Although the free version of 360 has reduced the availability of drawings ( only one drawing sheet per file), they are still possible within the 10 active file limit. It just mean a bit more work on the aspect of which file you keep editable

it takes a lot of effort to learn a new application even if you are familiar with either 2d or 3D cad, they all work differently. I now find fusion a bit frustrating, but i am certain it is still the best free system availiable

I have a commercial connection, so won't give a recommendation for a particular CAD package.

I would suggest that you try before you buy, both the software itself and look at training materials and any other available resources (user forum, help documents, etc.)

You may well find that some packages are a more natural fit than others for the way your mind works.

At the moment the community edition of Solid Edge seems to be best bang for buck as it is both free and a permanent download. Once you have got it its yours to keep.

For practical purposes it seems to be the same as the full commercial package except for restrictions on export formats and watermarking of drawings. Seems to be aimed at 3 D printing / maker folks so the primary export format is STEP which may cause issues for metalworking CNC folks.

Monster program and very capable so you need to schedule proper learning time. Which I still haven't managed.

The 2D part can take abit of finding due to the way it is embedded in the main program. Obvious and logical when you know but …

Clive

I use STEP and IGES formats for transferring data to my CAM program for CNC milling and for interchange with other engineers using different CAD programs. But I use the STL format for transferring data to my 3D printer slicing program.

Andrew

David,

Just happened upon this video from James Clough. It may be of use to you with Fusion. I haven't watched it, so I can't vouch for its content in respect of your drawing production issues but it might give you a few pointers.

Creating shop drawings in Fusion 360 by Clough42

John

You don't even need a snipping program to do it in F360. Just click "file" then "print" and send to a pdf writer I use cutepdf.

Sorry to hear Fusion 360 have cut back the 2D design feature. I like Fusion and am dismayed to see bits being chopped off to encourage people to buy it. That's life though! I'll be firing it up later to see what the latest free version has lost.

I use QCAD for 2D drawing ; get on with it well for conventional technical drawing, and decided it was worth paying for the pro version. (The community edition is fully functional apart from a few goodies.)

You might try FreeCAD for 3D CAD/CAM. Not as complete or polished as the commercial products and a bit experimental guv, but I use lots for single part work, including 3D printing. (There's a newish assembly workbench that seemed primitive to me on first contact, I've not tested it properly yet.)

Has a workbench for producing 2D drawings from 3D models, I rate it 7/10 at the moment. The big advantage of FreeCAD is it's unambiguously free! No license, cloud storage, usage restrictions, adverts, or demands for money. On the downside, an intimidating number of different workbenches, somewhat clunky, a little buggy, avoid out-of-date tutorials on the web, and features may change as it develops. I like it.

Dave

Another vote for OnShape – I have just finished using it to model Harold Hall's QCTP design, a simple enough project but very doable and while there were a few "how do I do this moments" it was all very manageable.

I use TurboCAD, the Deluxe 19 edition, which offers a direct orthogonal or 3D choice instead of the 3D-first other makes (including Alibre and Fusion) seem to dictate.

Its makers, IMSI, have released a new edition; I forget its name, but it seems a reasonable price and is a one-off payment rather than subscription. It also saves your work where you decide, unlike Fusion's default on-line saving. To be fair I think Fusion 360 does, or did when I tried it, allow local saving but would rather not. (I can't imagine many professional users would want their design files on the so-called "cloud" , for simple security reasons.)

The agent in the UK still seems to be Paul ('The CAD' ) Tracy, who used to advertise in ME and still has a stand at the main exhibitions…plagues permitting. Try his web-site.

I don't know the differences IMSI have made but my edition still does everything I need and it is capable of far more than I use (or can use, but that's me not it!), such as very advanced 3D modelling. I don't know if it will create CAD/CAM files, and that's not something I need so I've not investigated, but it's worth a look anyway. I would be surprised if the new edition does not.

' ' ;

[Edited to remove one of those blasted grinning-tangerine symbols… Can't the site's administrators switch the damn' things off?]

Edited By Nigel Graham 2 on 22/06/2021 23:38:02

Nigel, my current version of TurboCAD is D/L 16 and I still use it, mainly on my existing 2D drawings.

I purchased it from Paul at the Midlands Show a few years ago and at £20, it wasn't too expensive. I only upgraded because my earlier version (D/L15) was giving me warning errors on opening a file under Win10, although everything still worked OK. Provided you take time to learn the keyboard commands, TC/DL is a very good 2D product – which is what it has basically always been.

I have to say that I found it very hard to draw anything complex in 3D using TC/DL and Paul the CAD himself recommends using the TC 'Pro' version if serious 3D work is to be undertaken. The 'Pro' version of course being much more expensive. So I gave up trying to do 3D on TC/DL.

As I get used to Solid Edge, I think it will be likely that I will also use it for 2D work too. I can open a new 'draft' (2D) document, select the 'sketching' tab and use exactly the same drawing tools as I would use to sketch a 3D object (before extrusion) so it's already familiar.

I didn't use this 2D route into Solid Edge but I'm sure anyone would find SE (in 2D mode) just as easy as TC-2D to learn. Then when they eventually do need (or want) to go to 3D, they will already be using and have some experience of a tool that's designed for '3D' CAD. A very much better way to go 3D than with TC/DL in my experience.

Regards,

IanT

I have sent you a PM

Hi Cadders, I too am trying to update myself into a better 2d/3d cad app (from old ACAD days)

Is anyone else out there as deeply suspicious of cloud/online apps

Just cos Im paranoid doesnt make me wrong

I have enough trouble living with the fact that you have virtually no privacy left worth a damn these days

I habitually use an alias presence on the web (not because Im in anything remotely improper) just to confuse all the data mining and reselling that goes on without your consent. But I daresay thats probably a false sense of security as my alias is probably tied back to my personal data by now anyway.

I just dont like the idea of my data being held by a third party . who knows what might happen despite all the hyped promises of security

If my data stays on my thumb drive, I have control

Online apps often contain ownership issues that should make you uncomfortable – just look at what happens on social media, your data once out there never goes away despite closing your acc etc. These foolish young things escapades – as we all did – may well come back to haunt youngsters and blight their employment records. Just look at the way the press pillory public figures for their youthful follies that get shown up in long forgotten snapshots.

And if you think this is OTT have you noticed how aggressive Google is trying to gather you into its kraal

I have a laptop with W10, used intermittently. If I leave it for a month hibernating offline. dont think I can just open the lid and carry on. M$ insists on carrying out a W10 update right away, so my laptop becomes unusable for up to an hour while this is going on often involving several reboots. The only sure way is to leave my laptop connected 24/7 – how sinister is that. Ive tried several workarounds – like update at 3am etc but W10 always interferes

So the question here is

How much control do I have over my CAD time. Providers want you locked into their subscription model and use dirty tricks to turn you into a beached whale. Give you goodies in the trial period and withdraw them a year later eg Fusion = 2d drawings

If you are going to invest 100's hours learning an app, is it going to come back and bite you painfully $$$

Big companies get a different deal to hobbyists cos they have financial muscle of 1000's users licenses

What I take from the above valuable observations is take the trouble at the outset to keep dedicated older machines running eg XPSP3, W7 etc cw installation progs and operating versions and beware of allowing so called updates. Only allow updates away from your original working prog – you never know what dirty tricks, snooping etc may be played with opening an update port. I have experienced such tricks played by big Corps who buy out small gem apps then set the monetisers on them and ruin them particularly for the hobbyist

But a good CAD app is very rewarding – like the philosphers stone