As an engineer, designer, or manufacturer, I was excited to test out Autodesk Fusion 360 on my new MacBook Air with M1 chip. My hope was that this device would be capable of replacing our existing computers entirely, but after putting it through its paces, I have come to a different conclusion.

While Fusion 360 is an excellent cloud-based 3D modeling, CAD, CAM, CAE, and PCB software platform for product design and manufacturing, the MacBook Air's limitations made me rethink my strategy. With only around 5-6 hours of battery life, it was clear that this device wouldn't be suitable for our daily tasks, fieldwork, events, and shows.

In fact, during a recent show/event, we had to pay $107 per day just to keep our computers charged at the convention center! This added up quickly over the course of several events throughout the year. For us, having 8-10 hours of battery life would have been a game-changer, allowing us to charge our laptops back at the hotel and avoid these unnecessary expenses.

That being said, Fusion 360 does provide full support for a number of products when used on the Mac in virtualized environments, including Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion. This means that we can still use the software platform as intended, even if it's not running natively on our MacBook Air.

In addition to its limitations, I found that the MacBook Air is super heavy, bulky, and has terrible battery life. As a result, we treat them like desktop PCs, which isn't ideal for our business needs.

While Fusion 360 is an excellent tool, it's not the only option out there. There are other alternatives available, including Axiom, Onshape, and SolidWorks. Ultimately, I think the best solution is to keep a few of our existing computers around for more demanding CAD work and use the MacBook Air for our other daily tasks.

For those looking for an alternative to Fusion 360, here are some options to consider:

* The Best Fusion 360 Alternatives of 2022 by Lucas Carolo

* Axiom: A cloud-based 3D modeling and CAD software platform

* Onshape: A cloud-based CAD software platform that allows real-time collaboration

* SolidWorks: A powerful CAD software platform for product design and manufacturing

In conclusion, while Autodesk Fusion 360 is an excellent software platform, it may not be the best option for everyone. Its limitations on battery life and overall performance make it better suited for specific tasks rather than replacing our entire fleet of computers. By keeping a few of our existing devices around and using the MacBook Air for other tasks, we can ensure that we have the right tools for the job at hand.

Autodesk fusion 360 mac m1