Fusion360 to FreeCAD - Introduction
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 มิ.ย. 2024
- Looking to move from Fusion360 to FreeCAD?Not sure how to get started? This introduction video will show you how to get started as quickly as possible without also making you sit through CAD concepts you already know.
The next video in the series - • FreeCAD - Intro to Par...
Check out my Patreon
/ makeor
Download FreeCAD 0.19 Pre Release
github.com/FreeCAD/FreeCAD/re...
FreeCAD Website
freecadweb.org/
Contribute to FreeCAD
wiki.freecadweb.org/Help_FreeCAD
Donate to FreeCAD
liberapay.com/FreeCAD - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
7 dislikes from Autodesk representatives.
Thanks for the quick how-to video Brodie.
Fusion 360 exile here. Thanks for the useful intro.
Another Fusion 360 refugee here - sub'd and waiting for LOTS of content on FreeCad ! Thanks !!!
search joko engineering freecad
I wished FreeCAD would be as professional as Blender is, but in the current state it does kinda everything, but nothing really good. For playing and wasting time it is perfect, but it is miles away from getting even close to products like Inventor, NX or Solidworks. It really needs active development supported by a open source company and new versions every month!
Blender wasn't always that way, not too long ago people would turn their nose up at Blender for being terrible, hard to use etc but a slowly increasing loyal community, donors and contributors made it grow and improve and the 2.8 release was in incredible milestone. KiCAD has a very similar story, FreeCAD could too.
@@BrodieFairhall I mean I used Blender excessively back in 2013 and it was amazing. The experience was far better than using FreeCAD in 2020.
@@blendarious That's really cool that you stuck with it all the way back then, 2013 Brodie would not have agreed with you at all, I personally struggled to find logic in how it worked and good tutorials online at that time, so I didn't put the effort into it and give it a decent chance back then.
For anyone new to CAD design, don't be fooled: The Hole tool is very useful.
The hole tool allows you to define a hole with a radius, counterbore/countersink, and optional tapered point at the bottom. The software will then create a revolved cut with the defined profile shape. This can be later edited as a single feature with a single defined center point, which will reduce the number of sketches and features that you might mess up. Additionally, if you are designing something to be machined from a solid material, properly modeling the taper from the end of the drill bit is important. It allows you to correctly analyze the model, and the machinist doesn't have to call you up and ask how deep the hole should be because flat bottom holes can't be drilled. This is less critical for 3D printing applications, but the ability to create more complex hole geometry in less steps is still helpful.
I mean, you can drill a flat bottomed hole with an annular cutter or an endmill. But it's not optimal.
Heartily agree...
You can definitely drill flat bottom holes. It's just not practical as the need for a specific drill would add to the cost unnecessarily unless you really need it flat for some reason.
I agree, this was a somewhat odd recommendation by Brodie. I use the hole tool as I find the workflow of having all properties as a single feature to be easier to manage, but then again I don't do any professional work, only things for home use so perhaps my use-case is different.
Now with FreeCAD 0.20 you can even make holes with real threads for screws with different standarts like M1, M2... or custom ones. th-cam.com/video/hXkNqsATWcs/w-d-xo.html
It will be out soon.
This is exactly the video I was searching for! The new license changes prompted me to look for alternatives to Fusion 360, plus I realized it won’t run natively on the Linux workstation I’m building next year. I’m still pretty new to CAD in general so I figured better to switch now than later, but all my experience so far is with Fusion so I was looking for a tutorial just like this to get a jump start on switching. Thanks for taking the time to make this!
Glad I could help!
Let me know if you get stuck on anything in particular.
Freecad trava muito
Same reason I'm here.
I always hated fusion since I learned solidworks first. And their price changes and reducing features has only made me hate it more.
I started learning and using Fusion 360 couple of months ago after getting a bit frustrated with FreeCad, and I was considering paying for subscription when I got better with Fusion 360. But the stunt AutoCad pulled opened my eyes to the fact that I will always be at the mercy of Autocad and they can change the terms any time they like and there's nothing I can do about it. So I am back to learning FreeCad where no one can dictate what I can or can't do, and I will be donating to the project whatever I can when I can.
Love your narrative style. I'm using FreeCAD for 3D printing and look forward to more guides.
Instablaster.
Fusion are really going to regret their recent move to restrict hobby use. In 5 years time with an army of freeCAD users starting their own businesses, not many are going to want to start shelling out $$$ and embark on a learning curve to switch to Fusion.
Sure they just pirate inventor an be done with it.
Fusion 360 is unusable for me anymore, so i'm just an X hobbyist user now. Giving Freecad a try now.
The trim tool was a revelation - thank you sir!
As a Rhino 3D User, this free CAD video tutorial is very useful for me. Thanks. Subbed.
I’ve reached the max of my editable documents ( only 30) on Fusion 360 and now can’t save new designs , time to move to Freecad , many thanks for a great Tutorial.
FreeCAD it's an astonishing achievement
This introduction was just what I needed to get started! Thank you for creating this video!
I'm here seeking asylum from the autodesk oppressors.
Welcome aboard!
Disappointing that they added even more restrictions to Fusion360 free version. I understand why, but it still blows.
Nothing changed for you guys. If you use Fusion 360 above the level they restricted, you’re not using it as a hobbyist. The level of functionality that the free F360 version provides, even after the restrictions, is mind blowing. You’re certainly free to go with open source, just don’t expect the same functionality and speed of modeling.
@@tomuhr5802I think you're underestimating quite a number of hobbyists here, lots of non commercial users were using a lot of functionality that has been removed from Fusion.
Also think about the number of open source projects that have been effected by this, both the 3D side and because Adsk rolled Eagle into Fusion.
After using Fusion for 5 years, I'm amazed that Adsk actually think it is ready to charge people money for at all.
@@BrodieFairhall No. I was quite clear in what I was saying. But sure, humor yourself. Since you clearly think that software on this level should be for free, what I would consider rather delusional, FreeCad is ideal for you. While we, that actually use these different CAD platforms for work, consider Fusion 360 the most cost efficient software on the market. And look nothing against open source, there’s a lot of amazing stuff out there, but please stop the whining on what you should get for free.
This series is helping me so much with designs for projects on my channel. Thank you so much for taking the time to make these videos!!!
Thanks for this video! I appreciate your concise comparisons and demonstrations of basic operations and also pointing out "gotcha"s. The hint about the pocket tool, for example, being unable to cut a body in two is very helpful.
Thanks for not making an hour long video, great and short, straight to the point.
I have been using FCad v0.18 for about two solid months now. I am nowhere experienced in CAD generally, but I have become very comfortable in using FCad. The only real issue I have now is learning how to get text on my objects. It works sometime and getting the orientation of my text is a little troubling. But I am quite satisfied with its performance and the current tools it has. I still have a lot to learn. Its is an enjoyable application with a nice CAD community involved. Thanks for your input on this application.
You did a fantastic and I mean fantastic job of explaining things. You are a either a natural at this or you have instructed before. In a short time you gave clear information on how Freecad works including things to watch out for! Really hope you do more! Cheers!
This will be valuable to a lot of people including myself. Thanks for taking the time to do this.
Thank you so much for the "Highlight open vertexes " button! That has been a big frustration.
That was a massive frustration for me too when I was starting out, that's why I made sure I put it in the video!
Thank you Brodie. I am a intermediate F360 user mostly for 3d printing and paper templates for cutting materials. I don't spend enough time per year on F360 to warrant a massive yearly subscription. Your video is also exactly what I need and coming in at the first video means I can learn at a pace rather than wading through loads of videos trying to catch up. I'm still not convinced FreeCad is what I need but you have prevented a premature binning of the software. I look forward to your next instalment.
Aiden
Thanks Brodie!! You are Just the guy we need to get us going in Freecad
Thanks, Brodie! This video helped me with a couple of FreeCAD features I was struggling with. Very much appreciate the video!
I believe the days of over priced sub based app's are nearly over F360, Adobe and the other exorbitant priced app's are just not worth using anymore.
Nah, as long as big companies are shelling out the money for Creo, Catia, Autocad, they have no incentive to drop the price
Nice Introduction Video, Brodie. I like your methodical tutorial approach. Nicely done.
I laughed out loud when you said that hole is something you'll probably never use because that's a specific software feature I'm looking for. In Fusion 360 it's great for easily modeling printable threads and countersunk fasteners.
