Is there an alternative to Subscription CAD in 2024

Is software ownership a thing in 2024?
With all these subscription-based software options, can you really own the CAD program anymore?
In this video, I take a look at Alibre Atom 3D which has a perpetual license, meaning having lifetime ownership of the software.
No Subscription Hassles:
Say goodbye to the frustration of software subscriptions! Alibre's perpetual license gives you the freedom to design without limitations. Let's explore how this approach brings joy back to the creative process.
What's Inside:
- Hands-On Modeling: Watch as I navigate the Atom interface and bring my ideas to life, step by step.
- Learn as You Go: No prior training? No problem! I share insights and discoveries along the way that even beginners can grasp.
Ready to Get Started?
Whether you're a seasoned designer or just dipping your toes into the 3D modeling waters, Alibre's Atom welcomes you with open arms. Let's turn your imagination into a digital reality!
If you would like to try Atom3D why not check it out here
www.alibre.com/get-a-trial-of...
Links to tools and products that I use - www.theiqworkshop.com/things-...

[@gecurbify]

I feel the lack of boolean support in Atom3d is a deal breaker.

[@isherwood9321]

I have just checked the prices and they are very reasonable for a hobbyist. I will for sure test out the trial - and if it meets my expectations - hell I am going to get it :)

[@IQWorkshop]

If you have used CAD before, it feels familiar, which is great as the learning curve is softer compared to some applications. Hard transitions make you feel like you are trying to learn an alien language

[@ElectromaaxInternational]

I agree. I am really liking what I see here.

[@IQWorkshop]

@@ElectromaaxInternational this video shows my first uses of the application. Unlike other programs, I didn't have to fight what was in my head vs what was on screen. Yes there were differences, but I was able to work around my inexperience/lack of in-depth knowledge and keep moving forward

[@Crashawsome]

Any you don't share the price? Interesting

[@ExMachinaEngineering]

Atom 3D is a great package for the price. And another thing that people might not realize immediately is that Fusion's personal license is free but you can use it to make something to sell or sell design services with. In Alibre, even Atom is a full commercial license. You can actually use it to make money and upgrade to Design Pro later on, if that's what you want.

[@IQWorkshop]

That is an excellent point! Since the f360 license changes and removal of the startup license, you cannot sell anything made with f360 personal license. It is a GREAT! feature of atom3d for hobbyists in that middle ground trying to take it to the next level 👍

[@JokoEngineeringhelp]

Indeed, I have used Alibre for some freelance. I enjoy not having restrictions like that.

[@tvideo1189]

What a great way to show a new CAD startup! Nice work and very informative starting cold like that.

[@cyclist_daily9327]

Thanks for making this! I'm happy to know that you still can get away from the subscription model in 2024.

[@IQWorkshop]

Thanks for the comments 👍 I'm a great believer there is room for everyone. But not all CAD solutions are suitable for a user or specific use case. We live in a time that there is so much choice. Atom3d looks to be an excellent product for the maker/hobbyist that is taking it to the next level. It can be used for your regular personal projects, but you also have the freedom to sell your files, the physical products. I'm pretty impressed so far 👌

[@honosu]

I own alibre atom, great for my needs

[@kevhooper8704]

Great 3d CAD package !!

[@BillsWorkbench]

I 100% agree that Alibre is the way to go. It is straightforward and intuitive to use. I have been a longtime AutoCAD user, and I find Atom 3D easier than Fusion. The price is right. I plan on learning more about it and sharing what I know. If you are interested, I would love to follow.

[@NielsWullems]

I've been using Alibre succesfully for over a year now, in an industry that's dominated by CATIA and NX. No extra license for STEP support, you're good in writing macro's? You can do that. My client can do things in Alibre that a major OEM can't do in CATIA without buying yet another expensive license.

[@NielsWullems]

I do have to say Alibre does lack surface modelling tools.

[@IQWorkshop]

Nothings ever 100% perfect 👍

[@NielsWullems]

@@IQWorkshop Fair. And nothing beats Alibre for it's price no matter which edition you pick. Doesn't mean I don't have a wishlist of features I'd like to see added ;-)

[@clangsauce]

Great video! I really like the workflow of Alibre. It's reminds be a bit of Creo and SolidWorks, so I found it very intuitive.

