I spent money for personal hobby use and 90% of the time you can't login, it doesn't barely work as it should, almost impossible to find anything that helps. They should really should be made to refund customers for this as it's a breach of trading standards, almost no support.
I agree, the entire customer experience is miserable. I don't know how they can't see that and aren't doing anything about it. I guess their priority is their higher paying customers paying thousands for full licenses per year.
Thank you for affirming my exact experience. I tried for months to get it to work and never could and of course there is no support. The educational license install is a cake walk as is the full license but the Maker version should be pulled until its works.
Yeah we can't be the only ones experiencing this... It's a shame cause I would have liked to keep using solidworks at home but the maker edition is just so broken.
@3D Print Stuff Which Solid Works Maker are you using? The cloud app or the local install version? Are people having issues with both? I was considering the local install version so I wouldn't have to worry about internet connection, plus the ability to save files locally, rather than the cloud. Both are on sale for $24 USD for a 1 year license, so I may give it a go anyways.
The free version is more than enough for most hobbyists or people just getting started. But to each their own. Maybe solidworks has improved the user experience of their maker platform since I made this video.
@@3DPrintStuff The biggest issue with F360 free version is with the technical drawings. The user can only create one drawing and it isn't printable. I do a lot of woodworking and need to be able to print out drawings and such. That was a real stickler for me. That and the license fees for the full version. Always something hanging over your head. I believe these companies are shooting themselves in the foot. Giving people a free license for non-commercial use is only going to improve the product and result in more users down the line. I'm kind of stuck with FreeCad which has it's own issues, but at least I get all of the feautures and functionality for nothing. We can't win!
@@tommaxwell429 Interesting perspective, I can definitely see the drawing restrictions being a pain for woodworking. For 3D printing models I never really make drawings so that isn't something that I ran into and with this youtube channel I can justify paying the full version prices. Both solidworks and fusion really need to take another look at their free/entry level offerings and make it more consumer friendly. But they make all their money at the enterprise level so I'm not sure if they really care about individual makers.
Just came across this video while looking for something to help me understand the maker version of SW. I have had F360 for 3 years (they ran a killer 3-yr promo deal back then) but it expires in a month and was looking for a lesser expensive product since I don't sell anything. After hearing about your experience and others I think I'll just surrender now. The tools seem easy enough to understand, but the interface to their "3D Experience" is off the charts confusing. Like you said . . . convoluted. When I sit down to work I just want to go to my canvas and work . . . not go in circles. I get buried sometimes and can't find my way out. Learning a new CAD/CAM platform is hard enough without spending hours trying to navigate all the nonsense.
Any updates on this? I used solidworks for college in 2020 and was great for Tool & Die, Im wanting to get it again to just make squared models to get an idea on projects without making mistakes that add up. I have blender but thats a huge mountain to climb.
I've tried to login recently but it still thinks my license is in use but it clearly isn't... not sure if they've fixed anything but I think the user experience for installing and updating is still pretty bad. Once it's on your computer and working it's great, same solidworks you're used to, I'm actually pretty mad that the 3d experience is that bad because I really like solidworks from a workflow standpoint. There are times while designing in fusion 360 that I wish I was back in solidworks. Before you make the decision I'd look into if all the tools you want to use are available in the maker edition.
I've used Solidworks for 10 years professional as the main design engineer in a manufacturing company. I have to say solidworks makers is a joke. I've used Catia, NX, and Fusion 360. You need a company to pay for these licenses unless you go with fusion 360
I disagree. I have been using Solidworks at work for years and recently started using the Makers subscription at home. No problems yet, seems to work well, especially with the old laptop that I am using right now.
Yeah that’s fair. I’m sure some people have had seamless experiences and when the maker edition did work for me I was happy with it. But when it stopped working for me when they switched to 2024 and it never started working again even after reaching out to support and not getting a response… I’m just done with the maker edition.
in my working life I have used proprietary CAD\CAM for CNC machines, now that I use Fusion 360 I feel free to create for printing without constraints or licensing problems like you have had. I will probably opt for the paid license since the proceeds can well cover the expense, happy printing everyone!
