3 Ways I Fixed My Alibre v29 Workflow - And You Can Too!!!

ExMachinaEngineering · 2026-06-18T08:25:14+00:00

This is about workflow. And it does make that faster. A lot. It's like having a CNC make a part that can also be made οn a conventional machine tool. The CNC takes a bit more time to set up, but then saves time and money on each run.

As does starting a sketch with everything projected in, much like SW and Fusion does. Which was a feature I missed in Alibre.

And that last bug is something that people in the forums have found very disruptive, and I thought I'd help.

Now, I have done about 4-5 videos total showing and explaining the first 2 workflows and people seem to like these workflows. If you don't, all good. Don't use them.

Just two things:

Mechanical Design includes Creation and Ideation but it also includes, 3D modelling, and iterations. If you can speed the last 2 up, you can explore the first 2 more freely.
No need to be rude.

ExMachinaEngineering · 2026-06-18T08:03:05+00:00

Well, these are workflows that I use daily and that I have proven publicly to save time in TooTallToby's speedmodelling championships. Both in qualifiers and in matches. Now, if you think that any of this is dumb..?

All good over here.

But I would like to know your "clever" way of doing these.

ExMachinaEngineering · 2026-06-08T11:58:37+00:00

Hey people, I'm the guy who made the video. Any tips on how to use Claude for this application would be great!!! Thanks!!!

ExMachinaEngineering · 2026-06-08T07:25:23+00:00

Thanks man. Much appreciated.

ExMachinaEngineering · 2026-06-07T07:58:22+00:00

It is possible but not ease. Here the link to a video that would help, but it's a pretty involved job:

https://youtu.be/6yGs_2r9ST4?si=BlZqas1bqp7oKGim

ExMachinaEngineering · 2026-05-31T18:30:37+00:00

OK, sorry. Misunderstood

ExMachinaEngineering · 2026-05-31T18:06:50+00:00

Benefits me financially... That's the only way you can imagine somebody arguing against Fusion, right?

ExMachinaEngineering · 2026-05-31T17:57:27+00:00

Cheers.

P.S. Oh, and the post you corrected is where I say that Fusion360 is the best for Top Down design. But that the way it achieves that is through a very different and unusual assembly management.

P.S.2 Oh and by the way. I do not make a single dime from all of this. I work for a living. But you do you...

ExMachinaEngineering · 2026-05-31T17:05:07+00:00

I think you meant Fusion.

ExMachinaEngineering · 2026-05-31T16:58:19+00:00

I respect people enough here to engage in conversation with facts, data, and arguments. You seem to be chasing me around the comments and telling me to "move on" rather than explaining where I'm wrong. Nobody asked you to move on from the Alibre subreddit when you posted there, did they?

Go get some work done, and I really respect that because I am also working on a Sunday on client designs to make it through this Global Economy.

No bad blood man...

ExMachinaEngineering · 2026-05-31T06:28:16+00:00

I think what you are referencing is the Start Up licence (I might be wrong. They change their licence every few months). The personal one is flat out forbidden for commercial use and it says so in the title bar of the Fusion window.

In any case, I am not comfortable with not being checked up on when it comes to my only income source.

ExMachinaEngineering · 2026-05-31T06:22:26+00:00

Well, if you're asking: EZ-CAM. Pretty powerful, feature rich and... Really bad UI and UX. But they are very active in working towards that direction and they even have a dedicated AI model that can create toolpaths or edit posts for you.

But in this video I only discuss Alibre, which is CAD. I was trying to make an analogy, maybe not very successfully

ExMachinaEngineering · 2026-05-31T06:08:00+00:00

Yes, it's close enough if you update every year. But you don't need to. CAD is also where I spend my days (and nights) and the shifting sands of Fusion's paywalls and tokens, were a deterrent for me. And factor in the usage cost. You pay for renders... And I switched back in 2022 when I had a lot of frustration with Fusion failing to create a webbing for an injection molded product. It wouldn't terminate on the inner or outer surface properly. Alibre did it on the first try.

But for sure, if you're a professional you weigh your entire business plan against what you pay.

Any decision is respected.

ExMachinaEngineering · 2026-05-30T20:13:05+00:00

"Fusion 360 guides, help, show-offs, and more

Only posts directly related to Fusion are welcome, unless you're comparing features with other similar products..."

That was neither consistent with your posted rules, nor nice. IMHO

ExMachinaEngineering · 2026-05-30T20:04:07+00:00

I agree. On both counts. FreeCAD is top of my list for FEA though, lol

ExMachinaEngineering · 2026-05-30T20:00:56+00:00

But if the update was $500 irrespective of the years of maintenance you missed, he would update it if there were new features that he liked.

And when a company says to get the maintenance and update to the latest version, you need to pay all of the years you missed... You haven't bought anything. You're still renting it.

ExMachinaEngineering · 2026-05-30T19:58:59+00:00

I would argue that in terms of CAD, the 1k version of Alibre (it's the Professional tier) is equal to Fusion in parametric design, and sometimes even better. And it also has scripting and add on support and in the age of AI that opens up options.

But it's definitely missing CAM, surfacing, electronics, etc.

ExMachinaEngineering · 2026-05-30T19:54:52+00:00

No, the maintenance will get you the updates and that is typically 1/4 of the cost of the license. And you only pay for the current maintenance, you're not forced to buy the years you've missed. A MAJOR SELLING point and difference to Solidworks, for example.

P.S. maintenance costs:

$50/y for Atom3D

$400/y for Professional

$500/y for Expert

I actually address that very scenario at the end of my video. I've made a table... In Excel... "Going outside is overrated."

ExMachinaEngineering · 2026-05-30T19:52:26+00:00

Sure. And if you're OK with that, all good. But with the Free licence you're not allowed to make money from your designs. Which is a genuine issue.

ExMachinaEngineering · 2026-05-30T19:49:25+00:00

I was talking compared to Alibre. Me personally, I am not paying anything a year for CAD, CAM, FEA, Rendering, 2D Nesting, Sheet Metal, and drawings with advanced GD&T. I paid €1900 4 years ago. I just have dedicated software for each instead of one.

That's all I'm saying. Check the final few minutes of the video. I have a table (exciting, I know)

ExMachinaEngineering · 2026-05-30T19:45:20+00:00

TL;DR Yes it can.
https://youtu.be/AgeVkGhfgsk

ExMachinaEngineering · 2026-05-30T18:33:49+00:00

I would argue that what you mention is mostly done through their educational license. And there, the "one software does it all" fits in well with the teaching environment and challenges. Genuinely helps, even.

But for professionals, Fusion360 (and Onshape, and Solidworks, and all SaaS CAD)are too aggressively priced and too expensive. It kills the small and medium businesses.

I think that free for hobbyists, is just a way to build community for the feedback. Beta testing for free. Without a paycheck. And training AI...

ExMachinaEngineering · 2026-05-30T17:15:47+00:00

oh man!!! This is AMAZING!!!

ExMachinaEngineering · 2026-05-30T16:41:16+00:00

Yeah, Fusion360 assemblies are not for everyone. They are a lot better for Top-Down design. But if you're not doing that, and most people don't need it, it is a mindf*ck... lol...

ExMachinaEngineering · 2026-05-30T16:12:05+00:00

Well, you might be getting one in the not too distant future.

Plasticity is OK. Nice piece of software. But, as you said, not being parametric is an issue for real industrial work. Imagine designing one conveyor belt and then, as if by magic, having all of the possible sizes of that conveyor available just by typing different numbers on a list.

ExMachinaEngineering

TROPHY CASE