Over the years the battle for Mechanical CAD software supremacy has been between Inventor and Solidworks. In September of 2013, Autodesk introduced the world to Fusion 360 which in turn has been labelled Autodesk Fusion. This little brother to Inventor was a nifty little package which did not cost you an arm and a leg and being mainly 3D with little to no 2D detailing capability.
It was therefore marketed as the ideal solution for hobbyists and startups who were into 3D printing. As more and more consumers adopted this little known CAD package it became more apparent that 3D was not the entire solution even for the hobbyists and startups and with that a 2D detailing module was introduced with Fusion. This detailing functionality was very similar to AutoCAD and with this addition it attracted more main stream CAD users as this seemed to be the missing piece of the puzzle for their adoption.
With Fusion now becoming part of main stream CAD, many users of Solidworks started to seriously consider the software, not only for it’s low cost when starting up but also because of it’s capabilities.
One of the barriers that most CAD users have when being introduced to a new software package is the ability to navigate the User Interface and also to be able to pan, zoom and orbit a model. With Fusion when getting started it asks which platform you are migrating from and then sets the navigation tool to suit your preference. As you can see in the below graphic, Solidworks is the only Autodesk competitor to be included.
As Fusion is primarily a Cloud based software package, you never have to worry about downloading and installing software. Think about your apps on your phone. All you have to do is click on update and after a few minutes of downloading and installing you have an updated app with all the new features. Fusion has the same mechanism for updating. A message will pop up asking if you would like to upgrade now or hold off for 14 days.
If you do hold off for 14 days it will not give you another chance but at least it will give you the opportunity of being able to finish off a project without having to worry about the update breaking your model or a workflow you are using.
Once the update has been downloaded, you will be asked to restart. Once restarted you will have your new functionality.
If you are concerned regarding the functionality of Fusion vs Solidworks, there is certainly enough oomph in Fusion to give Solidworks a run for it’s money. Fusion is able to create solids and surfaces with the same ease as you would with Solidworks with the addition of the T-splines technology that Autodesk bought over, it is really powerful when creating water tight surfaces that are ver aesthetic looking.
If you are concerned about Fusion maybe only having the ability to extrude and revolve, think again. It has the ability to create advanced lofts and sweeps with solids as well, which is really advanced functionality even for Inventor and Solidworks.
2D detailing has the benefit of having Artificial Intelligence to aid in the creation of 2D drawings. For example, when you have an assembly and want to create drawings for all the parts and sub-assemblies as well as the main general assembly, Fusion gives you several options on how to place the parts and assemblies on a drawing as well as how to detail and annotate it. The detailing might not be exactly what you want but this operation will help get most of the manual laborious detailing ot e done. As far as I know, Solidworks is not able to do it or with the ease of what Fusion can.
In the below graphic you can see the option for Automatic which will create all your sheets with the options that you have chosen on how to place your detailing.
Another big obstacle for many Solidworks users was the ability to create a Bill of Materials. Until a few releases ago, Fusion was only able to create the parts list that was generated on the 2D drawing from the assembly. I am happy to say that Fusion has included a Bill of Materials that resides in the cloud which also makes it easier to access especially if you do not have access to Autodesk Fusion.
Configurations is also a big plus for if your are considering the options between Fusion and Solidworks. Having the ability to plot out different configurations of a part or assembly really gives Fusion a boost when competing against Solidworks.
Data management is also tightly integrated with Fusion Teams. When starting with Fusion you create a Hub in Fusion Teams which can be easily enabled to a full blown PLM system with the purchase of Fusion Manage. This integration is cloud based and does not need any additional server hardware to be purchased like Solidworks PDM.
Fusion has both CAM and FEA capabilities. With the Manufacturing Extension you have the ability for up to 5-axis and with the Simulation Extension you are able to create both linear and non linear analysis. These FEA extensions are not necessary if you are only performing linear static analysis. For the CAM in Fusion you are able to create 3-axis milling, turning as well as 2D profiling. With Solidworks you will be required to purchase a Solidworks CAM subscription and it will not have nearly as much functionality as Fusion’s CAM.
Fusion has Generative design, functionality tightly integreated with AI which helps create many different iterations of design criteria that you have specified. These designs are very organic and to model them up would be an immense effort even for the seasoned designer on any CAD package.
Fusion has matured at an incredible rate and with significant feature updates being released at a rate of knots, what is stopping you at downloading it and trying out the future.
Still looking for answers? Start a discussion with other professionals in your industry!