Lets make one thing clear, solidworks has never ever been stable. as soon as you try to do anything new on it or some complicated geometry, solidworks is known for its erroring out potential
@3DPrintStuff so what exactly is the problem? Do you just have issues on how to install it or do you have issues with the functionality of the software? I recently started using solidworks maker and i can't realy see a big issue with it (other than me not beeing used to it, but thats not really the problem of solidworks maker)
I installed it and had it working fine. I have no issue with the user experience when it is actually working. It is basically just regular solidworks and that's what I'm used to. I really like solidworks as a platform. When they updated to 2024 my license stopped working and I haven't been able to find any way to fix it. Support has been non responsive. Every time I went to use it there would be an update and when they released an update something would break and the install process is painful. Maybe they've fixed it by now but I've moved on.
Even the Full version of Solidworks is broken , they keep adding hotfix but there juste more thing who just stop working as they should. Ben working with Solidworks for the past 10 year and it never has been that bad. I'm considering to move out with an other platform , but i'm not a fan of all those cloud one. the day you dont have an internet connection it wont just work. I mean Autodesk especially.
"solidworks has encountered a problem and needs to close" will forever haunt my dreams haha. Interesting to hear this is the worst you've seen in 10 years.
@@3DPrintStuff My favorite has always been "SW cannot create feature due to unknown geometric conditions", after it displays a preview of exactly what you wanted, lol. Are you using the cloud version or the local version of Maker?
@@yertelt5570 😂 this was the worst. "You're showing me what I asked for but saying it's impossible!". I was using the local version but you still have to go through their 3D experience to launch it.
I've been using the Makers License for 2 years. It has issues and I stress out each time it requires an update since I'm concerned it may finally stop working (seems to update quarterly on average). That said, I've modeled a ton of parts I could not have otherwise, and once I get it booted up and going it has no problems. I had some very frustrating issues on initial install which were cleared up by emailing customer service, since then every update is a hassle that I somehow get past and keep going. It's also my understanding if I ever convert to the Professional version I cannot take these models with me. At the end of the day I've learned a lot about modeling I could not have otherwise, and am only paying less than $10 a month for it. PS: As you said yourself the Dassault website is sooooo bloated!
My biggest problem is that Fusion 360's subscription model is fucked, there's no inbetween, Solidworks offers education licenses for what, 40$, and military for 20$, its *really* hard to beat that. If Autodesk offered a like 100-200$ a year plan (with discounts for studentds/mil) instead of fucking 700$ a god damn year. Its such a trash way to do business, and stuff like this makes me *never* want to use their products. My question is: other than the issue you are having, how about the workflow/ease of learning and using the software? is one really easier to use? I know in general the sort of "industry standard" for many higher level jobs is Solidworks, but for a hobbyist who just wants to do some fucking around 3d modeling stuff for some random 3d prints, what would be easier to learn?
This company reached out to me claiming to offer a full year fusion 360 subscription for $89.99: www.mykeysshop.com/product/683574232492801024.html They seem legit enough but I'm not sure how they could possibly be providing it for that cheap. Anyways as far as ease of use. It's hard to say. I've spent so much more time in solidworks so that feels "easier" to use but that's just cause I don't have the reps in fusion 360. The tools you have at your disposal for making 3D models are going to be almost identical. Everything in both software packages is built from a sketch that you then extrude, revolve, sweep and many more commands. I think they'll both be the same difficulty to learn from scratch so just commit to one and learn in that. The core concepts will transfer over to the other if you decide to switch just the workflow will change a bit.
I've painfully learned to review software before buying. #1 What's the general opinion, #2 How's the support, You Tube, Facebook, Forums, Discord (Video Chat).
Thanks! I was considering a Maker license and this put the nail in the coffin. SolidWorks used to have a program that allowed employees whose companies had a license to have a home license as well.
Oh that would be cool. We had floating licenses at work. It would be cool to be able to pull that to your home device, that might even still be an option. We used to just remote into our work desktops if we needed to use it from home but that was super slow and almost unusable.
Sucks bc Solidworks is what I was trained and certified in. Their website is horrible, so dealing with anything tied to the internet with Makers is a no go
Same here, it's what I learned in school and used at work... sad to have to switch but I haven't had any of the same licensing issues with fusion 360 so far.
