Fusion 360 is a 3D CAD/CAM design software and a part of the Autodesk suite. With a Trinity College e-mail address, you can obtain a free education license that provides access to Fusion 360.

To activate your education license, go to Autodesk Fusion for Education webpage, and follow the instructions. You will typically be able to verify your student status once you verify your Trinity e-mail.

Pros of Fusion 360:

  • Cloud-enabled collaboration platform
  • Has version control, so each individual change is tracked, and so you can restore any previous version.
  • Has both free-form and solid modeling tools integrated into one application
  • Simulation software
  • Choosing different materials for objects
  • Lots of community support, with endless tutorials and How To’s on YouTube.
  • Very good for designing complex models
  • Can directly export .STL files
  • Free for educational use, all you need is a .EDU email account
  • Easily downloadable from the Internet
  • Similar to SolidWorks, but easier to use.

Cons of Funsion 360:

  • Requires several hours of tutorials before being able to effectively use it. So it doesn’t lend itself to quick and small changes to an .STL downloaded from Thingiverse.
  • Can’t directly import .STL files. They must be imported. You can find the tutorial for importing .stl files here.
  • Not very beginner-friendly.

Tutorials: