Can I trial FREE license on my current paid-up commercial account?

[gruvin]

Hi there.

TL'DR; Is there a way for me to temporarily "cripple" my commercial account to behave as the free version without outright cancelling the subscription or whatever?

The why ...

I have a year or so remaining on an existing commercial license Fusion 360 account. However, the cost is becoming unbearable for my home hobbyist purposes. I read the limitations of the FREE license and found them to be far too restrictive (just a couple specific thing) but it's come to a point where I really need to seriously se if I can live with them or give up on Fusion entirely as something I just cannot afford going forward.

I am assuming the free version will at give me full access to all my previous work, should I end up needing to reference same to re-create elsewhere. The fact that "export" is disabled in the free service does seem downright RUDE to me but whatever. 😉

Bryan

[gruvin]

So, I'm just a humble hobbyist. I've been stretching my budget to pay for F'360 for the last couple years but it's really no longer justifiable. Now they're saying the price is going up AGAIN. I don't know what to do. I have a tonne of personal projects (mostly for my 3D printers, fixing things around the home) but that said, I can go months without even using the product. However, the free version seem far too crippled. With the free license, I cannot even export files for purposes of backup or sharing designs on thingiverse? (STLs, yes but not the CAD source, right?)

The following is intended to explain my the position I am trying to navigate out of. It is NOT meant to be just "complaining" ...

I only use basic CAD and CAM (Shapeoko CNC routers, which mostly just sit collecting dust) Can't stand Eagle, I use KiCAD. Don't care for drawings at all. Rendering is cute but of no real interest. Sheet metal of no interest etc. 

I feel like Autodesk is constantly adding new features and FORCING me to have them AND pay for them. I do not mind paying! I love the product but to pay more and more every year for things I simply do not want ...

EDIT: I didn't realize they already did the USD->NZD conversion; Here in NZ we're talking $150 $70 a month(!!) at the incoming pricing. That's an entire week of food or 1/3rd to a half the average dude's rent. The full product is clearly worth all of that and more, no argument. Alas, it's too much for me. I really wish there was the option to choose only the components we actually use. 

Now of course, none of these criticisms really carry much weight in the overall scheme of things — like the product's actual industrial target market. I get it. However, how can I take my years of designs and move them to a less able, cheaper alternative? I cannot. I'm trapped in this subscription based service. I do not OWN the rights to iuse the software I used in the past to create my designs. I have to keep paying and paying, just to have access to things I ALREADY did in the past and for constant new features those projects never needed and never will.

OK ... so all that "complaining" (there, I admit it) said and done, what are my realistic options? Or am I just screwed?

I'm hurting here. I feel like I'm been bullied and conned, in a racketeering kind of way. Obviously there is in fact zero ill intend on Autodesk's side but this is my reality. What to do? 😕

Thanks for any constructive advice.

Bryan

[TheCADWhisperer]

---

@gruvin wrote:

The fact that "export" is disabled in the free service does seem downright RUDE to me but whatever.

---

Where are you getting this information?

[TheCADWhisperer]

---

@gruvin wrote:

With the free license, I cannot even export files for purposes of backup

---

Where did you get this information?

[TrippyLighting]

---

@gruvin wrote:

... I cannot even export files for purposes of backup or sharing designs on thingiverse? (STLs, yes but not the CAD source, right?)

---

I believe you can still export in the native Fusion 360 format (.f3d and .f3z) but no generic formats like STEP.

For any of what you describe, except CAM you should be  fine with the free subscription model.

I exclude CAM as I simply don't know what exactly you are doing. But you "should" be fine there as well if al you doing is the occasional project with your Shapeoko. I believe rapids are disabled in the free version.
@seth.madore can likely answer this better.

[seth.madore · Accepted solution]

Thanks @TrippyLighting for pinging me 🙂

@gruvin, For Shapeoko use and CAM, the only thing you're going to feel is the reduced rapids. Sure, you're locked out of all multi-axis work, but that's not something you would have used anyways. You also lose ability to change tools, but your machine doesn't have a tool changer anyways.... So, something you're not effected by.

Reduced rapids are this: All transition moves are now done at cutting feedrate. This may seem punitive, but it was done for a very specific intent; curb abuse by commercial entities (of which there were many)

If you cut at a decent feedrate, you'll likely not see much change in cycle time. However, if you cut slower than paint can dry or grass can grow, you might feel some overwhelming frustration......

[gruvin]

https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/personal/compare

Screenshot ...

[gruvin]

Thanks for the reply. 🙂

Reduced rapids? How odd but OK, I guess I don't care? Max rapids for my machines is 3,000mm/min.

No auto-tool-changer is correct but I do rely on M6 to run a script for automated tool probing after pause and manual tool change — or at least pause the job. (Oh — I don't use Shapeoko's "toy" controller or software. Just heir hardware.)

So what would I need to do? Just post each tool's process as a separate file and run them independently?  I guess that wouldn't be the end of the world, if that's all it is in reality.

Definitely do not need multi-axis. 😉

I feel like there was some other deal breaker that "forced" pay for the commercial license a few years back. Maybe it was just the tool change thing? Cannot recall. Seems unlikely.

The vast majority of my Fusion 360 use is for 3D printing. I can get by with the 1990's style Vectric V-Carve for the CNC router work ... though I have at times designed 3D printed fixtures for CNC post processing of printed plastic parts and the like, for which Fusion 360 makes life a tonne easier. Beggars vs choosers there though, I suppose.

[rant]

I've tried Onshape several times over the years. It's horrible. I had to create a project in there with text "DO NOT USE THIS SOFTWARE!" to remind me, because I'm apparently too old to remember how much it frustrated me last time! 😛 (only 53 but)

[/rant]

[gruvin]

Thanks for your reply 🙂

---

I believe you can still export in the native Fusion 360 format (.f3d and .f3z) but no generic formats like STEP.

OK. Good to know. Of course, most CAD model sharing communities outside of Autodesk prefer STEP over anything proprietary. I didn't sign up to be a marketing agent for Autodesk. 😛 But fair enough.

For any of what you describe, except CAM you should be fine with the free subscription model.

It's beginning to to look that way, thanks.

[evilc]

I totally agree. I am in the same boat.

I don't need most of the stuff in F360, just plain old modelling. I would, however, like to keep sheet metal as I use it for designing parts with live hinges that need to be unfolded to be 3D printed

[gruvin]

Oh! Now that's a clever idea to give the sheet metal feature a use for me too! Thanks!

[gruvin]

Thanks for the explanation re reduced rapids. Ironically, that is exponentially more punitive for the hobby machine user doing say, adaptive clearing at a max capable depth of 0.2mm in Al with max capable dia. 1/8" tool (single flute no less) digging down 5mm over relatively sizeable areas.

Alas, the cheaper 'CAM' products like Vectric V-Carve (cheaper only because it's an old-school one-time purchase) on the other hand don't even have basic ramp features, let alone adaptive clearing (target market are cutting wood.)

I suppose cutting 'both ways' in this specific case but ****.

Ah well. Beggars vs choosers (again). 😛

[TheCADWhisperer]

@gruvin 

Unless something has changed, I think that image is misleading referring only to non-native file types.

[gruvin]

Thanks. I agree. Misleading. "File exports" the wording is clearly accurate
but out of place / context. I'm still waiting for my free account to get
past the 30 days free trial of a fully active account before I can really
know what is what with confidence.

I have also now realize that I can probably pay for just one month if I
ever need features I have lost the rights to by allowing a subscription to
expire. I am forever forgetting that option exists.

I'm good for about another 10 months. It's *remembering* all of this when
the time comes that this forum thread will be most valuable, to me anyway.