Anyone Use Mac for CAM?

[bmxjeff]

I am looking for Mac users that might be able to help me. I use a PC at my day job, and it has because Very stable. However, when I come home, I fire up the ole Macbook Air and it's stalling and crashing every 30 minutes. I can't put my figure on a cause, so I haven't posted. I reformatted my Mac, reinstalled Fusion. This is me fishing for some ideas. 

It might have to do with posting to a USB drive. I go back and forth with it a lot.

Anyone out there using Mac with Good success? or with the same problems?

Thanks guys! 

[Steinwerks]

I don't use a mac but I would suspect that stability issues may be stemming from the fact that it's an Air model with a really low-level GPU (Intel integrated). A Macbook pro with a discreet card would probably fare much better. I'd steal the wife's for testing but she'd likely be not so happy with me

[LibertyMachine]

Tell her it's for Research and Science! I'm sure she will be more than accommodating....

[bmxjeff]

Does anyone have an answer that doesn't cost me 2 grand.. And makes it someone else's problem? That would be fantastic. 

[Steinwerks]

@jeff.pek Any insight here?

@al.whatmough uses a Mac, I think @curtis.chan does too. You folks use an Air at all or know of any issues lately?

[jeff.pek]

I don't have much insight here, as I have a MacBook Pro, but honestly don't use it much with Fusion. I hoped that others using Macs would chime in.

The update we posted recently (post-Jan 19) was intended to address some stability issues, and a few other problems. If you're still seeing issues, please make sure to report them -- both here and via crash reports -- with as much detail as possible of what you were doing.

Jeff

[bmxjeff]

I've been running pretty good here for a while. I can only speculate why it crashes. 

Maybe Full screen mode? Seems more stable when I avoid it. 

External monitor, Seems better without

It seems to crash when I Post a program, and walk away for a bit, because I switch screens to Eject the USB, it could be combination. Maybe the computer sleeps and has trouble reconnecting tot he mother ship when I fire it back up?  

All the Diagnostic files are attached on my first post. 

Thanks for the help everyone! 

[HughesTooling]

Have you tried setting limit effects on the graphics diagnostic dialog. The graphics diagnostics are on the question mark menu, top right of Fusion screen 

 

Mark

[bmxjeff]

Mark,

Thanks! I don't have any effects on. Right now, it mainly crashes after I post a program to a usb...while it's in Full screen mode. I've got it in a window now, trying to isolate the problem.   

[HughesTooling]

---

@bmxjeff wrote:

Mark,

Thanks! I don't have any effects on. Right now, it mainly crashes after I post a program to a usb...while it's in Full screen mode. I've got it in a window now, trying to isolate the problem.   

---

Have you noticed Fusion doesn't release usb drives after you post? If you click the unplug icon from windows task bar you get an error saying it's still in use. I have to use explorer to force an eject and I've had a few thumb drive corrupted when I've just pulled the drive.. Don't know if the same problem's there on a mac.

Mark

[bmxjeff]

I have oddly had a usb drive corrupted while using Fusion. I need to force eject usb drives after I write to them on the Mac. Some program is still trying to access them, and sense I'm only using Fusion, it's probably that. I don't "Eject" usb drives from a PC. I know it's good practice, but I've never had a problem.  Mac makes a big fuss, so I try to, but always end up force ejecting it. 

Update for today : Once I dropped out of Full screen mode, it has not crashed. 

[curtis.chan]

Hey boss,

There has been sone issues around Mac with the latest update, so stay tuned.  I just installed Fusion on a spankin' new macbook pro, and not seeing issues.  

-CC

[macmanpb]

Hi @bmxjeff,

i have a iMac 27" and have some problems here.

If i walk away for a while and let the MAC into the energy saver and come back, fusion hang's and i have to do a force quit.

This behavior is from the beginning i use fusion.

Sometimes i come back, fusion seems to be ok and when i want to post a process fusion crash.

Since the January update fusion loses its focus while i am working with it, strange.

The result is, that the browser doesn't recognize any mouse over actions. So it is impossible to activate a component, or in CAM a setup.

You have to click on the fusion base window to get the focus back. 😞 

[bmxjeff]

Curt! Nice to see you on here!  Have you checked out the Bluetooth USB docks? Pretty slick

Thanks for your feedback. I should update the ole Macbook Air. I'll start saving for it. Glad to hear it's working good. The problems I'm bringing up are not new. They have existed Thru several updates, so I thought I would bring it up to see if others were having them, and what Mac's they are using. I expect designers to use Mac, but there are probably fewer Machinists using the Mac version in a shop.  

@macmanpb  These are the problems I'm having too. Sometimes I can't activate components or setups. Sometimes, I'm creating a setup, and I select one axis "Z", then I can't select anything Anymore! No geometry, no surfaces, nothing.  Or, the Dialog box ... all the options disappear along with the Okay and Cancel buttons so I'm STUCK! Crashes around Posting, or just hangs. And I make sure it doesn't go to sleep. There's an App for that one. : )  

I don't really have performance problems, so I'm reluctant to update the computer hoping these problems go away.

Thanks everyone!  

[Anonymous]

I can only report that mine is relatively stable on Mac. I use a late 2013 iMac in the office and a 2014 MacBook Pro at home. I think both are on 10.11 El Capitan. 

[bmxjeff]

Okay. I think I'm closer. Ran great today. Here is what I did. - No Full screen. - And, when I posted to the USB, I made sure to Click Back into Fusion after I ejected it. I didn't click back into Fusion after I ejected the last time..... Spinning wheel of death. Fusion can't just chill on the Mac.   

Now, back to beer... rebooting..... and running parts. Where's my raise? 

[Anonymous]

I am running Fusion on a Mac Pro w/ 32gb of RAM and a nice video card and mine crashes almost 100% of the time.

I have gotten so used to it crashing that every couple of mins I will hit a user save. 

I love the program but hate all the crashes!

Here are my specs:

[bmxjeff]

@Anonymous

I gave you Kudos, because that's a beast. Way to go! 

So, I saw you're post, naturally I clicked on it while I was saving a file in Fusion. Mistake. It almost crashed. Just unresponsive for a few minutes.

Does Fusion seem to crash after the computer sleeps or is idle?

Not that your computer sleeps. It's freakin beast.  

[macmanpb]

Hey folks, it seems i am a lucky mac user.

Most of the time i can work with fusion360 (with the ordinary hangs and crashes).

But don't leave your mac alone or run into sleep, better you restart fusion after that. 

The only thing that i not understand is, the dev team have also mac's, so why they don't have that experiences.

How so often, the MAC platform is handled like a stepchild and has the second priority....  

[bmxjeff]

@macmanpb

Maybe you're right. This thread died without the development team really commenting. That's not reassuring. 

Dev Team,

Are these Known problems that are being addressed? 

Thanks,