Fusion 360 Basics – Get Started With Fusion 360

How to use one of the best free CAD software out there!

Fusion 360 is one of (if not) the best free CAD software. Fusion 360 mainly appeals to people who want to design technical parts, but it can also be used for artistic projects. This article will cover how to install Fusion and how to use it!

Movement

Once Fusion is open on your computer, you’ll want to ensure that you have a mouse, as moving with a trackpad is next to impossible

In the top right corner, you’ll see a small cube with its sides labeled, that is your movement cube, spin the cube to change the angle that you are looking.

You can also look around by holding your scroll wheel down and holding the shift key.

To move from side to side, simply hold the scroll wheel down and you can move up and down, along with side to side.

Sketches

Sketches are going to be your drawing or what you want to make. To make a sketch, go to the upper left of your screen and click the Create Sketch icon.

Once you have selected Create Sketch, a grid will appear in the center, with three different axes; simply choose the axis you want to build on.

Once you have opened the “sketch plane” the menus above will become only related to sketching

You have three main tools that you will mostly use when sketching, line, rectangle, and circle (there other sketch tools that you can play around with, but that can be addressed in a more intermediate article)

In this example, we will be making a cylinder, so we can select the circle symbol and set it to how wide we want it to be

Physical model

Once you have finished your sketch, you can access the extrude button. The extrude button is located next to the create sketch button and allows you to make said sketch into reality

Once you have done that, click on the part you want extruded, then simply enter a measurement or drag it to the length you want

Once you are happy with this, hit enter, and the new shape will be created.

Is Fusion 360 Hard To Use?

Short answer, Kinda? Fusion 360 has a steep learning curve and can be very difficult initially, as there are so many tools to learn and get overwhelmed with. Fusion 360 is however, one of the best CAD programs out there, and does get easier a you go. Overall, the best way to learn Fusion is to play around with it. Just sit down, play with the tools, experiment with their work, and look up further tutorials. Anyone can learn Fusion, they just have to put some effort in.\

Learn From The Community

Are you a Fusion 360 expert or just starting to learn? Either way, if you’re looking to get or give help, join our 3D printing discord community; we would love to have you!