If you’re a CAD user then, this is the best CAD software for mechanical engineers looking for the most efficient design tool that will let you break free from juggling different applications and software just to design a project, then your search is now over. With Autodesk Fusion 360, you don’t have to worry about the whole design creation process. The software guides you and your whole team from designing drafts to printing perfected 3D models. This program is 3D CAD remastered, making it the most interactive, all-in-one platform (best for collaborations) for CAD, CAM, and CAE tools. You can explore its overflowing features and services with its free trial period. Ready to upgrade your designing experience with this amazing tool?
Autodesk Fusion 360 is one of the better design tools which every CAD user should have in their own toolbox.
The program is a fusion of CAD/CAM/CAE tools delivered in a cloud platform. It consists of tools that support an entire design-to-manufacture process within one Computer-Aided Design (CAD) package. The combination of CAD, CAM, FEA, and documentation leads to an easier flow of different design phases and presentation graphics without the trouble of learning separate software packages.
“Most people make the mistake of thinking design is what it looks like. People think it’s this veneer – that the designers are handed this box and told, ‘Make it look good!’ That’s not what we think design is. It’s not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”
– Steve Jobs
Features of Autodesk Fusion 360
1.3D Design & Modeling
Engineer products with a comprehensive set of modeling tools. Ensure the form, fit, and function of your products with various analysis methods.
- Sketching: Create and edit sketches with sketch constraints, dimensions, and a powerful suite of sketching tools.
- Direct Modeling: Edit or repair imported geometry from non-native file formats. Make design changes without worrying about time-based features.
- Surface Modeling: Create and edit complex parametric surfaces for repairing, patching, or designing geometry.
- Parametric Modeling: Create history-based features, including extrude, revolve, loft, sweep, etc., that update with design changes.
- Mesh Modeling: Edit and repair imported scans or mesh models, including STL and OBJ files.
- Freeform Modeling: Create complex sub-divisional surfaces with T-splines and edit them with intuitive push-pull gestures.
- Rendering: Create photo-realistic images of your model, leveraging local or cloud rendering.
- PCB Design Integration: Synchronize bi-directional changes from your electronics designs seamlessly with Autodesk EAGLE interoperability.
- Sheet Metal: Design sheet metal parts components, document flat patterns using 2D drawings and DXFs, and manufacture your design with cutting strategies for water jet, laser, and plasma machines.
- Assemblies: Assemble designs with a traditional bottom-up, middle-out, or top-down approach and analyze assembly motion.
2.Manufacturing
From high-efficiency roughing with Adaptive Clearing to simplified control of multi-axis machines with Tool Orientation, Fusion 360 makes it easy to program your CNC machine, fast. Manufacture with 2.5, 3, 4, and 5-axis milling, probing, turning, mill-turning, and profiling operations paired with a powerful post engine all included with professional design tools.
- Machining Extension: Extend the CAM capabilities of Fusion 360 with more advanced manufacturing technologies, including 5-axis programming, toolpath optimization, process automation, on-machine verification, and more.
- 2.5 & 3-axis Milling: Quickly set up jobs and generate toolpaths to machine quality parts while reducing wear on your tools with fully integrated CAM, including 2.5 and 3-axis operations.
- 3+2 Milling (5-axis Positional): Leverage your shop’s multi-axis capabilities with straightforward positional 5-axis programming that will significantly reduce machine set up time between operations.
- 4-axis Milling: Create indexed or wrapped toolpaths using the rotary axis of your machine for complex geometry.
- 5-axis Simultaneous Milling: Mill complex geometry, avoid collisions, and reduce tool lengths for superior surface finished with simultaneous full 5-axis operations.
- Set Up Probing: Leverage in-machine touch probes to shift work offsets and simplify your set up process.
- Turning: Programme 2D turned parts and verify your turning toolpaths with stock simulation to identify errors or collisions with the model, stock, tools, and work holding.
- Mill-Turning: Combine milling and turning operations to create more complex parts without switching machines.
- Water Jet, Laser Cutter, Plasma Cutter: Generate toolpaths from solid model features, including flattened sheet metal components, to operate water jet, laser, and plasma cutters.
- Free Post Processor Library: Post full NC programs in seconds with a post from our extensive library of free, open-source, and fully editable post processors.
3.Electronics
Bring your designs to life by adding electronic intelligence using the Schematic design, PCB Layout, and routing capabilities integrated with Fusion 360.
- Schematic Capture: Bring your spark of an idea to life with a complete set of schematic editing tools.
- PCB Layout: Connect your ideas together in a complete design with complete PCB layout tools.
- PCB Manufacturing (CAM): Generate gerbers, drill files, and assembly files with a click of a button.
