Designspark going subscription?

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ddmckee54

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I know a couple of other people on this forum use Designspark too, it's not just me. I think my anti-virus software changed something and I'm no longer getting the normal start screen with the latest news from headquarters when I fire up Designspark, but that's not the problem.

I went on-line to check whether a newer version of Designspark was available, I'm running v5 now, and I found out that Designspark is going the way of Fusion 360 - it's going to be subscription only to get the good stuff. There will still be a "free" version though. They're calling it the Explorer package, but like Fusion 360 the "free" version won't have all the features that Designspark does now. It sounds like they are killing some of the import features in v6, and I don't know what all else they're changing On top of that, I believe that as of May 31, 2023 they are going to turn off all versions of Designspark below v6. I've looked to see if they are offering a "perpetual" license, but it looks like it will be subscription only.

Don
 
Thanks for that info Don. I have Designspark v5 installed on a computer not connected to the internet. Each time I use DS5 I reset the date to when I installed it, a bit like Groundhog day! The computer I use when I go online is an 8 year old Acer all-in-one, and struggles to run any cad programme except an early version of Sketchup. I installed DSv6, on the Acer recently to see if it had any new features I would find useful. If it did then I would upgrade to v6 on my cad computer. I didn't think v6 had any worthwhile features, and had lost a fairly useful one, step import. I uninstalled v6 and wont be using it on my cad computer, I will stick with v5. I have spent a lot of time trying to transition to SolidEdge. I have had some success, but I am not ready to abandon DS just yet.
 
As long as you don't have the computer connected to the Interwebb, and you use that machine/reset the time often enough that DS5 doesn't think it needs to phone home and verify its' license, I'd think you should be OK. I guess you'll know on 6/1/23 one way or the other. What's going to happen if you forget to reset the time/date before you fire up DS5? Is DS going to set a bit somewhere that means its' got an invalid license?

I'm looking into an Alibre Atom perpetual license with a CAM bundle, it doesn't look too bad so far. But like you with SolidEdge, it's a different beast. After NOT working with constraints in 3D modeling for years it's more than a bit different. The other issue I've got is that I have a lot of files in Designspark's format and I don't think it's compatible with anybody else. What do I do with all those 3D models?
 
DS5 doesn't know what the date is, unless I tell it. I reset the system date each time I use it and I have been doing this for a long time, on two computers. I did forget to reset the date on one of them once, so I had to set a different date for that one. To remind myself what the date should be I have changed the name of the start up icon from the name of the programme to "change date to" and the date. I don't have the programme on the task bar just in case I click on it by accident. The DS5 start up screen informs me that I am not conncted to the internet, but still runs OK.

When I gave Atom a test drive a few years back it was on my internet computer. The computer isn't powerfull enough, and the trial period, at the time, wasn't long enough, so I couldn't really give it a fair try. It looks good though.

When I started to try SolidEdge, I looked at importing DS5 export files. I don't think I ever got it to work properly.
 
Hi Don,
I did a search online about converting a DS5 file, RSDOC, into a step file. There seems to be a few tools available to do the job, but I am not sure how accurate they are. I also came across a DS video by a poster on youtube where he saved a DS file as a DXF (which I thought was only 2D) and then imported it into what I believe to be a CAM programme and the file loaded as a 3D file. I tried doing that in SolidEdge but only got a flat 2D image. I tried synchronus and ordered mode, but no luck.
 
That's too bad. At least the subscription isn't too steep. You'll end up losing your feature tree if you export, which is a bummer. If you can get a solidworks file exported there should be other options for importing and converting. Every conversion tends to deprecate the data. Do they support STEP export anymore as an addon?
 
Apparently there is a programme in the Designspark folder that will do the job, it doesn't sound easy to use, but I haven't tried it. Another option is to use Fusion 360 to import an stl then export as a step file. I don't really know what a step file is, 2D, 3D? I have used Inkscape to design a name plate, save as svg, import into FreeCAD and export as step, import that into DS. Fussy, but it works. I have to admit that SolidEdge is better for this as it will create the name plate much easier and the text creation is better too. I think I might not have stl export optimised in DS as the stl saved by SE has a better finish.
I didn't look into step export from DS themselves. It might be too fussy when trying to use it on a computer it wasn't downloaded on, probably comes with a single license.
I wouldn't want to sign up to a subscription with DS in case it went the same way as Fusion 360. I dropped F360 when it did that. I don't mind paying a one off fee to own a piece of software, which is why I will take another look at Atom. But to do that I would have to connect my cad computer to the internet and keep it connected. I wonder if that will open the computer up to trackers, even if I don't connect to any other websites?
FreeCAD is still the only cad software that is absolutely free. I wonder if it will always be free?
 