@@3DPrintStuff Did it take long to get used to the different system? I imagine basics are the same with planes and such. I’ve heard everything is basically an assembly in Fusion. No seperate part and assembly files. Also, Is surface modeling available in Fusion? I always liked how you can go from surface modeling to solid modeling a part quickly in solidworks by using the fill tool.
Right, but Fusion is massively limited. It's a damn mess with having to save externally, pull files in, zero support, and being "limited to 10 files" for no legitimate reason. Why can't AutoCAD create a $10-$20 a month license for full software use for normal humans.
Yea this. I like fusion a little better than solid works but I can't justify $70. The 10 models thing isn't awful but it seems unnecessary. Charge me $15 and unlock all the features. Even give me 50-100 models at that price.
@@COWGUYVT I usually just export them as fusion archive files to bypass the file counts and cloud saves. Then again I design most things in Shapr3D and only time I really need to use Fusion is to add threads to holes. I am about to expand into plasma table cutting in the future though and may design some stuff in fusion but seems like there are better solutions for 2d cutting. There are just sees to be a lot more helpful video's on doing it in fusion.
I tried using it, cancelled my subscription, went back to fusion 360, I hated 360 before that now I am using it and nothing else The damn thing is such a mess.
I loved SW, worked for SW. But was forced into Fusion for 10 year contract. Now that theirs a maker version I wanted to go back. Not that a disliked Fusion, it's that I LOVED SW. but HOLY SHIT, I can't get any reply from SW or 3rd party forums, Not that AD is any better however. So back to Fusion. Fuck I hate AD! The devil you know.
I used SolidWorks professionally for over a decade and found the exact same issue with the maker edition. Another option might be Onshape.
I spent money for personal hobby use and 90% of the time you can't login, it doesn't barely work as it should, almost impossible to find anything that helps. They should really should be made to refund customers for this as it's a breach of trading standards, almost no support.
I agree, the entire customer experience is miserable. I don't know how they can't see that and aren't doing anything about it.
I guess their priority is their higher paying customers paying thousands for full licenses per year.
Thank you for affirming my exact experience. I tried for months to get it to work and never could and of course there is no support. The educational license install is a cake walk as is the full license but the Maker version should be pulled until its works.
Yeah we can't be the only ones experiencing this... It's a shame cause I would have liked to keep using solidworks at home but the maker edition is just so broken.
@3D Print Stuff Which Solid Works Maker are you using? The cloud app or the local install version? Are people having issues with both? I was considering the local install version so I wouldn't have to worry about internet connection, plus the ability to save files locally, rather than the cloud. Both are on sale for $24 USD for a 1 year license, so I may give it a go anyways.
Current Fusion "On Sale" price is $510 (vs the $382 in your 6 month old video)! Autodesk can go pound sand.
The free version is more than enough for most hobbyists or people just getting started. But to each their own. Maybe solidworks has improved the user experience of their maker platform since I made this video.
@@3DPrintStuff The biggest issue with F360 free version is with the technical drawings. The user can only create one drawing and it isn't printable. I do a lot of woodworking and need to be able to print out drawings and such. That was a real stickler for me. That and the license fees for the full version. Always something hanging over your head. I believe these companies are shooting themselves in the foot. Giving people a free license for non-commercial use is only going to improve the product and result in more users down the line. I'm kind of stuck with FreeCad which has it's own issues, but at least I get all of the feautures and functionality for nothing. We can't win!
@@tommaxwell429 Interesting perspective, I can definitely see the drawing restrictions being a pain for woodworking. For 3D printing models I never really make drawings so that isn't something that I ran into and with this youtube channel I can justify paying the full version prices. Both solidworks and fusion really need to take another look at their free/entry level offerings and make it more consumer friendly. But they make all their money at the enterprise level so I'm not sure if they really care about individual makers.
