topic Re: How do I save a file without creating a new version? in Fusion Design, Validate & Document Forum

How do I save a file without creating a new version?

Anonymous — Tue, 16 Mar 2021 14:28:06 GMT

Hi,

Does anyone know how to save a file without creating a new version of that file?

For example, if I have a file named "Test v1", can I make changes to the file(model) and then save it as the same name "Test v1"?

I don't want it to be saved automatically as v2 because this creates problems when using Keyshot LiveLinking.

Thanks

Re: How do I save a file without creating a new version?

dsouzasujay — Tue, 16 Mar 2021 15:55:48 GMT

Hi @Anonymous ,

As of today there is no a way to avoid versioning in fusion 360.

To save without version, You can export files to your local drive (File>Export as .f3d/.f3z) and upload the design back to the fusion 360.

Note: in this process you will loose the version history of the design.

Re: How do I save a file without creating a new version?

Phil.E — Wed, 17 Mar 2021 00:28:50 GMT

Some users use these hotkeys to force a recovery save. This is only intended to create a recovery file in case you crash and have to use the Recover Documents tool on the file menu.

Ctrl + Shift + S

Command + Shift + S

At the end of the day you still need to save a version to the cloud or use the solution from @dsouzasujay to create a "file" you can open in some way without using the recovery tools, if that's what you are ultimately after.

Re: How do I save a file without creating a new version?

barry9UDQ6 — Sat, 20 Mar 2021 10:37:49 GMT

Another downside of the version history is that I have a lot of derived models, including derived flat patterns for nesting. Every time I save the original model all of my derived models want to be updated, even though my save didn't change any geometry associated with them. The updating process is very time consuming. At least with Inventor it will only prompt you to update a derived part if the relevant geometry in the source model has been altered.

Re: How do I save a file without creating a new version?

daxpatel45 — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 04:06:09 GMT

For Saving File without New version, You just need to Click on Offline Button While before saving the File and your file saving in the offline cache without create a new version. Also, this will not Lose any design data, and when you online your Fusion360 it automatically update your file on the cloud without creating a new version.

I am using this from the last Update and working as expected.

If my reply was helpful, please give a "Like" or click the "Accept as Solution" button below (or both).

Re: How do I save a file without creating a new version?

Phil.E — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 15:56:01 GMT

Actually it does create a version when you reconnect from Offline mode. The only thing you avoid by doing this is the opportunity to add a description/note to the version to say why you saved it.

Re: How do I save a file without creating a new version?

Phil.E — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 23:50:51 GMT

@barry9UDQ6 Thanks for sharing your experience with design versions. I wanted to let you know there is a way to avoid what you describe.

Every time I save the original model all of my derived models want to be updated, even though my save didn't change any geometry associated with them.

The thing you are looking for are Milestones. These are special version markers you create when you save a design as a milestone. In your case the original model would be marked as a milestone. Your derived flat pattern nest files would not need updating when the original model changes.

Here is the help article explaining Milestones.

Here is one showing how to create them.

And here is a page that mentions a related workflow involving updating milestone derived parts.

Do you think that milestones will help cut down on your version churn? It should be a little like deferring updates for Inventor assemblies in that you would need to take action to keep everything up to date when necessary, but can enjoy less disruption as a result.

Re: How do I save a file without creating a new version?

daxpatel45 — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 03:34:00 GMT

You are right sir. Meaning to choose offline method is, to work constantly offline and save whole day working design offline. so, this won't make new version files while offline.

Re: How do I save a file without creating a new version?

Jupp.B — Fri, 27 Aug 2021 08:07:10 GMT

@dsouzasujayYou wrote "As of today there is no a way to avoid versioning in fusion 360."
Will this ever change? People already complained about this 4 years ago. Why is this still a thing?
There is a checkbox in the preferences to avoid creating a new version on closing but it looks like this checkbox does absolutely nothing at the moment. Either you just don't save while closing and lose your work, then a new version won't get created anyway, no matter what the state of that checkbox is, or you save while closing, then still a new version gets created, no matter what the state of that checkbox is. Since there is this checkbox, even if it doesn't have any effect right now, I don't believe this is how you originally intended this to work.

Of course, you decide what to do with your software and we just have to deal with it, but I think we still deserve to know how Autodesk thinks about this. Do you think there are other problems with a higher priority that have to be solved first, even if this is an issue for years, or is Autodesk not planning to address this issue at all?

Re: How do I save a file without creating a new version?

TrippyLighting — Fri, 27 Aug 2021 10:31:24 GMT

I suggest you read Phil.E’s reply and then see if Milestones address your concerns.

Yes, there are most certainly more important things That need to be addressed.

Re: How do I save a file without creating a new version?

