Recently I suggested it was time to start moving custom building into the future, encouraging builders to take advantage of all of the powerful CAD, CAM and CNC tools available right now, learn new skills and do what the old school builders could only dream of doing. That idea was met with a bit of pushback, one being that everything you needed was really expensive. Well, Autodesk is making it a lot less expensive, in fact they’ve gone all the way to free. Can you afford that?
Autodesk recently announced it is changing its business to a subscription model, like Adobe, instead of selling software packages, you subscribe on a monthly or annual basis. The result is a much lower price of admission since Autodesk software, one of the industry heavyweights, has been a bit pricey. Now, you can get top of the line CAD capabilities and it’s always up to date. They push revisions and updates frequently and as a subscriber, that’s what you’re using. Along with these changes, they are offering Fusion 360, their 3D CAD/CAM package free for use by students, enthusiasts, hobbyists, and startups making less than $100K. You download the software, register with Autodesk and get to work. This is just amazing.
Of course, having the software is just the first step, next you have to learn how to use it. That’s where Autodesk University comes in. Cool, huh?
As I’ve said before, if you’re going to put in the time to learn any kind of software package, invest the time in something you’ll be able to use for many years, not some limited beginner’s package you’ll soon outgrow. Autodesk is one of the big guys and any Fusion 360 skills you develop will serve you well long into the future. Whether you’re learning to build a project of your own or building skills and creating a portfolio of CAD work you can show a potential employer, this looks like a great opportunity. Pretty soon, anyone who wants to learn and use CAD is going to be out of excuses.
If I was just starting out, I’d be all over this, in fact I may download it anyway, just to see what it takes to begin working with a serious CAD package. Autodesk has just presented you with an excellent opportunity. Are you up to it? Then why not get the software and start today?
Link: Autodesk Fusion 360
Adrian ward says
I recently started using OnShape a free cloud based software package , very pleased in the six months I’ve been using it ,
Plus points are no downloads , latest software is on cloud and drawings can be used on all devices and shared with other users
But whatever cad package you use , do some tutorials get over that I will never be able to use this phase , then the world is your oyster 3 d printing water laser cutting cnc machining all are at you finger tips
The futures bright , wear welding goggles
Free Penguin says
10+ years in the software industry has shown me this is a very dangerous direction that software seems to be heading. When you can’t own or control your means of production, (like CAD/CAM and eventually your computer’s operating system), your business is vulnerable to being shut down instantly by events such as a corporation’s strategic move or an overreaching regime seizing control of an industry. Mergers and acquisitions happen all the time, and strategic partnerships are often formed to oligopolize a market, screwing the end user.
In my corner of the universe (contract manufacturers), nobody’s happy about renting a key part of their business which could cease to be available overnight, by the “service” no longer being offered. Many are moving to CAE Linux because they aren’t willing to put sensitive data like aerospace & defense contracts, designs, etc, through software or an operating system with availability and privacy they can’t physically control. The consensus is that a multi-national corporation is NOT beholden to US interests or the US Constitution when Vladimir Putin can buy their stock. (May sound like a ridiculous analogy, but you get the point.)
Please, for the preservation of individual freedoms, liberty and democracy, support open-source (or lifetime/perpetually licensed & INSTALLED) software, as well as small, private, independently owned businesses whenever possible. SaaS models only make sense for minor conveniences that are a non-essential services, auxiliary to your business operations. Anything more, and we’re putting the pieces in place for a situation straight out of Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451.
Paul Crowe says
It’s interesting you would take that position while advocating for open source, because it’s the ultimate model of community ownership (e.g. everyone contributes, no one owns it, communism).
When Linux first appeared, I couldn’t figure out how it would work, how could it sustain itself if it was free, then more and more software took that path and everyone came to expect it, and now companies are struggling to find a profitable model that works in this environment. Supporting open source while condemning subscriptions means you are taking away one of the few routes a software company has left to earn enough to stay in business. Selling big ticket software and hoping to sell an upgrade later is a dying model in the current climate of everyone expecting free.
Sebastian Wiers says
The term “community ownership” doesn’t really apply because what free (as in open source, not as in zero money payment) software means is that nobody (not even the community) can restrict what you do with the software. “Community ownership” of a car comes with all sorts of limits (you can’t modify it into a pickup); the same is not true for software.
Linux (and open source software in general) spread widely not because it costs nothing, but because it gives a developer that needs to do something unique / new / innovative access to the core code of existing projects and can improve them. That means you don’t have to wait for some software company to hopefully release the upgrade that finally does what you were looking for – you just hire a developer to custom build that feature. In many cases that’s actually much more profitable for the user than getting a product that maybe kinda does what they need.
Paul Crowe says
The ability to modify the core code is certainly a big plus to using open source software, but I think I’d disagree with you when you seem to diminish zero cost as a reason for it spreading widely, I believe free is a huge factor. Perhaps not for you, but for others, absolutely.
GenWaylaid says
It’s like the “tragedy of the commons” gets inverted for software because usage is non-exclusive and non-interfering. Weird.
In my experience the open-source experience is not one of 100% control because there’s still a risk of some update removing a feature you needed. Keeping up with the updates is a necessary evil in open source or SAAS, but at least abandoned open source software is more likely to keep working for a while.
Free Penguin says
Paul,
I respectfully disagree with your likening open source software to communism, but a few commenters have already covered that. I think this kinda went off the rails when I mentioned open-source, and I don’t want to get hung up on it.
