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Featurecam 2022 released. New features!!!

It sucks so much. We have a new 5 axis mill coming and we will need to buy a post, but we have the dilemma do we buy a post for software that I'm pretty sure will be dropped soon, or spend a lot more on new software and retraining.
 
It sucks so much. We have a new 5 axis mill coming and we will need to buy a post, but we have the dilemma do we buy a post for software that I'm pretty sure will be dropped soon, or spend a lot more on new software and retraining.

I was in the same situation last year. I opted to stick with FC, but I am deeply invested in it and moving everything to a new software is going to be a monumental amount of work. In a few years when they finally kill it, it's very likely that the licensing will be switched to perpetual for the final release. I know this is a gamble, but they will be leaving themselves very exposed legally if they do not do this, so I think the odds are good that this is how it will happen.

At that point I can take my time to migrate incrementally, rather than suffer the downtime of switching cold turkey right now.
 
In a few years when they finally kill it, it's very likely that the licensing will be switched to perpetual for the final release. I know this is a gamble, but they will be leaving themselves very exposed legally if they do not do this, so I think the odds are good that this is how it will happen.

At that point I can take my time to migrate incrementally, rather than suffer the downtime of switching cold turkey right now.


Gregor

Did you switch to the subscription model from maintenance?
Why?

I only have one seat of Premium, but the perpetual license was not going to leave my warm blooded hands no matter what.
Of course they did manage to make me stop the maintenance renewal earlier this year as there was absolutely no guarantee that future releases will
still activate as a perpetual, non named user license.

So, I quit paying for FC and Inventor PDSU, which leaves me with nearly 5K/year to bank towards whatever I might choose for the next system.
With the perpetual license still functioning and all things remain the same, I figure I still have some 5-6 years to make that decision, and as you've said, make the transition incrementally.

This Named User bulls$hit was the final straw.
 
Gregor

Did you switch to the subscription model from maintenance?
Why?

I only have one seat of Premium, but the perpetual license was not going to leave my warm blooded hands no matter what.
Of course they did manage to make me stop the maintenance renewal earlier this year as there was absolutely no guarantee that future releases will
still activate as a perpetual, non named user license.

So, I quit paying for FC and Inventor PDSU, which leaves me with nearly 5K/year to bank towards whatever I might choose for the next system.
With the perpetual license still functioning and all things remain the same, I figure I still have some 5-6 years to make that decision, and as you've said, make the transition incrementally.

This Named User bulls$hit was the final straw.

Simply, we were off maintenance with an old version, and I had a new 5ax millturn coming in that I didn't want to write the post for myself from scratch.

Got a good deal for a three year subscription for two seats plus the post incorporated into cost of the machine.
 
Yeah, that sucks...
I was hanging with the 2015 version until last year when jumped to 2020.
Kept the maintenance up the whole time, but there just wasn't enough reason to upgrade.
With the current rate of development ... I estimate approx 165 years before FC has enough new "features" to justify a maintenance plan ...
Wait, there ain't no more of that!
At least I still have access to V2021 until ADSK decides to not to re-activate when needed.
 
All I see ADSK doing for the past 5 years is cannibalizing their industrial products/high end stuff and putting it into Fusion 360. They buy these companies (Like Delcam) for their technology, ostracize their userbase, stop giving meaningful updates, and forcing people into subscriptions they don't want. They take that great technology and pump it into Fusion 360 for the newbs who think Fusion is the best thing since sliced bread and "how could you ever want to use another CAM product after trying Fusion?" blah blah blah.

Well guess what ADSK? Half of your client pool can't even use your product that you so heavily pour resources into for one simple reason - it IS NOT ITAR and NDA compliant! Is ADSK run by morons? Apparently yes they are.

Someone was arguing with me on another forum yesterday that "within one year Fusion 360 will out perform Mastercam in 5-axis machining". I was like...wut? Are you high? Even if that were possible (it isn't) there are so many shops that may want to use Fusion and simply CANNOT.

I have heard that HSM is taking a shit as well, along with Powermill and FeatureCAM.

Why do they sell 6+ CAM solutions? Talk about redundant and confusing. Way to go ADSK, you suck.

Let's see what happens when they utterly fuck up CAMPlete as well....
 
AutoDesk, where good software goes to die.

We have two seats of FeatureCAM. I converted one to subscription, but I am leaving the other one perpetual. I have 20+ years of FeatureCam files that I don't want to loose access to as soon as I stop paying the subscription fee. This will most likely be my last year with FeatureCAM. If I am going to be forced to learn a new interface, I am going else where. The less I have to deal with Autodeath..., errr excuse me, AutoDesk, the better I will be.

