{"id":34476,"date":"2024-04-08T23:47:15","date_gmt":"2024-04-09T06:47:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/?p=34476"},"modified":"2025-08-08T07:29:55","modified_gmt":"2025-08-08T14:29:55","slug":"how-to-set-units-in-fusion-360","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/how-to-set-units-in-fusion-360\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Set Units in Autodesk Fusion: A Complete Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>A commonly asked question we see is \u201cHow do I set my units?\u201d Let\u2019s walk through the various ways you can set or change your units in Autodesk Fusion.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Setting units correctly is essential for accurate modeling and communication in Autodesk Fusion. Whether you\u2019re working in inches, millimeters, or another measurement system, Fusion provides several ways to set or change your units to fit your project needs. This article walks you through how to set units at various stages in Fusion\u2014from individual designs to your overall default preferences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<?php\nfunction autodesk_fusion_cta_horizontal() {\n    ob_start();\n    ?>\n    <style>\n        .cta-section-horizontal {\n            background: #ddd; \/* Much lighter grey background *\/\n            padding: 12px; \/* Adjusted padding *\/\n            border-radius: 8px;\n            box-shadow: 0 3px 5px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);\n            color: #333; \/* Darker text color for better readability *\/\n            display: flex;\n            align-items: center;\n            justify-content: space-between;\n            max-width: 650px; \/* Width adjusted for a more compact look *\/\n            margin: 20px auto;\n            position: relative;\n            flex-wrap: nowrap; \/* Prevent wrapping *\/\n        }\n\n        .cta-section-horizontal img {\n            width: 60px; \/* Slightly larger logo *\/\n            height: auto; \/* Maintain aspect ratio *\/\n            margin-right: 12px; \/* Adjusted spacing *\/\n            background-color: #ddd; \/* Match the background color *\/\n            padding: 6px; \/* Adjusted padding *\/\n            border-radius: 8px; \/* Slightly rounding to match container *\/\n            box-shadow: 0 0 0 4px #ddd; \/* Blend with background *\/\n        }\n\n        .cta-text {\n            flex: 1;\n            margin-right: 12px; \/* Adjusted spacing *\/\n        }\n\n        .cta-title {\n            font-size: 18px; \/* Slightly larger title font size *\/\n            font-weight: bold; \/* Bold title *\/\n            color: #f9a825; \/* Orange color *\/\n            margin-bottom: 4px; \/* Reduced margin *\/\n        }\n\n        .cta-info {\n            display: none; \/* Hide description *\/\n        }\n\n        .cta-buttons {\n            display: flex;\n            gap: 8px; \/* Adjusted button spacing *\/\n            align-items: center;\n        }\n\n        .cta-button {\n            padding: 8px 12px; \/* Button padding *\/\n            font-size: 12px; \/* Smaller font size for buttons *\/\n            font-weight: bold;\n            text-transform: uppercase;\n            border-radius: 4px; \/* Slightly rounded corners *\/\n            border: 2px solid transparent;\n            cursor: pointer;\n            transition: all 0.3s ease;\n            display: inline-flex; \/* Use inline-flex to ensure proper alignment *\/\n            align-items: center; \/* Center align text vertically *\/\n            justify-content: center; \/* Center align text horizontally *\/\n            text-decoration: none !important; \/* Ensure no underlines with !important *\/\n            color: inherit; \/* Use the button's text color *\/\n        }\n\n        .cta-button.white-button {\n            background-color: #fff;\n            color: #333;\n            border: 2px solid #ddd;\n        }\n\n        .cta-button.white-button:hover {\n            background-color: #333;\n            color: #fff;\n            border: 2px solid #f9a825;\n        }\n\n        .cta-button.black-button {\n            background-color: #f9a825;\n            color: #fff;\n            border: 2px solid #f9a825;\n        }\n\n        .cta-button.black-button:hover {\n            background-color: #fff;\n            color: #f9a825;\n            border: 2px solid #fff;\n        }\n    <\/style>\n\n    <div class=\"cta-section-horizontal\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/autodesk-fusion-product-icon-400.png\" alt=\"Autodesk Fusion Logo\">\n        <div class=\"cta-text\">\n            <h1 class=\"cta-title\">Elevate your design and manufacturing processes with Autodesk Fusion<\/h1>\n        <\/div>\n        <div class=\"cta-buttons\">\n            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/trial-intake-flow\" class=\"cta-button white-button\">Get a 30-Day Free Trial<\/a>\n            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/extensions\" class=\"cta-button black-button\">See Plans and Pricing<\/a>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <?php\n    return ob_get_clean();\n}\nadd_shortcode('autodesk_fusion_cta_horizontal', 'autodesk_fusion_cta_horizontal');\n?>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-to-set-units-in-a-new-or-existing-design\">How to set units in a new or existing design<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>When you <a href=\"https:\/\/help.autodesk.com\/cloudhelp\/ENU\/Fusion-GetStarted\/files\/GS-WALKTHROUGH-DESIGN.htm\">start a new design in Fusion<\/a>, the first step to setting your units is through the Document Settings. Look for the gear icon in the browser panel. Clicking this expands your document settings where you\u2019ll see the current active units displayed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To change these, click on the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/support\/technical\/article\/caas\/sfdcarticles\/sfdcarticles\/How-to-Change-Units-in-Fusion-360.html?msockid=2b729b48590a6406216c8f2358936589\">Change Active Units<\/a>\u201d link. This opens a dialog box that lets you select the unit system you want for that specific design, such as millimeters, centimeters, inches, or feet. It\u2019s important to note that changing units here affects only the active design\u2014it does not modify units in any other existing projects you have open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additionally, within this dialog, there is a \u201cSet as Default\u201d option. If you often work in a particular unit system like millimeters, selecting this sets your preferred units as the default for any new designs moving forward. This helps you avoid manually changing units every time you create a new design.