Free CAD for Nonprofit?

[bayviewboom]

Our needs are:

• Free for nonprofit usage by a nonprofit organization (501c3, not affiliated with a high-school or college)
• Free for nonprofit usage by an individual
• Free Cloud-based file-viewing, preferably with check-in, check-out, version-merging etc
• Preferably, cloud-based CAD (not just viewing), else desktop CAD
• Works with 32-bit OS’s

any options?

thx

[I_Forge_KC]

The 32 bit OS part is the killer. Fusion is 64 bit only - as is nearly every other Autodesk product. Even with the great gifts from TechSoup/Autodesk for design collections, you're still bound by the 64 bit constraint.

With Fusion being free for startups, makers, and enthusiasts, you have a lot of leeway. At a local library I support, we encourage the library patrons to get their own login for Fusion so that there is no need to buy any licenses at the organization level.

There is a certain browser-based CAD out there right now that would function (albeit sucky) on a 32 bit machine. The concept of free with that company is one that leaves a lot to be desired. A Google search will yield that one for you.


Fusion in a web browser is coming soon, though. Hopefully, it will be out in time to be a viable tool for you...

[michallach81]

Onshape

[bayviewboom]

thx, Michallach81, but OnShape's free offering is public, which we don’t want:

https://www.onshape.com/cad-pricing

[bayviewboom]

thx I_Forge_KC

"Fusion is 64 bit only - as is nearly every other Autodesk product"

    --which ones are the exceptions?

"At a local library I support, we encourage the library patrons to get their own login for Fusion"

    -- your local library has 64-bit machines?

"Fusion in a web browser is coming soon"

    -- any idea how soon?

[I_Forge_KC]

I honestly don't know what ones are 32 bit compatible still. The reality is that most machines today (and for the past 5 years or so) are 64 bit. For a library to have them just means they have machines that aren't a decade old. The industry moved on from 32 bit as a whole - finding 32 bit machines and replacement hardware is becoming more and more of an issue.

With regards to web-based Fusion 360... good question. You can sign up for the beta and stress testing now (www.projectleopard.com), but there is no word on when this will be released to the public.

[bayviewboom]

ok, cool. Let's drop the 32-bit requirement. 

seems we can use A360 free, so that covers web-based viewing. 

That leaves:

• Free for nonprofit usage by a nonprofit organization (501c3, not affiliated with a high-school or college)
• Free for nonprofit usage by an individual

I'm overwhelmed by Autocad's 'free product' page. 

also thinking that, as a nonprofit org, we may qualify for products beyond the 'student' editions. 

[I_Forge_KC]

From an organizational standpoint, you have a couple options.

1. If you're making less than $100,000 a year you qualify for the free license under "startup." As a 501c3 you have a legal structure (c-corp, b-corp, etc.) and are technically a business.

2. If you are making MORE than $100,000 you would need to go through TechSoup and get your licenses there ( http://www.techsoup.org/search/products/autodesk/ ). The caveat with TechSoup is that you can only get two of each title per year and while they are cheap... they aren't free.

From an individual standpoint, anyone can call themselves a maker or enthusiast. This goes back to my comments about the library. It is often easier for organizations in your position to let individual users manage their own accounts as enthusiasts. 

To clarify all of this, any account type can collaborate with any other account. Anyone in your org can make a project file and share it with their peers - even on separate logins.

http://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/overview

About half-way down the page you'll see the collaboration section and the comments about makers, enthusiasts, students, and startups.

[bayviewboom]

many thx for infos. 

"501c3 you have a legal structure (c-corp, b-corp, etc.) and are technically a business."

     -- legally, a 501c3 is not a business, it's a social benefit, nonprofit org, with strict regs. For example, individuals in the org cannot profit from our activities-- all grants and revenue must support our social mission. 

"If you're making less than $100,000..."

     -- by legal definition, we cannot "make" anything. Profit is disallowed for nonprofit orgs. The autocad company may already account for this category, in their educational offerings. 

"anyone can call themselves a maker or enthusiast"

     -- super helpful.

"Anyone in your org can make a project file and share it"

     -- you mean on A360? I gather that some AutoCad products have automatic syncing with A360, and other AutoCad products do not, correct?

Assuming we're not already invested in any particular CAD, is Fusion the best choice? Or Inventor? Or AutoCad? Or....

thx!