It really sucks too. DelCam was great organization with some really good people.
 
All I see ADSK doing for the past 5 years is cannibalizing their industrial products/high end stuff and putting it into Fusion 360. They buy these companies (Like Delcam) for their technology, ostracize their userbase, stop giving meaningful updates, and forcing people into subscriptions they don't want....

These acquisitions are interesting, sometimes the numbers make sense, sometimes they don't.
Autodesk bought Delcam for $286 million.
Almost immediately dumped ArtCAM, PartMaker, dental and the shoe business. I get most of those are small potatoes to Adsk.
Now they are clearly retiring FeatureCAM.

Then spend a bunch of time putting high end functions into a low-to-mid-range CAD system (I'm sure people will argue that opinion)

The subscription for the Fusion 360 Manufacturing Extensions is $1,500 a year.
If Autodesk wants to get their investment back in Delcam from Fusion:
..In 5 years they would need 38,000 subscriptions of the manufacturing extensions per year.
..In 10 years they would only need 19,000 subs/year. (yes I know base Fusions overall may have also increased, but I'm trying to keep the math simple)
Plus another 50,000 seats per year to make up for the lost revenue Delcam was making when it was purchased.

Clearly I think they were simply buying the technology, and not trying to justify the purchase with sales or future sales. I'm not sure just porting the CAM functions over is enough. Shop floor programmers working on large molds and dies and tooling also use a lot of the "quick and dirty" CAD functions of PowerMill/PowerShape in their day to day activities. I'm not sure if those are, or will be, added to Fusion.

There are likely other business financial benefits Adsk got with the Delcam acquisition as frosting on the cake.
 
These acquisitions are interesting, sometimes the numbers make sense, sometimes they don't.
Autodesk bought Delcam for $286 million.
Almost immediately dumped ArtCAM, PartMaker, dental and the shoe business. I get most of those are small potatoes to Adsk.
Now they are clearly retiring FeatureCAM.

Then spend a bunch of time putting high end functions into a low-to-mid-range CAD system (I'm sure people will argue that opinion)

The subscription for the Fusion 360 Manufacturing Extensions is $1,500 a year.
If Autodesk wants to get their investment back in Delcam from Fusion:
..In 5 years they would need 38,000 subscriptions of the manufacturing extensions per year.
..In 10 years they would only need 19,000 subs/year. (yes I know base Fusions overall may have also increased, but I'm trying to keep the math simple)
Plus another 50,000 seats per year to make up for the lost revenue Delcam was making when it was purchased.

Clearly I think they were simply buying the technology, and not trying to justify the purchase with sales or future sales. I'm not sure just porting the CAM functions over is enough. Shop floor programmers working on large molds and dies and tooling also use a lot of the "quick and dirty" CAD functions of PowerMill/PowerShape in their day to day activities. I'm not sure if those are, or will be, added to Fusion.

There are likely other business financial benefits Adsk got with the Delcam acquisition as frosting on the cake.

Sure there are! No different than a tolerance stack-up. You can bet they factored everything before that purchase. They are not stupid.
Stupid (or smart) and respectable and/or ethical are not even in the same neighborhood.
The numbers may or may not make sense to you or I. But I don't think anybody gambles $286mil unless they think it is a sure bet.
And the thing about autodicks! They play the long game! And for their, and only their, benefit! They don't give a rat's ass about the customer!
Evidenced by constantly buying up entities. If there are no Delcam products, that is that many more potential customers. Previous and/or existing, Delcam customers be damned.
Basically "fuck them, we don't care. As long as we can benefit".

To which I can only reply: "Fuck you autodicks!"
 
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It really sucks too. DelCam was great organization with some really good people.

Yes it was! Chris Cole was an amazing support engineer! So helpful and fast.
I'm so glad I had his service back in '04ish when I was getting deeper in to FeaturCAM and struggling with some of the more advanced stuff.
Call support, get Chris on the horn, he would do a remote desktop and walk you through whatever, in just minutes.
Make sure you understood. And "Happy to help, have a great day!". Delcam had the very best support!
I took FeaturCAM classes here at Gateway with Phil Buggs. He was awesome too. But, I bet I learned more from Chris over the phone than I did in class with Phil.
 
You know I dont pay much attention to them normally, but the best part of this thread is the Tags listed at the bottom of the page... Just couldnt help but have a laugh.

Charles
 
Chris Cole was an amazing support engineer!

Never did talk with him, but it appears that he's still connected with FeatureCAM as an ADSK employee.
Funny how it just happened, but his name just popped up as a top contributor.
Not many posts ( 26 in total for the last ... 4-5 years perhaps ), but recently became active again.
 








 
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