Introduction to Fusion 360

Download & Install

• Fusion 360 Students Download - Free for students. Make an Autodesk account and install.
• Fusion will be automatically placed in the macOS dock as a shortcut after install.

The Basics

The Interface

• Workspaces, Tools, Navigation, Movement, Projects
• Model Hierarchy (Browser)
• Timeline (Model History)
  • How to Use the Timeline
  • Master the Timeline, Browser, & Preferences

Making Sketches

• Defining Constraints
  • A Guide to Fusion 360 Sketch Constraints - A great set of videos for each constraint type.
  • A List of Constraint Types
• Dimensioning a Sketch
  • Fully Defining a Sketch
  • Pro Tip: Anything "Blue" is not dimensioned which means it can be moved around. Anything "Black" is dimensioned which mean is has a size. Once the whole sketch is Black it is "Fully Dimensioned." This means it's "locked" into place.

From 2D Sketch to 3D Model

• Extruding Sketches (Create > Extrude)
• Sketches vs Bodies vs Components vs Assemblies
  • Quick Tip: Bodies vs Components
  • About bodies and components
  • What is the difference between a Sketch, Body & Component?
  • Understanding Assemblies

Exporting 3D Models for 3D Printing

• Whats a mesh? (Think Minecraft or Low poly art.)
• 3D meshes are defined using the STL file format.
• Mesh Refinement (Higher Quality = More Triangles). Example: Stanford Bunny
• Example: Viewing Meshes in Meshlab or MeshMixer

Exporting 2D Paths for Laser Cutting

• Select a sketch or surface to make a sketch on and make a new sketch.
• Name the sketch accordingly with a label "Export DXF".
• Export: Right click on the sketch and export a DXF file.
  • Alternative method: Use the DXF exporting script here for exporting many named sketches.
• Layout the DXF file in Adobe Illustrator or another vector graphics or CAD program in preparation for laser cutting.
• Assign colors to paths for vector cutting (red stroke), vector scoring (blue stroke), and raster engraving (black fill). The color mapping will depend on the system used.