[@IQWorkshop]

Thanks for the feedback 👍 So far I like how I've been able to use it out of the box with an intuitive UI. Some programs can have a steep curve to learn and unless you break the back of it quickly, it can be offputting. That's not been my experience with Atom3d so far. There is no such thing as 100% perfect, but I can't find fault as yet 👍

[@MechanicalAdvantage]

Curious on the EULA. Would you be allowed to sell me your license of the software?

[@CNCCumberland]

Dune3D FTW!

[@sanantoplic8715]

LICENCE MUST BE activated all 15 days there is a option fo offline licence but only for pro and expert version thanks for the videos

[@ftwproject658]

Thank you for the confirmation. Yes, a Linux version of Alibre would totally clean house. Rent-for-play CAD software business model sucks!

[@IQWorkshop]

Keep a check back regularly. The folks over at alibre are saying a Linux version could be available soon

[@Stuntman707]

Alibre is brilliant. Found it recently and is the closest thing to Fusion I've found. Not quite as slick but functions almost the same. It's a lot easier to use than FreeCAD.

[@AndreMonthy]

Could you cover the Pro & expert versions please.

[@IQWorkshop]

I will definitely take a look into them. For me Atom was the logical first choice given that I'm a hobbyist at heart. Let me take a look and see what I can come up with

[@Ralstonvideo]

FreeCad! Will do all of this.

[@IQWorkshop]

Yes it will. I have done a video on freecad. For me it's about showcasing options available to makers. I don't find freecad's UI that friendly, but people do get on well with it. If Atom3d is not for you, all good. Sometimes it's good to know there are options 👍

[@tvideo1189]

Yeah, FreeCAD will do it after you do a couple of backflips through your asshole to make it work. FreeCAD is the horse designed by a committee.

[@sahhull]

​@@tvideo1189freecad doesn't want your name and email address. So you are not selling your soul to the 3rd party ads, spam and scammers.

[@johanfuhri]

Why are they hiding the price on their website? Only option is being routed to local resellers. I guess this allows them to unnecessarily load the price...

[@IQWorkshop]

I have asked the question. @AlibreLLC can you comment here?

[@AlibreLLC]

​@@IQWorkshop Thanks Steve! For non US customers, we go through resellers to best support our product, for a number of reasons. No business can legally force a reseller to sell any product at a specific price. Many international resellers also have unique products like in-person training or hardware/software combinations and might discount the software if that's purchased. Alibre forcing and showing a price for 3rd party resellers would therefore not only be illegal, but probably generally inaccurate since the price is often dependent on what else you are buying from them, local promotions, how many seats, etc. - none of which is up to Alibre. That's why it's best to look at their website instead.

[@HeathLedgersChemist]

@@AlibreLLC Are the local re-sellers going to supply the software on physical media? If not, then why not just permit purchase via the web for those who don't require training / support?

[@AlibreLLC]

@@HeathLedgersChemist There are lots of reasons it makes business sense to operate this way, but a simple one to explain is that many channel partners invest heavily into local trade shows, local advertising, and similar activities. It would not be fair for them to incur the expense in time and money only to have customers bypass them entirely and buy from us. Also, some people may not need "support", but they may for example have a license issue that needs to be resolved ASAP for a project. If they're calling Alibre, we're asleep. The need for experienced, local people who can provide pre and post-sale service is an absolute must for the majority of customers. It may not be optimal for everyone in all cases, but it works really well for most people with serious and legitimate engineering needs for their business who do overwhelmingly prefer dealing with someone local.

[@tvideo1189]

Get a VPN. NordVPN is one of the best non-logging VPN's going. Then you can literally buy the software from any country you like. If you are located in WhatTheFuckistan and the reseller there wants 27 million CamelKronurs instead of 99 bucks, just select a US node and voilà! You are now a US customer! Just sayin'.

[@terryclair2914]

No MAC OS version makes it a no starter for me! So Sad.

[@IQWorkshop]

Nooooooo!!!! That is a shame. One of the previous comments on this video said something similar for Linux. Alibre posted a official response stating they are working to remove the dependency on Windows opening the door for a Linux version. I'm not up to date on Mac's, but if I recall correctly isn't MacOS a Unix derivative? I would not be surprised if a Mac version becomes available, but that's for Alibre to comment on.

