If you haven’t noticed yet, the Maker Spirit is alive and thriving these days. It is clearly evident from the wealth of YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter content that gets posted on a daily basis. And it’s not just woodworkers or the garage fab guys anymore. “Making” as a whole is a cross-discipline, multi-faceted state of mind born from creativity and ingenuity. Literally anything can become a tool to a maker from pen and paper to a sewing machine, a not-so-finely aged Bridgeport from your buddy’s garage, and now a keyboard and mouse provide a digital make space.
Even those of you that think you are not creative enough to call yourself a maker, think about this. Creativity does not have to be bringing something to life from nothing, although I applaud those with the ability to do so (authors, painters, sculptors, musicians, etc.). Creativity in general terms is solving problems with the tools available to you.
Everyone is born with a creative mind, but if it isn’t nurtured and allowed to explore from early on, sometimes we lose that spark and become boring adults… Hence the emphasis in recent years on STEAM or STEM learning. Products catered to different age ranges and abilities to stimulate new thinking in the topics of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics.
Now, Fusion 360. You’re probably wondering how professional CAD software fits in with kids’ toys? I’ll get to that. But this story begins around 1911 when A.C. Gilbert first envisioned the original Erector set. A man with a dream to create and sell the toys that he wished he had access to as a child. A modest proposition with far-reaching implications. Erector sets, produced under several corporate monikers over the years, were designed to be modular, reusable, and most importantly educational. They represented endless possibilities of structures and mechanisms limited only by the imagination and ingenuity of the pint-sized engineer wielding the tools.
By 1918 children’s toys from many manufacturers including air rifles, model steam engines, and Erector sets came under fire when the Council for National Defense recommended that production cease. This was all happening during the wartime effort when resources and manufacturing were so precious and finite that our capitalist government had to step in and restrict their use. A.C. Gilbert appealed the decision and was able to convince the Council that companies still be allowed to produce them during the wartime effort of WWI. Gilbert was able to convince a room full of grown men to see what was at stake (by playing with toys, nonetheless) and they decided to protect the curious spirit of children.
One reason these toys are so important and still relevant to this day over 100 years later isn’t the toys themselves. It’s what they represent. The way they can help shape young minds and instill a passion for learning and engagement with the physical world. Toys that are educational yet still entertain can be the catalyst to push a child into a specific field of study or occupation later in life. Perhaps the first step on a life-long career path.
CAD, and specifically Fusion 360 is like a digital Erector set in a lot of ways. They (Autodesk) took what were traditionally discreet, and disjointed software tools and combined them into a fairly seamless single integration. This provides a one stop shop for endless possibilities of parts interacting with each other, simulation, animation, generative design, and electronics design; all from the same proverbial toolbox. It provides the means to explore your own imagination and flesh out ideas before they become costly mistakes. Mechanical components can be said to take on the personal style of the the engineer that designed them much like the Erector set for A.C. Gilbert. The same holds true for software as well. Software is an outward representation of the goals and aspirations of those that develop it. And it is clear that solving problems and completing tasks are at the root of the discussion for the talented team at Autodesk.
Obviously I do not speak for the development team behind the scenes at Fusion 360, but my impression compared to other software packages available on the market today, is that they are trying to break down the traditional barriers of entry to CAD/CAM/CAE/etc. This program has everything including the kitchen sink. And they continually add new functionality with every update. The tools, to say the least, are extensive, but more than that, the developers have done a lot of work to make them intuitive to use. And it shows.
What amazes me the most is the affordability. Over the last decade, I have priced almost every major CAD solution on the market multiple times for different employers and situations. A subscription for Fusion 360, even at retail price with no ongoing promotions is still a fraction of the price of mainstream CAD software. Because of this, I believe whole-heartedly that Autodesk is positioning itself to capture the Maker market, as well as gain significant traction among professional designers and engineers. By making tools reasonably available to the masses, we as a community can drive innovation and invention forward at an astonishing rate.
I’m not sponsored by Autodesk in any way (although I wouldn’t say no…). Fusion 360 is still an investment but I believe Autodesk is doing a lot of great things and has the potential to change how Makers/Tinkerers and professionals alike bring their ideas to life similar to what the Erector set did in its time. FYI, the predecessor to the artificial heart was partially built with an Erector set!
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Disclaimer: The views expressed here are my own and do not necessarily represent that of anyone mentioned in the articles or of my current employer. I am/We are maintaining this blog in an effort to increase awareness and open the door for dialogue in any form about the history of manufacturing, current trends in the industry, and opportunities for the future. Any direct links on this page may or may not be part of an affiliate marketing program and this site may generate revenue from qualifying purchases. Thank you for reading.
Steve Ritter
Mechanical Design Engineer and Project Manager with close to 15 years in a manufacturing setting. I have experience with many CAD software packages over the years (Autodesk (all), Solidworks, Pro/Engineer, UniGraphics), CNC and manual machine operation, CNC programming, and Electro-mechanical prototyping and system design.
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