Fusion 360 with PowerMill Ultimate

[TK.421]

I just received an email saying powermill will change on 9/14 to be 'Fusion 360 with PowerMill Ultimate'.

What does this mean? Will I still be able to keep powermill separate from fusion360? Will i still be able to run fusion360 on another computer as I do now? Did autodesk get rid of the ribbon and go back to customizable toolbars???

If I have one license of powermill, can I assign a user to powermill and another user to fusion 360?

[Jonathan.Artiss-DSI · Accepted solution]

David, 

They have changed the name of the subscription to be more in line with a "collection" meaning you get multiple things with your subscription. That's all, a name change 🙂

[TK.421]

ok.

does autodesk separate the fusion360 seat from powermill? we have one license here that i run powermill with. I dont use the fusion 360 stuff at all, but there is a guy here who likes that. It's a pain to have to keep logging into my account anytime his computer updates. right now I dont think theres a way to assign him as  a user to f360 exclusively, or is there? that way he can use his own login info to access f360

[CKCNC]

I would be curious as to the time frame when powermill will become cloud based like fusion.

Other users on here have expressed concern about cloud usage, and it would appear we are one step closer

[TK.421]

@CKCNC  when that happens, i will cancel my subscription and go back to 2017

[dans4DQYP]

Is this the beginning of the end of Powermill ?  and Autodesk' attempt to get users to migrate to Fusion 360?

I have been using Powermill from the beginning  ,Duct before That .

here we already have another Cam package that we use daily .    If I need learn another software ,  I will use that.

not Fusion.

[stdpattern]

I already have occasional issues when my internet drops and Autodesk wants to check in with the mother ship.  Happened just this morning.  Never had that problem with my dongle....

[TK.421]

@stdpattern  hopefully there will always be an 'old fogie' option to use the software as we are now. my boss here is pushing to move towards OnShape - a cloud based solidworks. i strongly dislike it for a number of reasons, most of all is the internet dropout

[Jonathan.Artiss-DSI]

I dont think you can split the Fusion from the PowerMill, it has been requested but not sure if they made the change. 

[Jonathan.Artiss-DSI]

There has been no talk about PowerMill on the cloud to match the way Fusion stores it files or anything else. 

Most users dont even have internet access, so this would disrupt a huge chunk of shops.

[Jonathan.Artiss-DSI]

I swear that every time one of these posts go up, there is concern that the end is near! 😉 

I don't see anything being replaced, there is still development of new features in the pipe line, nothing has slowed or showed any lack of development. 

See Clinton's comments here. https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/powermill-forum/powermill-alternatives/td-p/9656173

[TK.421]

@Jonathan.Artiss-DSI  good to hear. Thanks for putting my paranoid mind at ease!

[stdpattern]

Are you paranoid if they really are out to get you?

[Jonathan.Artiss-DSI]

I still have strong faith in PowerMill and in what Autodesk is doing with both the Fusion and PowerMill teams. I have no problems with sharing my faith if it helps ease your paranoid minds 😉 

[smackayPFSC4]

I seriously doubt Autodesk would cut their throat by making PowerMill cloud based like fusion 360. 
There are many of us that cannot use all those Fusion 360 seats we have because of ITAR work. 

[clinton.perry]

Hi everyone, 

Allow me to clarify a few points regarding the "Fusion 360 with PowerMill" emails you received yesterday. This is a long comment (I think the subject matter merits it) so bear with me 🙂

What is happening?
We're repackaging the Power products (PowerMill, PowerShape, PowerInspect) so that they become part of the Fusion 360 family. The biggest change is a simple one - we're changing the name of "PowerMill" so that it becomes "Fusion 360 with PowerMill" - that's it - nothing too Earth-shattering, right? In addition to changing the name, we're using this opportunity to upgrade a large number of customers to a better version of the product whilst also reducing the typical price of a subscription!

Hang on - I'm paying less?

Yes. These changes mean that many of our customers will actually get more technology at a lower price. So, if you're a PowerMill Premium user today, you'll be migrated to the new "Fusion 360 with PowerMill Ultimate" offering. As the name suggests, this includes PowerMill Ultimate plus a load of additional technology you've not had before - all at the equivalent price of an old PowerMill Premium subscription. If you're a PowerMill Ultimate user today, you'll be migrated to the new "Fusion 360 with PowerMill Ultimate" offering giving you Ultimate technology but at a lower price. See the chart below to see how these changes impact you.

Fusion 360 with PowerMill changes

Why are we doing this?

We're excited by the rapid development of Fusion 360 and want to make it as easy as possible for our customers (you) to access all that it has to offer today and in the future. Whilst PowerMill is (in my opinion) our #1 kick-ass CAM solution (I am biased remember) Fusion 360 offers so much more than just CAM. Our long term vision for Fusion 360 is really exciting and looks set to change the way we all use CAE software to design and make the world around us (sorry, I'll ease off the marketing speak now). We want as many of our customers to be able to access Fusion 360 and all that it offers - and this is why we've launched the new "Fusion 360 with PowerXXXX" offerings.

Can I continue to use PowerMill/PowerShape/PowerInspect, as I've been used to?

