The last version of Fusion that was standalone was Fusion 2013.  That version was free indeed, but Autodesk has managed to remove it from existence once 360 became available.  In fact, they've removed every link to any of the existing downloads, and short of going to the P2P sites, it's impossible to find a copy of it.

Anyway, I didn't get into the 3D modelling thing until about 3-4 years ago, and I got straight into Solidworks, but I used to be an AutoCAD user way back when in the 90's.

BTW, Fusion came out around 2008-2009, Solidworks came out in 1995.

I've also always enjoyed Solidworks the few times I used it but Fusion 360 came out first and, thus, that's what I'm using now.  I was also able to get in on the Ultimate version which may not be open to new users anymore (includes CAM for CNC which was a major selling point to me).

Having said that, I also have no doubt the founding fathers of Solidworks are going to make OnShape an awesome product!

I'm also having problems editing previously-created sketches. i need to troll their forum some more.

justsomeguy wrote:

And they can pull the carpet out from under you or change terms at any time.  I will never use a cloud based app unless it is my only option.

I'm with you on this.  I'm "old school" in that respect. 

I never put anything on the "cloud" that I'm not willing to loose or give up, and I refuse to use any cloud based apps, unless they are the last resort.

I got a Chromebook as a gift last year, but the web based apps just irked me to no end.  If you lost connection, you had a door stop on you hands. 

I used the notebook for about a week, put it back in the box and haven't used it since.

I can appreciate these sentiments...Onshape has quite the road ahead of them to prove the efficacy of their system...

However, since the models can be downloaded and uploaded in multiple formats this is a good fallback, and also considering the features of this system that are available for free (even for now) compared to what's out there currently, this is still worth a try for most who wish to get more serious with their modeling.

And they can pull the carpet out from under you or change terms at any time.  I will never use a cloud based app unless it is my only option.

I'm with you on this.  I'm "old school" in that respect. 

I never put anything on the "cloud" that I'm not willing to loose or give up, and I refuse to use any cloud based apps, unless they are the last resort.

I got a Chromebook as a gift last year, but the web based apps just irked me to no end.  If you lost connection, you had a door stop on you hands. 

I used the notebook for about a week, put it back in the box and haven't used it since.

Anyway, back on topic.  If this was a downloadable program, I would snap it up in a second, but the mere fact that you have to apply for an invitation, tells me they have big money plans for this app.  They will get a bunch of users "addicted to it", and then turn it into a licensed product, with pay per use, or by the month.

So all those folks that created lots of models, will be left with the option to pay, or move on to something else, and hopefully be able to convert their models to some other usable format.

I've seen this business model many times, and don't particularly like it.

Unfortunately cloud based computing is becoming more prevalent, and big companies from Adobe to Microsoft are moving in that direction, but at least you know upfront what you're gewtting yourself into when you sign up.  It's the "free to start with, and who knows what next" services that I don't really care for.

So far, very positive experience.  The one negative so far is having to have an internet connection to use it, but then again, where is there not a connection these days

I'm definitely asking for an invite to see if I can get the hang of it (but openscad still fits my brain better).

I wonder how slow the cloud will get with every maker in the world signed up though :-).