<\/p>\n\n\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Quick Tip: How to Set Units in Fusion 360 | Autodesk Fusion 360\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/X4-oduCukUU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen style=\"aspect-ratio:500 \/ 281;width:100%;height:auto;\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-to-set-default-units-for-all-designs-in-fusion\">How to set default units for all designs in Fusion<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>Beyond setting units on a design-by-design basis, Fusion allows you to configure overall default units in your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/understanding-navigation-and-preferences-in-autodesk-fusion\/?msockid=2b729b48590a6406216c8f2358936589\">Preferences<\/a>. To access this, click your account icon or username in the upper-right corner and select \u201cPreferences\u201d from the dropdown menu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Inside the Preferences dialog, navigate to the \u201cDesign\u201d section found on the left-hand menu. Here, you will see the option to pick default units for all new designs. This means every time you start a new design, Fusion automatically applies your chosen measurement system without needing manual input.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Furthermore, Fusion lets you customize default units for specialized workflows: Manufacturing, Simulation, and Generative Design. By setting these defaults, you ensure consistent units across all aspects of your projects, saving time and reducing errors in unit conversions.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-to-specify-units-for-2d-drawings\">How to specify units for 2D drawings<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>Another place where setting units matters is when generating 2D drawings from your 3D designs. Fusion lets you specify what measurement units your 2D drawings should use independently from the 3D model units.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, you might create a 3D model in inches but want to have your drawing dimensions appear in millimeters. This flexibility helps when sharing drawings with colleagues or suppliers who prefer certain units or when working across regions with different unit standards.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-to-use-unit-conversion-in-sketch-dimensions\">How to use unit conversion in sketch dimensions<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>In flexible design workflows, you might need to input dimensions in alternative units without changing your entire design\u2019s unit system. Fusion allows you to do this directly during sketching by typing a number followed by the desired unit during dimension input.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For instance, if your active units are in inches but you want to add a dimension in millimeters, simply type the dimension number and add \u201cmm\u201d after it. Fusion automatically converts that measurement to the active unit system while keeping your design consistent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This unit conversion feature is convenient for quickly referencing measurements without having to change or remember which unit system your project uses.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-to-set-units-in-fusion\">How to set units in Fusion<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>In summary, setting units in Autodesk Fusion is straightforward and customizable at multiple levels:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Change units per design via Document Settings using the gear icon and \u201cChange Active Units.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Set default units globally through Preferences under the Design section for new designs and specific areas like Manufacturing and Simulation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Customize 2D drawing units independently from 3D model units for better drawing communication.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use inline unit conversion when entering sketch dimensions by typing the measurement number followed by the unit abbreviation.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>And there you have it, set your units to avoid conversion errors, and make sure that your designs meet project requirements no matter the measurement system in use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Haven&#8217;t given Autodesk Fusion a try? Get started today with a free 30-day trial.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A commonly asked question we see is &#8220;How do I set my units?&#8221;. Learn the various ways you can set or change your units in Autodesk Fusion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1859,"featured_media":34690,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[476],"tags":[392,124,356],"coauthors":[833],"class_list":["post-34476","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tutorials","tag-3d-modeling","tag-design","tag-tutorial","dhig-theme--light"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How to Set Units in Autodesk Fusion: A Complete Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A commonly asked question we see is &quot;How do I set my units?&quot;. Learn the various ways you can set or change your units in Autodesk Fusion.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/how-to-set-units-in-fusion-360\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Set Units in Autodesk Fusion: A Complete Guide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A commonly asked question we see is &quot;How do I set my units?&quot;. Learn the various ways you can set or change your units in Autodesk Fusion.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/how-to-set-units-in-fusion-360\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Fusion Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-04-09T06:47:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-08T14:29:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/settings.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"450\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"270\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Brad Tallis\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Brad Tallis\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to Set Units in Autodesk Fusion: A Complete Guide","description":"A commonly asked question we see is \"How do I set my units?\". 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With over 25 years in the Mechanical Design industry, he has worked for Hewlett-Packard in the Mechanical Design Division as a CAD Specialist. That division split from HP to become CoCreate Software, in which Brad had an integral role in supporting the Direct Modeler, SolidDesigner. About 14 years ago, PTC acquired CoCreate Software, so Brad worked as a Technical Specialist with PTC in their Federal Aerospace &amp; Defense division for many years. About 4 years ago, he moved over to Autodesk to join the Fusion 360 team, where he currently works with customers using the Fusion 360 product. Brad devotes his spare time teaching Fusion 360 at local MakerSpaces and High Schools, and helping out with Boy Scouts of America. He also enjoys 3D printing, woodworking, and flying remote controlled aircrafts.","url":"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/author\/tallisb\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34476","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1859"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34476"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34476\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34690"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34476"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34476"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34476"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=34476"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}