I just got this email today. Cloud Rendering has been removed from the feature set, among many others. Can anyone tell me how else I can render my .stl files for Luban without cloud rendering?
Hi Adam,
Important changes are coming to your Fusion 360 for personal use software that you need to know about.
Effective October 1, 2020 , functionality in Fusion 360 for personal use will be limited , and you’ll no longer have access to the following:
Multi-sheets, smart templates, output options for drawings (print only).
Download options from public share links
Cloud rendering
Export options including F3Z, DWG, DXF, IGES, SAT, and STEP
Simulation and generative design
Unlimited active and editable Fusion 360 documents (10 doc limit).
Fusion 360 extensions
These changes are being made to allow us to scale, align intended usage with the various offerings, support advanced capabilities for Fusion 360 subscribers, and stay true to our guiding principles of democratizing design for everyone.
Fusion 360 for personal use is still free for those of you working on home-based, non-commercial design, manufacturing, and fabrication projects.
I had only just started to learn Fusion360 and I like it very much. Maybe this change won’t be a disaster for me, but it certainly isn’t reassuring. I haven’t figured out how to replace its “cloud rendering” function with anything else, so I worry that on Oct 1, I’ll no longer be able to export my files for printing. That would be a deal killer for sure.
Did not yet receive this mail, but suppose I will. For me it’s most likely the death nail for Fusion 360. I did see the potential of this program, but I find it totally unintuitive to work with. I suppose I’ll look a bit around for other options…
I mean, I would be willing to pay for a good program, but the fees for Fusion 360 are just insane for a hobbyist.
Thats too bad.
I was finally getting the hang of it.
Its a terrible interface though and you have to do way too many steps to do things that should be simple.
Not sure what I’m going to use instead.
For vcarving (signs, logos) i use easel by inventables.
For simple 3d stuff tinkercad does a lot of what I need to do.
If nothing else it can export as an svg witch luban should be able to turn into laser gcode easily. And I know it does 3d printing gcode (and thanks to you cnc as well)
Downloaded Freecad and started to play with it but that interface is so un-intuitive. I don’t even know where to start. I definitely would have to sit through some tutorials before I even try to use it.
And the interface is so touchy.
I thought Fusion was bad but at least some aspects were familiar to photoshop and illustrator.
Found this:
Not the prettiest interface, but fairly intuitive. Almost all the setting choices have diagrams to help explain what it’s doing. The features are pretty impressive. Lots of control over toolpaths. Support for vector, reliefs, 3 & 4 & 5 axis and more. Reasonably priced for hobbyists and trial actually allows you to try everything - just watermarked.
I still really like Tinkercad for creating a lot of stuff I’ve 3D printed.
The first video I saw that actually walked through the process from scratch was one that shows the creation of a simple mounting bracket. For me things clicked into place after that. No doubt there are other and likely better videos on the subject.
I thought cloud rendering was referring to actually rendering an image of your CAD file. You should still be able to export an STL from Fusion360 unless im massively misunderstanding that email.
You may be right. Maybe “Cloud Translation” is different than “Cloud Rendering” and i’m worried about nothing. I can’t tell what’s going to happen when they make the feature changes. Each time I export form Fusion360 and choose .stl, it presents a dialog box asking for filename and export format. When I choose most of the options it notes that “cloud translation” is required to export the file. When I choose to export as .STL or .OBJ and confirm, the export window comes up and shows progress. After a minute or so with no burden on my CPU, the process shows about 1/8 complete. Screen shots of the dialog boxes here:
Saw that and immediately thought oh crap, Draftsight all over again (used to be a very nice free 2D DXF alternative, then they “upgraded” to add 3D and $99/year fee).
I had just started to think about learning Fusion and installed. Guess I don’t bother now.
Either this has no CAM capability for milling or I just haven’t dove into it deep enough despite using it about 4 years now, 3 different versions. It’s not the most intuitive interface but it does seem to work pretty well.
One tip when saving as STLs make sure to hit the “Options” button in the little save window. Switch to Binary from ASCII and set the tolerances for the mesh the way you want, otherwise it defaults to like 24deg facets over 360deg for cylindrical faces and blends and such. I always force like 1deg. Cranks up the STL file size but much cleaner prints.
Looks like this is the important takeaway for me from that web page:
Can I still 3D Print?
Yes, STL Export will still be available in Fusion 360 for Personal Use.
You can still use Fusion 360 for 3D printing with File > 3D print > send to print utility of your choice, File Export > STL or Save As STL
So maybe it’s not going to be a disaster after all?
Disclaimer: I’m not familiar enough with how this all works to give an unqualified answer yet.
It appears that you can export from FreeCAD using a post processor that generates the appropriate GCODE for the device you’re manufacturing on.
There are traces of such a thing here on the forum, but I’m not yet sure for which head that is. The person who posted it hasn’t been on the forum since. It appears to be written in python, so it can probably be reverse engineered if required.
From what I can tell, FreeCAD doesn’t care about what you’re building. It’s a massive collection of tools that help you build in the field of your choice.
As with all new experiences, it’s cantankerous and unforgiving, so I’m still wading through the molasses, but so far I’ve not found any real showstoppers.
It didn’t install cleanly under Ubuntu, but the AppImage works fine - latest release - the stable release is MIA. There’s also MacOS and Windows installers.
yeah i understand how that is. i have a joint CNC & Laser project i will be starting soon and it would be great to do both with the same model, in the same program. but i guess its my turn to forge ahead and see if i can get it to do what i want.
I can’t tell what’s going to happen when they make the feature changes. Each time I export form Fusion360 and choose .stl, it presents a dialog box asking for filename and export format. When I choose most of the options it notes that “cloud translation” is required to export the file. When I choose to export as .STL or .OBJ and confirm, the export window comes up and shows progress. After a minute or so with no burden on my CPU, the process shows about 1/8 complete. Screen shots of the dialog boxes here: