Cannot find Fusion 360 client on Mac after installation

[cfq20]

Hello,

probably a silly question, but after installing Fusion 360 client for Mac, running the software successfully once and closing it, I am now unable to find it in my Applications folder to start it again. How do open the client?

Thanks,

Carlo

[Oceanconcepts · Accepted solution]

Did it not install an icon in your dock?

Fusion doesn't live in the Applications folder, as I understand it for reasons of Apple's control over automatic updating.  It's in your Library folder- your user Library, not the System Library. Unfortunately, in recent version of OSX, that folder is hidden by default. There are two ways to view it.  

You can, in the finder, select the Go menu while holding down the Option key- the Library should show in the menu. 

You can temporarily unhide the Library folder by opening Terminal (in the Utilities folder) and entering this command at the terminal prompt: chflags nohidden ~/Library  

The Fusion application is located along this path: 

<Your User Directory> - Library- Application Support-   Autodesk-  Webdeploy-  <Folder with a lot of numbers and letters> - the Fusion 360 app

Ron

[cfq20]

Oops... The only place I didn't check was the dock, which I normally keep hidden. Thanks for your help!

[kat.ingalls]

Glad you got it sorted out! Understand it's a bit confusing to find at the moment. There's some more context on why this is - and for you to chime in on the feature request - here. Hope that helps explain it a bit more.

And Ron, you're awesome. Thanks!

[lure23]

In the recent versions, the launchers are now in the user's local Applications library. For some reason, Autodesk likes to have them there instead of a computer-wide install (for all users). I think this is not ideal - you for example end up doing multiple updates if multiple people are using the tool on the same computer. Should be a user decision (local or system-wide install).

Also, these are just links to where the product really is. That means i.e. that Spotlight is not finding the program at all (it covers .app's but not links). Autodesk could fix this by having a very tiny .app here instead of the link. All the app would do is launch the right real executable.

[kat.ingalls]

Hey Asko! You should add these suggestions to the feature request here: http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/Request-a-Feature-Fusion-360/Install-on-OS-X-not-in-Applications/idi-p...

These are some great recommendations for our dev team.

[xjin0833]

If you don't like clutter in your dock and wanna launch it with something like Alfred, you can make an Automater application that runs the following shell script:

open "Library/Application Support/Autodesk/webdeploy/production/Autodesk Fusion 360.app"

Save it to /Applications and copy over the icon if you care about that.

[sanguish]

Speaking as a former Apple employee, and long time Apple platform developer,  Autodesk is doing this wrong.  I won't argue about the Library thing.

If you want a simple, installed in the correct place version of Fusion 360, download it from the MacApp Store. It's there, a bit behind, but there. It installs in the right place, and it doesn't do anything evil.

First, putting things in the dock is not something you should be doing. The Human Interface Guidelines are pretty clear. And it's evil. 🙂

That's what Fusion should be doing. Putting a link into Applications.  

Again, I'd need to check a vanilla install of Mac OS, but do this, even if you have to type in your password.

There is nothing preventing Fusion from installing in /Applications and self-updating. Many applications do that using the Sparkle.framework. 

I would love to see Autodesk put the time in to properly package Fusion 360 as an application for the Mac and follow the conventions. Adobe does. Microsoft does. 

I understand the potential wait in the MacApp Store queue could be an issue for an emergency fix, but there are procedures for that. And those apps can automatically update in the background (so you aren't launching and then waiting for the upgrade to install so you can restart).  Packaging it is a pain, but they do it for a number of other Autodesk apps.

The VERY first thing I do when I get a new copy of Fusion is Select it in the finder and control click or right click on it and "Show in Finder". Then I Command Option drag to /Applications This should give you the little arrow cursor, to make a link. Drop it into Applications.   

I added a quick capture video of how to do this. (I really time compressed the launch. 🙂

[maruska]

I really can't believe how this is still broken, and how broken it is.  : (

[skbarker]

This is ridiculous - I removed it from my dock because i don't have anything in my dock permenantley and to open the app again I have to dig 5 layers deep in application support

[heathU2CQM]

Kat's link seems to be dead. It may have been pointing to this: https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/fusion-360-ideastation/the-mac-version-of-fusion-should-live-in-appli...

Crazy that I go to re-open Fusion and can't find it. What a waste of time. If it weren't for this thread I'd be doubting my sanity.

