If you're the type of person who likes to learn software by going through every function it can perform, this channel is a good place to start. But if you haven't spent any money or invested time in another program, believe me when I say you won't be sorry you went with Fusion 360.įusion 360 has a great Youtube channel with lots of helpful videos. There are a number of other programs out there that could be used to produce the same results, and if you're comfortable with something else (especially if you've already paid for it), there's no reason why you shouldn't stick with it.

It makes digital fabrication a breeze, especially laser cutting. I've been 3D modeling for over 13 years, and I can tell you honestly that this program is perfect for the kind of work I do: furniture, toys, machines, household products, etc.

Though all your files are backed up on the cloud and rendering is taken care of there, you don't have to rely on a high-speed internet connection to use the program. If you make less than $100K per year using it, you just renew with a startup license every year and keep using it free of charge. It's really awesome to have the CAD and CAM together in the same program, because when you change your model, the tool paths update automatically. Fusion has a super sophisticated CAM environment that lets you create all kinds of tool paths, which we'll get into later. It's available on Mac and PC, and it's proven to be very stable on both platforms in my experience. It's easy to create simple models with it, but there's nothing holding you back from modeling a fully articulated gas engine if you want to. Once you get through the basics, there's really no limit to the complexity of the things you can design with it. You can go from zero knowledge about 3D modeling to making simple objects in an afternoon. The UI has been carefully designed from the ground up to be clean, minimal, and simple. That's not exactly the case, and here's why:

FULL DISCLOSURE: Fusion 360 is an Autodesk product, and Instructables is an Autodesk company, so this might seem like a biased choice. Fusion 360 is pretty much all I use nowadays in terms of 3D software.

Fusion 360 cnc