My advice for using OpenBOM

[janus2]

Hello!

I just completed my first major project in Fusion 360. First of all many thanks to all here in the forum who supported me so energetically. Thanks a lot!

Now I would like to give something back.

I'd like to start building the machine. So I need a BOM.

Which parts do I have to make and in which quantities?

Which parts do I have to order and in which quantities?

So I need a simple list with component name and quantity.
Sounds simple. But directly with the resources of Fusion 360 it is hardly possible.
So I looked around for suitable additional software and found OpenBOM.

The software is fully integrated into Fusion 360.
And important for me as a pensioner: There is also a free version!

If you use the button Partlist you get a nice BOM with all the information you need.

But I have learned that I do not follow some rules when creating my construction:

I used 'appearance' to give my components a nice view. So I see brass and steel in Fusion 360 but not in my BOM!

So I learned that I must use 'Physical Material' instead. Now it is in the BOM.

Next mistake I made: I've always given parts like gear the same name (gear). This is not a problem in the browser view. You know exactly which gear is meant. But in the parts list you have ten times the same name. Now I have learned to give all parts a unique name (e.g.: gear_10_Input).
A last tip to create the parts list: The upper element in the browser must be active and all parts must be visible. Then you also get the nice thumbnails.

In the result BOM you can add own columns, calculate totals and so on. There are a lot of tutorials.

I hope this helps if you need a BOM

Jan

[janus2]

Update:
I learned today that there is no more free plugin from OpenBOM.

Here is a quote from the newsletter:

'All CAD plug-ins and integrations will require the Professional User Subscription level or above. '

That means at least $25 per month. Too expensive for a hobby use.

Now I can only hope that there will be a usable solution in Fusion360 soon.
Jan

[TrippyLighting]

The newsletter sates:

1- OpenBOM will continue to provide five subscription levels - Free User, Professional User, Professional Team, Company, and Enterprise.

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.

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3-  NOTICE: All CAD plug-ins and integrations will require the Professional User Subscription level or above. 

So what is the difference between "Fee user" and CAD plugin integration" as it pertains to Fusion 360?

[janus2]

Have you noticed the fine difference between 'free user' and 'fee user'! Is this just a typo?

I am a free user and can use the web frontend. But without connection to Fusion360 this is useless.

They will not sell a single license to hobby users. But they underestimate the multiplier that hobby users represent.
I also did a lot of advertising (like here) and now I have to tell people that this was a mistake.

Jan

[TrippyLighting]

LOL! Yes, "fee" user was just a typo 😉

I looked at the feature comparison and pricing page and indeed to me, the free version would be utterly useless! 

@brianrepp I don't know who the responsible product manager is for Fusion 360 BOM. Can we have an update on what is planned and when?

[TrippyLighting]

The information on the OpenBOM website is pretty confusing contradicting itself on the same page!

Looking at the pricing overview indeed it looks like CAD integrations are not available for the free subscription.

 

However, the FAQ further down on the same page contradicts the above:

Unless CAD integration is not the same as CAD plugin.

But who in their right mind would purposely try to mislead users? 

[oleg]

Dear Peter, Jan and all other users that commented on this post. 

Thank you for sharing your feedback! It is very valuable for us. OpenBOM subscriptions changed on Feb 1st, 2020 and one of the changes was that CAD add-ins are not free anymore. 

Our website was updated, but unfortunately, some information was missed. We made these fixes and we are sorry about the inconvenience it caused. We are also making changes in the App Store description that requires some time to update. It is also fixed. 

We are learning how can we help Autodesk Fusion360 customers and as soon as I will be able to share more information, the update will be sent to all users. 

Again, thank you for your honest and transparent comments. 

Sincerely, 

Oleg Shilovitsky

CEO and co-founder, OpenBOM.  

[TrippyLighting]

Oleg,

Thanks for the clarification and prompt response!

[oleg]

Hi Peter, Jan, 

Can I ask you a question? Are you both using Autodesk Fusion360 free license?  You speak about hobbyist users, so I'm curious if we can identify hobbyist users similar to what we do for educational users (OpenBOM Professional is free for educational users). 

Let me know what you think. Feel free to write me to oleg [at] openbom [dot] com. 

Best, Oleg

[lichtzeichenanlage]

My rule of thumb for materials:

• Physical material to the component.
• Appearance material to the body. 

[oleg]

@lichtzeichenanlage @janus2 

Note, OpenBOM extracts components from Fusion360 and ignores bodies. 

[lichtzeichenanlage]

My rule of thumb would still make total sense, wouldn't it? You're getting the physical material for the boom and the look for e.g. renderings. 

[oleg]

@lichtzeichenanlage yes, it will be still correct.

[TrippyLighting]

---

@oleg wrote:

Hi Peter, Jan, 

Can I ask you a question? Are you both using Autodesk Fusion360 free license?  You speak about hobbyist users, so I'm curious if we can identify hobbyist users similar to what we do for educational users (OpenBOM Professional is free for educational users). 

Let me know what you think. Feel free to write me to oleg [at] openbom [dot] com. 

Best, Oleg

---

I am a paying subscriber (early adopter).

I would also believe that there is a growing number of Hobbyists who are paying for a Fusion 360 subscription. That is likely particularly true for those that are using Fusion 360's CAM features. 

Fusion 360's subscription fee, compared to other CAD systems is very low so the line between "hobbyists" and commercial users is not as easy to draw.

[lichtzeichenanlage]

Right now it's pretty easy for AD to draw this line. If you earn more than
$1000 per year you're not a private user anymore ...

[oleg]

@lichtzeichenanlage sorry for stupid question- what means "not a private user"? Does it mean "not free"? 

[oleg]

@TrippyLighting Peter, can we talk? 

[lichtzeichenanlage]

The new personal licenses are restricted in several way. One restriction is the amount of money you are allowed to earn with your hobby. 

Individuals with “hobby businesses,” generating less than $1,000 USD in annual revenue, are exempt from the non-commercial requirement, thus for the free, personal use of Fusion 360.

I copied this from here. My interpretation is: If you're making more money you should apply (yes, you have apply) to a startup license (that now has new restrictions, too) or you have to subscribe to Fusion 360 regularly.

[janus2]

You can discuss for a long time about what is a hobby and what is not. For me, it is a hobby as long as I do it just for fun and do not earn money with it.

OpneBOM has every right to charge money for its product or to provide free, restricted versions for certain users or not.
But it's more than annoying to first give it away for free and then charge for it.

That gives everyone the right to warn against free software. Whenever I recommend Fusion360 for hobby users in a user group, there are lots of warnings: "Who knows how long it will be free? Then all your work is lost!"
That's why such actions also harm, indirectly, other products. 

I have time as a pensioner. And I have invested lot of it in a workflow for my use of OpenBom. I tried to keep track of which part of my project  is in which state: CAD, CAM, milled, deburred, painted etc.
For hundreds of different parts.

I have now rebuilt the whole thing in Excel (With CSV-BOM). Not so comfortable but sufficient. And I can use it forever.

Really a pity what happened there
Jan

[oleg]

Hi Jan

I appreciate your comments. We are building OpenBOM and mistakes can happen. If we do it in a transparent and honest way, it is okay to make a mistake. You and many others gave us feedback online and offline. For the moment, we are learning how to help a diverse set of Autodesk Fusion360 customers and will come back. 

Best, Oleg

CEO and co-founder, OpenBOM,.