Have anyone else experienced the changes Fusion is making lately?
Back in January, it implemented a new Intent-Driven Design framework that makes users to choose between part design, assembly design and hybrid design. I have been using the hybrid because in that mode it is pretty much the same way as before.
Since I opened Fusion yesterday, I have run into something different. Each component now has to be explicitely in “edit in place” mode in order to be edited. This isn’t a problem, as each component can also now has its own version, instead of inhereting the version of the assembly project, which is a good thing.
The trouble is that it is buggy. I have had problems turning on the “edit in place” mode, and also had bodies disappeared when they were joined by new extrusions.
Has anyone else experienced these glitches, or is it just me?
I do notice you plug SW on any mention of Fusion issues. While I appreciate the reminder, I am not ready to give up on Fusion. I still like it overall for the flexibility.
@DWdesigns sorry to derail with my snide comment. It is annoying that Fusion does not have a roll back option. Good thing is that they frequently update, so chances are a fix will come very soon.
Or to NX, or to Materialise (just to point out only two)…. if paid for is the preferred alternative…or simply switch to Blender, if money are, but storage space and steep learning curve aren’t a real problem.
Shortly after Fusion introduced “Intent-Driven Design”, I set Preferences→ General→ Default design type to Hybrid Design. This is basically the same as the “old” Fusion, which works well for me. I do not need the extra Part/Assembly complexity for my projects.
I’m all in for running everything locally and not on cloud (actually, I think I’ve made this position very clear, repeatedly, since January 17th last year).
As for software of choice, I did point out first the two I usually use. As for including Blender, I believe I’ve provided a justification (zero cost, as a positive) as well as stating the downside (lots of storage space required and a very steep learning experience).
Fusion folks might want to store all their designs locally too. You can export a backup file.
It’s an extra step but can save your bacon if you ever lose access to the account’s email address. Since it’s all on Autodesk’s cloud, lose the recovery method and you can lose all the cloud-stored designs.
No, I agree. My point is more towards, you have all these softwares that can get to the same result, but I wouldn’t group them because the way that they get to that result is so different.
NX is a good software. That’s what I learned on back in college. Though I could never get rid of the bad taste it left after how many times it crashed during my final project.
I have watched Terminator too many times. I hate running things through the cloud.
The only exception is when the benefit of running it through a cloud is worth it; like remote monitoring. In the case of CAD softwares, I see no benefit to cloud services, only constraints. The only exception would be hardware limitations. Same reason I have a home server for my media and data storage, what is the point of keeping it in some cloud 100s of miles away when I can retrieve it immediately from my server.
The individual files aren’t that big. I can’t speak for him, but running locally means being able to keep doing things when there is no cloud. After a disaster, for example, you’re down until the internet is back for cloud-based stuff.
But not relying on a cloud is more than just local storage space at least for many.
Sure thing. Use only what you really need, not what would be nice to have (but don’t use). Blender is a very good software, but depending on what are you using it for, you’ll need plenty of add-ons. And honestly, each and everyone of them, Blender not being considered for now, impose a very steep learning curve…which translates into lots of time spent learning and testing, lots of frustration and grey hair… you know…the works.
This thread is interesting to me because I’m mostly a Shapr3D user, and I just picked up Nomad Sculpt a day ago to start learning that side of modeling.
I have used Blender some, but I chose not to keep pushing further into it because almost everything I wanted to do felt like it had its own separate learning curve. It did not feel like learning one thing naturally helped me move into the next thing. I get why people like it, but for the kind of models I usually want to make, it feels like an overly complex path.
I’ve also never really been a big advocate for cloud software, especially for personal use. That said, Shapr3D and Nomad have both been so easy to start using that it has made it hard to seriously commit to other tools. I’m familiar with Fusion 360, and I understand why it is the obvious next step, but a lot of basic things are still just easier for me in Shapr3D.
I have tried Onshape, but honestly I probably did not give it enough of a chance to form a fair opinion.
For anyone who has moved beyond Shapr3D, what CAD tool felt like the easiest serious transition? Is Fusion still the best next step, or would Onshape, SolidWorks, or something else feel more natural coming from Shapr3D?
SW strong since 1995. Fusion is a baby in comparison (2013, arguably 2009)
Again, apologies to DWdesigns, this thread is nowhere near what he intended.
I have not used Shapr3D enough to give you a good opinion. What I can say is that once you learn one of them, it is very easy to switch to another. For example, SW and Onshape are very similar when it comes down to design process and user experience. Fusion changes it up a little bit, but with the right settings they can all be similar.
BTW, SolidWorks Maker edition is going to become free in July.
@DWdesigns Apologies, I know I helped derail it a bit, too.
That’s helpful, though. I’m mostly trying to figure out which CAD tool is worth investing time in after Shapr3D. I still really like Shapr3D and may stick with it for a while, but there are a few goofy things that make it frustrating. Modeling threads for a screw is a good example. I usually jump over to Fusion for something like that, then bring it back into Shapr.
If SolidWorks Maker is going free, that makes it easier to try.
I do notice you plug SW on any mention of Fusion issues. While I appreciate the reminder, I am not ready to give up on Fusion. I still like it overall for the flexibility.
