Fusion 360

[Hood]

I could quite easily make a new email account and sign up as a hobby user but it is a tool and the price is reasonable. If I could have legally got it free I would have been daft not to do so.
I have 10 days left of my trial so I will wait and see if I get a reply from BobCAD USA, if not then I will just buy the years subscription of Fusion.

 

[ronan]

I could quite easily make a new email account and sign up as a hobby user but it is a tool and the price is reasonable. If I could have legally got it free I would have been daft not to do so.
I have 10 days left of my trial so I will wait and see if I get a reply from BobCAD USA, if not then I will just buy the years subscription of Fusion.

Do you think its worth it to you to pay for it ?

 

[Hood]

That depends on whether BobCAD get back to me with a sensible price or not.

 

[ronan]

I suppose for £8 a week its not bad if you can use it with your cnc machinery too.

 

[Hood]

I suppose for £8 a week its not bad if you can use it with your cnc machinery too.

That is what I will use it for.
The CAD side of it is good as well but it is CAM I am more interested in.

 

[Hood]

I think I more or less have the post processor for Mill and Plasma done but I have been doing a bit more messing with the post processor for the lathe.
Struggling a bit with one part, I am trying to write an If statement to choose whether to output M41,M42,M43 or M44 depending on the spindle speed called. VB would be no problem but Java is a problem

I have however succeeded in another thing I wanted, previously the start of the file would look like this with regards the tools being used in the programme.

Lots of info there that I don't need and the one piece of useful info that I wanted, the actual description of the tool/insert, was not.
It is now and I also removed all the info I didn't think useful.

 

[eSCHEn]

As the language is some kind of ECMA-based script then try following Javascript (not Java) helpers Robin. The syntax should be very very close if not identical to what you need.

As to choosing from a list of things, you can do a big old mahoosive if..then..else..if set of statements of try using a switch statement, much neater:

var spindle_speed = 1000;

switch ( spindle_speed )
{
   case 1000:
       print( "M41" );
       break;
     
   case 5000:
       print( "M42" );
       break;

   case 10000:
       print( "M43" );
       break;
     
   case 15000:
       print( "M44" );
       break;

   default:
       print( "don't know that speed!" );
       break;
}

Edit: A switch is great for checking against a single value or small range of integral values but it's not designed for range matching as I think you might need. To do that then try falling down or up into the value you'd like, here's a rather contrived example:

function get_spindle_speed_toolname( spindle_speed )
{
   if ( spindle_speed > 14999 )
   {
       return "M44";
   }
  
   if ( spindle_speed > 9999 )
   {
       return "M43";
   }
  
   if ( spindle_speed > 4999 )
   {
       return "M42";
   }
  
   if ( spindle_speed > 999 )
   {
       return "M41";
   }

   return "unknown";
}

 

[Hood]

As the language is some kind of ECMA-based script then try following Javascript (not Java) helpers Robin. The syntax should be very very close if not identical to what you need.

As to choosing from a list of things, you can do a big old mahoosive if..then..else..if set of statements of try using a switch statement, much neater:

var spindle_speed = 1000;

switch ( spindle_speed )
{
   case 1000:
       print( "M41" );
       break;
    
   case 5000:
       print( "M42" );
       break;

   case 10000:
       print( "M43" );
       break;
    
   case 15000:
       print( "M44" );
       break;

   default:
       print( "don't know that speed!" );
       break;
}

Edit: A switch is great for checking against a single value or small range of integral values but it's not designed for range matching as I think you might need. To do that then try falling down or up into the value you'd like, here's a rather contrived example:

function get_spindle_speed_toolname( spindle_speed )
{
   if ( spindle_speed > 14999 )
   {
       return "M44";
   }
 
   if ( spindle_speed > 9999 )
   {
       return "M43";
   }
 
   if ( spindle_speed > 4999 )
   {
       return "M42";
   }
 
   if ( spindle_speed > 999 )
   {
       return "M41";
   }

   return "unknown";
}

Ha ha well it makes a bit more sense when written that way than the way the manual says.
Will give it a go later and see how I get on
Probably have to make some description thingies up as well but I can manage that now

 

[eSCHEn]

Probably have to make some description thingies up as well

Got all the technical lingo down pat now mate, you're sounding like a programmer

 

[Hood]

Just as long as I don't start looking like one

 

[eSCHEn]

Jesus what a glutton for punishment - who the hell puts the impact printer between your own legs? That stuff wants to be in the other room next to whoever is, or you'd like to be, profoundly deaf.

 

[Hood]

Jesus what a glutton for punishment - who the hell puts the impact printer between your own legs? That stuff wants to be in the other room next to whoever is, or you'd like to be, profoundly deaf.

Eh, ok, if you say so

 

[ukracer]

Eh, ok, if you say so

I was just going to say the same.

 

[Mike Pinches]

I need to get a new laptop mainly for college work but would also like to run Fusion 360 on it. I don't think I will be modelling anything overly complicated on it, mainly brake calliper brackets and yokes for motorbikes etc. I may have a go at transferring some very old plans I found for making hand shapers but that is probably as complicated as it will get for now.
I have had a look at the minimum requirements and also what people recommend on the Autodesk forum in terms of computer spec, however they never mention what they count as a complicated model in relation to spec required. If people don't mind can you list the spec of the computers you are using for 360 and how you find it runs? I don't mind buying a higher spec machine if I require it, but if I can get decent (hobby) performance out of a cheaper laptop then that leaves more money for buying a mill/parts for the motorbikes/ fixing the lathe etc.

 

[Hood]

I don't really know what specs are required but from what I have done so far it seems to run fine.
Both computers I run fusion on are desktops, fairly old ones, 7 or 8 years old maybe?

Both run W7

One at home is

With this as the graphics card.

The one in the workshop has, I think a 4 core FX with I think 4Gig RAM
Graphics is 4Gig GT640 or something like that.

 

[ronan]

My computer is about 10 years old, it was the cheapest one in pc world and it runs fusion fine. I don't think you need anything super to run it.

 

[Mike Pinches]

Thanks for that. I should be ok with the slightly cheaper ones which is great.

 

[Hood]

Well I am getting nowhere with the spindle gear
Tried all sorts but just keep getting errors.
2 days of trying everything I can think of but me and coding don't go together

 

[ronan]

Well I am getting nowhere with the spindle gear
Tried all sorts but just keep getting errors.
2 days of trying everything I can think of but me and coding don't go together

Did you ask on the fusion forums or contact Autodesk directly ? Some one on Practical machinist forum might be able to assist either ?


https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/cnc-machining/

 

[Hood]

Not yet, I like to languish in pain for a bit