1 Topic by Heartlander (edited by Heartlander 2017-03-10 00:23:55)

  • Heartlander
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Topic: 123d Design is going away!

Hard to believe but it will not be downloadable after this month, Mar 2017. Such a simple, powerful and bug free program that has such a following... like I say, hard to believe.

But Autodesk promises better things. As consolation prizes that direct our attention to TinkerCad and Fusion 360, both free except for big companies.

Call me silly but I refuse to build my business on something called TinkerCad. Lots of folks swear by it though.

I have just downloaded Fusion 360, so I know next to nothing about it yet, but it does seem to be a much more sophisticated package. They offer the advanced version for free to Startups, Students, Hobbyists and other non-wealthy entities. It does free form design so you can make "blobs" as well as geometric objects. It also does stress failure analysis. So there's a loot of meat on the bone. I have heard a few rumblings about F360 maybe not being as stable as 123D Design, but I don't know. And the command set is completely different so it will require a big relearn.

Oh, and Fusion requires Win 7, 8 or Win 10 but ONLY the 64-bit version.

I plan to keep both products and use 123D Design as I learn Fusion.

If you want 123D Design you better download it now and hang on to the .EXE.

http://www.123dapp.com/design

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2 Reply by Tin Falcon

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Re: 123d Design is going away!

Well that stinks. Another orphan.

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3 Reply by carl_m1968

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Re: 123d Design is going away!

Tinkercad is fine to tinker. The issue is low poly curves and no way to change it. All your curves will have facets and it is annoying especially if you need a cylinder that rotates inside another.

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4 Reply by Tin Falcon

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Re: 123d Design is going away!

This subject is near and dear to me.  I love 3d graphics and teaching it. What i do not like is the jerking around by software companies.
I paid out several hundred dollars to alibre/cubify/geomagic only to nbe dumped or pay another $200 fee to continue using the program . a nice program and it will do drawings but do not want to lay out the cash  for a product that appears to not be supported. Now this.
I am not jumping to conclusions though. this announcement was made at the end of last year. There has been an outcry a great simple local program is being tossed in favor of a bloated cloud based nightmare so we will see . I have seen no official updates of what is really happening.
Many of us are trying to teach at local libraries and makerspaces so to learn something new or not . I understand that the only reason AD is giving away programs is for folks to learn and pay later which is fine if everyone is making a fair profit.  That is fine but IMHO they are shooting themselves in the foot on this one.
And they may know it as there has been no official comments on this since the initial announcement so we wait and see.

Tin

Soliddoodle 4 stock w glass bed------Folger Tech Prusa 2020 upgraded to and titan /aero extruder mirror bed
FT5 with titan/ E3D Aero------MP mini select w glass bed
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5 Reply by Heartlander

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Re: 123d Design is going away!

Ironically, when Tinkercad was going away, AD picked it up and saved it.

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6 Reply by heartless

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Re: 123d Design is going away!

just because they are saying they will no longer support, or distribute, the program does not mean you have to stop using it. It just means there will no longer be any upgrades for it, they wont provide any kind of technical support and any online services associated with it will most likely be gone.

in the case of 123D Design, I have never really used their online services - yeah, I played with some of the pre-made models when I first installed it, but pfft, once I actually started using the program... yeah, don't need them, don't want them, they can go away and I wont miss them. It just is not a big deal to me... I make my own stuff using the basic built in building blocks - cubes, cylinders, etc.

and I have NEVER stored any of my creations on their servers - EVER - models get saved to MY computer.

so yeah - they can discontinue if they like, they can't very well take away a program that is already installed on MY computer.

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7 Reply by Tin Falcon

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Re: 123d Design is going away!

they can't very well take away a program that is already installed on MY computer.

Well if connected to the internet it can happen with programs that are subscription based.
Subscription runs out  program locks up .

I do not believe this will happen with 123d  I do not think there will be any problems in continued use . as you say no updates.  And like you never used the on line stuff.

Soliddoodle 4 stock w glass bed------Folger Tech Prusa 2020 upgraded to and titan /aero extruder mirror bed
FT5 with titan/ E3D Aero------MP mini select w glass bed
MP Utimate maker pro-W bondtech extruder
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8 Reply by heartless

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Re: 123d Design is going away!

yeah, 123D is not subscription based, so I am not concerned about that.

SD4 #1 & #2 - Lawsy carriages, E3D v6, Rumba controller board, mirror bed plate, X motor fan, upgraded PSU & Mica bed heater
SD4 #3 - in the works ~ Folgertech FT-5, rev 1
Printit Industries Beta Tester - Horizon H1