Good morning everyone! A super green beginner here. Opinions: Fusion360 or V-Carve Pro? Why? Thanks in advance!
Depends on your background / primary CAD purpose I'd say: Artistic: Vectric Engineer making parts: Fusion See docs:software:overview [OpenBuilds Documentation]
Just to complicate things, I use both. I use Vcarve for doing 3D carving of models I find on Thingiverse and on rotary carved objects. I use Fusion360 for making parts for things I am building. To confuse this subject even more, I use Fusion 360 to create cylindrical objects that I then save as an .stl file which I import into Vcarve to create the Gcode to be cut on the lathe. They can work hand in hand. Vcarve makes artistic things like sign making and carving of 3D objects you design, or of files you purchase real easy. Vectric also publishes a lot of neat projects you can do and they provide the files for free, but only if you have a license because you have to log in to get access to them. You can also use Vectric for designing things like the sides of cabinets and other "2.5D" objects. Vectric makes generating tool paths the easiest of any of the CAM software I have used. The nice thing about the Vectric products are that you could buy one product from them and then upgrade to a more premium version and your original expense is credited towards your upgrade. For example, you would be out no money if you tried Vcarve Desktop and then decided to upgrade to Vcarve Pro. Fusion 360 is free for hobbyists so you can try it at no expense to you and continue to use it whenever you want. My one complaint I have about Vectric is some of the free projects can only be done with Aspire because that was what they were designed with and so the files are saved in a format only Aspire can open. The reason why this is a complaint for me is that Aspire can save files as .stl, so they could just save the model as an .stl file and people with Vcarve Desktop and Vcarve Pro could also do the project by importing the model and following the steps in the video. It is a simple thing to do which would make this customer a much happier one.
Sound advice above. Like Peter mentioned, I think a lot depends on your background. Both programs have their pros/cons but if you have no technical background Fusion probably isn't the best choice. Not saying it can't be done but there is a much steeper learning curve. If you have to have help with your cell phone or had trouble setting up this forum account go with Vetric. Maybe not the best example but hopefully you get the point, i.e. Super Beginner.
Good evening. I also use both applications and agree with everything called out in the previous responses. Fusion 360: I use it to design furniture and other similar projects. For that, I LOVE it. I previously used Sketchup for such things but I like Fusion 10x better. As was said, the learning curve can be steep. I’ve done quite a bit of CAD work so I was able to learn it with help from a few videos and some trial and error. Best way to learn it, IMHO, is get a few basics from a video then dive into a project. At each step go find the help you need for that bit. IMO, Fusion may be good for 3D design of mechanical parts, but it’s not best suited to decorative CNC work, signs, etc. VCarve Desktop: I use vcarve for decorative CNC projects. For that, I LOVE it. It’s purpose-built for that process and I can’t imagine it being suited to the task much better than it already is. And still...there is a steady stream of improvements. Big user base for vcarve so help is easy to find. For me, it seems much more difficult to do simple things in Fusion, when all you want to do is engrave some stuff in a board. Hope that helps. Whichever way you go don’t hesitate to reach out for help like all of us have done so many times. Good luck! thx, rink.
And BTW... If you end up using Fusion, i suggest to invest in a 3D mouse. I have a Spacemouse from 3DConnexxion (their cheapest option at about $100) and it makes a big difference in the 3D design experience. 3D mouse in left hand, regular mouse in right hand, works like a dream! thx, rink.
