I am still using Inventor 2011. Yes; it took a while to get to grips with it, but it's very capable. I have 2014 but have never installed it (always seem to be waiting for a newer computer). Inventor has become Fusion 360 now, so there seems little point in upgrading Inventor itself. There is no CAM element to Inventor 2011, so models are exported as STEP files, then imported into Vectric's VCarve Pro if they are to be milled, or Repetier if they are to be 3D printed.
I think any capable 3D CAD/CAM program will take a bit of learning, and for me the big step was learning to think in 3D. I have found the process requires me to think more about how to manufacture the object, than simply to draw it. The most challenging part has been learning how to create objects with complex angles between different planes, which I need for drawing large moulding tools.Strangely, although I know how to do classic pencil-and-paper technical drawing, I found AutoCAD quite frustrating to use, and 3D drawing much more liberating once I got going. Inventor is based on the AutoCAD engine, but you would never know it from using Inventor. I have tried many of the free programs, but they vary too much in both approach to the task and in real capability to make much impression on me. If I can't get my head around how the programmer thinks about 3D objects, I find it difficult to use the program. TinkerCAD for 3D printing is a classic example. I have a friend nearby who creates all manner of things in TinkerCAD. I can barely draw a square with a hole in the middle, because I don't think about 3D objects in the same way as the programmer did when creating the interface. That's strange, because TinkerCAD is based on the Inventor engine (which, like the Russian dolls, is based on AutoCAD...). As an aside, my final year project at University, a very long time ago, was creating a program to produce a drawing of interpenetrating pipes, and a layout drawing for heavy steel sheet to be cut then rolled into pipes for oil rig legs. The others in my yeargroup were working on other aspects of drawing on a computer; all of which was new in those early days. It was all based on a mathematical approach to classic 2D drawing techniques. So its a source of joy and wonder to me that we have such capable 3D CAD/CAM software nowadays. It makes workshop life so much more interesting. One other aspect from those early days, was a procedure for generating two photos of a drawing on a flat monitor screen. The camera took two photos simultaneously but from two different angles, 5 degrees apart. The resultant images were loaded into a ViewMaster type of slide projector, and produced a 3D image of the object. Where are you now, Occulus??? That was in 1974. I signed up for Fusion360 (free version) a long time ago, but need a decent 64-bit machine to be able to run it, so that will have to wait. I also signed up for OnShape, but that would not run on my Mac or on any of my (slightly older) PCs. I don't know anyone who is using that software, and my impression is that their 'free' business model didn't last terribly long. I tried SolidWorks a long time ago, and went to a demo/workshop session. I could understand how to use the program (based on my experience with Inventor) but the licence was way more expensive than a full-price Inventor licence, and the ongoing costs were not inconsiderable, so I left that alone. I think that as far as CAD/CAM programs go, you get what you pay for. Or maybe the capability of Inventor has spoiled me. The free licence for Fusion360 has to be a real bargain, for as long as it lasts. Marcus ----- Original Message ----- From: "Enhanced Machine Controller (EMC)" @lists.sourceforge.net> To:"Enhanced Machine Controller (EMC)" <emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net> Cc: Sent:Fri, 22 Mar 2019 22:38:35 -0400 Subject:Re: [Emc-users] Fusion 360 On Fri, Mar 22, 2019, 22:32 Jon Elson <el...@pico-systems.com> wrote: > On 03/22/2019 04:14 PM, Jeff Johnson wrote: > > Anyone on here have opinions on Fusion 360 Cad/Cam by Autodesk? > > > > > We just got set up with Autocad Inventor at work. While > very capable, and it has lots of good CAM strategies, it is > SO COMPLICATED! We have one guy here who got good with it, > so I let my meager skills lapse, and now I barely know how > to view a document. > > I think Fusion is a very similar program. > > Jon > The Lars Christensen Fusion 360 videos on YouTube are very good. Lars works for Autodesk. Dave > > > _______________________________________________ > Emc-users mailing list > Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users > _______________________________________________ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users _______________________________________________ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
