Fusion 360 - best approach?

**routercnc** · 21-05-2016

I keep seeing great things done on the CAM side of Fusion 360, especially compared to the limited capability of my Vectric Cut2D CAM programme but I have a problem /dilemma.

My main PC is in the house and runs win7 32 bit and I use it to create the CAD and CAM. I then create g-code and save it on a memory stick. Then when I'm next in the workshop (usually just an hour or 2 at the weekend) I plug this into the workshop PC (old machine running XP) and use Mach3 through the parallel port to cut out the parts. This workflow works fine.

But if I want to run Fusion 360 in the future, and gain access to all those powerful CAM features I need win7 64 bit.
Option 1 is to upgrade the main PC from 32 to 64 bit, but then the CAD software will not run (And I want to stick with it as it is very powerful). Plus I have some other CAD software which only likes 32 bit.

Option 2 is to upgrade the workshop CNC PC from 32 to 64 bit and do the CAM out there. However it is quite a waste of valuable and limited workshop time just to do the CAM, but more importantly the 64 bit CNC machine will not run Mach3 through the Parallel Port. PP only works on 32 bit as I understand it. I'd need an external motion controller for this option which is more money again.

Option 3 is to buy a cheap laptop running win7 64bit and have that in the house to transfer the CAD files onto to run Fusion and create the CAM, then save on a memory stick and take to the workshop. Bit of a fiddle and creates another yet PC to maintain.

Option 4 When I upgraded the home PC to win7 32 bit I installed it on a 128 Gb SSD (data files etc. are on another HDD). There is plenty of space left on this SSD (win7 64 bit needs 20Gb or so) and it seems like you can partition it to add win7 64bit on there, and then go for a dual boot. Presumably when you switch on you get the choice of 32 or 64 bit? As win7 is very quick to load this does not seem like too much of a compromise to do the CAD, export it out onto the HDD and then re-boot to do the CAM in Fusion 360. Will I be able to see this file on the HDD if I re-boot into another operating system? I assume so, can anyone confirm?

Option 4 is looking like a good option, any comments . . . . .?

Finally whilst I've been looking into all this I've read comments about Fusion not having a Mach3 Post Processor. Is that still the case? If so the above is all irrelevant and I'll carry on as I am.

If you are running Fusion what is your set up?

**lucan07** · 21-05-2016

I run 8.1 64bit as a dual boot with XP just dropped in another drive so I could run fusion on my Workshop machine for quick edits, providing you have a machine capable of running it, 7 or 8.1 64bit can be grabbed cheap enough so seems favourite option to me, I don't have much experience with other cam software but fusion seems to do the job and easy top pick up. You can create a partition and make it accessible to both O/S (easiest and less troublesome) or just share a directory to make files available to both O/S.

**Ger21** · 24-05-2016

Option 1, and use a VM to run your 32 bit CAD software.

Yes, Fusion 360 has a Mach3 post.

**routercnc** · 24-05-2016

Thanks Gerry.

I've ordered a 500 GB USB external drive to back up all my files, plus ordered win7 64bit.

Good call on the VM. I have heard about running VMs but need to read up about them. Therefore I think I will go with the dual boot initially (option 4), and then see first hand if the programmes I like to use will run on 64 bit on the new partition. Some of them are big with lots of modules, a lot of which I don't use so who knows. If they do run then I can phase out the old partition (32bit) so everything is 64 bit. If they don't I'm still able to run everything I need and can go with the VM. This will keep me running without risk of too much downtime.

Thanks for the info, and thanks for the Mach3 post confirmation. I'd read somewhere it did not have a post, then just recently seen that it did.

**lucan07** · 24-05-2016

A couple of things to consider with a VM running CAD programs often with high overheads and requiring access to virtual memory page files from HDD,
Virtual machines ares less efficient than actual machines when accessing the host hard drive indirectly.
Virus protection etc VMs are not always compatible with the "host" you may require separate software.

Which is why I just dual boot but depends on spec of machines and HDD speeds if your page files use the quicker SSD you may be ok with VM.

**Washout** · 26-05-2016

A few days away and I miss a thread I might have actually been useful on ;)

Anyway I would also go for a dual boot setup - if any software is going to misbehave in a VM, CAD is usually somewhere near the top of the list.

Given the features of Fusion 360, I would expect you will find you'll use your old software less and less (unless you have a Solidworks/i-Machining combo). The only thing I am using Cut2D for these days is converting pdf plans into DXF, which I then import into Fusion for modelling and CAM. I haven't touched Cut3D or DeskProto since using Fusion, the latter of which I thought was a very good CAM package.

BTW - you might be interested in this video that showed up in my Youtube subs today, which I thought was a good intro/quick start for Fusion as well as helping users coming from AutoCAD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_Th0BDUUF4