topic Re: Is Fusion 360 the Best Software for Large Assemblies that Include Wiring in Fusion Design, Validate & Document Forum

Is Fusion 360 the Best Software for Large Assemblies that Include Wiring

gregF29ZL — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 15:55:14 GMT

So what started as a small side project at a local branch has now turned into my full time position for the entire corporation. And I'm re-evaluating my processes to speed things up. I love what I do, but the shear amount of work I have to accomplish is becoming daunting.

I've been put in charge of developing/modeling technical documentation for numerous kiosks. These include numerous electrical components and wiring (think like ATMs). I am using these models to develop assembly guides, user manuals, and field repair guides.

These models are detailed; down to the nuts and bolts. This also includes modeling wiring and wire routing. Although my last few months learning the software as sped this process up significantly, I'm wondering if Fusion 360 is the most efficient software to accomplish my goals. Modeling wiring in particular is a slow arduous process, and making changes to it later on can be a headache (particularly twisted wire). Now I have more financial leeway to browse other software, I want to ensure I'm using/learning the best one for my needs.

Re: Is Fusion 360 the Best Software for Large Assemblies that Include Wiring

TheCADWhisperer — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 16:06:25 GMT

Autodesk Inventor Professional has Routed Systems (wiring and piping/tubing)

Click on image above to enlarge the image.

Re: Is Fusion 360 the Best Software for Large Assemblies that Include Wiring

gregF29ZL — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 16:31:53 GMT

Are the options for wiring in Inventor significantly easier/quicker than the process in Fusion (sketch path -> sweep)?

Re: Is Fusion 360 the Best Software for Large Assemblies that Include Wiring

TheCADWhisperer — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 16:51:38 GMT

Yes.

Re: Is Fusion 360 the Best Software for Large Assemblies that Include Wiring

barry9UDQ6 — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 09:24:30 GMT

Fusion is brilliant at top-down modelling.

But for large assemblies that include all fasteners, routed systems, a full drawing pack, the ability to export your BOM to a spreadsheet and and and..

Inventor is much more powerful and comprehensive. You will also notice significant performance improvements when it comes to working with large assemblies.

Re: Is Fusion 360 the Best Software for Large Assemblies that Include Wiring

TrippyLighting — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 11:31:56 GMT

@barry9UDQ6 wrote:

... the ability to export your BOM to a spreadsheet and and and..

That bit is what many, many user are missing when evaluating a CAD system for a business. 99% get hung up on some modeling feature.

That is one reason why I always recommend to evaluate Fusion 360 on a project representative of the main bread-&-butter business across the entire project. Not just modeling, but the entire business process, from ideation to delivery and service.

AFAK the only way to create a BOM with Fusion 360's native tools is to create a drawing from a component group (assembly) and then create a BOM basically on paper.
If you need a BOM on anything else than a PDF or printed paper copy you need to resort to OpenBOM, or Bommer.

Re: Is Fusion 360 the Best Software for Large Assemblies that Include Wiring

tjslo — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 15:28:22 GMT

There's a script called ExtractBOM in the example AddIns that will build a list of the components in an assembly. I modified it slightly so that I could get the parameters that mattered to me, but in its most basic form, it is useful.