Communicate between Fusion 360 and diffrent program outisde using an API

Communicate between Fusion 360 and diffrent program outisde using an API

fredrikcarlssonnlm
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Communicate between Fusion 360 and diffrent program outisde using an API

fredrikcarlssonnlm
Explorer
Explorer

Hello,

I have a Faro measuring arm and I'm currently developing a program to intergrate this arm to fusion 360 for reverse engineering.

I would like to import X,Y and Z coordinates to fusion.

Anybody here who has a good insight in the API functions in Fusion360?

 

Br

Fredrik

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ArjanDijk
Advisor
Advisor

Hi Fredrik,

 

I also build a Faro addin and while its perfectly possible to do this with the Faro SDK, it was not worth the time for me. I adjusted one of the VB6 examples from the Faro SDK an "typed" the coordinates on pushing the button. Of course this only works for single points, not for dragging the stylus.


Inventor HSM and Fusion 360 CAM trainer and postprocessor builder in the Netherlands and Belgium.


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Message 3 of 4

BrianEkins
Mentor
Mentor

Fusion doesn't have anything built-in to the API to support this. However, you might be able to combine things to get something to work.

The first challenge is the interprocess communication. I've heard of people successfully using sockets to do this with Fusion.

The next step is having Fusion handle any packets coming through the socket. Fusion is single-threaded, and it would be best to have the socket response run in another thread so it doesn't lock up the Fusion UI. Python supports creating new threads, and your socket code can run there and handle and unpack the packets that come through the socket. Once it has something it can use to create something in Fusion, you'll need to trigger an event that your add-in, which is running the main thread that can respond to and then do the desired action in Fusion. This is described in this help topic.

Good luck.

---------------------------------------------------------------
Brian Ekins
Inventor and Fusion 360 API Expert
Website/Blog: https://EkinsSolutions.com
Message 4 of 4

bengt.carlsson
Community Visitor
Community Visitor

Hello
I have been struggling to find a solution to transfer data from Faro arm to Fusion 360.
I have a half finished solution based on the following.
I have written an add-in in Python to create plane from three points, circle from center and radius, point and line point to point.
I have made the Python add-in in Fusion 360 so that it can receive commands via UDP.
To retrieve data from the Faro arm, I have written a VB program that receives data and buttons from the arm. Then I collect one or more points and send a command to Fusion 360 via UDP, which then creates a plane, circle, point or line. I have one problem left and that is creating a circle based on three points, I can't get it to work at the moment.
Bengt

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