Autodesk Fusion 4+

I want to say thank you to Autodesk for making Fusion 360 and Eagle free for personal use. I’ve learned so much by simply having access to it and I’ve developed very useful and very fun skills over the past 5 years. We now use both services for the business I work at by my recommendation. I’ve brought you business as a result. Again, thank you for letting me have a personal account for my own use. I will never use or recommend Solidworks to anyone. Please continue to give free access for personal use so young students interested in 3D modeling and 3D printing can actually have a pathway to try it. Had Fusion been around when I was younger I would have gotten into it much sooner. The big paywall from the alternatives at the time prevented me from furthering my education.

I have used a handful of CAM software programs over the past two decades on a daily basis. Fusion 360 has room to grow but that is one of the things that makes it superior to other softwares, they are actively taking customer feedback and implementing improvements that are actually useful. Hands down the price is unbeatable for a powerful CAD/CAM software. There is no other program out there that has such a broad array of tools that all perform well. CAD, CAM, mechanical drawings, PCB design, analysis, generative design, 3D printing integration, cloud collaboration- Fusion 360 is all of this and so much more. Another great thing about Fusion is the vast amount of training available through Autodesk. It’s as if they actually want people to learn how to use this software. I rarely leave product reviews but this one is well deserved.

I think if i was paying for Fusion 360 I would have rated it a 3 star program against other programs like Solidworks or catia, but being free to Hobbyists it is the absolute best package available for this market. It's the first to include CAM, simulation, and sheet metal features all built in at no extra charge, which is amazing! The other reason Im giving it 5 stars is they are actively developing it, and they are willing to listen to user feedback to improve the program. There are certainly some areas where it needs some improvement to really be competitive in a professional setting, but I think its getting there.
The mobile app is also a nice touch. Very useful to be able to show my designs to others to bounce ideas off them.