So there I am— Sitting in front of the latest most bad ass CAD/CAM package. Confused and thinking “I’m pretty sure I’m the only one that doesn’t get this.”
“Youtube video at the button of this blog post.”
We have all been there, and we will all be there again. There is nothing worse than struggling to learn new software. Here are 3 of the biggest lessons I’ve learned, and what I wish I had known when I first got started using Fusion 360.
Import/Export…
One of my first tests was to bring in another file format— my case Inventor. It is important to remember that Fusion 360 is tightly integrated with A360. This is the cloud collaboration tool, and by Autodesk storing all the CAD translators on the cloud, it gives them the capabilities to maintain and assure translation is always up to date.
Translate files by uploading via the data panel
In the data panel to the left, you will see the upload button. A360 is your magic path for translating all kinds of file formats into Fusion 360.
But, what about the other way? You have finished your latest masterpiece and now want to share it with someone who has not obtained the “Cool” status as a Fusion user. Again, A360 is the solution. This time, we will have to access the web browser— here is another cool trick. You can jump right to A360 from within Fusion 360.
Go from within Fusion to your A360 project
From the drop-down, you can click “Open Details in A360” This will fire up your web browser.
From A360, you have you Export button on the far upper right.
Direct Edit vs. Parametric mode…
There are two modes that are important to be aware of when working within Fusion. Direct Edit vs. Parametric.
When you bring in another file format into Fusion 360, it will always come in as Direct Edit mode.
Direct Edit Mode
You know you are in Direct Edit mode when you see the “Feature Tree” on the left side of the model. You can switch to Parametric mode (Capture design history) easily.
Right click Top Component in Feature Tree and select “Capture Design History.”
By right clicking on the top component in the Feature Tree, you can select “Capture Design History”. It is recommended that you do this as the first thing when bringing in translated CAD files. This is not to say that Direct Edit mode does not have a place, it definitely does. But, as a new user— You want to capture you design history.
Version control… One of my favorite things about Fusion 360 is the version control. Every time you save your model, Fusion creates a new version. This means that you can always go back to a previous designs timeline, and can also assure everyone are working on the latest model. One of the cool things is that you can bump a version. So you can take a version you worked on earlier and move it above later versions. The result is that you never delete or overwrite anything. I like to call it Trust Control.
Get to your file versions
By clicking on the little “info” badge in the data panel you now have access to see all versions.
Bring your cursor over your desired version and Promote will appear
All you have to do is bring your cursor over your desired version and “Promote Version” will be available. This will take that version and copy it above all the versions above it. Now, I recommend that you always close the file you have open in Fusion 360 when you do this. You can have multiple versions open at the same time. This can be confusing. So, close all open windows before bumping versions. That’s a Lars’ rule :-).
Video…
Want to learn more about Fusion 360? Check out this link:
http://autode.sk/2bZypPp