

Sign in to Autodesk Account. In the left hand column, select Get Started. Go to the Fusion 360 for Personal Use home page. And in this guide, we add another comparison to the list – between Dassault Systèmes ’ CATIA and Autodesk’s Fusion 360.How do I register my Fusion 360 as a hobbyist 1. To this end, as Scan2Cad, we’ve compared several of these competing CAD products, namely AutoCAD and SolidWorks , AutoCAD and DraftSight , and Autodesk Inventor and SolidWorks.
Autodesk Fusion 360 Hobbyist Software Products To
This makes it necessary to review both of them and to explore their major differences, features, and history in the hope that we’ll assist in your decision-making process.Avions Marcel Dassault (AMD) first released CATIA in 1977 as CATI. Being from different developers, however, they’re different. But there are also numerous similarities, the first of which is the category they fall under because of the similar capabilities and functions they offer.CATIA and Fusion 360 are similar in that sense – they’re used for product development, from the first stage (conceptualisation) to the last (manufacturing). Each of these products is distinct in its unique way, through the features and functionalities it offers. Inventor, Fusion 360 and other 2D and 3D CAD applications by Autodesk.The increased need for computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) and CAD software – owing to the convenience and other numerous benefits – has compelled developers to develop these software products to meet customers’ needs. After you sign in, select Get Started to activate and download Fusion 360 for Personal Use.CAD Forum - AutoCAD Inventor Revit 3ds max LT tips tricks advice help faq how-to.
What it doesYou may have noted that there are two different versions of CATIA – the V6 and V5. Like its previous name, CATIA is also an acronym that stands for computer-aided three-dimensional interactive application.The journey since its first release has seen the development of many versions culminating in 3DExperience CATIA V6 R2021X and CATIA V5-6R2018. CATI was developed to enable AMD to undertake 3D surface modeling and numerical control while using the CADAM software that was primarily a 2D software.The aircraft maker created a subsidiary called Dassault Systèmes in 1981, and thus CATIA was born following the renaming of CATI.
It achieves each of these functions through some distinct features. V6 also has a few enhancements up its sleeve but for the most part, both V6 and V5 share the same design architecture and, therefore, have an identical interface.If you work in a large organization in which product development requires the input of multiple designers and engineers, then V6 is the best option because it makes collaboration easier.That aside, what does CATIA do? CATIA is a parametric modeling software that combines product lifecycle management (PLM), CAM, computer-aided engineering (CAE), and CAD. The database on V6 is known as ENOVIA and it deals with some of the collaboration problems that could affect customers using V5.While in V5, all the data is stored in local files, in V6, the information is stored in an online server that can be accessed by other users within an organization. V6 is V5 that has an integrated data management platform that is more or less a cloud-based database.
The simulation is also as realistic as possible since CATIA has integrated friction properties, centrifugal forces, stress analysis, and a capability that allows for multiple excitations and measures.Interaction between surfaces in CATIA ( source )Through this interaction and resultant visualization, the user can tune and optimize the mechanism and operation of each given component to ensure seamless functionality upon manufacturing.Thanks to the cloud-based collaboration that V6 brings on board, every member of the product development team can access the models, and make changes in real-time. In the recent releases, Dassault Systèmes has improved CATIA’s simulation capabilities in that it now enables a designer to come up with a law, feed it into the software, and then use it to apply controlled variable forces. This smoothens and fastens the design phase of product development.Furthermore, the assembled parts and components can interact with each other simulating the actual movement as though the product were in use. Additionally, this feature is such that a designer can isolate a single component or surface, say the contact surface, virtually, doing away with the need to model other parts or components with which the surface will interact. Dassault Systèmes refers to this as creating a design session since it allows the designer or engineer to focus on just one section.CATIA also permits modification of assembled components, allowing designers to make changes on the go without having to disassemble a given section.
The former mainly concerns road and railway designs, whereby CATIA enables construction professionals to design a road or railway surface while incorporating vital parameters such as alignment, superelevation, and the general terrain. Civil engineers and construction professionals can also use it to model civil works and perform steel structural design. As a result, if your organization doesn’t have a 3D printer, you can easily find a 3D printing company via the marketplace option, without leaving the CATIA interface.Interestingly, CATIA isn’t only limited to manufacturing engineering.
Fusion 360’s cloud service, and by extension Autodesk’s, enables its customers to collaborate, edit, render, upload, and access files from anywhere.Fusion 360’s cloud promotes seamless collaboration because anyone can comment or provide input from any device without necessarily having installed the software on their respective gadgets.Fusion 360 is a CAM and CAD software. 360 is Autodesk’s cloud solution parlance. What it doesThe number ‘360’ in the software’s name immediately says something about it – that it’s a cloud-based software. It provides an opportunity for those just starting. However, observers attribute its success and popularity to the fact that it accommodates hobbyists and has affordable licensing bundles that have them in mind. Although it’s a new entrant, it has grown to be a favourite, perhaps because it’s an Autodesk product.
The resultant 3D objects make visualization a possibility.Fusion 360 User Interface and example 3D object ( source )However, there exists a downside. It truly leverages layout sketches from which the designer can then extrude into 3D objects. The conceptualization process on this Autodesk software begins with sketches, which are usually in 2D.
The flexibility that Fusion 360 creates a freeform modeling environment that allows designers to work with their imagination. This, therefore, implies that it’s not as rigid as AutoCAD. Sculpting refers to the use of tools such as pinch, pull, push, smooth, and grab to manipulate a digital object similar to how a potter would, using clay.The upside to the reliance on CAD is that the designers can still use the tools to create precise models – thanks to the fact that it blends both CAD and 3D modeling. This is because it mainly leans towards its CAD capabilities, which, for a long time, has been Autodesk’s primary forte.
All the engineer needs, in such cases, is to use the major 3D formats or standard neutral file formats.Fusion 360’s approach to 3D modeling is anchored on mechanical engineering. It does this without requiring any translation. The software also enables engineering analysis of models from other systems as well as those created using Fusion 360.
As such, it’s appropriate for machinists and designers responsible for producing mechanical parts. These milling tools – found in a section within Fusion 360 known as the tool pad – can be created from a model and will remain in the database for future use.Fusion 360 is mainly reserved for mechanical engineering functions. It avails many milling tools from which a machinist can choose.
Fusion 360 doesn’t make alterations easy or automatic. Changing one dimension has a ripple effect that will require the designer to also change all the other dimensions within the section or part.
