Locally Store All Files

[neljoshua]

In light of today's events (see post here), I believe it would be beneficial to allow users to locally store all Fusion files and data.  The data can still be backed up to the server, but is locally stored first.  This would prevent server outages from becoming catastrophic events for businesses, schools, and individuals.  If users did not want to locally store files (due to disk space or other reasons), they could elect not to in Fusion's preferences.  Or perhaps this could be a setting for each folder or project.

Manually, individually backing up files (a current Fusion capability) is not a reasonable solution to this problem.  Not only is it time-consuming and difficult to manage well, it does not currently work for designs that have XREFs.

I personally have no problem using the cloud for storage and computing (such as simulations).  There are some great things that Fusion allows because of this capability.  The lack of local storage as a backup, however, is an issue for me.

[roambotics_scott]

I'd prioritise design navigation above it, but it's at the very least a close second

[Anonymous]

I agree! I like this software, but it won't work for me (and many others I have spoke with) without default local file storage. There are still a significant number of places on this planet with limited slow internet availability and I live in one of them. The cloud thing has some nice perks that I like, but basic functionality with local file storage is a much, much higher priority. Kind of ironic that my CNC machines are ten feet away from my design PC, but they have to go thousands of miles and back just to get there. Cloud backup, rendering, and collaboration are nice perks but I can do without them. Local file storage is a basic necessity I CANNOT do without.

[Anonymous]

anyone ever thought of this: - when you use the CLOUD, you have to believe these things:

1.    The network is reliable
2.    Latency is zero
3.    Bandwidth is infinite
4.    The network is secure
5.    Topology doesn't change
6.    There is one administrator
7.    Transport cost is zero
8.    The network is homogeneous

if you DO NOT believe these things, then you can NOT base your 'reputation' (with your clients) on what happens in / on / with / going to-from the "Cloud"?

[CGPM]

I would really like the ability to store my files locally.  Granted you can increase the time your files stay in cache to 360 days but it is far from the same.

[Anonymous]

I live in the country and off line so local storage would be great. It's a pain in my bottom to drag my laptop to a wifi source just to use fusion.

[roambotics_scott]

Maybe now that Carl is no longer CEO, this is something the new one could re-consider

[Anonymous]

Yes X1000.

I work for a defense contractor and we work with some sensitive/classified information. Forcing users to store files in the cloud is absolutely a dealbreaker.

[Alexrose1942]

Agree. exactly like Dropbox and others, files are on your machine first than synced. 

the internet anyway is in danger those days... bots and other machines are in their first stages and already done big damage. 

[roambotics_scott]

One thing that I really appreciate is that as my F360 hung due to the current outage, I couldn't go to another application

[LibertyMachine]

@roambotics_scott you had that too, huh? I was hoping it was just on my end....

[planetzargon]

I think the Fusion 360 cloud should be a reflection of the local state, not the other way round. In this way, when Fusion goes down you will hardly notice it. 

What about caching? Don't. Store all the files as separate files in whatever folder the user designates, or wherever the use wants to store them. If they delete or move files without using the built-in project management system, allow them to re-link them to an existing project. In fact, if we're going down that route, let the user link a file to multiple projects.

Then it's up to the user not to mess up. Funnily enough, that's what just about every other program almost everyone uses expects the user to do.

[roambotics_scott]

To be fair, that's as much an OS problem as an F360 problem. No malicious app should be able to keep users from going to another app just as a design principle

[roambotics_scott]

What's maddening to me is that there are plenty of models of how this could / should work.

Just look at and copy Pages ffs, AD.

[Anonymous]

Just my two cents: As a developer I've always assumed that your versioning system is git, or something like git. 

It would be so nice if we could have real git support, of course with the ability to work with local repositories, then commit & push to the cloud. Of course the normal user would never have to know, as the (local) .git folder is usually hidden, but those of us that do know, could use all the fancy features of git, and have peace of mind concerning where our data is stored. 

[roambotics_scott]

I assume it’s something proprietary but I’m a huge fan of the Git model and Git, specifically, would be awesome

[Anonymous]

I believe .git is open source

[roambotics_scott]

Sure but the problem is that the design files are going to be binary and in a format that breaks a lot of the assumptions made by the Git team

Just tacking on diff/merging designs is nontrivial to the extent that AD yanked it. Trying to shoehorn it into Git would probably be more effort than starting from scratch, and it'd almost certainly work poorly if it's even usable

[cfmoreno]

Hope this gets implemented

[Anonymous]

I agree, as it stands now this is defective software

[chrisdagher642]

I actually brought this idea up to an Autodesk employee at a conference and was told that it wouldn't happen, because Fusion uses cloud storage. Glad I'm not the only one who thinks it useful.