To have the full Pro version and not get kicked off after 18 minutes you have to pay to play, but so worth it. I paid $55 for the PRO version and the digital self learning e-book. So much simpler than F360 and it defaults to DFX. If I have to pay $40 a year to keep it, so be it - $3.33 month.
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I tried using fusion 360. I don’t care for it. I currently use Sketchup for designing DXFs, Sheetcam for converting it to gcode, and then fire control to cut it. I do use inkscape, but only for converting black and white jpegs to dxf.
I learned sketchup from when i was designing blueprints. It just makes more sense for me. But I really did like what fusion 360 was capable of. Just didn’t have the patience to learn another program.
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I used sketch up for years, it is great software.
I ended up moving to fusion 360 which was painfully at the time.
Now fusion 360 is a pleasure to use but it took alot of time.
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I’ve used Sketchup ever since it first came out and currently have Sketchup Pro 2022. However, it will be the last version I get. Sketchup is easy to use and can make 3D drawings fairly quickly, but it’s 3D rendering is poor at best if you’re exporting for 3D printing or carving as I do. Their Mesh implementation is primitive and does not do curved surfaces very well (a lot of gaps and inverted faces).
@TinWhisperer ‘inspired’ me to try F360. I tried it and started with a Hobbyist license. After about a month of using it, I purchased a full license (even though I am eligible for the free Hobbyist license) and, now, I only use Sketchup to deal with old designs that I don’t want to convert.
I found Product Designs Online has the best tutorials to get beginners going on F360 and then add some of the Autodesk videos to target specific areas of learning.
Generally I don’t ‘push’ any software package as every package has their own ‘flavors’ that appeal to individual tastes. To me, F360 is the only 3D program I use (excluding legacy designs).
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Thats interesting about the mesh, I’ve never made anything in 3d before. Good to know sketchup isn’t the best for that.
I followed along with some of the Product Designs Online videos and it was really helpful. One day i’ll probably switch over to F360.
I feel like sketchup is like microsoft paint, and F360 is like Adobe Illustrator. Luckily for me, I’m still drawing stick figures lol
When you’re ready to look at it again, follow his Fusion 360 Beginner ‘class’ from the beginning and don’t skip around. Slow and steady you’ll learn it. He is a very good and thorough instructor and each video builds on what he had covered previously.
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