Fusion 360 - best approach?

[lucan07]

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]

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

Yes, Fusion 360 has a Mach3 post.

[routercnc]

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]

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]

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

[routercnc]

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

Thanks for that. Win7 64bit arrived yesterday, and the external drive (to backup data files prior to the partitioning) is on the way. Might get time at the w/end to set it all up. The way I see it going for the dual boot is a low risk option, and depending on how it works out I can decide where to go from there.
I know what you mean about new software replacing old - once you've got over the initial basic approach of any new software the old one just drops away and you mentally commit to investing time on the new one. I almost never use AutoCAD these days and going back to it even after years of using it reveals how awkward it is compared to parametric modelling. I'm expecting the same from Fusion CAM vs Cut2D CAM. Whether I also make the jump to Fusion CAD is undecided - based on what I've seen I think I will end up there but not initially as I will import Step files or whatever it will read in and use it for CAM. But I'm hoping it lives up to expectations and I can get comfortable with CAD and CAM in Fusion because the advantages of design changes in one package are obvious.

Thanks for the youtube link. I've seen a few minutes of it, and when I get a moment I'll run to the end.

[lucan07]

You will probably qualify for the windows 10 upgrade I personally upgraded to 10 64bit pro as fusion is quite happy under 10 and its easier to do the upgrade at the outset plus the offer only runs another month or so. Worth the upgrade as its free and you will have system supported by MS for a longer period. In course of my work I see very few problems between 7 and 10 so could see no reason not to upgrade. If not offered during install just google the offer and it should apply, it will dual boot and coexist just as smoothly.