I had a discussion last week with my friend that likes to make little 3d parts using sketchup, for 3d printing. I asked him why he was using sketchup as i have loaded it up a few times over the years and find it very difficult to use. I told him that it seems like most people on YouTube are using Fusion 360, which led to some research on how much it is and finding out that its actually free for hobbyist and startups making less than $100k a year.
Since it was free I sat down and decided to go thru a tutorial and see how it was. Turns out its not hard at all. I have linked the tutorial below where he takes you step by step thru recreating an electrical box. It was a pretty special moment to hold in my hand something that i had created just a couple hours before. 360 works for most all 3d cnc machines. Milling, lathe, 3d printing etc, it also does CAM.
A couple years ago my friend had linked me to NerdNic's youtube tut's on designing foamboard planes, but my brain said "you cant do that! its too hard!" And so I just didnt even watch the videos. A few months later i decided to sit down and go thru it. It wasnt hard, it was fun! And so i have been doing most all of my designs in 2d software like inkscape for a the past couple years. So when 3d design started becoming more and more common i did pretty much the same thing. "I cant do that! Its too hard!". If you are like me in that regard I cant recommend enough installing this software and watching a couple tutorials like the ones i have linked down below. It is very easy to get into. And once you build your first object you will be looking around at things to see what you can model next. Even if you dont need a copy of it, its that enjoyable.
Anyways, i figured if my friend who was into the hobby already didnt know about this than probably others didnt as well.
https://knowledge.autodesk.com/supp.../Do-I-qualify-for-free-use-of-Fusion-360.html
Download the "trial version" and create an account. Than when you go to "buy" it you tell it you are using it for hobbyist/startup and it converts to a full program for free.
https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/free-trial
Since it was free I sat down and decided to go thru a tutorial and see how it was. Turns out its not hard at all. I have linked the tutorial below where he takes you step by step thru recreating an electrical box. It was a pretty special moment to hold in my hand something that i had created just a couple hours before. 360 works for most all 3d cnc machines. Milling, lathe, 3d printing etc, it also does CAM.
A couple years ago my friend had linked me to NerdNic's youtube tut's on designing foamboard planes, but my brain said "you cant do that! its too hard!" And so I just didnt even watch the videos. A few months later i decided to sit down and go thru it. It wasnt hard, it was fun! And so i have been doing most all of my designs in 2d software like inkscape for a the past couple years. So when 3d design started becoming more and more common i did pretty much the same thing. "I cant do that! Its too hard!". If you are like me in that regard I cant recommend enough installing this software and watching a couple tutorials like the ones i have linked down below. It is very easy to get into. And once you build your first object you will be looking around at things to see what you can model next. Even if you dont need a copy of it, its that enjoyable.
Anyways, i figured if my friend who was into the hobby already didnt know about this than probably others didnt as well.
https://knowledge.autodesk.com/supp.../Do-I-qualify-for-free-use-of-Fusion-360.html
Download the "trial version" and create an account. Than when you go to "buy" it you tell it you are using it for hobbyist/startup and it converts to a full program for free.
https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/free-trial
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