Just came across this video while looking for something to help me understand the maker version of SW. I have had F360 for 3 years (they ran a killer 3-yr promo deal back then) but it expires in a month and was looking for a lesser expensive product since I don't sell anything. After hearing about your experience and others I think I'll just surrender now. The tools seem easy enough to understand, but the interface to their "3D Experience" is off the charts confusing. Like you said . . . convoluted. When I sit down to work I just want to go to my canvas and work . . . not go in circles. I get buried sometimes and can't find my way out. Learning a new CAD/CAM platform is hard enough without spending hours trying to navigate all the nonsense.
Just installed Maker with no issues. Works fine. Black Friday deal £24.
Same here working fine for me to
Any updates on this? I used solidworks for college in 2020 and was great for Tool & Die, Im wanting to get it again to just make squared models to get an idea on projects without making mistakes that add up. I have blender but thats a huge mountain to climb.
I've tried to login recently but it still thinks my license is in use but it clearly isn't... not sure if they've fixed anything but I think the user experience for installing and updating is still pretty bad. Once it's on your computer and working it's great, same solidworks you're used to, I'm actually pretty mad that the 3d experience is that bad because I really like solidworks from a workflow standpoint. There are times while designing in fusion 360 that I wish I was back in solidworks.
Before you make the decision I'd look into if all the tools you want to use are available in the maker edition.
Thanks for sharing. Had given it a look. Truly confusing trying to set up the free version.
Thank you for the warning.
No worries
I've used Solidworks for 10 years professional as the main design engineer in a manufacturing company. I have to say solidworks makers is a joke. I've used Catia, NX, and Fusion 360. You need a company to pay for these licenses unless you go with fusion 360
Gave it a month here. Couldn’t get it to work either. Back to fusion.
I disagree. I have been using Solidworks at work for years and recently started using the Makers subscription at home. No problems yet, seems to work well, especially with the old laptop that I am using right now.
Yeah that’s fair. I’m sure some people have had seamless experiences and when the maker edition did work for me I was happy with it. But when it stopped working for me when they switched to 2024 and it never started working again even after reaching out to support and not getting a response… I’m just done with the maker edition.
in my working life I have used proprietary CAD\CAM for CNC machines, now that I use Fusion 360 I feel free to create for printing without constraints or licensing problems like you have had. I will probably opt for the paid license since the proceeds can well cover the expense, happy printing everyone!
Lets make one thing clear, solidworks has never ever been stable. as soon as you try to do anything new on it or some complicated geometry, solidworks is known for its erroring out potential
What a bullshit!
@3DPrintStuff so what exactly is the problem? Do you just have issues on how to install it or do you have issues with the functionality of the software? I recently started using solidworks maker and i can't realy see a big issue with it (other than me not beeing used to it, but thats not really the problem of solidworks maker)
I installed it and had it working fine. I have no issue with the user experience when it is actually working. It is basically just regular solidworks and that's what I'm used to. I really like solidworks as a platform. When they updated to 2024 my license stopped working and I haven't been able to find any way to fix it. Support has been non responsive.
Every time I went to use it there would be an update and when they released an update something would break and the install process is painful. Maybe they've fixed it by now but I've moved on.
Even the Full version of Solidworks is broken , they keep adding hotfix but there juste more thing who just stop working as they should. Ben working with Solidworks for the past 10 year and it never has been that bad. I'm considering to move out with an other platform , but i'm not a fan of all those cloud one. the day you dont have an internet connection it wont just work. I mean Autodesk especially.
"solidworks has encountered a problem and needs to close" will forever haunt my dreams haha. Interesting to hear this is the worst you've seen in 10 years.
@@3DPrintStuff My favorite has always been "SW cannot create feature due to unknown geometric conditions", after it displays a preview of exactly what you wanted, lol. Are you using the cloud version or the local version of Maker?
@@yertelt5570 😂 this was the worst. "You're showing me what I asked for but saying it's impossible!". I was using the local version but you still have to go through their 3D experience to launch it.
I've been using the Makers License for 2 years. It has issues and I stress out each time it requires an update since I'm concerned it may finally stop working (seems to update quarterly on average).
That said, I've modeled a ton of parts I could not have otherwise, and once I get it booted up and going it has no problems. I had some very frustrating issues on initial install which were cleared up by emailing customer service, since then every update is a hassle that I somehow get past and keep going. It's also my understanding if I ever convert to the Professional version I cannot take these models with me. At the end of the day I've learned a lot about modeling I could not have otherwise, and am only paying less than $10 a month for it.
