🎰 Too Many Bugs with Autodesk Fusion – What’s Next?

[cryinkfly]

As some of you may have already noticed, the installation script is currently no longer working reliably for many users. In rare cases, it has even caused system crashes. These issues are often due to faulty graphics drivers or the use of a custom-compiled kernel. The well-known problems with SSO (Single Sign-On) login are also becoming more frequent again – despite the many workarounds we’ve developed over time. 🚨🐞

To be honest, the current state of Autodesk Fusion 360 leaves me feeling a bit disheartened. Instead of becoming more stable, each new update seems to bring more issues than solutions. When I think back to the early days, when the software ran so well on Linux (as shown in the videos on my YouTube channel), it just makes me sad – even frustrated. ☀️...⌛️...☔️

I’m increasingly asking myself whether it still makes sense to invest so much time, energy, and passion into this project. Maybe it would be wiser to shift our focus toward more stable, long-term alternatives like FreeCAD. 🪫...🦧...🔋...🚀

What do you think? Do you still see a future for this project – or is it time to draw a line and start down a new path? 🧙🏾‍♂️🔮

I'm really looking forward to hearing your thoughts and having an open discussion* with you all. 💬🛟

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*Notice: Please keep the conversation respectful and focused – your input is genuinely appreciated! ❤️

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This discussion was created from the release 🎰 Too Many Bugs with Autodesk Fusion – What’s Next?.

[Reutertu3]

Hey.

No matter how you'll ultimately decide: Thank you so very much for your hard work and time investment up until now. I'm amazed it even worked at all (with some caveats it still does for me currently). It's of course disheartening to see that Autodesk is trying their best to undermine all efforts to make Fusion run under Linux.

[sebadob]

At first, thanks for creating all of this in the first place.

I had the same thoughts for some weeks now and it's a shame that Autodesk does not even care. I mean, they don't have to create a native Linux version (would be cool though), but at least provide some support to be able to run it with wine.

I had a look at FreeCAD for a few weeks and I have to say, I have huge issues with how sketching works over there. Some super simple things cost me hours, some I couldn't even fix at all. It either adds many additional auto-constraints and then reports errors because it's over constrained, or the most annoying part was that I was able to regularly consturct (pretty simply) drawings with circles where a constraint does not really end a line on a circle, even though it had a constraint and even showed it as being constrainted. Later on it was impossible to extrude, because it constantly reported "unclosed path" when it showed all green.

Currently, I can run Fusion (thanks to your work) pretty stable on 2 machines. There are certain known bugs, but I do have at least workarounds for all of them. However, being an open source maintainer myself, I know how much time this can eat up and I would totally understand, if you would want to let go.

If FreeCAD would not make me that much angry when creating simple sketches, I would probably stick with it and invest the time to make the switch. I mean, I have been a paying customer for Fusion for quite some time, but I am not anymore, since dual booting Windows is an absolute no go just because of a few apps, and Autodesk simply doesn't care at all.

[cryinkfly]

The newest version of Autodesk Fusion 360 has reintroduced the ability to select between different graphics driver backends (e.g., DirectX 9, DirectX 11, OpenGL, etc.). This can be useful for running Fusion under Wine/DXVK, especially in cases where certain APIs (like class linkage in DX11) are unsupported.

[sebadob]

I have no issues with OpenGL-Kernprofil, whatever the name is for english versions.

[sebadob]

Just to provide some feedback, these are the bugs that I encounter regularly:

• Menus do not expand in the "Browser" on the left side.
  Fix: collapse and open the browser once with the
  
• The first time I use s when sketching to search for a tool quickly, the input does not register anything.
  Fix: Just open it once again and it works. This only happens for the very first s menu after starting Fusion.
• Cannot input a file name when saving a new project.
  Fix: Could not find a fix for that one yet. I basically leave the name empty when saving a new project for the first time and can then edit the name when it shows up in the tab on the left.
• Issues with the export to STL or similar on the first time after Fusion starts.
  Fix: The same as for the s menu, this only happens for the very first try after a restart - close and open again.
• Known login issues - the browser does open and everything works fine, just the redirect with the deep linking does not work and I have to execute the AdskIdentityManager.exe manually with the callback link.
• Sometimes focussing issues with menus. I do have the known fix in place (running KDE plasma) and have not touched this in a long time. Maybe this is not even needed anymore since there were some major upgrades since I did this.
• Opening the preferences menu takes a very, very long time, somewhere around 1 minute actually.
  Fix: Just grab a coffee and wait.

[GreyBoyTinker]

Honestly, I don't think freeCAD is a real alternative to Fusion360. I lack the knowledge to create my own fusion-like, Open Source alternative, but I'm waiting for some kind soul to develop a real alternative that truly puts autodesk to sweat (kinda like kicad with circuit design softwares).