In FC there is an add-on which allows for the creation of scaled threads specifically for 3D printing, the fasteners WB.
Just like "you will never use the grid". Something in the middle of nowhere looks great. I guess they tried to create software not for designers but for kids.
@@vladimirseven777 Sketcher is a constraints driven application, for noobs using the grid can give the impression that lines/curves are connected because the endpoints start/finish at the same place. This is not the same as being constrained together. That is why a lot of people never use the grid. It just isn't much help.
I dont use the grid in 360, so would not use it here. Been playing with freecad for a few weeks now, but still use 360 on a regilar basis for modelling.
Ditto the comments about the hole feature - it's extremely useful when ultimately moving to engineering prints. If all one is doing is FDM/SLA printing, probably less so, though the standard c'sink and c'bore features are good to if you want to print them - get them sized right. Though I was just messing with it in 0.19.22665 (current as of this is 22670) and the hole feature is broken in it. Working fine in 0.18. So one's mileage may vary with the development build rather than the stable branch.
freecad will become like blender now
Freecad doesn't have the support Blender has. let's hope that they'll improve the software, I'm looking forward to migrate.
@YS TR very bad news. It makes me want to complete computer engineering just to help with the software myself lol
@YS TR not true at all. Why so negative? The realthunder branch is nearly perfect.
@@yosyp5905 do your own research, ys tr is negative and has clearly no clue of the current development of freecad.
@@peterjansen4894 who's YSTR? can you explain more?
Just ran through this and the other FreeCAD videos you have. Easily the best I have found so far. Subbed and liked, and considering bumping a current patreon cause to contribute to yours if these continue. Promise of this project is high... but good lord does it need some helping hands to climb the curve of that interface and the work flows.
Thanks!
Let me know if there are any particular topics you want covered.
Very timely information for me. I'm looking to start a small business that leverages some 3D modeling. As a result I've been debating the paid or start-up license of 360, because I was overwhelmed trying to understand freecad. Subscribed so that I can learn more!
You got me on my way-straight away! Thank You 😁👍
From an engineering designers standpoint this seems much intuitive in creating parts. Thanks.
Peter - look at Bugman’s FreeCAD channel - th-cam.com/video/CkqYGWkoJQM/w-d-xo.html
Nice and useful video, thank you ! I will link this to my friends who are interested in FreeCAD.
I know how to use Fusion quite well and have some very basic skills on FC. This was very good video. I haven't known about that missing vertex option and have bit struggled with boolean operations. This immediately explained what I've been likely doing wrong in couple occasions. Very good job 👍👍
I started fusion last year and with all their shenanigans and my trial ending, I’m exporting my projects and switching to free cad. This video is godsend
No better time than now, FreeCAD is only going to get better for this point on.
That's brilliant, extremely useful initiative, well explained and to the point !! thanks a lot for this
Would be keen to see a section on a key part of my Fusion workflow - jumping back and forth in the timeline and making edits. Not just revising a sketch, but reorganizing the order of things (eg move a fillet command to later in the timeline) or deleting an extrude (pad) operation. Oh and appreciate the moderate pace and even voice over of the video :)
^ this. Give this person a cookie.
Also a newb to FreeCAD coming from Fusion 360. It's been quite a smooth sail upto the moment but a few things like this keep me missing Fusion.
Small tip: when you change settings like you did at the beginning, please do things like that a bit slower, and make sure to do things in the order you say. (You said change the gradient and add anti-aliasing, but you did those things in the order of adding anti-aliasing and then changing to a solid color background.)
Great video, thanks for publishing this one!
Well.. they was cosmetic changes so its not that important. Why not play around yourself? 😀
@@bullzebub I was trying to give you a tip, not asking a question about how to do something. You also way underestimate the power of cosmetic changes. Most people in the free-to-use market who shy away from FreeCAD do so because of cosmetics.
YEP!!! I'm switching!!! Thanks for this it was exactly what I was looking for.
Exactly what I was looking for. I've been using FreeCAD for years as a viewer but have never had any idea where to start with designing. I have used F360 a few times to design little things for 3D printing but the hobbyist licence keeps eroding. With this, I can make the leap I needed to make. Thanks!
