This is not sponsored, and I get nothing out of it. Just passing along a deal I’ve found.
Short story: SolidWorks for Makers is on sale until January 10, 2025 for $24 for a year. Normal cost is $48 per year. The price is good for either the web based version that will run on Macs, Chromebooks, and PCs or the Windows locally installed version.
Read before you buy to make sure you can live with the limitations.
I’m buying this and I’m considering changing away from F360 just for the cost difference alone. F360 isn’t cheap, but it also isn’t limited since I have the full version. That said, I don’t use most of it so I don’t really care.
SolidWorks looks like good software. The interface isn’t terrible and it will output all of the file formats I need for both the 3D printers and for the lasers there are the following formats:
DXF: This format is commonly used for CAD drawings and can be easily imported into other CAD software.
PDF: You can create PDF files of your drawings, which are great for sharing and printing.
SVG: This format is useful for web graphics and vector illustrations.
The next renewal (in May for me) will be $490.50 for the yearly license according to what I see in my account. I want to say I got 40% off when I started but still, a lot of money.
I can buy a lot of laser food and filament for the difference in price.
Okay trying it is a no brainer at $24, I’ve got about 8 months to decide if I will switch and that might be a hard decision as a) I’m locked in at $310 and b) there is a lot to be said for investment in time getting familiar / good with Fusion.
Now the real question is whether the web for portability or installed for CAM and rendering.
I have until the end of May to figure it out though. CAD is, in the end, just another tool so it really just the mindset of wanting to learn or not. The interfaces are similar.
I have the same problem with my Adobe Creative Cloud sub. I just don’t want to learn anything else with the years of experience I have using those tools.
Now the real question is whether the web for portability or installed for CAM and rendering
Yeah, the decision about which version to get is … kinda complicated and I’m not sure what to do. I really could use the CAM, but that’d mean using it on my older PC (rather than my absurdly fast Mac). I suppose at these prices I could just get both and see where things end up after a while.