Product development is getting a cloud-powered shot in the arm with AnyCAD in Fusion 360

By Niraj M Wanikar, Chief Editor, CNCTimes.com, 2018-01-04 18:26:00

The AnyCAD preview in Fusion 360 allows users to maintain full associativity with Inventor and Solidworks data. Additional file formats coming soon include Creo, NX, and other non-native data types like IGES and STEP.

This past August, we dramatically increased the value of the Autodesk Product Design & Manufacturing Collection. We added Nastran non-linear simulation and 5-Axis CAM to Inventor at no additional cost. By doing so, we made the Collection a truly robust platform for the full product development process – from concept and design to engineering and simulation to CAM and fabrication.

Now we’re at it again, this time extending AnyCAD to Fusion 360 to unlock a new level of interoperability in the Product Design & Manufacturing Collection. As an added bonus, we’re also introducing a preview of our new Nesting Utility for Collection subscribers to get the most out of their manufacturing materials.

If you’ve ever tried to hack a Keurig with an offbrand coffee pod, you know that some companies today don’t mind restricting consumer choice in favor of higher profit margins. Historically, CAD tools haven’t been much different, with proprietary file formats that require costly and painful translation between programs, or that don’t even translate at all.

Autodesk is tackling this problem head-on with its AnyCAD technology. In 2015, AnyCAD made its way into Autodesk Inventor, radically simplifying the design process by allowing virtually any CAD data, regardless of source, to be associatively integrated into Inventor designs without the need for file translation. This enabled seamless collaboration between Inventor and other CAD systems, letting designers stay focused on product innovation, not data translation.

Now, AnyCAD has been introduced to Fusion 360, enabling interoperability with Inventor and throughout the entire Product Design & Manufacturing Collection. The connection will allow data to move in both directions, so subscribers can leverage the power and depth of Inventor with the cloud-enabled Fusion 360 platform. Whether your favorite flavor of CAD is desktop, cloud-based, or browser, you’ll always have access to the right tool at the right time in your product development process.

“Everyone stands to benefit from this update,” said Stephen Hooper, Senior Director of Business Strategy and Marketing, Autodesk. “AnyCAD in the Product Design Collection allows you to put your data at the center of a single, connected ecosystem. It provides seamless access to the advanced tools and technologies our customers need to fully embrace the future of making things.”

We recognize that our customers use other software too, so AnyCAD will let you leverage Solidworks data into Inventor and Fusion 360 while maintaining full associativity. And while Inventor users can already import other major file types like Siemens NX, PTC Creo and other non-native data, that’s also coming soon to Fusion 360. So what’s your excuse for not subscribing?

Another new addition to the Collection is the preview of Autodesk Nesting Utility, which allows manufacturers to optimize the use of materials such as sheet metal, plastics, composites, wood and more for part production. Similar to the integration of Nastran and HSM previously, the new utility will work directly from within the Inventor interface. The introduction of this utility is yet another example of us adding more value and a more complete workflow to the Product Design & Manufacturing Collection – again at no additional cost.

• Follow @CNCTimes