Subscribed! I am happy to see tutorial video with subtitles (must required for deaf/foreign community). I was going to use Fusion 360 and learned license policy was recently changed. I finally switch to FreeCAD and Blender that I recently installed. I hope that developers catch up like insanely expensive commercial CAD applications (AutoCAD, SolidWorks, etc.)
Thats should be available via TH-cam Subtitles button, Id love to see a translated subtitles from all the other language's in the world
I hope you keep these up! Even just basic videos showing how to design various parts in FreeCAD would be awesome. I'd also love if you could show off some basics of assemblies. I love the joints in Fusion and how intractable they are and have yet to find something in FreeCAD that compares.
This came up just great!
I'm starting my migration with help from your videos for sure :)
Really excellent tutorial and likewise with all the other videos on FreeCAD I have seen of yours. Thank you!
The best part about the F360 plan restructuring is all of the programming talent also into CAD who will iterate upon FreeCAD and OpenSCAD.
Excelente explicación, gracias por mostrar y apoyar a Freecad.
Saludos desde Chile.
Yes please continue with FreeCAD tuts. Would like a video on G-code creation and possible a simulation starter.
I second this request !!
Outstanding and very timely. Please, keep producing these videos as there is keen interest at this time for this content.
Thanks,
.vp
Exactly what I was looking for...thanks!
Thanks for the video! Looking forward to more fusion to freecad vids
Oh i just realized I'm not subbed :O Great tutorial thanks :3
I created my first part in this for my project now :D it was simple and hard to do when you're used to fusion but I already feel better at it!
also I'm really happy there's a tutorial for someone who already knows CAD fundamentals but is transitioning!
It's hard to unlearn habits, it took me a long time to grasp FreeCAD, but now I couldn't imagine going back to a closed source CAD suite, especially an Autodesk tool.
I am just starting 3d design. This stuff is pretty hard. Thanks for explaining it well
Keep going with FreeCAD Brodie. Thank you. Subscribed.
Awesome stuff, thank you! Would love to see an Assembly! Also during the weekend I've now several times come across the recommendation to NOT sketch directly on a face but rather create a datum plane and use that instead, to work around some error that's currently still in FreeCAD. I'd love if you could go into that, maybe with a demonstration of said error so one knows what one wants to avoid. Right now it's all still a bit of a mystery 😅
That is called the wiki.freecadweb.org/Topological_naming_problem and it results in problems down the road, when you have to recompute the model, such as when changing a parameter. Attaching a sketch to a face makes a relationship based on the numbering of the entity, e.g. Face01. So if that face was the result of some operation, like a Pad, and you recompute your model, but your faces come out with a different numbering, e.g. Face01 is no longer "the top face", then your model will break.
@@kurtkremitzki1558 Absolutely right! Fusion actually suffers from the same problem too, but less people encounter it I guess.
I can definitely show an example of the error in a video too, I have done it to myself a lot.
@@kurtkremitzki1558 Thank you very much! I really need to do some reading on the wiki it seems. That node just did wonders to my understanding.
@@BrodieFairhall That'd be a great video. 👍 TiA 😃
I'm looking forward to realthunder's topological naming fixes making it into mainline FreeCAD. I think the advice on how to use datum planes I've read hasn't been consistent. I'm still new, but I get the idea that the best approach is to have the datum planes drive both the surfaces and the sketches that would be on those surfaces? But realthunder's work should usually make that a boondoggle I think. I've gotten used to SolidWorks getting topological naming mostly right, but I've still seem models fall apart topologically there and realthunder's naming scheme looks even more robust. I crashed his build before managing to induce a topological naming error when I tried yesterday. 🙂
Brodie, thank you for this video. I will seriously consider making the shift fro F360.
This is so cool! You helped me decide to do the jump!
Many thanks for this video. Keep going!
The errors with non closed sketches reminds me very much of working with older versions of Solid works.You really had to look very closely to spot the error sometimes.
I've just subscribed,this looks like it could get very interesting👍
Really really good tutorial thank you Brodie.
Beautiful. Thank you so much for this
Fusion 360/Rhino 3d user. Thanks for the tutorial!
Thanks for making this video.
Nice timing..! Hope to see threads in a future video
Excellent video. Thank you.
Super good intro! I've been learning FreeCAD for about a week and didn't come across everything you showed here earlier, like:
- trim tool
- validating sketch
Since I got started with 3D modeling only now I can start directly on FreeCAD instead of being tempted by Fusion360 and likely migrate from later 😁
This unclear "10 active documents limit" might get quite the annoyance on their free plan.