Jupp.B — Fri, 27 Aug 2021 10:59:58 GMT

I did. But that would basically mean "sacrificing" the milestone feature for the basic versions. I think the original intent of having version numbers and also milestones, is to have some sort of hierarchy in the versioning system and you would lose that with this workaround.
Yes, there probably are a lot of other things that are more important to solve. But how important to how many people an issue is, isn't the only factor. An issue that is hard to solve and important to many people could have the same priority as an issue that is easy to solve and only important to a few people. If developers don't approach it this way, minor issues would pile up in their software over the years.
And I'm pretty sure this issue isn't that hard to solve. It looks like they're calling a function where they shouldn't call it or they just forgot to add an if condition to check if that function should be called.
But no matter if they want to deal with it or not, it still would be nice to know.

Re: How do I save a file without creating a new version?

jeff_strater — Fri, 27 Aug 2021 11:23:50 GMT

"Will this ever change?"

In all honesty, no. Versioning is built into the very basis of Fusion, and is unlikely to ever change. What is likely to change, however, is better out of date processing. So, if you change, say, just a component appearance, there is no need to update toolpaths or SIM results. But, basic versioning is here to stay. And Milestones are a way for you to say "some versions are more important than others".

And, it is important for everyone to understand: Length of time that a request is out there has nothing to do with its priority for being implemented. People have been asking for a purely local (no cloud storage) version of Fusion since its inception. It is not ever going to happen. So, just because someone asked for this 4 years ago has no bearing on whether it ever gets implemented.

Re: How do I save a file without creating a new version?

Jupp.B — Fri, 27 Aug 2021 12:45:38 GMT

"But, basic versioning is here to stay."
Just so you don't misunderstand me, this wasn't about versioning as a whole. I don't want it to go anywhere.
This was about the problem that a new version gets created every single time you save and you have absolutely no control over it and you can't choose just to overwrite the last version.

What really makes me thinking is this checkbox in the preferences that says no new version gets created on closing when it's activated. Right now, that checkbox does nothing but just the fact that it exists tells me that Autodesk decided at some point to give us some control over when new versions get created and when not.
I also remember watching a tutorial where someone explains how to save your work without creating a new version and he also talked about that checkbox. But when I did exactly what was explained in the video, it didn't work. So perhaps that tutorial was made with an earlier version of Fusion 360 where it still worked that way. But since that checkbox is still there, it looks like Autodesk did not remove that feature on purpose and it looks more like a bug.

Re: How do I save a file without creating a new version?

TrippyLighting — Fri, 27 Aug 2021 14:25:34 GMT

I personally have that check box disabled. What I noticed is that it automatically saves a version, without prompting the user. I'd rather be prompted and then can make a decision. Often enough I don't want the changes to be saved.

Re: How do I save a file without creating a new version?

jeff_strater — Sun, 29 Aug 2021 23:32:20 GMT

Saving is versioning. Other than the Milestones, which Phil mentioned, this is the basic versioning model. Milestones do, in a way, address some of your concerns - updating referencing models or drawings or manufacturing designs only happens when you declare a version is a Milestone. But, still, every save generates a new version. Milestones are just a way to say "some versions are more important than others".

The option you mention is this one:

as its name implies, this applies only to when a document is closed. If there are changes, and this setting is on, a save (and therefore a version) is automatically created when the document is closed. It was a (lame, IMO) attempt to get "Google Docs" type behavior of never having to save. As you can tell, I have it turned off. If off, Fusion will prompt on close as to whether you want to save or not. Many times I want to close without saving, so I would find this option to be annoying.

Betreff: How do I save a file without creating a new version?

Jupp.B — Tue, 31 Aug 2021 05:59:27 GMT

Then it looks like the reason I understood it wrong was that the tutorial I watched was just wrong in the first place. The tutor clearly said that you can choose if saving creates a new version or not. Turns out, that's not just the case right now, it never was.

I guess I have to live with it then 😕

Re: How do I save a file without creating a new version?

barry9UDQ6 — Tue, 31 Aug 2021 06:39:06 GMT

And what an unnecessary use of server space..

Re: How do I save a file without creating a new version?

busycleta — Mon, 06 Feb 2023 11:52:20 GMT

Hey guys, you can just use the command "close" . It will close the file without saving and thus not clutter up your server space with unnecessary version (imagine you just hide some elements when having a look at a file and this counts as a modification)

so there you go, like in any other piece of software

Re: How do I save a file without creating a new version?

tinkercadGZWJT — Sun, 05 May 2024 02:39:31 GMT

Yeah, it would be great to have an option to save to the same version. I do not need any of the in-built versioning shenanigans, I'd rather have control over my versions. And no, the milestones aren't helping.

It should be simple enough, but there seems to be a rather staunch resistance...

Re: How do I save a file without creating a new version?

Phil.E — Mon, 06 May 2024 20:01:59 GMT

Thanks for the comment.

Can you describe how milestones do not help?