Fabrication 2025

[liltinner]

Anyone get into Fabrication 2025? Any product? CAD, CAM, EST?

We typically start with vetting CAMduct and don't switch our 'base' until the shop gives the green light.  There have been enough issues with 2022-2024 from a shop standpoint that they are still using 2021.  TBH, I don't know if any updates to 2022-2024 fixed the issues we were seeing and there weren't any 'new features' in those versions that made it worthwhile to wait around for and the retest the few, if any, Fabrication updates that get rolled out.

Our detailing department matches (from a AutoCad + Fabrication CADmep standpoint), however we are pretty much in Revit only at this point.  Our estimating department matches as well and is using 2021 ESTmep.  Fingers-crossed 2025 will be suitable.

We just installed today and have put a lot of time into testing just yet, but it does look like the notch issues we had on S&D ends for CID#8 (square to rounds) & 28 (radius elbows) in 2024 CAMduct is still unresolved in 2025.  Shocking.

[Jona]

There are some changes to how the patterns develop in 24 and 25. I went back and forth with the help desk about it. At the end of it, I came to the conclusion I'm not switching out of 2023 until I absolutely have to because moving to 24/25 will require me to verify every connector and seam against every pattern to makes sure that they aren't eating into the body of the fitting. I've already found 2 patterns that have issues where I need to change the connector allowance, turn over, and notch settings.

That was just CAMduct. I haven't bothered looking into CAD or EST.

[lsm_drafter]

There have been enough issues with 2022-2024 from a shop standpoint that they are still using 2021.

With Autodesk's subscription "we gouge'em good" licensing model aren't you limited to the current version plus three previous versions? This would mean that since 2025 has been released that the oldest version you would be permitted to use now would be 2022?

[cadbyken]

There are some changes to how the patterns develop in 24 and 25. I went back and forth with the help desk about it. At the end of it, I came to the conclusion I'm not switching out of 2023 until I absolutely have to because moving to 24/25 will require me to verify every connector and seam against every pattern to makes sure that they aren't eating into the body of the fitting. I've already found 2 patterns that have issues where I need to change the connector allowance, turn over, and notch settings.

That was just CAMduct. I haven't bothered looking into CAD or EST.

Curious which patterns you found this on.

[Jona]

Rectangular angle and boot taps so far.

[Jona]

There have been enough issues with 2022-2024 from a shop standpoint that they are still using 2021.

With Autodesk's subscription "we gouge'em good" licensing model aren't you limited to the current version plus three previous versions? This would mean that since 2025 has been released that the oldest version you would be permitted to use now would be 2022?

Up until  2 weeks ago I have 18-25 on my computer. I could still run the older ones when I was curious to find out when they broke something. Now I have 2020-2025. I have any issues opening any of them.

[cadbob]

There have been enough issues with 2022-2024 from a shop standpoint that they are still using 2021.

With Autodesk's subscription "we gouge'em good" licensing model aren't you limited to the current version plus three previous versions? This would mean that since 2025 has been released that the oldest version you would be permitted to use now would be 2022?

Up until  2 weeks ago I have 18-25 on my computer. I could still run the older ones when I was curious to find out when they broke something. Now I have 2020-2025. I have any issues opening any of them.

Same Here!

[lsm_drafter]

There have been enough issues with 2022-2024 from a shop standpoint that they are still using 2021.

With Autodesk's subscription "we gouge'em good" licensing model aren't you limited to the current version plus three previous versions? This would mean that since 2025 has been released that the oldest version you would be permitted to use now would be 2022?

Up until  2 weeks ago I have 18-25 on my computer. I could still run the older ones when I was curious to find out when they broke something. Now I have 2020-2025. I have any issues opening any of them.

Same Here!

They may continue to function but may not necessarily fall under "permissible use" according to the legalese within the licensing agreement. I seem to recall back in 2020 during the "lockdown" that they relaxed the rules to include five previous versions but I thought that they have since reverted back to the three previous versions rule. I'm sure older versions may continue to function for now, but I expect there may be some difficulty actually reinstalling 2021 or earlier versions.

[cnash]

They may continue to function but may not necessarily fall under "permissible use" according to the legalese within the licensing agreement. I seem to recall back in 2020 during the "lockdown" that they relaxed the rules to include five previous versions but I thought that they have since reverted back to the three previous versions rule. I'm sure older versions may continue to function for now, but I expect there may be some difficulty actually reinstalling 2021 or earlier versions.

