CLOSED - Improved Insert of Decals and Canvas Images Workflow

[keqingsong]

Today when you want to insert an image as a decal on a design or as a background image in your canvas for reference, you are only able to insert it from your local computer. If you uploaded images to your project (as you should), it’s really cumbersome to get it into the design canvas. 

We feel your frustration, and that’s why we are improving the Insert Decal and Insert Canvas experience. Currently, we have a design where from the Insert panel, selecting either Insert Decal or Insert Canvas will bring up a file selection dialog just like File > Open. Here, you’ll be able to select image files you’ve uploaded to your project, or also pick an image from your computer. After you’ve selected it, Fusion 360 then show you the command that lets you pick where to place it, as well as options to resize and re-orient it.

We are planning on making this improvement available in the December update, our question to you is:

What would you like to see beyond this?

[rmkolaks]

I would like to be able to attach Decals to curved surfaces and to distort Decals non-orthogonally.

[colinNJB25]

Being able to more easily scale a canvas would be a big help. Snapping a line on the canvas during creation and saying "This is 6 inches" would be amazing.

[davebYYPCU]

Inserting canvass with size and alignment combined.  I have the ability in Autocad with the Align Tool.

There the canvass is an article that can be selected, scaled and aligned in one function.

Currently the canvass is a dumb graphic, has no affinity with sketch articles.

[maruska]

My current workflow with canvases is such:

1. Bring my image into Photoshop/Illustrator and size it. This is a variety of overall pixel dimension settings and ppi - but regardless I'll end-up with an image, at scale, at a known size - say 50mm x 30mm.

2. In Fusion, I'll make a sketch with a rectangle that is 50mm x 30mm.

3. Insert Canvas, selecting the rectangle as my attach plane.

Image appears at the exact scale and location I want. It works well, but requires a bit of planing to get there.

Per @davebYYPCU 's comment though - it's dumb, and has no relation to the rectangle - other than having gotten it's initial size definition from it. Although if I delete the referring sketch, I get timeline errors. So we're halfway there?

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[maruska]

@keqingsong If you are looking for feedback on the data panel - what you show in the UI mock-up is what I'd expect. Ship it!

[marshray]

I don't have a problem inserting image files into the application.

What I need is the ability to define two locations on the image (pixel coordinate system) and constrain them as points in my sketch.

[Intuos5]

The ability to link imported files, when saving a new version with the same name, there should be an option to reload the file.

In addition it would be nice to use the inserted canvas feature on the timeline to choose a different file, which inherits the scale from the original import.

Afterwards, I can see the need for a manage links dialogue.

[jean-michel_legoff]

Do you mean that the image is linked in the 3D part? So if you edit the picture, it updates automaticaly?

In the case of a decal is it possible to attach a decal to a precise position/orientation on a surface?

Placing it interactively is nice, but in some case it needs to be very precise.

I need for example to place it on a sheet metal part unfolded and see what happen folded and vice versa.

Thanks

[Intuos5]

Well, to place a decal on a 3d face, it is necessary to add some form of uv mapping. So, it is not as easy as it sounds. 

[tiktuk]

Please make cavas attached images respect the resolution set in the files. It's so frustrating to have precise image files and then having to imprecisely try to recreate their sizes manually with the calibrate tool.

Also described here in the IdeaStation.

[jean-michel_legoff]

I agree with @tiktuk normally there is a "DPI" metadata in pictures, so the physical size is well known.

It's really frustrating to see that 3D software never (at least rarely) consider this information. Working in 2D is also Designing...

[alan.jonesXHXUF]

Yep, respect the image size please. Also having the ability to set origin point for scale/rotate etc just like in the regular move command would be great. It's infuriating trying to align a line in an image with a bit of the model when you zoom in and the manipulators are now out of screen bounds and you have to zoom back out to get at them.

There is also massive improvement needed on how decals are attached and warped around the model.

[tiktuk]

Yes, the issue with the manipulators leaving the screen is outrageous 😑.

[Rhynri]

Removing: Submitted this post as a bug after further review of behavior.