PS: As you said yourself the Dassault website is sooooo bloated!
I just bought this the other day and it seems to be working fine as of January 8th 2025
They may have ironed out some of the kinks. Glad to hear you had a good experience.
My biggest problem is that Fusion 360's subscription model is fucked, there's no inbetween, Solidworks offers education licenses for what, 40$, and military for 20$, its *really* hard to beat that.
If Autodesk offered a like 100-200$ a year plan (with discounts for studentds/mil) instead of fucking 700$ a god damn year. Its such a trash way to do business, and stuff like this makes me *never* want to use their products.
My question is: other than the issue you are having, how about the workflow/ease of learning and using the software? is one really easier to use? I know in general the sort of "industry standard" for many higher level jobs is Solidworks, but for a hobbyist who just wants to do some fucking around 3d modeling stuff for some random 3d prints, what would be easier to learn?
This company reached out to me claiming to offer a full year fusion 360 subscription for $89.99: www.mykeysshop.com/product/683574232492801024.html
They seem legit enough but I'm not sure how they could possibly be providing it for that cheap.
Anyways as far as ease of use. It's hard to say. I've spent so much more time in solidworks so that feels "easier" to use but that's just cause I don't have the reps in fusion 360. The tools you have at your disposal for making 3D models are going to be almost identical. Everything in both software packages is built from a sketch that you then extrude, revolve, sweep and many more commands. I think they'll both be the same difficulty to learn from scratch so just commit to one and learn in that. The core concepts will transfer over to the other if you decide to switch just the workflow will change a bit.
I've painfully learned to review software before buying. #1 What's the general opinion, #2 How's the support, You Tube, Facebook, Forums, Discord (Video Chat).
I could not agree more; however I have a lot of time into learning SW.
Thanks! I was considering a Maker license and this put the nail in the coffin. SolidWorks used to have a program that allowed employees whose companies had a license to have a home license as well.
Oh that would be cool. We had floating licenses at work. It would be cool to be able to pull that to your home device, that might even still be an option. We used to just remote into our work desktops if we needed to use it from home but that was super slow and almost unusable.
Sucks bc Solidworks is what I was trained and certified in.
Their website is horrible, so dealing with anything tied to the internet with Makers is a no go
Same here, it's what I learned in school and used at work... sad to have to switch but I haven't had any of the same licensing issues with fusion 360 so far.
@@3DPrintStuff
Did it take long to get used to the different system? I imagine basics are the same with planes and such. I’ve heard everything is basically an assembly in Fusion. No seperate part and assembly files.
Also, Is surface modeling available in Fusion? I always liked how you can go from surface modeling to solid modeling a part quickly in solidworks by using the fill tool.
Thanks. Saved me some money.
No problem 👍
Right, but Fusion is massively limited. It's a damn mess with having to save externally, pull files in, zero support, and being "limited to 10 files" for no legitimate reason. Why can't AutoCAD create a $10-$20 a month license for full software use for normal humans.
Yea this. I like fusion a little better than solid works but I can't justify $70. The 10 models thing isn't awful but it seems unnecessary. Charge me $15 and unlock all the features. Even give me 50-100 models at that price.
@@COWGUYVT I usually just export them as fusion archive files to bypass the file counts and cloud saves. Then again I design most things in Shapr3D and only time I really need to use Fusion is to add threads to holes. I am about to expand into plasma table cutting in the future though and may design some stuff in fusion but seems like there are better solutions for 2d cutting. There are just sees to be a lot more helpful video's on doing it in fusion.
I tried using it, cancelled my subscription, went back to fusion 360, I hated 360 before that now I am using it and nothing else
The damn thing is such a mess.
I loved SW, worked for SW. But was forced into Fusion for 10 year contract. Now that theirs a maker version I wanted to go back. Not that a disliked Fusion, it's that I LOVED SW. but HOLY SHIT, I can't get any reply from SW or 3rd party forums, Not that AD is any better however. So back to Fusion. Fuck I hate AD! The devil you know.
Thanks you for telling me.
No problem