Excellent. Thank you. More please.
Great presentation and content.
Thanks, I finnaly understand some of my errors
Excellent, will be following
Great video, i had almost given up on free cad but in an effort to ditch windows 10 for liunx fusion360 is not a real option. However your vids have given me a good feeling about the move. Now just need to export all my projects. Keep up the good work.
Great help! Thank you.
I just wanted to chime in and add that the sketch function in FreeCAD is in fact very similar to that in Solidworks (I trained in Solidworks as part of my engineering degree). I think we all got a bit spoilt by how A360 sketches. A360 sketching is really nice, while Solidworks/FreeCAD being a little more 'clunky', but it still works and works well.
👍 Thank you.
Subscribed. 😃
Thanks for sharing with us
Really great video, so many little tips to pick up. I was trying freecad for the first time tonight and I had struggled without knowing how to align to the grid/edges, I know now! The UI also looks much better with your suggestions!
The other thing I was struggling with was camera control, the cube in the top right can't be dragged like in fusion and the camera itself seemed to stay in rotation mode until I let go of shift. Maybe a video on that would be good :)
Instead of "Shift + Right Mouse Button" to rotate, you can also use "Middle Mouse Button + Right Mouse Button" (Which I always forget doesn't exist in Fusion every time I use it)
Subbed and Belled. Would be lovely to see "Beginner" "Intermediet" and "Advance" user tutorials. There are a couple of beginner videos out there but I think if you made a complete series from beginner to advanced you would gain alot of subs and many people would benefit from it. Looking forward to see lot's and lot's of videos from you!
AliceDad I second that 👍
I had a fusion 360 tutorial series up, on how to make folding knives up over a year ago, 20 videos. I left them up for a month - tons of views, little to no likes on videos, very little comments, no patreon support (not even a dollar a month) and only 5 subscribbers. Honestly, I think it's about the teacher - this guy's channel would do GREAT with tutorials, people like me just don't mesh well with the majority or don't know how to teach others their skills - so now I just make time lapse videos of my designs. Subbed, and looking to move over from fusion 360.
I am looking forward to you videos.
Thats great, thank you very much!
Please note at 3:40 - when the sketch turns green it is “fully defined” - i.e. zero degrees of freedom. This is very important.
So a while back, 2 years ago, i did my cswp solidworks certification. But since that is super expensive haha, i am looking into freecad. I would like to take all the examples from my book and course, then recreate them in freecad.
Thanks for the video
I like Freecad alot. I have however stumbled upon Siemens Solid Edge and that thing is a local install with local storage. Definitely a solid 360 contender
Solid Edge and Solidworks both seem to be nudging in to the space Autodesk opened up with their recent stunt. It's great to see some kind of community support coming from Siemens and Dassault Systems, it's also a smart move for a company to get people familiar with their tools so that is the one they want to buy if they do any commercial work. There is always still that risk that they will change their licensing.
FreeCAD might be lacking a bit of polish right now, but, it is still a fantastic tool and if the community gets behind it, it will grow and they'll have a tool that no one can take away from them. Blender and KiCAD are excellent examples of this.
Thank you so much 👍👍👍👍👍
Great video
nice, clear, slow explanations ..... pls keep making such video on freecad. One note though- your theme color screen make it hard to see text and icons on youtube....I think the default is clearer when streaming on youtube
Thx Nice Video, Subscribed.
Thank you Brodie . I like how you explained things to get started . I have been fusion 360 for the last year between changing the user terrace to the recent changes in the free liscense fusion has alienated some of those I am mentoring . I still subscribe to the fusion 360 as there are more training videos like yours in fusion 360 than free cad . As just a comment I liked how you took the time to make the display the same .it took me several tries as it was don3 very quickly and there may be som3 difference between the apple an windows menu options . In apple the preferences tab was located in the free cad icon not the edit drop down menu. I am going to create a video today for my student using your model in a zoom meeting . The newbies have a lot to learn and the video is a little too fast for them but was perfect for me . So I am creating one that is for beginners I can send to you if you would like to see it . I know you are busy and I really appreciate your time . Do you have a Patron account ?
