{"id":84528,"date":"2026-04-13T18:12:31","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T01:12:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/?p=84528"},"modified":"2026-04-13T18:12:35","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T01:12:35","slug":"new-arrangement-criteria-options-for-additive-arrange-in-fusion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/new-arrangement-criteria-options-for-additive-arrange-in-fusion\/","title":{"rendered":"New\u00a0Arrangement Criteria\u00a0Options for Additive Arrange in Fusion\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>Unlock smarter additive workflows in Fusion with new arrangement criteria.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In additive manufacturing, how parts are arranged within a build volume directly affects print time, part quality, and overall efficiency. This process\u2014often called nesting\u2014can be complex, especially when balancing competing goals like density, speed, and thermal stability.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the&nbsp;Fusion&nbsp;April release, we have introduced some&nbsp;new controls over how components are orientated and arranged.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"introducing-placement-prioritiesnbsp\"><strong>Introducing Placement Priorities<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n<p>We have&nbsp;added an\u202f<strong>Arrangement Criteria<\/strong>\u202ftable&nbsp;in the Solver tab. This&nbsp;enhancement allows you to define exactly which&nbsp;arrangement&nbsp;criteria should influence the nesting result\u2014and just as importantly, to set their order of priority using the arrows at the bottom of the table.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"588\" height=\"556\" src=\"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Placement-Priorities-2.gif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-84733\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Each&nbsp;selected criterion contributes to how each\u202fcomponent\u202fis oriented during the arrangement process. The solver evaluates the enabled criteria in priority order, selecting orientations from the allowed rotations defined in the Objects tab.&nbsp;This is done during the arrangement of each&nbsp;component&nbsp;at a time until all components have been arranged.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Placement priorities only apply when\u00a0<strong>Rotation is enabled<\/strong>\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Available exclusively for\u00a0<strong>True Shape<\/strong>\u00a0arrangement methods\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-does-each-arrangement-criterion-donbsp\"><strong>What does each arrangement criterion do?<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"balance-z-layers%25c2%25a0\">Balance Z Layers\u00a0<\/h4>\n\n\n<p>Selects\u00a0an orientation from the allowable orientations users enabled to minimize variation in cross sectional\u00a0area for that\u00a0component.\u00a0This is important as large cross-sectional area variations can\u00a0introduce thermal instability during printing, leading to warping, residual stress, and distortion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Selecting this option&nbsp;gives the following benefits:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>More consistent thermal distribution\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Improved part quality\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Reduced risk of print failure\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"605\" src=\"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-19-1024x605.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-84738\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-19-1024x605.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-19-300x177.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-19-768x454.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-19-1536x907.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-19.jpg 1549w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Above, we can see how the&nbsp;<strong>Balance Z Layers<\/strong>&nbsp;option reduces variation in layer area by orienting and arranging components to achieve more consistent cross-sections, minimizing&nbsp;extremes&nbsp;and lowering the standard deviation between layers. This typically results in increased build height and reduced&nbsp;arrangementdensity.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"minimize-build-height%25c2%25a0\">Minimize Build Height\u00a0<\/h4>\n\n\n<p>Reduces overall build height, helping to shorten print time and improve&nbsp;arrangement&nbsp;density.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"maximize-bounding-box-overlap%25c2%25a0\">Maximize Bounding Box Overlap\u00a0<\/h4>\n\n\n<p>Aligns&nbsp;each&nbsp;component&nbsp;at a time&nbsp;to increase overlap between bounding boxes, resulting in&nbsp;a better&nbsp;arrangement&nbsp;density.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"minimize-build-volume%25c2%25a0\">Minimize Build Volume\u00a0<\/h4>\n\n\n<p>Reduces total occupied volume, improving overall arrangement density.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"maximize-contact-area%25c2%25a0\">Maximize Contact Area\u00a0<\/h4>\n\n\n<p>Arranges each&nbsp;component&nbsp;in a way that maximizes the contact area between its voxels and the placed components. This&nbsp;contributes&nbsp;to denser arrangements.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"minimize-component-bounding-box%25c2%25a0\">Minimize Component Bounding Box\u00a0<\/h4>\n\n\n<p>Reduces the bounding box of&nbsp;a&nbsp;component&nbsp;during arrangement, enabling more efficient&nbsp;arrangements.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"minimize-component-height%25c2%25a0\">Minimize Component Height\u00a0<\/h4>\n\n\n<p>Reduces the Z height of&nbsp;a&nbsp;component&nbsp;during arrangement, helping&nbsp;improve arrangement densities.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These arrangement criteria give you direct control over how components are oriented and arranged\u2014whether&nbsp;optimizing for&nbsp;speed, density, or quality. They improve transparency while enabling greater control and more reliable outcomes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Unlock smarter additive workflows in Fusion with new arrangement criteria. In additive manufacturing, how parts are arranged within a build volume directly affects print time, part quality, and overall efficiency. This process\u2014often called nesting\u2014can be complex, especially when balancing competing goals like density, speed, and thermal stability.&nbsp; For the&nbsp;Fusion&nbsp;April release, we have introduced some&nbsp;new controls [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4660,"featured_media":84743,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[127,124,143],"coauthors":[585],"class_list":["post-84528","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fusion","tag-additive","tag-design","tag-manufacturing","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>New\u00a0Arrangement Criteria\u00a0Options for Additive Arrange in Fusion\u00a0 - Fusion Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Unlock smarter additive workflows in Fusion with new arrangement criteria.\" \/>\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\/new-arrangement-criteria-options-for-additive-arrange-in-fusion\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New\u00a0Arrangement Criteria\u00a0Options for Additive Arrange in Fusion\u00a0 - 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I joined Autodesk in 2017 and became part of the Fusion Additive team in 2018. My primary focus is improving additive manufacturing workflows in Fusion and supporting customer projects. I have had the pleasure of presenting twice at Autodesk University, collaborating with Renishaw and One Click Metal.","url":"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/author\/thomas-stock\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84528","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\/4660"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84528"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84528\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":84750,"href":"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84528\/revisions\/84750"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/84743"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84528"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84528"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84528"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=84528"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}