Create a web interface where user can type parameters and see resulting 3D model

[Anonymous]

Hello,

I have created parametric models in Fusion for products I want to sell.

I would like to create a web interface on my business' site where customers could type in parameters, and see (as quickly as possible) the resulting model – either sketches, or a 3D view – appear (as shown in the screencast attached).

Specifically, I have a few questions –

1) Does Autodesk have a REST-ful API that the web client could send the parameters to, and receive some kind of 3D model or sketch in return?

2) If so, what format might this model or sketch come back in (e.g., DXF, SVG)? 3) If there isn't a REST-ful API, how might I build and deploy a lightweight server-side application that could communicates with both Fusion and the client-side app? Perhaps there's an even simpler way of achieving this? I hope this makes sense. Any kind of guidance, idea, keyword, or direction would be highly appreciated.

[goyals]

Please look at https://forge.autodesk.com.  I think by using Autodesk Viewing Service, You might be able to view the Fusion design in your website but I do not think Fusion design can be updated automatically through modifying the parameters and get the updated design view.

[AnthonyRBHarrison]

Oops, I inadvertently posted this from the wrong account, I'll repost separately.

[CaptainXamtastic]

I've been looking at this as well, in my case I wish to host it all in an app (but point 2 below shows that you could do the same in a web app). The following is the architecture that I am looking at:

1. Xamarin App (multi-platform, see www.xamarin.com) that is capable of deploying to various platforms (iPhone, iPad, Android Phone, Android Tablet, MacOS, Windows 10 Computer and Tablet (UWP), Windows 7, 8, 10 Desktop and Tablets (WPF), Raspberry Pi (via UWP for a kiosk display)
2. Primary UI will be Html/Javascript hosted on a website but wrapped by the app.
3. User enters parameters in the UI
4. The app passes the user's parameters to the cloud via a Windows Azure function - this merely receives the parameters in JSON format and places them as a 'ticket' on a Queue
5. A worker role picks the next queued 'ticket' and passes that to a Virtual Machine hosting Fusion 360, a service on that machine picks up the ticket, invokes a Fusion script, and gets the output (for example, a dwg file) as the result
6. The service then posts the 'dwg' file (or whatever format it is in) to cloud storage in Windows Azure and posts a message to another queue that says that the job is done.
7. There is another worker role which keeps checking the 'job done' ticket queue and when it finds a ticket on it, it takes the ticket and sends a notification to the app that says that the file is ready to download.
8. The app receives the notification and downloads the file onto the device (for example iPhone or iPad)
9. The app raises a notification to the user to tell him that the file has been downloaded and is available for viewing.
10. The user clicks to a page that is actually a webview that can host HTML and the HTML will actually be a small website hosted in the cloud in Windows Azure
11. The app loads the file into that page so that the user can view it.
12. Bob's your Uncle!

I have been investigating various technologies to view the file and OpenJSCad seems to be a good contender, it is open source and you can build any custom page around it, see https://openjscad.org/ for a demo.

If you do get into Xamarin, their Xamarin Forms architecture would seem to be the best app approach, and as the core business logic would be in C# (NetStandard 2.0) then those components that could also be used in the cloud (for example the classes that would serialise and deserialise the original JSON ticket) would be used in both client and cloud.

Happy hunting!