Fusion 360 and Cloud Credits

[O.Tan]

Hi,

So I have a few questions regarding Cloud Credits which I hope will be answered by an Autodesk representative:

1. So my guess is Cloud Credits will be used for rendering and simulation? (I hope user is still able to simulate without having to use the cloud)

2. Is cloud credit a one of which means each time the user renew his/her subscription they'll get their minimum cloud credit refreshed (right now we get 300CC, so each year we renew we'll get 300CC or it'll not be refreshed?)

3. For early adopters of F360 Ultimate, now that we get 1000CC as a compensation of sorts, is it a one off or we'll keep on getting +1000CC as we renew each year?

4. And is it a total of 1300CC (1000 + 300 default) for early adopters of F360 Ultimate or 1000CC?

Thanks.

[O.Tan]

a bit too late to edit, but default given is 100CC and not 300CC*

[srinath.jonnalagadda · Accepted solution]

Hello @O.Tan

Few factoids about Cloud Credits that are allocated to Fusion 360 Ultimate (and early adopters):

• Annual subscription gets 1000CC
• Monthly subscription gets 100CC
• Quarterly subscription gets 300CC

Allocated CC are good for 12months and do not rollover.

Let me illustrate with an example an annual contract that starts in Jan 2014. When the contract renews in Jan 2015, unused balance from initial 1000CC is reset to 0 and a fresh pool of 1000cc is allocated for renewal. 

Follow instructions below to check your CC balance at any time:

Go to Autodesk Account (accounts.autodesk.com) and click on the Usage Report page for the desired contract.

Cheers,

-srinath

[AbdnAllHope]

I laughed out loud when I saw that we were getting 1000cc, but I was able to refrain from hitting the forums.  I managed to let 2 whole days go by from when this news dropped.  Now I just can't hold it in any more.  Frankly...........You guys are out of your minds.  

1.  Lets get this out of the way first.  I think Cloud Credits are stupid.  I am not a fan.  Everybody at AutoDesk who has ever spoken to me knows it.  

2.  Pay per use on an ADVANCED simulation is one thing I can sort of, maybe, understand, but pay per rendering?  Come on.  What's next?  Pay per Save?  Innovation requires Iteration.  Cloud Credits = A Tax on Creativity.  Period.  Have you read your own marketing lately?  You need to make sure that your methods match your message.

3.  As a paid subscriber, my cloud credits should not expire.  Save those games for the free loaders.  Cloud Credits are worth money.  If I buy cloud credits I expect them to be in my account until I decide to use them.  Indefinitely. As long as my subsription remains active.  If I get them as part of my subscription, then the unused portion should carry over to the next year.

4.  My only guess is that since no one was buying cloud credits, AutoDesk has decided to start giving them away so that we will eventually use them up and buy more.  You can't give someone something and then take it back.  Unless you never really wanted them to have it in the first place.  Oh wait.  Cell phone companies do it all the time.  How many people are happy to see the 1gb of data they paid for every month get reset every 30 days?  

5.  Our subscription is an investment in the Fusion 360 ecosystem.  It's an indicator of our support for AutoDesk's vision of the future.  It should be thought of and treated as much more than just software rental.  Our loyalty to AutoDesk and Fusion 360 should be rewarded, not reset on a yearly basis.  

grumble, grumble.

[Anonymous]

Cloud credits-

  What are they?

  Why do I need them?

  What does 1000 cloud credits get me, is this going to be enough to last through a year?

  How much do they cost?

  Why are they required now, they weren't required or even available in Fusion360 when I subscribed.

  Why do they expire?

There does not seem to be any single location that covers this information, or any of the other recent changes to Fusion360,  scanning through pages of sparse vague information is not very convenient.

Autodesk should be trying to make users feel that they can use Fusion360 as their primary cad/cam software without having to worry about how surprise changes in the software or billing may force them to another software.  committing to Fusion360 is a very large commitment on the users part, it is not easy to just switch to another software, especially in a machine shop environment.

Todd

[srinath.jonnalagadda]

Hello @Anonymous

Cloud Credit is currency used for running compute jobs on the cloud such as Rendering and Simulation. Cloud Credit = $1, sold in packs of 100. Number of credits consumed varied based on the type of job; e.g. you can spend up to 6CC for a rendering. 

We know that many users currently use Rendering on cloud to speed up the process. If you have no interest in Rendering on cloud, you do not require Cloud Credits. While it might appear that we introduced Cloud Credits as part of the recent change, fact is that when you purchased Fusion 360 you got 100 Cloud Credits.You can check the status of Cloud Credits in your account by going accounts.autodesk.com.

Just so i know your main concern, please let me know if you have specific questions about how your usage of Fusion 360 relates to Cloud Credits.

For a quick summary of the recently announced changes, please refer to this blog.

Cheers,

-srinath

[Anonymous]

@AbdnAllHope

Very well said and I couldn't agree more.

[O.Tan]

Aaah, so everytime I renew, I'll get 1000CC regardless of how much CC left before the renewal right? 

Though I find Autodesk should consider to change the policy regarding those who buy additional CC, cause it doesn't make sense to buy and have an expiry date, especially when we're talking digital currency. 

And correct me if I'm wrong but if I recall correctly, there's no difference in paying monthly vs annually as the total amount is the same, so why is that for monthly subscription I get 100CC whereas annual subscription only gives me 1000CC, shouldn't it be 1200CC as well?

[srinath.jonnalagadda]

everytime I renew, I'll get 1000CC regardless of how much CC left before the renewal right? 

Correct

No the price for monthly and annual is not the same

Monthly subscription = $40/month (Fusion 360) and $150 (Fusion 360 Ultimate)

Annual subscription = $300/annual (Fusion 360) and $1200 (Fusion 360 Ultimate)

Cheers,

-srinath

[O.Tan]

Ah, I kept thinking monthly is $35.

Thanks!

[AbdnAllHope]

We know that many users currently use Rendering on cloud to speed up the process. If you have no interest in Rendering on cloud, you do not require Cloud Credits. 

---

Cloud Rendering is about more than just saving time.

Correct me if I am wrong, but rendering is currently limited to your screen resolution (document window size) for local renders.  If you want to create a cloud rendering that is better than standard quality or larger than 1mp, then you need to use cloud credits.  So I think pretty much everybody who wants to do anything close to a professional quality rendering is going to require cloud credits.

[O.Tan]

Hmm, depends on your monitor, but most monitor resolution these days is larger then 1mp.

The main benefits of cloud render is it allows you to free up your computer resources and that you'll be able to render multiple scenes much faster then allowing your computer to do it all.

[macmanpb]

What must i read, cloud credit's expires?

Ist that right?  

[Helmi74]

The simple fact that you need to have chart graphics to explain your credit system and then it's still too complicated that everyone gets it (and finds it useful) should make you think about it. Unfortuntely this is not only true to CC but also to a lot in Fusion. User experience is something that seriously should be worked on, but guess I've said that quite too often already.

[O.Tan]

Basically what Autodesk should've just said is CloudCredit renews annually, but the amount of CC remaining before the annual renewal doesn't carry over.

The issue that I foresee would be those who buy additional CC and didn't finish it up within a year as it'll expire as well which doesn't make sense IMHO.

[srinath.jonnalagadda]

@O.Tan, @Helmi74 et.al.,

Good points on expiry of purchased cloud credits. While i cannot promise an immediate change, I will make sure your feedback is taken into account when we revise the cloud credit rules.

Thanks again for your feedback.

Cheers,

-srinath 

[Anonymous]

Where can I read about more information of what consumes Cloud Credits within the usesage of Fusion 360?