The onboard software is very handy and they just added even more stuff last week.
The grid feature(onboard) is super handy for establishing your reference corner/edge and plotting your design from there. You can change the size of the grid which makes it easier to place things at specific points. The new updates also allows you to make precisely placed anchors based on X and Y coordinates.
The onboard design has text, rectangles, circles, box joint, object tracing and a couple other things.
On tool circle and rectangle is super fast and handy for lots of projects. No need for special sized forstner bits if you can quickly make a hole whatever diameter and depth you need. Plus, the offset feature lets you fine tune the fit.
If you have a big enough bit you can use the Helix feature. Much quicker than taking successive plunges.
Fusion 360 is pretty cool and super powerful. I previously tried SketchUP for woodworking projects and hated(don't use the word often) it. SketchUp was really awful to learn/use.
Fusion 360, however, is super fun and it makes a lot more sense to me. There is still a learning curve, but tons of videos and training on how to use it. I'd strongly suggest one of the Udemy courses to get started. You can find them on sale for $10-15. The most helpful one for me was the "10 2D Drawings to Master 2D Sketching in Fusion". The instructor is great, moves along quickly and teaches a lot of the shortcuts that make the software quicker to use.
ShaperOrigin also has some great videos on the Tube. #ShaperSessions - projects like designing a 3 leg stool, signage, hybrid projects with track saw and lots more.
If you're doing things like logos or text there are apps that export SVG like Inkscape(free) and Adobe Illustrator(NOT free). I've used Inkscape to help my daughters make some sign gifts. It works pretty well to transform fonts into a cutting path.
I've started learning Adobe Illustrator - it looks like a powerful tool for signs and logos.
A recent example of the ShaperOrigin in my shop was cutting interior door hinge mortises. The door shop sent me pre-hung with the wrong radius and mortise depth.
I could have used scrap wood and screwed together a template to use my bearing bit - I've made those before. Instead, I spent a few minutes in Fusion to create the precise cut-out size(3.5"). I created slots for half in ply edge guides with the exact spacing I needed from the front to back edge of the mortise.
It took me another 10-15 minutes to cut the jig out of 3/4" plywood. Much of that was setup time - I oopsed on the first jig and it took less than 5 minutes to cut another one.
The jig was super easy to design, build and use. Much better than my previous versions that were cobbled together.
The short version is that the Shaper Origin gives me options(functionality and creativity) that I wouldn't easily have otherwise.
And it's fun! I have limited shop time, but I'm always thinking about fun(and serious) uses to make the most of the SO.
That said, I'm also practical and will use another tool or method if the SO doesn't add anything to the project or solve a problem I couldn't with other, quicker methods. Right tool for the job.
