2D Drawings Need Improvement

[Anonymous]

I have been quite happy with the modeling capabilities of Fusion 360 but the 2D drawings are lacking. I'm trying to escape using Solidworks but I have no choice when I need to send out 2D drawings. I end up exporting my Fusion 360 models and importing them into Solidworks to generate 2D drawings. Our vendors/factories expect accurate 2D drawings that they can reference and, unfortunately, the 2D drawings from Fusion 360 are struggling severely. Take a look at the comparison of drawings I've attached. I created the model in Fusion 360 and made 2D drawings in Fusion 360 and then exported the model to Solidworks and created 2D drawings with the same model. If you take a close look, the drawings don't even compare. Solidworks completely takes the cake on this one. I'm really hoping that this issue can be addressed so I can cut the cord with Solidworks. For now, that's not a possibility. 

Thanks!

[TrippyLighting]

Vote from me. That PDF looks terrible!

[O.Tan]

Yup! You should see how Fusion drawing renders threaded holes and how other CAD software render threaded holes in drawings.

Man, I really hope AD decision to use AutoCAD as the base engine for Fusion drawings isn't causing all this delay, logically it makes sense since AutoCAD is already good at 2D lines and stuffs but there's still many things not there that they (Fusion team) have to write to make it work, so not sure which is better, take a blank sheet of paper and write from there or take from an existing one and modify it to make it work.

[TrippyLighting]

Well, I don't remember much of AutoCAD. I ditched it like a hot potato when I had a chance to move to SW in 1999 😉

There is really only a perception of a delay. I find that Fusion has improved a lot in the year I've used it.

[O.Tan]

Other areas yes, but drawings is pretty much behind in comparison to other areas that Fusion is improving rapidly.

Though I'm not expecting any drawings update till they solve the deep linking part, but I do hope once that done they'll role out those drawings features that's not associated heavily to deep linking. 

Looks like 2016 will not be the year where I'll be able to ditch SE and go full Fusion yet. 

I already emailed them a very long email explaining about my idea/expectation of how Fusion workflow should work as right now when it comes to drawings, render and etc. Fusion workflow is kinda disjointed which I hope they spend time reading and take notes.

eg: A drawing requiring a full update eventhough I didn't modify the part but modified other part in the assembly, or if I want to render my model in 3 colors at one go, I'll have to make a 3x duplicate of it, this will result in having 3 iterations of my model which I don't need outside of my render workspace.

[Anonymous]

I don't expect F360 to match all the production drawing features of Solidworks, but certain things are needed for F360 to be used for serious work. Drawings may be old fashioned but very often that is what the customer wants!

My list of badly needed drawing features:

1) Multiple drawing sheets
2) Custom drawing templates - sheet sizes, title blocks, and drafting standards.
3) Automatic filling of basic drawing information - part names, drawing numbers, revisions, etc. - at least from a table with user settable defaults.
4) Ordimate dimensions! Much cleaner and easier to read than baseline dimensions.
5) Symbols - basic (diameter, degrees, etc.), GD&T, welding. These are often needed in notes as well as formal annotations.

6) Ability to use sketch tools in drawing sheets.

7) Put mulitple parts and assemblies in one drawing.

Number 7 is important. Drawings are used for other things besides documenting parts for fabrication. I use them for proposals, discussions, instruction sheets, and so on. Typical use: showing an original and revised version of the same part. Yes, I could paste rendered images into a DOC or PPT file but in SW it is so much faster just to make a drawing.

[cekuhnen]

I really hope this will be imporved as well because for CNC work (making drawings for wood mills) the data is useless.

this is why I still use Rhino for this. 

[Remy18]

 The possibility to copy a design with multiple drawings linked would be a nice improvement too. 

[TimeraAutodesk]

 This is all great feedback, thanks guys. We are continuing to work hard at maturing and filling out the Drawings module.

@Anonymous in the future, we recommend that you break down your requests into specific, individual posts here on the IdeaStation so that the community can vote specifically and so that we can better report back on the status of features you've requested as they move through our development process.

Thanks,

Timera

[TrippyLighting]

@TimeraAutodesk

I would usually agree to post separeate Ideas, but the exception is really the drawing environment. The list that Jason posted is what is needed to create a drawing package or a small machine.

The difficult thing to achieve with a drawing environment is that you need a lot of the abilities listed above from day one.

[Anonymous]

@TimeraAutodesk

Agreeing with the post from TrippyLighting. This is not an "I would like a feature" problem. It is an "I can't use this software yet" problem.

The F360 modeling/assembly environment is good and is improving - not as full featured as Solidworks but definitely usable and much more intuitive. But the drawing environment simply cannot yet be used for professional work. Am looking forward to seeing something new here!

[andrew.de.leon]

@Anonymous, would you mind sending me (andrew.de.leon@autodesk.com) a copy of the model you imported into Solidworks? We've seen this linework issue in the past but can't consistently reproduce it.

Thanks,

Andrew

15" Retina MacBook Pro (Late 2013), OS X El Capitan (10.11.3), in Sydney Australia

[Anonymous]

Andrew, 

I appreciate you getting back to me on this. I just sent over the files to you. Thanks!

[andrew.de.leon]

Thanks Ryan.

Thanks,

Andrew

15" Retina MacBook Pro (Late 2013), OS X El Capitan (10.11.3), in Sydney Australia

[TimeraAutodesk]

@TrippyLighting I totally understand. In that case, each and every one of the items on Jason's list have already been posted to the ideastation (many have been posted several times), and all have been approved and are on our roadmap with the exception of #7, which is a future consideration. Keep your eye on the updates for more Drawings functionality! As a sneak-peak, the team is currently working on #2 (templates) and #5 (symbols available in text and annotations).

[O.Tan]

8) When closing the newly created drawing, Fusion will just use the original component referenced name in the Save As dialog box, it's really annoying having to key it in when the name doesn't automatically appear on your drawing template. 

9) Print drawing direct from Fusion, I bet this is a software/library limitation as OnShape has the same requirement to Save to PDF as well instead of direct print. 

[TimeraAutodesk]

@O.Tan both of those items are on our roadmap as well. Print direct is a tricky one, so in all transparency we probably won't get to it until much later this year, but #8 I agree is annoying and is prioritized higher. Right now the team is working on features like text formatting, custom scales, templates, cosmetic threads and multi-asset abilities in sheets. Stay tuned!

[knndnnr]

I agree completely. All the other modules of Fusion are as useful or more than SW, but the drawing module is basically garbage. I have tried, but the limits and frustration level are to much.

Please put more time into this aspect of an otherwise fine application.

[Anonymous]

+1 to all the features called out orignially by @JascoID1, and I'd add on an ability to export parts list data.  I'm not expecting Solidworks or Inventor quality, but it is so limited as to be useless.  I really wanted to use Fusion 360 to do some side work, but until those features are in, I'm going to have to use an old crappy copy of Geomagic.

[Anonymous]

 I have the same issues but im constantly exporting my parts to Inventor. My dompany designs and builds machines based off my 2D drawings, so when my crew relizes something is wrong or could be better with some kind of change I not only have to make the adjustments in Fusion but also in inventor somehow. I really wish the drawings in Fusion could be like Inventor

[adenobel]

I just "played" with the 2D drawing environment for the first time and I agree with this topic.

Please look at all the possibilities in Inventor.

I could not:

• Change the view method from first to third angle
• Rotate a view
• exclude components from sectioning
• change center mark (mark is too small)
• make a detail of a section view
• change border / title block / BOM