Autodesk Inventor Fusion trial

[FAST6191]

Perhaps not the right section but I figure most of GBAtemp's 3d modelling crowd knock around here and they probably outweigh those that use CAD for engineering type reasons (electrical engineering aside).

http://labs.autodesk.com/technologies/fusion 555 megs download, about the same installed (program files anyway, user directories seem less than 100 but it has entries in all of main places there).
Should be free until the end of March unless you run the mac version (not so much big boy CAD in mac these days) in which case forever.

Spent the last few hours messing around with it.... it takes an awful lot to get me interested in CAD these days (especially autodesk stuff) but their claim that it "Unites direct and parametric modeling workflows" is pretty spot on- for me it feels like the old VRML editors but with the abilities of a proper CAD program (make a cylinder- click on the edge and up springs a fillet or chamfer or custom option) with a few nice modern touches (proper radial menus, have a play with the cube on the top right of the screen).

Seems to support saving to a whole bunch of formats as well (I am several years out of autodesk but that would be a first for me) including STL and at least part of main rival pro/engineer (my usual option for parametric modelling if the likes of BRL cad or just doing it 2d with multiple views does not cut it). My only real complaint is lack of physics testing (zebra testing, nice sectioning and interference is there mind you) but as that is usually a fairly pricey extra and this looks like a "prosumer" program I can not really complain. I still have to test out the potential for engineering diagrams but I expect something halfway acceptable there (no prominent options that I can see though).

Naturally a proper test will take a couple of weeks and I do not have dual monitors set up right now so no comment there not to mention I will have to learn all the shortcuts/set up my mouse properly for it. However I think I might have to invest when the time comes which is a shock but not as much as my actually quite liking a CAD program from a usability standpoint.

Short version- the fully featured demo is free and if this does not make a big dent in the CAD world I will be stunned so maybe worth spending the time to get this down now if it is the sort of thing you do.

 

[Youkai]

Hmm my co-worker only uses Inventor all the time ... dunno but I like SolidWorks much better !
Still I think without a propper tutor you cannot really learn this stuff really well

I am working with SolidWorks and SolidCAM but still I can only do some basic stuff, the second I need to go from 2,5D to 3D I am done for sadly.


P.S. I still need to check out how it Propperly works BUT ! I read you can do drawings in 3D programms like Blender (i think thats what it was called) and whatever and save it as IDX or IPS/IPES and open this file with most actuall CAD programms)

 

[FAST6191]

Part of my problem was probably that I started with VRML which seems to be like starting with Basic as a programming language (works but all sorts of bad habits form) and then got thrown in at the deep end with pro engineer (which subsequently became pro/e wildfire and now is creo elements or something). I did spend some time with solidworks but I just found the lot sub par in usability stakes (and then I picked up some of the open source stuff....) with the only real reasons for using it being the format was slightly more widely supported, that said pro/e was doing very well and more importantly had a slightly better set of testing options as far as things like finite element analysis went so I did not take it that much further.

As for Blender you can certainly use it for engineering type things (it even exports CNC/CAM favourite STL out of the box) and the UI is often quite a bit more friendly as far as wanting to click and drag goes. That said the sort of things I typically find myself doing should I feel like playing engineer are not the same sorts of things I find myself doing when playing 3d modeller (I have never had or even known of the option to increase subsurface rendering in a CAD program and likewise getting a chamfered/rounded edge in blender is certainly doable but not a matter of tapping in a few parameters)- subsurface stuff aside this felt like a really nice combination of the two.

I must admit most CAD (aside from the electronic and/or architectural CAD.....) I do these days is very basic or done in 2d and worked out in my head/on the page- I figure most of the time it ends up as an engineering diagram anyway so unless I do need to do some physics testing there is little point.

 

[Youkai]

Well if you are interested you could send me one or two nice models you have done and I could try to use solidCAM to make a programm out of it and have it run on my machine ....
than I could take a picture of whatever you have drawn, milled into a metal plate ^^

my only problem is that even though I have a 5 axis milling machine and the "i think" correct post processor for it I still don't know how to make SolidCAM work with 5 axis -.-V I can only do 3 all the time.


P.S. did you do learning by doing completely or did you find tutorials and such ?

 

[FAST6191]

The VRML stuff was more or less off my own back but I am supposed to be an engineer so they taught me as part of all that, that said I went the materials route so my CAD skills were never expected to be that great and that worked for me which is probably why I am in this sorry state right now.

5 axis machine huh.... I mainly still work in three dimensions and either with additive processes or just rotate to accommodate (drilling an overhang just rotate 90 degrees and it becomes normal 3 axis milling).

As for models I think most of my really nice ones are under NDA and the others are just basic plastic and metal covers for various things- the crazy money you pay for replacement white goods (Haushaltsgerät?) covers, seals and such is so much worse when you go into industrial white goods and industrial tools (especially if you are reselling them) that it is usually worth dragging me in and speaking to shapeways or something. Might see if I can make a 3d version of Tempy ( http://gbatemp.net/topic/51083-gbatemp-mascots-all/ ) or something if you are up for that.

 

[Youkai]

yeah if you can do that,

but "3D" would be to much for my CAM skills 2.5D should be sufficient ^^V
than I could mill this picture onto a metall plate or wood and take a picture.


Just made the Sign of my Dads favorite Soccer Club in SolidWorks and made a programm in SolidCAM now i need to try it out tomorrow ^^

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