I think your company is larger than you realize…
Well, in employees and gross yearly profit, probably not even on the scale they should be measuring.
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It even got an office on the north pole!
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Maybe so but don’t undersell yourself either. You have a global company all ran by just you… That to me is astonishing.
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I am again telling you to get a side hustle as a teacher at the college next to you. Just teach a shop class once a week and get AutoCAD and Fusion for free. 
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They get watermarked and are only for non-commercial. You can get all sorts of those licenses for $20-$100 a year. Commercial changes it. I only have two commercial projects though…
Yep, and I tried to break it a few different ways.
Now I’ll look at the LR3 mount geometry and see if I can nut it out.
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Hmm, interesting, never noticed a watermark or sth like that. 
If you export the file package or the drawings they should be marked. If you export them and import them again you should see it. If you were to send files out to a manufacturer they would see it, would they care…probably not. Could they send me a nice letter from a lawyer if I did it…you betcha.
I’ve been slowly developing FreeCAD skills, but it sometimes just doesn’t come easy. I have been using (struggling) with it since 0.17.x.x and I think the 0.21.x.x is much better. There is still the problem of adding a new structure to an old sketch that can really screw up the whole model. I wish it would warn you.
Mike
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Well…today Fusion 360 just did me huge solid…
They let me restart a new Free Trial… so what does that mean??
I get clean LowRider models now 
Also some interesting new buttons to play with in the update
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One thing that comes into play here, is that fixing a semi-functional parametric model after it got broken by a parameter change, is easy for the person who created the model and knows it backwards and forwards, but extremely frustrating and difficult for someone who did not create the model, and has no idea where to start. So, what we’re asking for (user opens our file, edits the parameters, and nothing breaks) requires either more robustness on the software’s part, or more diligence and knowledge on our part, and this does seem we’re pressing against a boundary so to speak. Since apparently other software has done a better job on this, it does seem the boundary is more a software side issue than a creator side issue.
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There are so many ways to skin that cat. In Onshape, you can just set the correct dimension rod or hole and add the thread, or if I have a custom made thread (like a vac hose for instance) I tend to make a model of the part (the hose in this case) and subtract it from the solid with the tolerance of my desire (usually 0.1 mm) on all surfaces - that’s a one checkbox move.
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I use Solid Edge Community Edition, which is pro level stuff is $0 and does not need to talk to the internet at so will work forever if Siemens change their mind (I don’t think that they will though).
If you want to use it to make money, you need to pay a subscription that starts at US$82 a month.
Here’s something I made earlier…
I kinda gag when I have to touch AutoDesk stuff, so I can’t pass any opinion on that.
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I will have to try Onshape. I never really used it other than create an account to download a model or two. Maybe in the wintertime as I have not been in a modeling mood lately.
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I have never seen solid edge before, It looks pretty nice. That basic price is pretty good $980/year.
Onshape just called and emailed me. I will give them a listen once but the marketing is gonna irritate me. It too years for Go Engineer to leave me alone about SolidWorks.
Yikes…Interesting choice for Siemens…
" Note : Files created in this edition cannot be opened in commercial versions of Solid Edge and 2D drawings are watermarked, but your designed parts and assemblies can be 3D printed so you can easily create prototypes."
If you start with the hobby/community version, you can’t later use your models if you go to the commercial version? So hobbyists and people pay for licenses are not allowed to share models between them at all it seems
There are ways around this though so personally i don’t think it’s a big issue.
If you think of it the other way round you could end up with shops running unlimited copies of the free version, then just having one or two paid for seats. Considering the free version is uncontrolled by any other method I think it’s fair. I used to work for a software Co doing Engineering software and some of the things I’ve seen supposedly legitimate Co’s do when they think they can get away with it would make your head spin.
Files created in the paid for version can be opened in the free version without issue.
I’m the lead developer for a product that is part of a large engineering software package.
I’m aware of the lengths people will go to subvert licensing, however, the reality of the situation is that a small company that can only afford to buy two licenses, will only buy 2 licenses regardless.
The only reason these companies give away these free hobby and education versions is generate future sales.
You want college students to be comfortable using your software so when they make it out into the world and become decision makers, you have someone that knows and loves your product the most, and can convert some market share.
You want hobbyists etc. to use the free version to potentially convert to a sale, but also because you want as many of your file formats out there as possible so more people are using, learning, and having a good experience with your software, to later convert to sales.
The flip side of the argument, and the way I see it is, I’m currently a hobbyist. At some point, if I decide it’s worth it to me to buy a license, it’s an absolute non-starter if you’re going to tell me that I can no longer open any of the files I worked on and created over the last year.
Suppose I’m Ryan, and I’m just starting out, and I decide to use this free software and design me a CNC machine. Now after I designed it and tested it and it works great, I decide I want to make a business out of it. Step 1, I need to license this design software so I’m not breaking the rules.
Now, I all of a sudden realize that all 30 of these CAD files that I finally got just right won’t be able to open at all once I get the licensed version. They remain free version watermarked for non-commercial use forever.
So now I have to redo all this work. And now I have a bad taste in my mouth because this company is making me do it.
So now I say, you know what, if I have to redo it anyway, maybe I’ll just go do that in Fusion 360. Now, not only have you lost Ryan, but you’ve also lost every person that he’s distributing and sharing those models with that would have been exposed to the software.
I’ve used a lot of software in my life as a hobbyist, computer nerd, work related, etc. over the last 25-30 years. This is the first time I ever remember coming across one that says the files created in the free version are completely incompatible with the paid version.
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As I said there’s ways around the issue that don’t involve doing remodeling. So I don’t see it as a biggy.
Also I’ve not tried it recently, but in the older versions of the stuff file from the non-paid for versions would open in the paid for versions but after that you couldn’t open them again in the non-paid for version. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what’s actually happening here regardless of the words. I’ve not tried it so don’t know though.
If for example Ryan wanted to look at it with a potential to use it for commercail work then I’d go down the 30 free trial path or have a bit of a poke at the Community edition and then before he gets too deep, if he thinks this is for me do the 30 day trial.