Here are a few pointers to help you along: Like anything else, though, if you start slow with a simple project and keep practicing, you'll be creating complex designs before you know it. But if you haven't spent any money or invested time in another program, believe me when I say you won't be sorry you went with Fusion 360.ģD modeling can seem intimidating if you've never done it before. There are a number of other programs out there that could be used to produce the same results, and if you're comfortable with something else (especially if you've already paid for it), there's no reason you shouldn't stick with it. It's a solid modeling program which means (without getting into unnecessary detail) that things you design are almost immune to 3D printing errors. It makes digital fabrication a breeze, especially 3D printing. I've been 3D modeling for over 13 years, and I can tell you honestly that this program is perfect for the kind of work I do: furniture, toys, machines, household products, etc. Though all your files are backed up on the cloud and rendering is taken care of there, you don't have to rely on a high-speed internet connection to use the program.
If you make less than $100K per year using it, you just renew with a startup license every year and keep using it free of charge.
The models I've designed in the program tend to go straight to the slicing software without any hiccups.
It's available on Mac and PC, and it's proven to be very stable on both platforms in my experience. It's easy to create simple models with it, but there's nothing holding you back from modeling a fully articulated gas engine if you want to. Once you get through the basics, there's really no limit to the complexity of the things you can design with it. You can go from zero knowledge about 3D modeling to making simple objects in an afternoon. The UI has been carefully designed from the ground up to be clean, minimal, and simple. We decided on Fusion 360 for a number of reasons. There are lots of good 3D modeling software options available.
That's not exactly the case, and here's why:
Design your own stuff! In this lesson, we'll get acquainted with the Fusion 360 interface.Ĭlick here to sign up for Fusion 360 for free as a Hobbyist / Enthusiast / Startup or as a Student or Educator.įULL DISCLOSURE: Fusion 360 is an Autodesk product, and Instructables is an Autodesk company, so this might seem like a biased choice. All of the following lessons have extensive instruction in text, image, and video form.įorget downloading the Stanford Bunny and printing it because you can.
Shift+F11 Opens the File Options dialog boxĬtrl+Shift+A Opens the Animation Export dialogĬtrl+Shift+C Opens the Export dialog box to export searchĬtrl+Shift+I Opens the Image Export dialogĬtrl+Shift+R Opens the Export Rendered Image dialogĬtrl+Shift+S Opens the Export dialog box to export search setsĬtrl+Shift+T Opens the Export dialog box to export the current TimeLiner scheduleĬtrl+Shift+V Opens the Export dialog box to export viewpointsĬtrl+Shift+W Opens the Export dialog box to export viewpoint reportĬtrl+Shift+Home Sets current view as HomeĬtrl+Shift+End Sets current view as FrontĪll other, standard Windows shortcuts apply as well (Alt+F4, Ctrl+S, Ctrl+N, etc.).This lesson is intended to provide a brief orientation of Fusion 360 and serve as a reference for later lessons. Shift+F10 Opens a Shortcut menu for the active dockable window Shift+F7 Toggles the Properties control bar Shift+F6 Toggles the Comments control bar Shift+F4 Toggles the Find Comments window Shift+F1 Enables you to get context-sensitive help
Shift+W Opens the last used SteeringWheel Shift+P Activates the Pan tool on the Navigation bar
PgDn Zooms to magnify all selected objects in the Scene view PgUp Zooms to view all objects in the Scene view Here is the list of some useful functions assigned to keyboard shortcuts (not all shortcuts are available in all Navisworks variants):Ĭtrl+8 Turns on Examine (free orbit) modeĬtrl+D Toggles Collision mode (in the apropriate navigation mode)Ĭtrl+H Toggles Hidden mode for selected itemsĬtrl+R Toggles Required mode for selected itemsĬtrl+F8 Toggles the Sectioning toolbar (classic UI)Ĭtrl+F11 Toggles the Viewpoints control barĬtrl+F12 Toggles the Selection Tree control barĬtrl+Home Dollies and pans the camera - view entire modelĬtrl+DownArrow Stop playing or recording animationĬtrl+Space Pause playing or recording animation Many of the Autodesk Navisworks functions can be invoked much faster using the predefined keyboard shortcuts instead of the ribbon menus.