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IndustryArena Forum > CAD Software > Autodesk > CNC Mini series for beginners and Hobbyists
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  1. #1
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    Oct 2016
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    CNC Mini series for beginners and Hobbyists

    CNC Mini series for beginners and Hobbyists


    So I have decided to make A series of videos aimed at hobbyists and beginners, weather you are new to the CNC scene or looking to buy a machine for yourself hopefully my videos will provide so helpful info.

    In this first video I go over the software I use,Fusion 360. But i also so you how to design a basic part that we will be cutting in the series.

    Here is the first video: https://youtu.be/MlfXiCbxbMU

  2. #2
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    May 2005
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    3920

    Re: CNC Mini series for beginners and Hobbyists

    Very nice intro to CAD.

    As for Fusion 360, as nice as it is the fact that it is cloud base is a real negative that can’t be glossed over.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by wizard View Post
    Very nice intro to CAD.

    As for Fusion 360, as nice as it is the fact that it is cloud base is a real negative that can’t be glossed over.
    Why is cloud-based a negative?

  4. #4
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    Apr 2005
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    23

    Re: CNC Mini series for beginners and Hobbyists

    Fusion 360 is a high powered cadcam software that is free to use. Cloud or not.

    I think they should teach it in high schools so kids that might otherwise spend thousands of hours on video games could be an expert in that, graduate to a high paying job. Instead of graduating champ video gamer.

  5. #5
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    Jan 2005
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    Re: CNC Mini series for beginners and Hobbyists

    Quote Originally Posted by Arjay View Post
    Why is cloud-based a negative?
    For a commercial venture, companies you do work for may have specific contractual agreements that would prohibit cloud based design storage.

    For a hobbyist though, the only downside is if you are paranoid about your hobby designs getting stolen, or that the free use of the program will be taken away and you will lose your designs. However you can export your designs from Fusion to your local drive and can also save them in several formats such as parasolid, STEP, IGS,,, Overall, considering all this, and the title of this tread, I would say there is no real downside.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by 109jb View Post
    For a commercial venture, companies you do work for may have specific contractual agreements that would prohibit cloud based design storage.

    For a hobbyist though, the only downside is if you are paranoid about your hobby designs getting stolen, or that the free use of the program will be taken away and you will lose your designs. However you can export your designs from Fusion to your local drive and can also save them in several formats such as parasolid, STEP, IGS,,, Overall, considering all this, and the title of this tread, I would say there is no real downside.
    Companies now, unlike 5 years ago, and even financial companies, seem to no longer be adverse to storing data in the cloud. Of course, for companies this makes sense because very few companies built out infrastructure to store their data on-premise, instead the data was stored off-premise in a COLO. Well, that's really what the cloud is - a COLO with a few more advantages.

    For home use, cloud storage is likely to be more reliable. As for theft, I doubt anyone would be interested.

  7. #7
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    May 2015
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    Re: CNC Mini series for beginners and Hobbyists

    Last company I worked for had a blanket ban on cloud based activity and they're working with some cutting edge stuff. Reasons?
    1. military and commercially sensitive information security.
    2. Continuous availability.

    In some industries (in Australia, anyway) there is a legal requirement to keep data within Australian borders so off-shore datacentres are a big no no.

    I have also worked for a completely cloud based company before when someone managed to dig through the main regional trunk - result was no internet connection for two days. They ended up sending us home because there was nothing we can do.

    Finally, once you're locked into a cloud based solution the provider has complete control over versioning etc. "Nah, don't like the new version because of a particular bug, I'll roll back and just keep using the last one" is no longer an option.

    There's a heap of reasons why cloud based apps are an issue, and these are just from the cloud based bit, ignoring another whole can of worms around the subscription based pricing model vs outright buy.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by dharmic View Post
    Last company I worked for had a blanket ban on cloud based activity and they're working with some cutting edge stuff. Reasons?
    1. military and commercially sensitive information security.
    2. Continuous availability.