I should’ve emphasized that the “very dangerous direction” I was referring to was SaaS for ESSENTIAL business operations. Subscription-based licensing isn’t about revenue. Its an overreaching power-grab by software vendors, and an unwise deal for many business owners. You never want to be in a position where someone else can turn the lights out on your business with a mouse-click.
To give you a more realistic scenario and real world example:
In 2008 and 2009, many of my customers (contract manufacturers) had their sales orders dry up. and many went out of business. The ones that survived the great recession (and were still around to buy from me) were the ones that owned their means of production outright. They were able to turn the lights out, lock the doors, go on a well-earned vacation and come back a few months later when they got sales orders. The ones that had leased machines, leased computers, SaaS ERP systems, and leased buildings, blew away in the wind. The lesson I learned: don’t live on the cash-flow treadmill and don’t feed the banks. Contract manufacturers (job shops, machine shops, etc.) do not have steady revenue and their cash flow is already volitale enough from OEM’s short-paying or late paying them.
I actually was about to buy Autodesk Inventor for my own business, but when they did away with perpetual licensing it was a deal-killer for me. I’m not knocking the software, but the licensing leaves me vulnerable to having my operations disrupted for any number of unforeseen events. (I must admit that I’m also rolling into this, my concern over the future of Windows 10, which has little to do with your article.)
I’m sorry you had trouble with Linux in the past, but you should look into it now. Various parts of the US military, defense contractors and different government agencies use it because its secure in that you can control its availability and privacy, as well as configure it to your liking. CAE Linux distribution is phenomenal, and has CAD, CAM, FEA and CFD tools that are perfect for a startup shop.
Paul Crowe says
We agree on SaaS, I, too, like to own what I need for my business, and as I mentioned above, when Adobe switched, I decided to keep using the last version that I could own outright. Everyone seems to be changing though, even Microsoft with Office 365 is using the subscription model. No, thanks.
I didn’t and don’t have trouble with Linux, I learned Unix many years back and when Linux came along, my problem was simply trying to understand this new business model. The benefits for the users of Linux and all open source software are tremendous, I use quite a bit of it myself, but for the creators of and contributors to the software, what do they get out of it? … well, I just find this new way of doing things oddly fascinating.
You’re right, this discussion got off track. My intent was to focus on the opportunity to learn a powerful CAD program and I mentioned the Autodesk business change to the subscription model because it is an important aspect of using their tools. Whether people like you and me who are less enthusiastic about SaaS win the day or will just have to accept the change as inevitable is a discussion for another time.
todd says
That’s also a tough sell me for. I have ten year old AutoCad and Solidworks installed on a computer at home for personal projects. If it was subscription based, I would have lost access to that software years ago unless I ponied up once again to keep the software running, in hopes I might need it again someday.
At work, we can’t use these types of programs because they cannot guarantee that everything will be kept on US servers. That’s a big deal in aerospace where it’s a federal offense if you can’t control access to you data.
Paul Crowe says
I agree the subscription idea is a hard one to accept when you previously bought and installed software, upgrading when you needed to, but using the one you had until then. Between open source and subscriptions, the software world has changed completely from not too many years ago and how any of us individually decides to work with it takes a lot of thought to weigh the pros and cons.
As to the restrictions you’re under because of government demands, it’s ironic the government does so when their own computers seem so porous these days.
Drive The Wheels Off says
Controlling access to servers is possible if the SaaS model needs it in the market place. I work for a SaaS-based company and we have US-based data centers as well as EU dc
Drive The Wheels Off says
…and, we have dozens of Federal agencies using our SaaS application
Bob says
Can I use Fusion 360 to develop motorcycles for DARPA?
Wave says
This actually isn’t new, there have been free student versions of Autodesk for years. I nearly downloaded it for home use just after leaving university, but never got around to it.
At uni I learnt on SolidEdge, ProEngineer (now Creo) and Catia for CAD, as well as packages like ANSYS workbench for FEA and even more packages for CFD. The skills generally transfer from one package to another after a short period learning controls, so I wouldn’t worry too much about which package to learn with. SolidEdge was by far the easiest to learn in my experience, Catia was the hardest but also seemed to be the most powerful once you got used to it. I’ve never used Autodesk or AutoCad.
I’m well out of practise now, because I don’t get the chance to use CAD at work. I would say that, in the automotive industry at least, specific CAD operators/draftspeople do almost all of the modelling work. Most engineers don’t even get access to a CAD license, other than a viewer. The licenses are so expensive that even in large companies, they have to be used sparingly.
Paul Crowe says
I’m pretty sure the free version for hobbyists, enthusiasts and startups making less than $100K is new, but yes, free student versions have been out there for quite a while.
The other big change is the switch to a subscription service instead of buying the “boxed” version. It’s hard to swallow if you’re someone who has previously purchased regular licenses with a package you own and installed. I know how that feels because I own the Adobe suite of software and now that’s all subscription. It’s a brave new world and how this turns out for everyone remains to be seen.
Yeti2bikes says
A lot of the 3D design software can be had on a monthly lease plan now. The company I work at uses Solid Edge and they switched to monthly lease on the software a couple years back. It’s nice for a small firm like ours that’s it’s easy to add extra seats for a month at a time as projects require without a huge investment. I’m not sure if it is still offered but you could download the part modeler for free to learn the software. You could create and save parts but you couldn’t save assemblies. The lease also allows access to hardware libraries which saves time not having to model fasteners and such.