Noob question: CAD software performance

[Scoox]

After checking many reviews and tutorials, I chose Fusion 360. Fusion 360 is the first CAD modelling package I've ever used and I'm curious, how do other CAD packages perform in terms of speed? In Fusion 360, if I edit a feature earlier in the timeline, the software has to re-calculate all subsequent features, check for errors, etc, at which point the software needs to re-calculate all the features after it:

Opening designs always causes Fusion 360 to become unresponsive for a few seconds (browser turns black), too.

I'll admit I'm not using the most powerful computer out there (Microsoft Surface Pro 4 Core i7), just wondering if other CAD applications are snappier. Not thinking about jumping ship at all---I'm quite satisfied with what Fusion 360 offers to me as a hobbyist for free---, this is mere curiosity. Cheers!

[Anonymous]

My personal experience with a few different CAD packages has shown them to be pretty heavy on processing and graphics. Especially when you get out of 2D and into modelling 3D.

Simulations and rendering will drive a processor into the ground even quicker than modelling. A professor once told me to restart Inventor before even attempting any rendering. One of the bonuses to the cloud nature of Fusion is that you are able to rely on the Autodesk servers for a lot of the really burdonsome processing. There is still a massive amount of information processed on the local machine.

[TrippyLighting]

Compared to CAD systems I've used - Solid Works (15 years), Alibre Design (4 Years), ZW3D (since 3 Months) Fusion 360's performance is very sloooooooow.

It also misses features that would allow you to freeze pert of the timeline, or just a component to exclude it from re-calculating etc.

One also needs tp strongly separate between viewport speed, creating geometry and rendering. All of these use different parts of the software.

Creating geometry is done by the Geometric Modeling Kernel, which is an early fork of the ACIS kernel called ASM (Autodesk Shape Manager). Most geometric kernels don't make good use of multithreading.

Rendering locally uses multi threading and hyper threading,

Rendering can be off loaded to the cloud.

The normal modeling in. Fusion 360, so what's being done by the Geometric modeling Kernel  does not use the cloud at all.

[TheCADWhisperer]

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@Scoox wrote:

.. In Fusion 360, if I edit a feature earlier in the timeline, the software has to re-calculate all subsequent features, check for errors, etc, at which point the software needs to re-calculate all the features after it:

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Keep your sketches simple and use the BORN Technique as much as possible and practical (no cross-sketch associations and especially sketch to geometry associations - all sketches based to Origin geometry).

Pattern bodies rather than features if possible.

Pattern features rather than sketch elements if possible.

Pattern sketch elements only as last resort (this includes mirror as a type of pattern).

Fix all errors as they occur (yellow or red highlights in the timeline).

If you run into a slow component/assembly then File>Export and then Attach the *.f3d file here for analysis by others (even the highest paid author in the world has an editor to look over her work).  (Edit: I've already made two edits to my response after posting.) 

Make that 3 times.

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/fusion-360-design-validate/help-with-unwanted-auto-projected-geometry...

[Scoox]

I was referring to modeling work, not rendering which indeed does take quite a while. Since it's my first CAD package I don't know what's normal but, generally speaking, I'm finding Fusion 360 a bit laggy on my system, especially when opening a project, suppressing features, deleting features, immediately after stop sketch is clicked, etc, and really anything that involves re-calculating a bunch of features.

The reason for I ask this is because my projects thus far are rather simple, for instance, I'm working on a very basic assembly (just 2 components, timeline with all groups expanded fits in half my Surface Pro 4's screen width), and suppressing an Extrude feature near the start of the timeline can take a few seconds. Considering some of the much more sophisticated stuff other users are doing, I can only imagine things could be far worse as soon as complexity starts piling up.

My sketches are all fully defined, and I tried to keep them as simple as possible and rely on 3D tools whenever possible.

Interesting post by TrippyLighting, I wasn't aware of Alibre or ZW3D. Ran these and Fusion 360 through Google Trends: ZW3D vs Fusion 360 vs Alibre vs Inventor vs Solid Edge. I had initially included Solidworks but I had to take it off because it was way more popular than any of these. For me, Fusion 360's biggest "selling" points (in quotes because I'm using it on a hobbyist free license) were accessibility (price), adequacy for my needs, and support. Even though some times it feels like I'm beta-testing, the feeling I get from these forums and Autodesk staff is that I'm in good hands. So right now my only two complaints are probably 1) performance and 2) the fact that some of Fusion 360's tools are a bit lacking (even for someone like me who has very limited CAD experience). Having said that, Fusion 360 shines in many areas, and I'm sticking with it in the hopes that it will get better with time.

[juanaviles]

I have noticed Sketching is extremely slow lately.  My designs are also very simple, but lately it's taking about 8 seconds any time I update a dimension.  Yes, 8 seconds...I've timed it. 

This is on both my home PC and my work PC...neither of which had any problem with Fusion a month ago.  I thought the last update would solve some of this, but no such luck.  

[TrippyLighting]

@juanaviles please open your own thread and post a design that exhibit this problem. Sketching has not been slow for me.

[TrippyLighting · Accepted solution]

@Scoox Yes, Fusions. 360's very liberal pricing is an attraction for many people as it enables them to do things that otherwise some impossible as the entry level pricing is such a barrier.

While many of the other "players" also offer free licenses for Students and Educators, once you are out of that realm, you'll have to pay full price.

Something, however that I totally disagree with is the Fusion 360 product development strategy or more specifically what part of Fusion 360 is being developed.

I know several of the other Autodesk Expert elites personally and now that they also totally disagree with it. We've been unsuccessful trying to convince AD that they need to fix and improve core functionality rather than focussing on adding more and more flashy bling features.

Performance is one of these core areas. I've had to break a number of designs down into smaller chunks because of Fusions 360's slow performance. Every time you change a single user parameter it recalculates everything. There is for example no way to freeze part of the timeline, or to exclude a component form that calculation.