{"id":14094,"date":"2020-09-01T09:00:55","date_gmt":"2020-09-01T16:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/?p=14094"},"modified":"2022-02-10T06:17:11","modified_gmt":"2022-02-10T14:17:11","slug":"10-things-you-didnt-know-fusion-360-can-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/10-things-you-didnt-know-fusion-360-can-do\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Things You (Probably) Didn’t Know Fusion 360 Can Do"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Fusion 360<\/a> releases include so many new features that it can be easy to overlook and forget exciting new functionality. We want to make sure you’re aware of all of the cool things you can do during your 3D modeling workflow with Fusion 360. To help add to your toolkit, improve your workflow and perhaps even spark some new ideas, here’s some things you (probably) didn\u2019t know Fusion 360 can do.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

1. Replace an appearance material by dragging a new material onto the existing material<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n

You\u2019ve finished the model, you get the render<\/a> going, and then the client calls you: \u201cWe want to go with a different finish.\u201d Your heart drops. That\u2019s over 30+ components to reconfigure, right? Wrong. Replacing all instances of a certain texture with a different texture is much easier than you think. If you need to replace a texture, just drag the new one over the old one in the model: <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"fusion-360-replace-appearance-material\"
This leads us neatly into\u2026<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

2. Custom textures<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n

We\u2019re going to show this one in 2 stages. I typically describe the texture pack that comes with Fusion 360 as the \u201ckit lens\u201d that comes with a DSLR. It\u2019s good, it\u2019s functional, and it will yield great results, but once you get to a certain skill level, you want an upgrade. Rendering in Fusion 360 (and in any other rendering package out there,) is no different.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Depending on the texture you are applying, the edit options you have available to you are different. In the screenshot below, you can see we have a translucent plastic (ABS<\/a>) texture. You can modify the refractive index and absorption distances as integers, but it goes even deeper than that.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"fusion-360-create-custom-texture\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Key for above image: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0Roughness<\/strong>: surface texture<\/a>, you will see the material go from rougher to smoother as you slide this<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reflectance<\/strong>: exactly what it sounds like! How glossy is the finish? <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Translucency depth<\/strong>: this determines how far the light will penetrate the material before it becomes obfuscated. The larger the number, the further into the volume you will be able to see! <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"fusion-360-create-custom-texture-process\"
Deep absorption distance on the left, the color is drained as more of the black background can seep in.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

When looking into advanced settings, you\u2019ll notice some common options that will enable you to modify the textures. You can dive into applying your own custom tessellation patterns, using textures to emulate light sources, and more.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"fusion-360-create-custom-texture-advanced-settings\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Want to turn any texture or body into a light source? Emissivity has you covered. Want to add a custom texture? Bump mapping to the rescue. Cut out any tessellation with cutout. Ready to get really intense? Try out the advanced highlight controls.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

3 – Create a direct model sandbox in history modeling with \u201cCreate Base\u201d feature<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n

Everyone loves the parametric functions. The thing with parametric functions, though, is they can start to make a file drag if you\u2019re just exploring. Sometimes sketching needs a boost with some 3D work, roughing out ideas, and just testing and trying things out. Of course, everyone knows you can just switch off the timeline, but you can do it in an even more effective way. Just go to create a base feature, and you will give yourself a timeline-free sandbox in Fusion 360. Boom, you just got the best of timeline-free and parametric modeling altogether.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"fusion-360-create-direct-model-sandbox\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"fusion-360-create-base-feature\"
Notice how when you\u2019re in base feature mode, the toolbars are slightly different. There are some extra features that only work in a non-parametric environment.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

4 – Use \u201cCompute All\u201d to find broken references in your design<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n

Red spots, yellow spots\u2014we\u2019ve all seen them in our timelines before. I have even been guilty of this, particularly as a deadline gets closer. But did you know there\u2019s an easy way to find and fix them?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"fusion-360-compute-all\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The \u201cCompute All\u201d function at the bottom of the modify tool is designed to help you find and fix all those yellow and red errors in your timeline. \u201cCompute All\u201d literally computes all the parametric functions, allowing you to not worry about pesky timeline errors until you absolutely have to.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

5 – Access your designs from the web with Fusion Team<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n

When a colleague calls you during your vacation saying, \u201cThere\u2019s something we desperately need your input on?” Your go-to excuse is probably: \u201cSorry, my workstation is back at home.” Well, <\/span>I\u2019m about to ruin your vacation. You probably didn\u2019t know already, but all of your data is viewable online with Fusion Team, including full commenting abilities. You can even do some light editing in browser too. Simply log into <\/span>a360.autodesk.com<\/span><\/a>, and you will be able to sign into, open, and even upload data for any project you are working on.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

6 – Electronics<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n

Visit file > new electronics design, and you will have all the functions you would expect to see for an electronics CAD space at your fingertips. Full schematics, PCB<\/a>, SPICE\u2014it even pushes 3D models straight to Fusion 360\u2019s main space. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n

7 – Get volumes<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n

You have a few options for figuring out the volume of something in Fusion 360. If you right-click on any body in the browser, you will see an option to view the properties of that part. In there you will find the volume of your solid model.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"fusion-360-get-volumes\"
Volume is of a solid model\u2014not just what the surfaces encapsulate.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"fusion-360-get-volume-toolbox\"
Note that the volume present is always tied to your model units. You can make this easier to digest by changing the model units to a larger denomination.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

8 – Make custom physical materials<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n

The physical material library in Fusion 360 is really good. It\u2019s designed to work with NASTRAN, so we want it to be as accurate as possible. However, sometimes you just need to load your own material. It\u2019s possible, it\u2019s quite in-depth, and it\u2019s not worth us going through the finer details in this blog post, so you can <\/span>check out exactly how to do it here<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

9 – Class A geometry<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n

Yeah, we\u2019re gonna keep banging this drum for a while longer. Check out an in-depth blog post on Class A Geometry in Fusion 360 here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"fusion-360-class-a-geometry\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

10 – Custom HDRI<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n

You\u2019ve been working on your renders. Your custom lighting is spot on, you\u2019ve dialed in textures to your taste, but you want to take it to the next level. Enter the custom HDRI. When you are rendering in Fusion 360, unless you switch the brightness slider to 0, the main source of light is coming from the environment itself. HDRIs include light data in them that is specifically tied to the white areas of the image. The HDRI itself is best thought of as one of those 360 view images wrapped around your model as the environment it\u2019s rendered in. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The perk of using an HDRI system is that you can load anything that\u2019s in HDRI format and use it for rendering purposes. Maybe you\u2019re modeling a car and need a street scene or outdoor gear that you want to show in context. The best part is you can even produce them with a 360-degree camera yourself.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"fusion-360-custom-hdri\"
Just click attach custom environment to load in your own HDRI!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

That completes our list! Let us know what your favorite lesser-known Fusion 360 tricks are in the comments. And don\u2019t forget to try out a free trial of Fusion 360 (if you haven\u2019t already) here.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Learn how to create custom textures, use a custom HDRI, calculate volume, and more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3128,"featured_media":28311,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[165,359,235,236],"tags":[219,207,119,86],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-14094","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industrial-design","category-electronics-engineering","category-machining","category-mechanical-engineering","tag-cloud","tag-electronics","tag-keyboard-shortcuts","tag-surfacing","dhig-theme--light"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n10 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know Fusion 360 Can Do - Fusion Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Fusion 360 has so many features that some are forgotten or overlooked. 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