Fusion 360 on MacBook Air: A Smooth Experience

As a user of Fusion 360, you may be wondering how this powerful design and manufacturing application performs on your new MacBook Air running Big Sur with Apple Silicon. The good news is that Fusion 360 runs surprisingly fast on Apple's latest hardware.

One of the key advantages of Fusion 360 is its low barrier to entry. As a cloud-based software platform for product design and manufacturing, it offers a range of features including 3D modeling, CAD, CAM, CAE, and PCB design. While it may not have been around as long as other CAD packages, Autodesk's commitment to continuous improvement means that Fusion 360 is constantly evolving.

Installing and running Fusion 360 on Rosetta 2 was effortless, and the software itself is designed for ease of use. However, like any complex application, there are still areas where it can be improved. The user interface (UI) may feel a bit clunky at times, and it would benefit from being more stable, reliable, and resilient against unexpected behavior.

Despite these limitations, Fusion 360 continues to mature as a product, and Autodesk is working hard to ensure that the UI adapts to new workflows and doesn't get in the way. In the meantime, you may need to use Rosetta 2 technology on your M1-based MacBook Air to run Fusion 360, although some Autodesk software may only be compatible with Intel-based hardware.

Fortunately, Autodesk is working closely with Apple to optimize its software for use with Apple silicon. This means that we can expect even better performance and compatibility in the future.

In conclusion, while there are still areas where Fusion 360 could improve, it runs smoothly on your MacBook Air running Big Sur with Apple Silicon. With its low barrier to entry and powerful feature set, it's an excellent choice for anyone looking to design and manufacture products using cloud-based software.

Fusion 360 on macbook air