- Design For Manufacturability / DRC: Stay true to your manufacturing requirements with customizable design rules.
- MCAD – ECAD Unification: Ensure your PCDB fits the first time, every time, with the only genuinely unified MCAD to ECAD software.
- Component Library Management: Stay focused on your design instead of creating parts with ready-to-use PCB library content and component wizards.
- SPICE Simulation: Ensure accuracy and get your schematics right the first time with fully functional SPICE simulation
- Electronics Cooling: Remove excess heat within the enclosure, so you do not damage the internal components.
4.Data Management
Data management is the center of your unified development process. Gain more control by leveraging managed user permissions, version control, and cloud storage.
- Administrative Tools: Assign permissions and grant rights to stakeholders inside or outside of your organization with a collection of advanced administration tools.
- User Management: Include internal and external stakeholders in your development process. Manage how users interact with data through project administration.
- File Export: Export a variety of industry-standard file formats making for easier shareability and external collaboration. Including STEP, DWG, DXF, OBJ, STL, IGES, and more.
- Version Control: Reduce design cycle errors and workflow inefficiencies. Track every change and prevent conflicts with automated, built-in version management.
- Cloud Storage: Access your data anywhere and everywhere, on any device. Continue working when not connected to the Internet using off-line mode.
- AnyCAD: Eliminate the need for translation. Use models and data from any tool directly in your Fusion 360 design.
- Team Participant: All data management features are included with every Fusion 360 subscription or can be purchased separately. Add users to your environment for data management and collaboration purposes only.
5.Collaboration
Remove the silos from your traditional design process and utilize a modern collaboration environment regardless of your role. Connect your teams and external stakeholders, communicate in real-time and centralize project activity.
- User Management: Include internal and external stakeholders in your development process. Manage how users interact with data through project administration.
- Global Share: Connect teams across various departments and locations, both internally and externally, using a single platform.
- Commenting & Redlining: Capture and share feedback from any device, directly on the design using comments, redlines, and mark-ups.
- Unlimited Access: Access your data anywhere and everywhere, on any device. Continue working when not connected to the Internet using off-line mode.
- Public/Private Design Sharing: Shared links preview in a web browser, so any third parties can interact with a 3D model, even if they don’t have access to a modeling program.
- Team Participant: All data management features are included with every Fusion 360 subscription or can be purchased separately. Add users to your environment for data management and collaboration purposes only.
6.Additive Manufacturing
- Fused Filament Fabrication: Additively manufacture parts using FFF with a seamless approach from design to print preparation. Reduce 3D printing time and save material costs with infill pattern options and automatic part orientation. Simulate slices prior to printing FFF builds across a range of additive manufacturing machines.
- Associative Programming: Your toolpaths update with every design change through our fully integrated manufacturing tools, making it quick and easy to machine prototypes.
- Metal Additive Manufacturing: Additively manufacture metal parts using powder bed fusion to reduce material wastage and cost. Select 3D print parameters, automatically orient parts, and generate fully associative support structures.
7.Generative Design
Explore multiple manufacturing-ready outcomes that meet your design specifications while reducing weight, improving performance, and consolidating parts.
- Manufacturing Methods & Constraints: Identify your design requirements, constraints, materials, and manufacturing options to generate manufacturing-ready designs.
- Machine Learning & AI: Review cloud-generated design outcomes based on visual similarities, plots, and filters powered by machine learning
- Export CAD-ready Files: Choose a generative design outcome to export and import the CAD-ready geometries into Fusion 360. The results can be edited with T-spline tools for any fine adjustments or aesthetic requirements.
- Cloud Solve: Simultaneously solve for various design outcomes, freeing up your time to focus on other tasks.
- Costing: Make the right decisions early in the design process by striking the right balance between performance and cost. Estimate your manufacturing cost, powered by aPriori, for each of the generated design outcomes, based upon production volume requirements.
8.Simulation
Test your designs to ensure that they will survive real-world conditions. Simulate your products digitally, reducing the cost of prototyping by using fully-validated solvers.
- Cloud Simulation: Using cloud credits, set up and analyze multiple tests quickly while eliminating the need for expensive hardware.
- Study Breadth: Test for up to eight different failure criteria, including non-linear, event, and more.
- Static Stress: Determine displacements, stresses, and other effects resulting from static loads on parts or assemblies.
- Modal Frequency: Avoid destructive vibration by understanding the natural frequencies of your systems.
- Thermal & Thermal Stress: Understand thermal distributions and how they interact with physical forces.
- Buckling: Predict unexpected failure modes for slender members under compression using simulation.
- Non-linear Stress: Analyse permanent deformations and non-linear materials of your design.
- Event Simulation: Ensure your design will withstand various impact scenarios.
