Here’s How to Set Up Your Fusion Hub

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What’s a Fusion Hub? How do you make sure your team is in the same Hub? Follow this guide to achieve a seamless Autodesk Fusion onboarding experience for your team. 

You’ve recently purchased Autodesk Fusion for your team – now what? Your goal is to get everyone in the same Fusion Hub and collaborate from the start. Here’s how to get there. 

What is an Autodesk Fusion Hub?

An Autodesk Fusion Hub is the central collaboration workspace where your team stores projects, manages design data, controls access, tracks versions, and collaborates throughout product development. Every Fusion project lives inside a Hub, making the Hub the foundation for organizing design, engineering, manufacturing, and electronics work.

Whether you’re a solo designer or part of a larger organization, your Hub acts as the shared environment that keeps files, revisions, people, and workflows connected. Once configured correctly, it becomes the single source of truth for your product data.

What is the difference between a Fusion Hub and a Fusion Project?

Many new users confuse Hubs and Projects.

Think of a Hub as your organization’s digital workspace and Projects as the folders where actual design and manufacturing work happens.

How to set up your Fusion hub

Step 1: Sign in to Autodesk Fusion

Sign in using your Autodesk account.

When creating your first Fusion workspace, you’ll be guided through the Hub creation process if one does not already exist.

Step 2: Create your hub

Choose a Hub name that reflects your organization, team, or business.

Examples:

• Acme Engineering
• Product Development Team
• Smith Manufacturing

A clear Hub name makes collaboration easier as your team grows.

Step 3: Create your first project

Inside your Hub:

• Create a new project
• Enter a project name
• Add a description
• Configure project settings

Examples:

• Prototype Development
• CNC Manufacturing
• Customer Projects
• Electronics Design

Step 4: Invite team members

Add collaborators who need access to project information.

Common participants include:

• Mechanical designers
• Manufacturing engineers
• Product designers
• PCB engineers
• Project managers

Step 5: Assign permissions

Determine who can:

• View projects
• Edit designs
• Upload files
• Manage project settings
• Invite additional members

Setting permissions correctly early helps prevent accidental changes and improves project governance.

Step 6: Import existing design data

You can begin importing:

• CAD models
• Assemblies
• STEP files
• Drawings
• Manufacturing data

Starting with a small pilot project is often the fastest way to familiarize your team with Hub-based collaboration.

Fusion hub setup checklist

Use this checklist to verify your Hub is ready for production use:

✅ Hub created

✅ Hub name finalized

✅ First project created

✅ Team members invited

✅ Permissions verified

✅ Initial design files imported

✅ Project folder structure established

✅ Review process agreed upon

✅ Version management strategy defined

✅ Team collaboration workflows documented

How many Fusion hubs can I create?

The number of Hubs available depends on your Autodesk account configuration and organizational requirements.

Most users only need a single Hub because multiple projects can be managed within it. Organizations often organize work by creating separate projects rather than maintaining multiple Hubs.

Can multiple teams work in the same Fusion hub?

Yes. A single Hub can support multiple teams working across:

• Product design
• Mechanical engineering
• Manufacturing
• Electronics
• Project management

Because projects are separated within the Hub structure, teams can collaborate while maintaining appropriate organization and access controls.

This allows organizations to centralize product information while keeping project-specific work organized.

How do permissions work in a Fusion hub?

Permissions determine who can access and modify project information. Typical permissions help organizations:

• Control access to sensitive projects
• Protect released data
• Limit editing rights
• Enable stakeholder reviews
• Support external collaboration when needed

Establishing permissions early creates a more scalable collaboration environment as your team grows.

Common Fusion hub setup mistakes

1. Creating too many projects tool early: Some organizations create dozens of projects before defining a structure. Instead, start with a manageable project hierarchy and expand as needed.
2. Skip permission planning: Adding everyone with the same level of access can create governance challenges later. Define access requirements before inviting large teams.
3. Using personal workspaces for team projects: Shared work should remain inside team-managed projects to improve visibility and reduce data silos.
4. Inconsistent naming conventions: Projects, folders, and files should follow consistent naming standards to simplify search and management.
5. Waiting to move existing data: The sooner your team starts working inside Fusion projects, the faster collaboration benefits become visible.

Troubleshooting Fusion hub setup issues

I can’t find my hub

Verify that you’re signed in with the correct Autodesk account and have been granted access to the Hub.

Team members cannot access a project

Check:

• User invitations
• Project membership
• Assigned permissions
• Autodesk account status

Imported files are missing

Confirm files successfully uploaded and verify that you’re viewing the correct project location.

Users can view files but can’t edit them

This is typically permission-related. Review project access settings and editing rights.

Collaboration isn’t working as expected

Review:

• Project structure
• User permissions
• File ownership
• Team workflows

Many collaboration issues stem from initial project configuration rather than the design files themselves.

What can you do after your Fusion hub is configured?

Once your Hub is operational, Fusion becomes much more than a CAD tool.

Share projects across teams

Bring designers, engineers, manufacturers, and stakeholders into a centralized workspace.

Everyone works from the same project data rather than exchanging files through email or shared drives.

Track versions automatically

As designs evolve, Fusion helps maintain version history so teams can understand what changed and when.

This reduces the risk of working from outdated files.

Improve team collaboration

Teams can collaborate within a connected environment instead of managing disconnected design files.

This helps improve visibility across the product development process.

Streamline design reviews

Project participants can review designs earlier and provide feedback before issues become costly.

This creates a more efficient path from concept to production.

Centralize product data

Designs, manufacturing information, documentation, and project data can be organized in a single environment.

This helps reduce the confusion caused by scattered files and disconnected workflows.

Smooth sailing from here on out

A smooth onboarding process is crucial after purchasing Fusion for your team. To ensure effective collaboration and avoid data ownership issues, it’s essential to guide your team through the right steps. By inviting users to join your Fusion Hub before assigning subscriptions, you create a centralized location for collaboration. This not only prevents the creation of multiple Hubs but also safeguards against unintentional data ownership by individual users.  

Next Steps

Ready to start collaborating in Fusion?

Step 1: Create your Fusion Hub

Step 2: Import your first project

Step 3: Invite collaborators

Step 4: Explore version management and design review workflows

Step 5: Start a free 30-day Autodesk Fusion trial and experience connected product development firsthand

Frequently asked questions about Fusion hubs