[kyle.baleytinkercad]

Also odd is that with LaunchBar, I can find "Remove Fusion 360" easily but I have to jump through hoops to get the actual app indexed.

I'm surprised the behaviour continues given that almost every single person who installs the app from the website (a practice I use for virtually all of my apps) will encounter it. Unless they just leave it on the Dock, I suppose. 

[ofjo]

Going against Apple's core design philosophy in this fashion is not something one would expect from Autodesk. What are you thinking?

[linge.ai]

Oh, your explanation really helps a lot. I've always wondering where the Library folder is.

[robert.swift]

This really is ridiculous. Just spending the time shuffling off the Mac AppStore version, unable to launch from Spotlight.

The Mac has two well defined locations for Applications to be installed, and Spotlight is perfectly capable of locating apps in either location. Furthermore, why hasn't Autodesk properly signed the app it is installing? Surely this is basic stuff? And why so many connections to different hosts? And why are they using unencrypted connections on port 80? Screengrabs below.

I appreciate that through the Education Licence, I've got access to very powerful software at no cost. But I cannot imagine the app would be properly code signed, or use HTTPS if I was paying the licence fee?

A simple Automator application solves the problem of not being able to launch from Spotlight:

1. open Automator
2. File->New
3. Choose 'Application' as the type
4. The 'Library' selected, search for 'launch' to reveal 'Launch Application' then drag that across to the right hand window
5. From the menu, scroll to the bottom and select 'Other...'
6. I think the easiest way to locate the app is to open a Finder window, then with the Alt/Option/⌥ key pressed select the 'Go' menu and with the Alt/Option/⌥ key still pressed, select 'Library'
7. Using the 'Finder', navigate through to the directory, which for me was in Application Support->Autodesk->webdeploy->production->29934515a8cea8368d84d67de9ebd53884d0517b
8. So now I have Automator open with a file chooser, and Finder open at the Fusion 360 application folder, position both windows on screen so you can drag from the Finder to the Automator tool
9. Drag and drop the 'Autodesk Fusion 360' app from Finder into the file chooser, this will go to the correct location
10. In Automator, select the 'Autodesk Fusion 360' app and click 'Choose'
11. In Automator, select File->Save... navigate to /Applications or the Applications folder in your home directory (as you wish), ensure the 'File Format' is 'Application', name it what you wish (I went for the folder in my home directory and named it 'Fusion 360') and click 'Save'
12. Quit the Automator app
13. Bring up Spotlight (⌘space) and type 'Fusion 360' to launch - it may take a moment to index but it appears instantly for me

Automator - ApplicationAutomator - Launch Application

Automator - SaveNot Codesigned and port 80!Not CodesignedNot CodesignedNot CodesignedNot CodesignedNot Codesigned

[maruska]

I was hoping the “benefit” of Fusion leaving the App Store would be that Autodesk would now have a single point of deployment and Fusion would end-up in the “right” location on my hard drive.

I can’t count the number of times I pulled up spotlight to launch Fusion and I get the uninstaller instead. Muscle memory being what it is. It’s how I launch most of my apps.

Most apps will launch in two keystrokes...

IL gets me into Illustrator.

AL gets me into Alias.

MA gets me into Maya.

OU gets into Outlook.

etc... 

FU should launch Fusion... 🤔

[robert.swift]

---

FU should launch Fusion... 🤔

---

Feels like FU from Autodesk with all the hoops you need to leap through to actually get the basic app-launch functionality they've worked so hard to avoid!? Most peculiar...

Hope my suggestion is useful to someone 🙂

[jamie]

Thank you for that Automator idea, @robert.swift! It works really well.

I cannot believe that Fusion 360 has apparently been like this for years. Such an advanced app, yet somehow missing something so basic...

[maruska]

@kat.ingalls Thank you Autodesk for fixing this in the Sept 27 update!!

Looks like you're even installing it a blessed Application folder.

Any reason that it's not installed "for all users" in the System Application folder? It's in my user folder. One challenge we have in our studio is that IT audits the system Application folder for active apps. We have to keep reminding them not to cancel our Fusion 360 subscriptions because they don't see us as having the program installed.

Cheers,

J

[alexandra.ashton]

My 4 year old told me to ask Siri to open it!

And guess what -- it worked.  

Easy.