[I_Forge_KC]

I run a 501c3 myself. You are, in fact, a business. You just don't have shareholders. You are able to have revenue and profits - they just don't get sent to individuals and instead are used internally (if your organization makes revenue). The fact that you have an FEIN legally classifies you as a business - even if that business is a non-profit. Here in TN, we are a c-corp that has a non-profit rider. We could have easily been an LLC or B-corp - the state tracks us as a business with special provisions (just like the feds do).

The TechSoup link I posted is Autodesk's official response and classification of assistance for non-profits. It is technically a grant that came from the Autodesk Foundation.

http://www.autodesk.com/sustainability/technology-impact-program?_ga=1.214081876.210975464.148052870...

Currently, Fusion 360 is the only software on the mechanical design side of things that syncs entirely with the cloud. Inventor has A360, but it isn't the same concept as cloud-based storage and integration. Furthermore, Inventor is really sticky when it comes to data management (it generates tons of linked files). Fusion overcomes this by storing all the files in an archived format that permits a single download (f3d files).

With all the criteria you've put out there, Fusion is the way to go.

[bayviewboom]

thx for detailed response. 

your definition of nonprofit is new to me-- CA may be different than TN. 

cheers!

[michallach81 · Accepted solution]

If 32 bit is no longer a case, then Fusion 360 is the best choice. Here's a statement from Terms of service, " an individual using the service on a personal basis that is not for commercial, professional or for-profit use." that applies to startup license. Here's a full notice: http://www.autodesk.com/company/legal-notices-trademarks/terms-of-service-autodesk360-web-services/a...

[bayviewboom]

Hi Michal

Thx for reference. That's great news, but

• Those terms appear to be for A360, not the CAD program. 
• It's unclear to me why it says "If your entitlements have been designated as “Startup, ”". So, this entry is not Autodesk's definition of "Startup"? Then how does one obtain the designation of "startup", if not by simply conforming to this definition?
• What's the definition of "professional"? Meaning, for pay?

Autodesk Web Services Entitlements

....
Startup: If your entitlements have been designated as “Startup, ” You may use the service if You are... (iii) an individual using the service on a personal basis that is not for commercial, professional or for-profit use.

I found the Autodesk terms for the desktop Fusion product. I see it listed here, under 2016-- the 2016 page mentions license types, under Exhibit B - License Types:

• "Startup" is not listed as a type, as for 2017. 
• Our apprentices may qualify for Educational Stand-alone (Individual) License, but that may be a feature-limited product. 
• "Educational" at the org-level requires that we are a "Qualified Educational Institution", which a nonprofit org is not (even if our mission is education)

thx

[I_Forge_KC]

Fusion is a desktop application; however, it is licensed as a web service. Just downloading the software won't get you anything - you must sign into it with a web services account. Fusion is inseparable from the web service side of things.

This is why I suggest you let your users manage their own credentials under the maker/enthusiast/start-up license.

[bayviewboom]

"Just downloading the software won't get you anything"

Fusion CAD does not work at all without the webservice?

If it's licensing is covered by the 2017 Web Service license, why does it appear to have explicit licensing in 2016? (see my post above)

[I_Forge_KC]

Nope. If you aren't logged in, it's a blank interface with zero functionality.

That doesn't mean it has to be connected ALL the time to function - offline mode is available for short-stints when connectivity may be down, but you must be logged in prior to the loss of connection.

[bayviewboom]

moved

[I_Forge_KC]

The link you posted up above is for suites - like the Product Design Suite (which is no longer available). The suites contained both cloud and desktop-based software - hence the need for the license agreement to be specific about both.

[bayviewboom]

users might not always be connected to the internet. That may eliminate this product for us. 

"offline mode is available for short-stints when connectivity may be down, but you must be logged in prior to the loss of connection."

- we cannot guarantee that users will be logged in prior to loss of connection.

- what does "short" mean? There's a timer?

[I_Forge_KC]

Once a user is signed in to Fusion, they can access any of their data on the cloud.

Should connectivity to the cloud be compromised, the user will still have access to those files that they themselves have used locally. The files are stored in a cache on their local machine for a period of up to 360 days (a user set parameter that defaults to a much MUCH lower number). Offline mode does NOT allow for using files which may be on the cloud but are not downloaded to the cache. It also removes cloud functions like sharing, cloud rendering, cloud sim, and version control.

Offline mode is meant as a redundancy to prevent data loss in the event of a connection or infrastructure failure (they happen). It isn't meant as a means to activate a license and then go dark, but the software will function for quite some time without internet access. If your users might be out and about and can't get to a hotspot but want to keep working, it will be fine. If they want to travel to the middle of a jungle and live there... not so much.