- Shape Optimisation: Identify unnecessary regions in your design for light-weighting, utilizing integrated simulation.
9.Documentation
Communicate your designs to internal or external stakeholders with 2D manufacturing drawings, renderings, and animations.
- 2D Manufacturing Drawings: Document manufacturing specifications using integrated, associative drawings for parts and assemblies.
- Rendering: Create photo-realistic images of your model, leveraging local or cloud rendering.
- Animation: Communicate your designs with 3D exploded views and animations to show design assembly.
10.Fusion 360 Extensions
Access our most advanced design and manufacturing technology with Autodesk Fusion 360 crack extensions to get even more from your Fusion 360 subscription. Flexible purchasing options help you access the tools your business needs today and support your growth in the future.
- Machining: Extend the CAM capabilities of Fusion 360 with more advanced manufacturing technologies, including 5-axis programming, toolpath optimization, process automation, on-machine verification, and more.
- Generative Design: Discover ideas beyond the reach of human capacity. Explore unlimited ideas and optimize designs for specific materials and manufacturing techniques with the generative design extension.
- Additive Build: Additively manufacture metal parts using powder bed fusion to reduce material wastage and cost. Select 3D print parameters, automatically orient parts, and generate fully associative support structures for efficient programming. Quickly create subtractive finishing operations within your same Fusion 360 environment for high-quality surface finish.
Pros and Cons of Autodesk Fusion 360
| ✅ PROS | ❌ CONS |
|---|---|
| ✅ A truly multi-disciplinary design solution | ❌ Monthly subscription fees are much greater than paying annually |
| ✅ Benefits workflows and collaborative working | ❌ Uses third-party storage, such as Dropbox, not its own |
| ✅ Free trial offered |
System Requirements of Autodesk Fusion 360
| 🖥 Component | 📌 Requirement |
|---|---|
| 🏢 Operating System | Windows 7 / 8 / 10 (64-bit) macOS Catalina 10.15, Mojave v10.14, High Sierra v10.13 |
| 🔄 Processor | 64-bit processor (32-bit and ARM not supported) 4 cores, 1.7 GHz Intel Core i3, AMD Ryzen 3 or greater |
| 💾 Disk Space | 3 GB of storage |
| 🧠 Memory (RAM) | 4 GB (Integrated graphics recommend 6 GB or more) |
| 🎮 Graphics Card | DirectX 11 or greater Dedicated GPU with 1 GB or more VRAM Integrated graphics with 6 GB or more RAM |
| 🖱 Pointing Device | HID-compliant mouse or trackpad Optional Wacom tablet and 3Dconnexion SpaceMouse support |
| 📺 Display Resolution | 1366 x 768 (1920 x 1080 or greater at 100% scale strongly recommended) |
| 🌐 Internet | 2.5 Mbps or faster download 500 Kbps or faster upload |
| 🔗 Dependencies | .NET Framework 4.5, SSL 3.0, TLS 1.2+ |
🔄 Alternatives to Autodesk Fusion 360
| 🏆 Alternative Software | 🔍 Description | 💰 Pricing |
|---|---|---|
| 🆓 FreeCAD | Open-source 3D parametric modeler suitable for CAD, engineering, and architecture. | Free |
| 📐 SketchUp | User-friendly 3D modeling software ideal for architecture and interior design. | Free & Paid Plans |
| 💡 SOLIDWORKS | Industry-standard 3D CAD software used for mechanical design and engineering. | Paid (Subscription) |
| 🛠 Autodesk Inventor | Powerful 3D mechanical design software from Autodesk, focused on professional engineers. | Paid (Subscription) |
| ☁ Onshape | Cloud-based CAD platform with real-time collaboration features. | Free & Paid Plans |
| 🎯 BRL-CAD | Open-source solid modeling system developed for engineering and military applications. | Free |
Technical Specification Of Autodesk Fusion 360
| 🏷 Specification | 📌 Details |
|---|---|
| 🖥 Software Name | Autodesk Fusion 360 Software for Windows |
| 📂 File Size | 11.6 MB |
| 🌍 Languages | English, Italian, French, Spanish, Polish, Chinese, German, Japanese |
| 🔑 License | Free Trial (30 days) |
| 🏢 Developer | Autodesk Inc |
Conclusion
Fusion 360 is CAD reinvented! It gives you the power to drive innovation. With users around the world, Fusion 360 has proven to be a market leader in 3D mechanical design and engineering. Create sophisticated part and assembly designs quickly and efficiently using powerful, easy-to-use software. This learning path will build your knowledge of the core skills you need to design using Fusion 360. Becoming an expert in Fusion 360 will give you the skills you need to succeed and bring your products to market faster!