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Considering return to Alibre from Fusion 360 - questions.

L

lesspaul

Member
I am a CNC router and 3D printing hobbyist.
I have had an Alibre license of one sort or another since the days of $97 Alibre Design Standard. My current licenced version is 2018.2, although I have to admit to having almost never using it. For CNC router work I moved to Vectric Aspire. For 3D printing I have been using Fusion 360.

Then came notice a week ago of severe limitations being put on Fusion 360 for Personal Use. From free to $495 per year (after $279 sale price).

I see two options:
Some form of Alibre
Solidworks Student from EAA at $40 per year, with uncertainty of how long this option will exist

As far as Alibre, I have three options:
1) Use Alibre Professional 2018.2
2) Update to latest version
3) Move to Alibre Atom (likely less expensive than a new Professional license)

But since I've been out of Alibre-land for quite some time, I really don't know the pros/cons of these three options. Opinions much appreciated.
 
DavidJ

DavidJ

Administrator
Staff member
Talk to Sales/Reseller to confirm current prices and any promotions that might help for renewal or new purchase.
 
L

lesspaul

Member
KMoffett said:
Aspire has built in CAM. I assume Fusion does to. What CAM would you use with Alibre Design? .
Click to expand...
I was using Fusion 360 for 3D printing, and for such, all I need is something that can export to STL. 3D printing CAM is done with a program called a slicer. I would continue using PrusaSlicer as I did with Fusion.
 
jasonmburns

jasonmburns

Member
lesspaul said:
I am a CNC router and 3D printing hobbyist.
I have had an Alibre license of one sort or another since the days of $97 Alibre Design Standard. My current licenced version is 2018.2, although I have to admit to having almost never using it. For CNC router work I moved to Vectric Aspire. For 3D printing I have been using Fusion 360.

Then came notice a week ago of severe limitations being put on Fusion 360 for Personal Use. From free to $495 per year (after $279 sale price).

I see two options:
Some form of Alibre
Solidworks Student from EAA at $40 per year, with uncertainty of how long this option will exist

As far as Alibre, I have three options:
1) Use Alibre Professional 2018.2
2) Update to latest version
3) Move to Alibre Atom (likely less expensive than a new Professional license)

But since I've been out of Alibre-land for quite some time, I really don't know the pros/cons of these three options. Opinions much appreciated.
Click to expand...

I have been using Fusion 360 also. I just purchases and switched to Alibre Atom3D because of the licensing changes/limitations put on Fusion 360. I think this is going to bring a lot of new users to Alibre as long as they can keep up with the latest feature set that is available in Fusion 360. The main limitation that I see with Alibre that will limit someone using it for 3D printing is no tool for automatic thread cutting. There is also a lack of training videos available for Alibre's software when compared to Fusion 360, but that is probably because less people are using it, and that may change as more people migrate over from Simplify 3D due to the recent license changes.

Other than that, everything is all good with Alibre.
 
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HaroldL

HaroldL

Alibre Super User
jasonmburns said:
The main two limitations that I see so far with Alibre that limit someone using 3D CAD for 3D printing are no automatic thread cutting tool...
Click to expand...
I would suppose that one of the Scripting gurus could whip up a script to apply external threads to a cylinder or internal threads to a hole.
jasonmburns said:
...and no tool to extrude text from a non-flat surface. I might be wrong on that second one, but I have yet to figure out how to make this happen from within the application.
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You would need Expert to do this by using Sheet Metal to create a text object that can then be Boolean United or Subtracted from the main part. You just have to exactly match the curve in Sheet Metal with the part needing the text. AND it only works for straight curved surfaces -- no undulating surfaces like a loft.
jasonmburns said:
There is also a lack of training videos for Alibre when compared to Fusion 360, but that is probably because less people are using it
Click to expand...
If you noticed, it seems like just about anyone that started to use Fusion got the video bug and started to pump them out. I think most of the Alibre users come here to the forum to get their questions answered but there doesn't seem to be a lot of users on the forum and I hope that is not indicative of the total user base for Alibre.

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NateLiquidGravity

NateLiquidGravity

Alibre Super User
AlibreScript requires Pro or Expert and there is no API/AlibreScript support for helical.

There are tricks for text on a non-planar surface as long as the text doesn't need to be exactly perpendicular at each point to the surface. Ask if you need it.
 
Lew_Merrick

Lew_Merrick

Guest
I guess that my "suggestion" would be to create a BOOLEAN Subtract entity such that, through Equation Editor variables you could define a Thread by (say): Major Diameter, TPI or Pitch, and Number of Threads such that it could be Subtracted from your Threaded Body to create the desired geometry. ??? -- Lew
 
HaroldL

HaroldL

Alibre Super User
Lew_Merrick said:
I guess that my "suggestion" would be to create a BOOLEAN Subtract entity such that, through Equation Editor variables you could define a Thread
Click to expand...
Lew,
Your suggestion does work, you just need to define the thread variables in the Boolean part before it is inserted into the part model you want to add threads to. The EE has no access to the "thread variables" after it is inserted. But if you don't mind having the Boolean part open, make your EE adjustments then save it just prior to creating the Boolean Subtract then it works okay.


Now, I wonder, could that be scripted?:confused:
 
idslk

idslk

Alibre Super User
HaroldL said:
Your suggestion does work
Click to expand...
Hello Harold,
it will only work if you have made a template the manual way.
As said multiple times, the API does not offer the "fully scripted"creation of the helix needed (in my knoledge...) for a thread (the remote keyboard way from nate does not work well...).
After makeing a template part, inner or outer thread, it is possible to change the dimensions using a script UI, as it will be possible in V22 with the "library" function.
If i could choose, i would take the fully scripted solution...
Regards
Stefan
 
Lew_Merrick

Lew_Merrick

Guest
HaroldL said:
Your suggestion does work, you just need to define the thread variables in the Boolean part before it is inserted into the part model you want to add threads to. The EE has no access to the "thread variables" after it is inserted. But if you don't mind having the Boolean part open, make your EE adjustments then save it just prior to creating the Boolean Subtract then it works okay.
Click to expand...
Hi Harold -- My Library set has all Left Hand, ACME (Left & Right Hand) threads ready to Load & Subtract. The only change that needs be made in the BOOLEAN component is to define the a0_a0_No_of_Turns value that creates the Length of the (visually) Threaded Section. IMO having even a "short section" actually (and visibly) Threaded warns the user that something less than a "generally noted Thread" is being used. The BOOLEAN basis should be stored with the Project to minimize future errors. -- Lew
 
HaroldL

HaroldL

Alibre Super User
idslk said:
After makeing a template part, inner or outer thread, it is possible to change the dimensions using a script UI
Click to expand...
I guess I wasn't very clear but that is what I was asking. If the template part exists then could a script "adjust" it to the values you need - on the fly, so to speak? But, as you say, v22 will have a new tool in the "library" function.
 
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