Kind regards
Dave Outlaw
Hi David,
I apologise it has taken me so long to reply. Thanks for the heads up on the Apple menus being different, I'll try an include any differences like this in future videos.
It's great to have feedback about the pace of the video, both of my Fusion to FreeCAD videos are targeting people with an understanding of 3D CAD and want a quick overview of the tools and layout, but I probably should make them a little more beginner friendly. I'll be focusing more on videos covering single concepts or tools which will be short but hopefully a good pace to keep everyone interested but not leave beginners behind.
I would love to see your tutorial, as you mentioned, FreeCAD is seriously lacking educational material when compared to Fusion, so the more tutorials available, the better.
I have recently made my Patreon public (www.patreon.com/makeor), I'll be adding more to it soon.
Also, thanks for taking the time to comment!
Kind regards,
Brodie
looks interesting !
Yay! Thanks much!! I absolutely refuse to use Fusion 360. Turned away from AutoCad at R17 and never want to look back. Sketchup Pro V8 has been my home since then (later Sketchups have less features). Curves are terrible in Sketchup for STL file creation though so, gonna check this out. Thanks again!
I am a SolidWorks CATIA user on a daily basis at work. This would be nice for home projects.
Awesome thanks!
very good!
ok .... will try joining here... looks like a big change but i may give a try
I've been using Solidworks for nearly 20 years so I would like to see some comparisons to SW. I still have a valid SW license and would be happy to contribute in any way possible to further the open source progress of FreeCad.
Search for Joko Engineering Freecad Solidworks.
He did a nice video on FreeCAD from a Solidworks Users Perspective
Seems to me that FreeCad is a lot more similar to solidworks than it is to fusion - for example the differentiation between additive and subtractive tools is very similar to Solidworks.
@@TooManyProjectsWorkshop I was thinking the same but I've only watched one video so far.
I learned Solidworks in 2000 and have been using it until 2017 when I discovered OnShape. I've dabbled with FreeCAD for years but never become proficient.
@@TooManyProjectsWorkshop Agreed. In many other ways. I don't know if SolidWorks still has these limitations currently because I haven't used it in a while but back in the day when I did, you also couldn't have open sketches, and you couldn't split bodies. Additionally, the sketch is absorbed into the body, where in fusion you can use sketches over and over again.
Thanks for this
Extra points for having a conure as an avatar!
This video is very nicely done. Great info on the similarities and tips on how fusion360 users can find comfortable ways of doing things in FreeCAD. But, it immediately teaches techniques that, while very convenient, wiill almost guarantee the new user will quickly face the topological naming issue. Especially when encouraging the user that sketches can be changed at any time. While ture, there are caveats. Teaching/explaining how to use sketches attached to base planes with offsets, and other techniques, while less convenient, can avoid confusion and frustration. New users have enough to cope with transitioning from Fusion360, no sense adding to the frustration.
Absolutely right, I'm doing a few more videos this week and one is specifically going to be about the topological naming problem, how to cause it, how to fix it and ultimately how to do it properly. Most people who try FreeCAD, unfortunately drop it after 15 minutes of trying to get anything accomplished, so I just wanted to get people feeling like they can actually create something before dropping the big problems on them, especially when Fusion lets you get away with so many lazy things.
Yea, I see the "15 minute" tolerance all the time. I did a series of written tutorials that, I thought, tried to present the "learn to stand, before you attempt a marathon" and the response was a room full of crickets. ;) And, yes, Fusion does allow one to get lazy. ;)
Very nice video! If I could ask, I would like to see video about threads in freecad. I tried it few years ago and it was horrible! Maybe with a bit of guidence it will be possible to switch to freecad!
FreeCAD is awesome. Maybe there are few bugs but in my job we use FreeCAD to make all designs for manufacturing and using Path module to setup CAM.
Thank you
In a way, this Fusion360 shitstorm is a blessing for FreeCAD, i did a lot of training in Siemens SolidEdge, just to be wasted time, so i learned and NEVER EVER waste time again learning how to use a closed source tool. Fuck Autodesk and guys, learn your lesson here.
Thanks for the tips at the end!!
Great video! I work as a professional using CREO... and I am not happy with Fusion for my home applications. FreeCAD seems to be more like Creo than Fusion.... I will try it.