STL will convert the file to a mesh (vertices and faces), so keeping it in nurbs (curves, surfaces, solids) is a good idea, like with .STEP. Alibre should work fine offline after you install and enable it.
The nice thing about .step or .iges is if the exporter is good, the newer tools will allow direct editing of the model. Not something Alibre does though. Typically comes with more cost.
 
lee webster said:
FreeCAD is still the only cad software that is absolutely free. I wonder if it will always be free?
Click to expand...

The key will be if there is enough GPL code that it would be hard simply to change it to non-free. If the code is LGPL, then someone may fork it to make a commercial variant, much as QCAD is to LibreCAD.

To be clear, I don't know the licensing of the code, and I have no part in the development of FreeCAD, so the above represents my semi-educated guess. :)
 
I was trying to find a way of exporting a file from Designspark that could be easily read in other cad programmes. One of the leads I found pointed to the RS website, so I followed it. It seems that the basic DS we use will remain free. It is called "Explorer". The next level of DS is "Creator" at £9.99 per month. This offers 3D mirror and STEP export, among other options. The top level is "Engineer" at £14.99 per month. DS5 and all versions below that will be switched off on 31st May 2023. If I decide to upgrade, creator looks to do what I want, at £120 per year. I would look at cad packages from others before signing up. And then of course comes the question. How long will those prices stay affordable-ish?
Creator and Engineer both have a seven day free trial.
Edit. I got my months mixed up. That's what happens when you retire, days, weeks and months lose meaning. DS will become subscription at the end of next month.
 
Last edited:
Yes, a version of DS will remain free. That free version will not have all the functionality that currently exists in DS v5.0. Is this starting to sound familiar to anybody else?
 
I've been trying to find a way to export DS5 files in a format that other cad programmes could read and edit. STL isn't really suitable for this, STEP seems to be the best option, but DS doesn't export STEP. Just as an experiment I exported a FreeCAD file as STEP and imported it into Solid Edge. The only error raised by SE is that the model, a cylinder head with water passage, inlet and exhaust port etc, was relying on having the cylinder for the position of some of its features. I deleted the head and imported the cylinder instead, it imported perfectly. SE even repaired some of the internal errors in the model. I could then edit the model. I suppose I could take out a months subscription to the new Design Spark, convert all my files and at the end of the month wave goodbye to DS and get a new cad programme that will read STEP. I shall ponder.
 
OK, this is a little off topic, but it's still about Designspark v5.0.

How do you generate a polygon in DS v5.0 if you have the constraints enabled? I had enabled constraints some time ago and was trying to wrap my head around using them in a familiar software package. I knew that the tool sets seemed different, but never really paid any attention to it. Over the weekend I was playing with a design I'm working on, I'm building a Tadpole style recumbent trike from plans and didn't like his front wheel brake mounts. I wanted to see if I could modify his design to use disc brakes up front, and needed to model a simple hex nut.

Before attempting to use the constraints that are built into v5.0 this was a simple task, just use the polygon tool. When the constraints are enabled the available tool sets change and I couldn't find a polygon tool hidden anywhere. If you don't have the polygon tool anymore with the constraints enabled, this seems like a giant step backward. I disabled the constraints, got my original tool sets back and continued to model the front spindle. (It will work but building the spindle mount/caliper mount is currently requiring a multi-piece weldment. Good thing I'm not planning on going into mass production.)

Am I missing something that's probably painfully obvious with the constraints?

Don
 
I don't use DS with constraints enabled. Funny, it's the only cad programme I feel comfortable doing that with. I enabled constraints, restarted DS and couldn't find any polygon tool. How odd. I would miss not being able to draw nuts and bolts.
 
ddmckee54 said:
OK, this is a little off topic, but it's still about Designspark v5.0.

How do you generate a polygon in DS v5.0 if you have the constraints enabled? I had enabled constraints some time ago and was trying to wrap my head around using them in a familiar software package. I knew that the tool sets seemed different, but never really paid any attention to it. Over the weekend I was playing with a design I'm working on, I'm building a Tadpole style recumbent trike from plans and didn't like his front wheel brake mounts. I wanted to see if I could modify his design to use disc brakes up front, and needed to model a simple hex nut.

Before attempting to use the constraints that are built into v5.0 this was a simple task, just use the polygon tool. When the constraints are enabled the available tool sets change and I couldn't find a polygon tool hidden anywhere. If you don't have the polygon tool anymore with the constraints enabled, this seems like a giant step backward. I disabled the constraints, got my original tool sets back and continued to model the front spindle. (It will work but building the spindle mount/caliper mount is currently requiring a multi-piece weldment. Good thing I'm not planning on going into mass production.)

Am I missing something that's probably painfully obvious with the constraints?

Don
Click to expand...

lee webster said:
I don't use DS with constraints enabled. Funny, it's the only cad programme I feel comfortable doing that with. I enabled constraints, restarted DS and couldn't find any polygon tool. How odd. I would miss not being able to draw nuts and bolts.
Click to expand...

Very odd indeed. In fact, I would say that is just plain nuts.

........... :):):)

............ okay, I'm going to bolt now ...........
 
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