[Kugeleis]

On the original question. Thank you @cryinkfly for your work. I personally tried your project a couple oft times. Because of some graphic issues I kept returning to a native windows machine. In the end I want to design stuff, no being debugging a brittle tool chain. Again, you have my highest respect for running this project. You will need to decide for yourself if it is worth chasing the F360 changes.

[NotChristianGarcia]

I understand your frustration and also want to commend you for all the work you've done so far. I've attempted at many times to get Fusion working. At times it's all fine, like you said, recently it's quite rough and I haven't gotten the goods. It's frustrating that Autodesk doesn't get out of their own way.

Personally I've tried to ditch Fusion. I think it's too good unfortunately. Solidworks is fine, but entirely non-free. Plasticity is a new product which is rising. It has a nice premise but is missing tons of features and the traditional numbers route of CAD. I've gotten good at FreeCAD. It's cool, but it's really not the same. Fusion's history timeline (FreeCAD needs this imo), and just ease of use is by far better. I can give Fusion to a beginner and they might get something done. FreeCAD is a bit of a puzzle imo. Decent size projects are more than workable, but I simply don't enjoy the experience anywhere near as much as Fusion. Large size projects tbh start to run into crashing issues for me (but that was before the 1.0 release). Going into the history is clunky, making small changes is a possible issue.

#409 (comment)

The above post has gotten me to a working position before, with it and the 2 changes mentioned in it. Maybe it would be good to enumerate the differences that seemingly make autodesk not work now a days which are different than say 5 months ago? Are more libs involved? Maybe it would be good (or bad, just ideas) to go further down the declarative route and target nix, wine/bottles, containers(!)/distrobox could be a solution. Maybe looking for the generic solution could be ditched until a stable working version does work. If you were to stop work on this, a page of knowledge transfer of what you've done and why would be wonderful. (did you see this distrobox solution? That could be more declarative and easier to debug. Didn't work for me, but packages weren't pinned, so lots could have changed)

I feel like the change from wine 9 --> 10 has caused some issues for me. I haven't gotten a working version though, so might be nothing.

I personally think Fusion is the best tool. The hobby license is useful for a lot of people and it gets people building. It would be the dream for Autodesk engineers to talk to the community on this, but I understand the lack of imagination on their part.

The work you do is appreciated to the highest degree by some people, me included. Whether you go to forge a revolution or take time to live your life, all your work has made people's lives easier. I'm sorry that Autodesk plays it's games and devalues your output.

[siggi848]

Guten Tag,

habe gestern deinen Scrip auf mint verwendet und es hat funktioniert. Habe aber noch nicht tiefgründig getestet.
VCDS wird als Nächstes getestet
Danke für deine Arbeit.

[M0ti0n]

First than you for the hard work enabling people to use f360 on linux. I my self never actually used it on linux but i still appreciate al the effort that went it to this.

My take as mechanical engineer and 3d printing enthusiast. I have been using f360 for the last 5 years. Before that i was using solidworks. I really like. I liked the f360 from first day due to it simplicity and workflow. Although it does not have all the things that pro xad like SW and Inventor had, it has 97% of what i need in a much light wait easy to use package. But now with all the squeezing regarding free features on free plan, and MS making windows lass and less likable, im turning more and more towards linux. One issue i have is lack of good parametric CAD solution. (Ok Onshape is there but you need internet connection for that i think)

Now to my second issue that is FreeCad. The problem of FreeCAD is the people behind it. I had an issue (Only experienced it in freecad, no other parametric cad i had used so far had that issue) regarding construction planes. Well their answer was i m doing it wrong. So it is either their way or hellway. One of the answers was, if you want convenience pay for it. Like open source and convenience are mutually exclusive.
I really dont get it. In their opinion the only reason you want to use free cad should be, FC being opensource and not convenient and easy to use.

So as much as i want freecad to succeed i dont see it doing so until they start to listen to community and the engineers that actually use it as a tool.

So i hope one day a band of engineering brothers appears and fork FC for actual use.

[joferpul21]

On my computer, the script did not run successfully. The 7z-archives seem to be broken, they cannot be unzipped.

[emmertex]

So I am in that position where I don't know of a realistic alternative to Fusion.
It is more than just the CAD, but also the electrical.

I have never been able to use it in linux, and I have been battling through all your issues and guides, and finally got it working. Seems to all work, but.. .when I save, it uploads, and is now corrupt on Autodesk servers.

I don't know how to even debug this, there are no errors being thrown anywhere.

Using Fusion on my Mac though has been getting more and more stable and have not have any real issues for months, meanwhile I still experience crashes, and only recently, had my Windows machine upload and break two files on Autodesk servers.

I want to get rid of Fusion, but I don't know how? I am not going to go back to Solidworks or Onshape.

Given I am currently low on work I was thinking about either trying to help with this project, or FreeCAD.... Not sure.

Having Fusion break cloud files is an absolute no go, and freeCAD is in need of a lot of work to make it usable.

[Bossiskeyboard]

Have you considered using proton? https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton