What is your choice of CAD program?

Quote from: Rledoux313For fusion, when a file is read only I assume you can still use it in an assembly? Basically if I had an assembly with more than the 10 editable files does this become an issue?

No, not an issue.  I've got a design that uses many different files and subassemblies.  You can use them all, you just can't have more than 10 of them marked 'Editable' at any given time.  But it is a very quick operation to change a file from Editable to Read-Only or vice versa.  You can open the design and look at it, even if it's read-only.  You can even make changes to a read-only document.  If you try and save a read-only document, it will automatically change it to an editable document for you so you can save it.  But if you already have 10 documents marked as editable, it will not allow you to change it, and will give you a warning that you've reached your 10-doc limit of editable documents. But it provides a button that pulls up a list of all of your currently editable documents so that you can change one or more of those to read-only.  Once you've done that, it will allow you to save that document.

So in actual use, it's pretty painless.

I was initially worried about Fusion only storing designs online, but over the last many years, I've found that I actually really like having the latest version of all of my designs available to me on whatever computer I'm using;  either my desktop or my laptop, or whatever.  It makes things quite convenient.

Though I can't tell you how it works offline.  I've never done that before. 

Kim

And then there is processing or computation, which is harder to pin down & compare among hobbyists. If you have cloud based app meaning OS (operating system) agnostic, that solves that issue. Run Mac, Win 7-11, Linux... its just a website basically. But as your parts get more complex & number of parts in an assembly grows, I can only think the internet speed & part complexity issues must start to creep in. Because an 'ordinary' 3D app installed locally, typically requires somewhat of a decent processor, graphics card & RAM. Some are very picky about hardware. A 100% net app has to redistribute these same tasks somehow, probably at the expense of speed, file size, complexity limits. So if person A says 'no problem' & person B says 'it crashes' or 'its slow' the devil is in the details of the app & the model. Best to compare what some guys are accomplishing on recognizeable projects.

Cloud is such a maligned word often tied up in Marketing speak, so you have to sort that out. The parts could be on the cloud but the app executables are locally installed with just a quick authenticity handshake in between. Or both app & parts are locally installed with only boot up autheticity. Cloud could mean a feature where A can share & collaborate with B. Or it can be a prerequisite where parts MUST be on the cloud. Or could be mandatory cloud save but vary by private vs public. Somewhere in the confusing mix is hopefuly a solution for the individual.

In Fusion, the database with all your designs is up floating around in the cloud, but all your processing and work is done locally. It does have an option to run things through the browser, but I've never used that for anything other than showing someone a design.

Quote from: cruebyIn Fusion, the database with all your designs is up floating around in the cloud, but all your processing and work is done locally. It does have an option to run things through the browser, but I've never used that for anything other than showing someone a design.

Is that accross all F360 licence arrangements or only certain ones? Is there a maintenace fee component? Like a scenario where you dont renew & now you cant access or otherwise read your files?

Quote from: petertha

Quote from: cruebyIn Fusion, the database with all your designs is up floating around in the cloud, but all your processing and work is done locally. It does have an option to run things through the browser, but I've never used that for anything other than showing someone a design.

Is that accross all F360 licence arrangements or only certain ones? Is there a maintenace fee component? Like a scenario where you dont renew & now you cant access or otherwise read your files?

All Fusion versions store things in the cloud the same way. The app runs on your computer, and downloads/uploads the file data to the cloud on open/close. It allows you to force a download to local cache if you know you will be offline soon, and will store the data locally until you get back online. There is a time limit for local use (I don't know what it is) so you can't force it to be locally forever.Fusion works on a subscription license, you can choose your term - month, year, multiyear. For the free version there is no license or cloud fee, but they do limit some features and output formats - you'll have to look on their site for details on that, I have the paid version since I use it for commercial work for all my articles/books.

Pretty sure I will never drink the Autodesk KoolAid. Their work flow and menus are so much different than what I’m used to to it would be really hard to change.

Dave

Quote from: Dave OttoPretty sure I will never drink the Autodesk KoolAid. Their work flow and menus are so much different than what I’m used to to it would be really hard to change.

Dave

Understood!  I've looked at some others after becoming comfortable with Fusion, and said the same thing for that direction. Same thing with photo editors, word processors, etc.

Quote from: cruebyI've looked at some others after becoming comfortable with Fusion, and said the same thing for that direction. Same thing with photo editors, word processors, etc.

I have to agree there. Photo editor would be a good analogy. Crop & print, no problem. More advanced masking, blending, pixel mashing... thats a different game. Everyone learns differently & educational resources vary by app. But from personal exerience at least, its a bit of undertaking to learn one 3D CAD app to a point of proficiency. Just using a moderate engine design as a reasonable goal. I'm sure the 2nd+ CAD apps come easier because you are now in a position of 'I already know how to do X, so how does this app do X'. Having said that, there are different underlying methodologies & capabilities between them. Some are subtle, some are quite different especially when it comes to assemblies. My point is I hear this often - I'll just try all 7 of them & choose the best one for me. Good luck with that. I mean if you are lucky you will have an instant like of A or or dislike of B & prune the decisions down quickly. This sounds lazy but I almsot think watching a couple hours of YouTube videos per app (or training videos if you can find them) would provide a more holistic feel & go from there. Usually the cost of the program or other other issues discussed will weigh into the decisionmaking. Then you just have to dig in & spend the time.

Quote from: uuu

Quote from: petertha

Quote from: uuuI use Siemens SolidEdge, which is free for hobbyists.  It's not got CAM built in.

Wilf

This came up on our local forum. My comment was I wonder why SE is not more popular among hobbyists desiring a free & powerful app along the lines of Solidworks, Inventor, F360 (but where CAM wasnt on the prerequisite list). I'm speaking more from a SolidWorks background. I would love to recommend SW Maker at $50/year which is essentially the full licence seat app, no cloud handcuffs (yay), limited file format exports (expected for non-commercial). But seems like getting at SW-Maker through the Swamp known as 3D-Experience is a royal cluster that just never seems to get rectified going on years now. At least what i glean from forums. Like every day someone says I opened Maker & it blew its brains out, not sure why, maybe an update & no longer recognizes my logon and....

Anyway, just curious if you have prior/other 3D-CAD experience to compare SE? How do you find learning resources, help forums, that kind of thing?

I had been using the 2D SolidEdge before transitioning to the 3D version.  Although building a 3D model is conceptually very different from 2D, the familiarity with the program's approach to things really helped.  I briefly tried Fusion 360 when I needed the 3D, but I preferred the familiar feel of SE.  And it works stand-alone - no internet required.    I'm also surprised that it works perfectly well on my middle-range laptop - I can have animated six cylinder four-stroke engines and it doesn't complain.

I do watch the occasional video and look up the online instructions.  But you have to ask the right question to get the right answer - and if you can frame the question in the right jargon, then you're already close to the solution.  So it can get frustrating, knowing the program must do a thing, but not not knowing which incomprehensible little symbol must be clicked, or what its proper name is.

Wilf

Another vote for Solid Edge Community. I've been using it now for over six years and it suits my needs very well. I was a TurboCAD 2D user for 20 years but needed 3D modelling and found the TC 3D unusable. After a brief flirt with Open SCAD and Fusion, I discovered Solid Edge CE and it just seemed to work well for me (I have no deep technical explanation to offer). After using both TC2D and SE 3D for a while, I almost stumbled on the fact that SE had a very good 2D CAd buried inside it (using 'Draft' documents) and I was able to move any needed TC2D into Solid Edge as DXFs and everything (layers, dimensions etc) were all there. So I don't need to use TC2D anymore. Solid Edge is very fully featured - but in simple terms

Solid Edge 'Pros' - No cloud, it's all local (CAD & files). It's a full free license - only restriction is that CE files will not open in commercial versions of SE. 2D CAD can be used as pathway to 3D (I didn't but might do so in hindsight). Offers Synchronous & Ordered working (I really like synchronous). Can open/export many different file types. It has excellent documentation. Siemens issue new versions every year (I'm on SE2026 currently. It runs on Win 10 & 11 Home Editions. SE has excellent Microsoft integration (Excel etc) should you need it

Solid Edge Cons - No Mac or Linux versions. No CAM component, I think that's about it.

Solid Edge - CE can be downloaded here. You only need to register once.  https://resources.sw.siemens.com/en-US/download-solid-edge-community-edition/

Regards,

IanT

With the free (non-commercial) licence FUSION360 you can only have up to ten files open at any one time. If the open file is an assembly the files containing the components need not be open. However if you are also modifying one of them that needs to be open.

I cannot resist this.

AVTUR

Remember if you are running a Mac, all you need to do is set up a virtual machine on it to run non mac software. Many won't be interested in doing that, but if you really want to run a certain piece of software and it doesn't have a specific mac option, it can be done quite simply. Lots of instructions around the web on how to do it.

Quote from: AVTURI cannot resist this.
AVTUR

15xx ?

Quote from: Charles Lamont

Quote from: AVTURI cannot resist this.
AVTUR

15xx ?

LBSC "Speedy", not 15xx.


AVTUR

Quote from: propforwardRemember if you are running a Mac, all you need to do is set up a virtual machine on it to run non mac software. Many won't be interested in doing that, but if you really want to run a certain piece of software and it doesn't have a specific mac option, it can be done quite simply. Lots of instructions around the web on how to do it.

I don't have any direct experience here so take this FWIW. Judging by consistent 'help me' or generaly negative comments on various Solidworks forums, VM on Mac is often cited as being problematic to a no-go. Now this probably opens a can of worms as to varying results - what version of apps, what settings, what onboard hardware, especially GC related etc. SW is fussy about hardware & thats on the (stiplated) Win-OS & things can still go wrong. Other Win-OS CAD apps might work perfectly fine under VM, but I have no experience there.

Quote from: AVTURWith the free (non-commercial) licence FUSION360 you can only have up to ten files open at any one time. If the open file is an assembly the files containing the components need not be open. However if you are also modifying one of them that needs to be open.

I cannot resist this.

AVTUR

Just a nit, but, in my experience, you can have MANY more than 10 files open at the same time in free version of F360.  You can even edit them!  But! You just can't SAVE the changes you've made in that file till you can make it "Editable".  And you can only have 10 files marked "Editable" at any given time.  As I said before, this isn't a big imposition since it's quite easy to change the designation of a file from Read-Only to Editable.  In fact, when you go to save a file, F360 will change the state to Editable for you, if you haven't reached your 10 file limit. If you have, it prompts you to free some up (or to purchase a license, of course).

Kim