Autodesk signs agreement to acquire netfabb, let’s hope they keep netfabb basic free.
I presume they’re doing this to integrate their repair tool into whatever slicing software they’re developing.
based on all the other stuff they are giving away Im sure basic will stay free. I think its a good move personally. NetFabb was super small. Hopefully this will inject some money into them and they can do even more great stuff.
Autodesk is vary liberal with free software. If they discontinue netfabb basic it will most likely only be because they integrated the features into another piece of software.
I find it surprising that they do give away as much as they are. One of a very small list of large companies that have realised the benefits of this model.
Stratasys held the patents for FDM printing for 20 years and when they expired the printing market exploded. I guarantee you stratasys are selling many more machines today (makerbot excluded) than they were before. So the technology going open was in the end a boost for sales. They are a self proclaimed leader (with credentials to back it up) and they are selling to a corporate market way above the reach of mortals with salaries. But the more people around that know how to use FDM machines the more chachewe end up working for a company that can buy a big machine. I think maybe someone realised technology doesn’t have to be a secret for people to adopt it and more people want to know what goes into the burger before eating it. If this tech gets hacked to where we can build a machine similar to this and learn how this works. When the time comes to for us to buy a high end machine were going to be pre disposed to buy the one we know how it works. So yes there is a huge commercial side to this they want to sell these things but they’re making appealing for the mavins of the world because we end up telling people what to buy.
definitely excited to see what they do with NetFab! if you want any proof that they like doing good things for makers, just look at Instructables, they’ve increased site capacity, decreased prices, and moved several features from pro only to anybody can use them.
@Nathan_Walkner Autodesk has been pretty clear about the direction in which they are heading. It’s about providing the basic functions at no cost, a mid low cost package and a high end package. They are transitioning from a standalone app based company to a app as a service company. They, like many others, see that the means, methods and workflow of how things are developed are changing and are trying to integrate those products into the newer methods for design.
My guess would be the Netfabb brand will cease to exist with the existing technology and engineers being folded into the Autodesk realm. The Netfabb features will be folded into the various new Autodesk tools. The Pro version of Net Fabb wasn’t cheap, it was a few thousand dollars a seat. Almost as much as Inventor LT.
The actions by Autodesk prove they aren’t being nefarious. If you speak with them, including the CEO, they have a passion for this and as much as they like and need to make money, they also like to make. They provide no cost software so when/if you get to a point where you move ot a bigger org or need features the free package doesn’t provide you can license them.
@Nathan_Walkner You’ve never owned software. It’s always been licensed even if you have a physical copy. Publishing software is an expensive, complex endevor. If you don’t like what’s available commercially then you can choose to use other packages. Or better yet, become involved with those open packages as a dev, tester, community organiser.
@Nathan_Walkner you really don’t know Autodesk do you? as examples of their openness: Instructables, 123D, Ember / Spark, student community support, FIRST robotics support, among many others. their track record provides no source for calling them “monopolistic scumbags” They are hardly the only company out there providing many of the services they provide, yet they are the only one that has such a broad reach in the hobbyist level with free / opensource software
Marketing or not, they have not yet given a single indication of ill will to the community, yes, it means they get more profit overall, but that’s just business. They have done a lot for the maker community and show every sign that they will continue to do so. Have fun living in your sad little world of negativity, I’ll be enjoying making stuff and supporting a company that has helped hundreds if not thousands of high schoolers get a great foundation in Engineering and design.