Fusion 360 is a powerful and intuitive 3D modeling program from Autodesk. It allows for quick modeling for production whether that is 3D printing, milling, or plasma cutting. It is more beginner-friendly than other programs like Solidworks.
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When you open Fusion 360 you will be asked to log in with an Autodesk account. If you don’t have one, click the "Create Account" link under the "Next" button on the sign-in page (left). You should be redirected to a new form to create your account (right). Your UTC email is preferable to use as Autodesk has an option to submit information and obtain an educational license for your account. Once you have an account you are ready to get started.
This contains a series of drop-down menus that house most of the tools that you will use. The tools under these menus will change depending on what workspace is selected.
In this drop-down window, you will find different workspaces you can use depending on the type of project you are creating. For 3D modeling, you will probably use the Design workspace for most of your projects, but there are also other workspaces for rendering, animation, and more. The interface and options will change based on the workplace that is selected.
All of the components in the scene are displayed in this series of drop-down folders. From here you can select individual components that you would like to modify.
The timeline contains all of the major changes you have made in your project. If you want to go back and edit one of those changes, select it on the timeline and you can tweak it.
These tools are located at the bottom of the screen. They will allow you to zoom, pan, and rotate around the scene as well as change some of the display aspects.
In this section of the guide, we will look at some of the tools found under the Solid Design menu and how these tools can be used to create your 3D models.
While the icons in the toolbar below are great for creating basic objects, more tools can be found by clicking the drop-down menus in each section of the toolbar.
*In the Fusion 360 software, you can hover over each item to view a full explanation of the tool and a visual example.
** For a full description, hover over the icon in the Fusion 360 software. **
** For a full description, hover over the icon in the Fusion 360 software. **
To begin creating the sketch for your object, click the "Create Sketch" icon on the top toolbar (the first icon on the "Create" toolbar). Next, choose the plane where you would like to create your sketch. The default options are along the X, Y, and Z axes, though the face of an object can also be used (see image to the right).
Once you choose a plane, a new toolbar named "Sketch" will appear showing the following:
In this menu, you can create sketch objects by using a line, rectangle, circle, or spline tool, which will create a curved line. Once you choose a shape, select a point on the grid and drag the shape out to begin your sketch. As you drag the object out, text boxes with measurements will appear. You can expand the object to the size you want or you can manually enter the measurements in the boxes provided around the shape (in millimeters) if exact measurements are needed.
The image on the left shows the measurement boxes based on the width and height of the rectangle when it is dragged out. The image on the right shows the rectangle sketch once the measurements have been entered into the measurement boxes.
When you are finished creating the sketch of your object and ready to begin adding more depth to it, click the "Finish Sketch" icon at the end of the top toolbar.
Once a sketch is done, go back to the Create menu. Under the Create menu, you will find options to turn your sketch into a 3D form or body and tools to edit existing forms. The most basic tool in this menu is Extrude, as shown in the image above. This allows you to give thickness to your sketch and make it a 3D object.
Click the sketch you want to use the Extrude tool on and then click the Extrude icon in the Create menu. From there, something similar to the first image below.
Next, click the arrow and drag it up or down. This will extend the 2D sketch into a 3D object, as shown in the image below. Click the "OK" button in the Extrude pop-up window to finish
The Press Pull tool in the Modify toolbar allows you to add another sketch to the face of your object and use the new parameters to either add more material or remove material from your model.
Once you have created and extruded your sketch into a 3D object, create a new sketch on the surface of the object you would like to create a new extrusion/extension or remove some of the material in the current object.
Once you have created the new sketch, select the face of the new sketch. It should turn blue, as shown below. Once it is selected, click the Press Pull icon in the Modify toolbar. When you have your selection and click the icon, a blue arrow should appear in the center of your selection.
To extrude your new sketch and add material to the model, simply move the arrow in the direction that gives you positive numbers in the measurement box. When doing this, the selection should remain blue.
If you want to create a shape within the model, such as a hole or an indent for a shelf, we will still use the Push Pull tool, but a different method than the above will be used. When removing material from a solid model, we will move the blue arrow in the reverse direction and negative numbers will appear in the measurement box. When doing this, the selection should turn red to indicate that the material is being removed from the model.
The Modify menu set gives several options for editing and combining solid bodies that have been created. One frequently used tool in the Modify menu is Fillet. Fillet rounds off straight edges on a body helping it to be less boxy and more ergonomic.
Through the Modify menu, you can combine different models to generate more complex forms. To do this go to "Modify and Combine." A menu will appear on the screen and you will be prompted to select a Target body and Tool body as well as the type of operation. You can choose between Join, Cut, or Intersect. Once you have your Target and Tool bodies selected hit OK to complete the operation.
*Combine Tool is shown in this example. The blue is the Target body and the red is the Tool body. The operation being performed is Cut.
At times it can be helpful to work from a reference image. To add one in Fusion 360, click the "Insert" icon in the toolbar. In the menu that appears, click the button that says "Insert from my computer..." and then the plane on which you would like to view your reference image. Once you have positioned your image, press OK.
A new dropdown menu will add a new section called "Canvases." You can toggle the visibility of your reference image as well as delete it in this menu.
If you know the exact size of an object in your image you can calibrate the canvas to match. To set the image size right click on the image under Canvases in the browser and select Calibrate.
After you click Calibrate you will be asked to select two points on your image. A box with the current distance between those points will appear. Type in what the actual value should be (in millimeters) based on the physical object and the whole canvas will scale to match.
If you know the exact size of an object in your image you can calibrate the canvas to match. To set the image size right click on the image under Canvases in the browser and select Calibrate.
After you click Calibrate you will be asked to select two points on your image. A box with the current distance between those points will appear. Type in what the actual value should be (in millimeters) based on the physical object and the whole canvas will scale to match.
** IF YOU WANT TO PRINT A FILE AT THE UTC STUDIO, PLEASE READ **
The software used for 3D printing in the Studio (3rd Floor, Library) uses .stl files. If you want to create a design in Fusion 360 and print it using the 3D printers at the Studio, you will first need to save the file to the Autodesk Cloud by clicking the save icon on the top toolbar. From there, you will be able to follow the steps below to export your file.
If you are not planning to export your file as a .stl file, please follow the instructions provided during the export process by Fusion 360.
To export your file in Fusion 360, click the File icon's dropdown menu and choose 3D Print.
A pop-up menu will appear on the right side of the screen.
Congratulations! You've just made and exported your own 3D model in Fusion 360!