Autodesk is to introduce new capabilities to cloud-based the product innovation platform Fusion 360, such as browser modeling, ECAD and generative design. The browser availability of design data will allow product developers to work on their projects anywhere, providing more flexibility. Generative design capabilities will also be added, enabling to input design criteria such as desired criteria (weight, size, cost) to allow computer algorithms to generate design geometries that fit those constraints, avoiding unnecessary iteration and testing.
An upcoming ECAD functionality will offer seamless printed circuit board (PCB) integration, enabling users to select any type of PCB and have it translated into their designs via the cloud, with automatic changes update and cloud libraries available to populate boards with common 3D components. Lastly, sheet metal features will be included, so users can flange, flatten and fold to their heart’s content, a feature highly requested by the Fusion 360 community. These additions will follow the last November major update, that saw the arrival of 5-axis CAM and several new cloud-based simulation capabilities, such as multiple load cases, structural buckling and topology optimization.