning the screws. I am actually quite surprised it has stayed "free" this long.

[Gene Uselman]

Here is a thoughtful discussion of the new limitations and the alternatives... by the venerable Angus. As he would eloquently say- Let's get staaated.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlnEThQ4HR8

[Philipp Pap]

Well, I just deleted my autodesk account.
Had not a single design, as I am more of a solidworks guy, but I can use solidworks only now and then, when a friend of mine borrows me his laptop or I am at his place.

[Gene Uselman]

What you use the software for and how much will be a good indicator of it's worth to you. Twenty-five years ago I was a graphics neophyte but was comfortable with computers. I interviewed with a franchiser and learned enough about the business [Signmaking] to see the potential in it and to realize that it was a good combination of my interests, computers, machines, art and actually creating something with my hands. There were also downsides, like dealing with a lot more customers than I was accustomed to in my previous occupation of restoring Corvettes and other 'fancy' cars- but I was used to providing customers with quality work and explaining to them exactly what they could expect from my work... and delivering it. Anyway I hooked up with a very reputable sign supplier and bought a lot of equipment and software on his recommendations rather than the franchise, the Sign software was $5000 [25 years ago it was a lot of money] and it paid for itself many times over and over in the years since. I get enough use and enjoyment from Fusion 360 to justify the $360 a year so it is an easy decision for me. I have always marveled that they stored my hundreds of designs for easy recall as long as I want them. I do not make any money with the program but use it for planning and fabricating tools and fixtures and many other useful items. Your mileage will vary of course.

[Larry Gonshak]

Fusion 360 Total Exporter
Need to export all of your fusion data in a bunch of formats? We’ve got you covered. This will export your designs across all hubs, projects, files, and components. It exports them in STL, STEP, and IGES format. It also exports the sketches as DXF files. In addition to those, an f3d/f3z file will be exported for each component/assembly file in all of your projects, across all hubs. It doesn’t ask what you want written out, it just writes out the latest version of everything, to the folder of your choice.

https://github.com/Jnesselr/fusion-360-total-exporter

[Gene Uselman]

Thank you to you and your cohorts. It is always encouraging to see people who go beyond the necessary into the realm of what is possible. Some days it seems like the human race may yet survive.