    In some industries (in Australia, anyway) there is a legal requirement to keep data within Australian borders so off-shore datacentres are a big no no.

    I have also worked for a completely cloud based company before when someone managed to dig through the main regional trunk - result was no internet connection for two days. They ended up sending us home because there was nothing we can do.

    Finally, once you're locked into a cloud based solution the provider has complete control over versioning etc. "Nah, don't like the new version because of a particular bug, I'll roll back and just keep using the last one" is no longer an option.

    There's a heap of reasons why cloud based apps are an issue, and these are just from the cloud based bit, ignoring another whole can of worms around the subscription based pricing model vs outright buy.
    You might be interested in knowing that Azure has 4 cloud data centers in Australia and AWS has 1.

  9. #9
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    Re: CNC Mini series for beginners and Hobbyists

    Quote Originally Posted by Arjay View Post
    You might be interested in knowing that Azure has 4 cloud data centers in Australia and AWS has 1.
    I know, and that works for some industries. Others have such a high trust barrier that it's just not worth doing. And all that aside, the other issues are still there.

    I use Fusion360 for home projects but I've had to use it in dodgy connectivity situations and it is a nightmare without a decent connection to the net. That and the nearly guaranteed feeling they'll reach some milestone and announce it's $500 a year for everyone ensure it will not be my preferred platform, just the one I'm using for now.

    That said - it's not bad. Still immature and missing some things whose lack annoys me often. But its surface modelling is the best I've seen in a CGM parametric CAD system and its CAM is reasonably intuitive and generates much, much smoother toolpaths than (for example) Creo.

  10. #10
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    Oct 2016
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    Re: CNC Mini series for beginners and Hobbyists

    So I dont really see Cloud based storage as a down side, As a hobbist there are more benefits to it than there are downsides.

    I like that I can access my files from any computer, They are always backed up on the cloud and I can download the files to my PC if i want.

    Sure It takes a while to accept the change but once you get used to it everything is fine! thats why I didnt really see it as a negative in my video.

  11. #11
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    Re: CNC Mini series for beginners and Hobbyists

    Everything else aside: try opening Fusion and the files you’re working on this week on a laptop with ****ty internet connection.

    Perhaps internet availability is something people can take for granted in some places. But, if you’re mobile and relying on LTE connectivity, there are plenty of dead spots. And yes, you can cache local but only if you know/remember to do it beforehand...

  12. #12
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    Re: CNC Mini series for beginners and Hobbyists

    Quote Originally Posted by dharmic View Post
    Everything else aside: try opening Fusion and the files you’re working on this week on a laptop with ****ty internet connection.

    Perhaps internet availability is something people can take for granted in some places. But, if you’re mobile and relying on LTE connectivity, there are plenty of dead spots. And yes, you can cache local but only if you know/remember to do it beforehand...
    I have a ***ty internet connection every time I open my computer. A cellular LTE connection is faster and more reliable than what I have. I actually just got a LTE Hotspot because it is better and I finally found a vendor that actually supplies unlimited data at a reasonable price. I still have the other internet while I evaluate the hotspot. It consists of an antenna mounted on the side of my house that operates at 2.4GHz (like your old cordless landline phones), and gets a signal from a water tower about 6 miles away. My download speed is usually around 1.5 MBPS, yes I mean megabit, not gigabit, and my upload is about 1.0 MBPS. Even on that Fusion works just fine.

    Regardless, what the OP is trying to do is present newbies to Cad/Cam and option for getting there feet wet at zero cost. I can't really think of a better way to do that.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by 109jb View Post
    Regardless, what the OP is trying to do is present newbies to Cad/Cam and option for getting there feet wet at zero cost. I can't really think of a better way to do that.
    No argument here. Fusion is an awesome introduction to cad cam and, so long as you’re aware of the potential limitations and pitfalls, it’s a good workhorse for probably 99% of jobs.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Jul 2018
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    6248

    Re: CNC Mini series for beginners and Hobbyists

    Hi - Look up Freecad also has free cam. Runs local so no need for internet once loaded. Cheers Peter

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