Yes. Absolutely. You'll be able to continue to use PowerMill, PowerShape, and PowerInspect in exactly the same way that you have before. Nothing has changed. We're not taking anything away - quite the opposite in fact. What we are doing is changing the product name, including more functionality, and lowering the price of a subscription for many of our existing customers. These are good things and should have a positive impact on our customers. 

Does this mean we've stopped developing PowerMill?

No. Absolutely not! I have seen this question asked on the forum a few times and I've always responded the same way. We are committed to providing our customers with the best CAM software that we can. PowerMill plays a crucial role in meeting that goal. We continue to work on improving PowerMill's capabilities and have some exciting plans afoot to make it faster, better, more reliable. I recently provided a list of the major improvements made since 2016 - you might like to check this post out for a list of the major highlights and see my comments about the improved stability of PowerMill 2021. We're also committed to adding truly new and innovative tools that will have a positive impact on the vast majority of PowerMill users. We want to ensure as many of our customers continue to have access to Fusion 360 as it matures and evolves.

Why Fusion 360 with PowerMill?
Fusion 360 offers a load of functionality that complements PowerMill, PowerShape, and PowerInspect. I would strongly recommend you register to attend the Advanced Manufacturing Summit next week (25th to 27th August) to learn more. In particular, you might like to register to attend the following 2 sessions:

• What's new in Autodesk CAM software (26th Aug) - what's new, what's coming, Fusion 360 with PowerMill explanation, plus our long term vision for Autodesk CAM software 
• Cross Product Workflows for Advanced Manufacturing (27th Aug) - a deeper dive into how Fusion 360 can be used alongside PowerMill, PowerShape, PowerInspect, and FeatureCAM.  

When are these changes happening?

You'll start to see the new "Fusion 360 with PowerXXXX" licenses appear in your Autodesk account starting 14th September. You'll be able to log-in and assign your specific users to allow them to access the new licenses. In some cases (specifically PowerMill Premium users) you'll also need to download and install the new "Fusion 360 with PowerMill Ultimate" product to access the advanced level of functionality that it provides. 

How is this impacting me?

The answer depends on the specific product and version you're using. I'm providing some handy visuals to help clarify the changes for PowerMill, PowerShape, and PowerInspect users. 

Fusion 360 with PowerMill

Fusion 360 with PowerMill changes

Fusion 360 with PowerShape

Fusion 360 with PowerShape changes

Fusion 360 with PowerInspect

Fusion 360 with PowerInspect changes

Thanks to @Jonathan.Artiss-DSI for tackling many of the questions raised in this thread. I'll try to add some more colour here:

1. Question: Will I still be able to keep PowerMill separate from Fusion 360? Answer: Fusion 360 with PowerMill is a package of products. You will be able to run the Fusion 360 and PowerMill products separately, as you do today, using a single account log-in. 
2. Question: Did Autodesk get rid of the ribbon and go back to customizable toolbars? Answer: No. There have been no changes to any graphical user interface(s).
3. Question: If I have one license of PowerMill, can I assign a user to PowerMill and another user to Fusion 360? Answer: At this time, the Fusion 360 and PowerMill products will need to be used by the same user (account)
4. Question: When will PowerMill become cloud-based, like Fusion 360? Answer: PowerMill already has some cloud-enabled capabilities (e.g. Shared Views) but there are no plans to make PowerMill a fully cloud-based solution like Fusion 360. 
5. Question: Is this the beginning of the end of PowerMill? Answer: No. Please see my answer above.

I hope this helps clarify a few questions. If you have more, I would recommend a couple of things:

• Attend the Advanced Manufacturing Summit (25th to 27th Aug) to learn more about these changes and Fusion 360 with PowerXXXX
• Contact your Autodesk sales representative to see how these changes impact you

Thanks!

[TK.421]

thank you @clinton.perry for clearing up those things

[ChristopherMarion]

Hello @clinton.perry 

Thanks for the detailed explanation of all of these changes with the rebrand.  We appreciate your forthcoming on this.

As for those of you that will be attending the Advanced Manufacturing Summit  I will be presenting on Day 1 a possible solution on how Fusion can be mixed into your PowerMill workflow.  If interested, please check it out.

Another added benefit of having software like Fusion beside your PowerMill seat is for the design and modeling element.   I did a webinar for FeatureCAM users a few months back on designing fixturing plates.   FeatureCAM went through this rebrand in January of 2020.

The majority of PowerMill users have access to PowerMill Modeling (which I lean on daily), but we all know that this component is not a designing tool.  Even PowerMill Standard users now have access to a powerful designing product that is comparable to SolidWorks or any other the other high end designing systems.

Looking forward to the future of Autodesk Manufacturing solutions, especially PowerMill.

[Jonathan.Artiss-DSI]

Thanks @clinton.perry  for the explanation, I often feel handcuffed with my answers since there is sometimes sensitive information that I cannot leak. It's great to have you here contributing to our public group. 

I can see that this reply and information will ease the minds of the paranoid users 🙂 

[clinton.perry]

@Jonathan.Artiss-DSI  - my pleasure. I'm only sorry that our customer communications left some feeling concerned or confused (my bad). As for our customers being "paranoid" - I think you're being harsh on us engineers (paranoia is what we do best) 😁