[@terryclair2914]

Thanks for that update. I would be very interested in trying Alibre if available on MAC OS. I'm currently using OnShape after moving from Fusion360 but would prefer something similar and actually hosted on my computer. @@IQWorkshop

[@sanantoplic8715]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@erik3205]

I was going to buy this during Black Friday sale for 99 dollars, I feel asleep on the last day, I have been waiting for this to go on sale again. I like shapr3d, but paying 300 dollars a year is too much for a hobby.

[@IQWorkshop]

Yeah, that's the kicker. It's worth trying a few different options before investing in an ecosystem. Once you are in, it can be difficult to extract yourself and your workflow from it.

[@oscarbear7498]

​@@IQWorkshopvery true, is there a term for this phenomenon? Because I've noticed it in other hobbies. Where it's very noticeable is in CAD, it's like your virgin brain builds a foundation for it and all other things are from that first experience.

[@IQWorkshop]

@@oscarbear7498 I'm not sure if there is a term for it, but it is a noticeable. I guess for cad, it's about making sure you can get your files in and out in a format that other apps can read. Step and stp files are the most common. Thst way you ate least have a minimum viable escape route

[@qerfqbAZRE]

Yet another software that does not run in Linux, that's pretty sad

[@IQWorkshop]

I've not tried it on Linux. Which is a good point 🤔 I might try to run it under Wine. To be fair, most software companies limit the OSs their software is written for. Small companies have small teams of developers that need to work on patches as well as the next versions, so need to limit their focus. Larger software houses look for the mass markets for profits and don't look at what they consider niche OSs. Give Wine a go. I've gamed in Wine back MANY years ago with AAA titles in Linux, so could be possible

[@qerfqbAZRE]

@@IQWorkshop Don't lose your time with Wine, I gave it a big try with Solidworks and Fusion360, you can have them work with a lot of pain but with no added value toward a virtual machine and a really significant loss in reliability. I hopelessly don't expect any better luck with this tool. Wine is a good tool anyway but if you stick to old products based on old microsoft libraries.

[@AlibreLLC]

We have been updating the software to not have windows dependencies, and the end is in sight. The possibility of porting to GNU/Linux and other systems for native install will be coming up in the next few versions.

[@oscarbear7498]

​@@AlibreLLCWow! you guys are awesome, if it runs on Linux, it would be epic The people's CAD for a noble man

[@HeathLedgersChemist]

And the reseller thing is a joke. The link for the Australian reseller is broken. I bet you'd get great support from a company which can't maintain web links for more than a couple of days.

[@IQWorkshop]

Thanks for the feedback 👍 I have flagged this with the Alibre team. Hopefully they can get that fixed quickly

[@AlibreLLC]

With respect, to assert "the reseller thing is a joke" and that the Australia reseller offers poor service in general because 1 of the 60 worldwide resellers is having a temporary issue on one page of their website seems significantly and intentionally overstated. The Australian reseller has provided excellent service to AU and NZ customers for almost 20 years. Most of our channel partners have been with us for 10-15+ years. It doesn't really feel like your goal here is to meaningfully engage on these topics.

[@HeathLedgersChemist]

@@AlibreLLC The 'local reseller' in this part of the world is in another country. They can't maintain links. They haven't posted on twitter since Aug 2009. If you don't think I was engaging meaningfully, why do you suppose I went to the trouble of chasing said local supplier? I've had a look at the wayback machine, and their website hasn't worked since Sept 2023. Why is it so hard just to get pricing from you? With respect, you've lost on opportunity to gain a customer.

[@TheCelicasupraify]

@@HeathLedgersChemist Yes, evaluate how effective their support is by how often they tweet. Key metric.

[@HeathLedgersChemist]

@@TheCelicasupraify Which is never. Nor maintain their website. What other metrics do I have to go on, genius?

[@HeathLedgersChemist]

This is just an ad.

[@IQWorkshop]

Yes and no. Alibre asked me to try their software, so I did. The section of me modelling something is my real experience of using the software for the first time. You can see me do the exact same thing for freecad an open source application if you look back in my videos. If you have a solution, and you are happy with it, stick with it. I love showing off options because there are a million ways to get a project done. None are wrong if you complete it. Take it or leave it 👍

[@HeathLedgersChemist]

@@IQWorkshop* Exactly the same or identical.

[@MisterMakerNL]

yes