They don't support older than 5 versions, so no patches, support, etc. But they should technically work. I guess they could eliminate the authorization for your user for those products if they wanted to technically...

[CraigFarish]

The preview release versions are now available to download via the Fabrication Preview section of feedback.autodesk.com

Here you can download the latest versions of CAMduct and ESTmep along with a list of changes.

Among the changes are new switches in the item properties for configuring step down connector behaviour (on supported patterns). The switches allow the step down geometry to be included/excluded in the extensions and overall lengths.
We also resolved a handful of DPI / High resolution UI issues, e.g. switching tabs no longer shrinks all columns to minimum widths.

[VirtualPilot]

Anyone get into Fabrication 2025? Any product? CAD, CAM, EST?

We typically start with vetting CAMduct and don't switch our 'base' until the shop gives the green light.  There have been enough issues with 2022-2024 from a shop standpoint that they are still using 2021.  TBH, I don't know if any updates to 2022-2024 fixed the issues we were seeing and there weren't any 'new features' in those versions that made it worthwhile to wait around for and the retest the few, if any, Fabrication updates that get rolled out.

Our detailing department matches (from a AutoCad + Fabrication CADmep standpoint), however we are pretty much in Revit only at this point.  Our estimating department matches as well and is using 2021 ESTmep.  Fingers-crossed 2025 will be suitable.

We just installed today and have put a lot of time into testing just yet, but it does look like the notch issues we had on S&D ends for CID#8 (square to rounds) & 28 (radius elbows) in 2024 CAMduct is still unresolved in 2025.  Shocking.

For us, issues started right after 2018 version, I am tempted to just skip 25 altogether and maybe hope that 26 brings improvements and fixes, but I do not hold my hope high...

[liltinner]

Update for us - we've been using CAMduct 2025 for over a month now without hitting any 'deal-breakers,' so we are going to stick with it.  We have some weird 'cursor disappearance' issues, but know how to quickly resolve it when it happens, so it's more of an annoyance than a deal-breaker.  We have an autodesk ticket open regarding it, but haven't found a real or consistent resolution to prevent the cursor from disappearing in the first place.

We'll likely skip 2026 CAMduct, unless there are new features we can't live without.

From a database management perspective, we are still managing in 2021 until we can do a little more testing/vetting of that...but the plan is still to eventually shift management to 2025 as well.

[cnash]

Update for us - we've been using CAMduct 2025 for over a month now without hitting any 'deal-breakers,' so we are going to stick with it.  We have some weird 'cursor disappearance' issues, but know how to quickly resolve it when it happens, so it's more of an annoyance than a deal-breaker.  We have an autodesk ticket open regarding it, but haven't found a real or consistent resolution to prevent the cursor from disappearing in the first place.

We'll likely skip 2026 CAMduct, unless there are new features we can't live without.

From a database management perspective, we are still managing in 2021 until we can do a little more testing/vetting of that...but the plan is still to eventually shift management to 2025 as well.

We've had that cursor issue on other versions as well, but it seems to only affect some users oddly enough.

We are currently still managing our database in 2022, but considering bringing that up to 2025 potentially in the coming months as I haven't found anything that will negatively affect us on that front.

[Darren Young]

Thanks for the update.  Really appreciate you posting this update.

I'm starting to roll 2025 for Admin with a small group.

My testing, I take the opposite aproach as you...start with the Admin so I find as many kinks before the production folks.

Doing the admin side first lets me verify the things they're reworking (currently materials) before subjecting the users. Or if things get added like Connector Matching gives me a chance to figure out how they work.

That said, we're not deep in the CAM side for Sheetmetal as we purchase our duct. But when I worked for companies that did fab, I still led with Admin.

Form there, I usually gave the CAM folks ALL versions. I'd ask them to try using the latest, and then step back one at a time as a safety net if they ran into issues.

Given how long it takes Autodesk to fix anything (if they do fix it), it was the quickest way I could find to get them the problems.

[liltinner]

Update: while it's true the damper dev is different between 2021 and 2025, the brokenness actually lies with 2021.  We had accommodated for this brokenness in our database damper inset settings.  Now that the issue is fixed in 2025 (potentially even back to 2023), that accommodation is an 'over correction' that we'll need to remove.  Thanks to Martin Schmid I am not sitting around waiting for the update that the Autodesk Support Tech said was currently in development to address the issue.

Original Post:
Well poop.  Here's a CAMduct dev issue if you are burning damper holes.  They don't work the same between 2021 & 2025.     CID#875 and CID#16 when angled (dev is fine when the part is not angled).