Different Configurations in one Drawing

[CharlieSaxon]

Is there a way to put multiple different configurations into the same drawing?
From my current real-world application, I'm designing several different sizes of the same table. I need to get the info to my welding team and it'd be nice to be able to put the several sets of measured drawings onto the same page, instead of just noting, "Make this measurement x.y inches smaller for three of them".

[jhackney1972 · Accepted solution]

Unless you use some extra graphic application to capture multiple drawing views and then reassembly them into one drawing, the answer is no.  When you go to switch configurations in the drawing environment, this is the message you get.

[CharlieSaxon]

@jhackney1972, that's what I thought. I was hoping for a clever workaround. But thank you for the quick, and definitive answer.
As a follow-up: how does one pester the Powers-That-Be to look into making that a possibility in a future update?

[jhackney1972 · Accepted solution]

On the Forum, create a new Forum Post and give it a title like "Fusion 2D Drawing Feature Request" and then in the post lay out your desires and "good" reasons for your suggestion.  The Autodesk personnel read to Forum just like you or I and they will note it.  It may or may not be done anytime soon depending on the number of requests.

[ClintBrown3D]

Hi @CharlieSaxon 

You've pestered us! Every customer request that we get, from meetings, emails, forum posts etc. gets collected and categorized in our feature request database. This information is used to prioritize the features that we build. I've added your request to our database.

Work is already underway to enable the documentation of multiple designs in the same drawing. This is work is expected to continue for several months, as it is a large engineering undertaking. You can keep an eye on our progress by following the 2D drawings roadmap (signup though link in my signature)

[CharlieSaxon]

I've long known that the Fusion community and developers were highly responsive to feedback. Really cool to see it first hand. Thank you!

[laughingcreek]

---

@CharlieSaxon wrote:... I was hoping for a clever workaround. ...

---

not clever, but a work around.  make a new assembly file that will be used for making drawings.  insert your model as a linked design and select the configuration.  re-insert the model for each separate configuration you want to show in the drawing.  This won't work if you insert once, and then make copy's (instances) of the model.  all the instances of a model from a single insertion will change configuration along with the original, but when you insert them separately, each can have their own configuration.

[CharlieSaxon]

Clever enough that I didn't think of it. That's what I'll be doing until a theoretical update to allow it more directly. Thanks for the idea.

[jared.bunch]

Hi @CharlieSaxon 

Another workflow for now would be to document one drawing (dimension, annotate, etc.) then use the "Save as" to create a second, third, fourth, etc. drawing.  Now you can go into those drawings and change the configuration.  The views should all update to represent the new configuration and it will attempt to adjust dimensions as well.  While we understand not ideal, it will give you multiple drawings related to the single model, which will update when opened accordingly with any changes to the particular configuration that is documented within that drawing.  Hope this helps!

[floydYPY3E]

Solidworks has the capability to have multiple configurations in one drawing, so i'm not sure why fusion 360 cant do that?  

[ClintBrown3D]

Hi Floyd.

The team is working on this capability as we speak, we are making good progress towards delivering this functionality, but it is going to take a few more months before it will be available in product.

I know that from the outside, this can seem trivial, but from an engineering perspective, it is a big project to implement. Today, Drawings have a 1:1 relationship with models. We are re-engineering the way that we consume models to allow for multiple configurations to be consumed in a single document, and to do this in a performant manner. 

Please bear with us. Meanwhile, if you'd like to connect with me, to see the progress that we have made, please book a 30-minute session with me, and we can chat on Zoom. Here is a link to my calendar, (Note that times are in 24:00 format, so 03:00 is 3am, 15:00 is 3pm)

[templeiv]

This is entirely about database structure, and the 1:1 methodology originally used being such a hinderance to the many useful functions that could be available with an improved structure and query ability. I hope you can get to these things soon, especially in the drawing module which is most limiting. Thanks!

[Engineering2PJ4TC]

It would be great to at least have the capability to make one drawing and be able to use that drawing as a template for all the other configurations.  I tried changing the configuration after making the drawing, but the drawing is linked to that particular configuration and not the drawing in general, so there was not an option to update the drawing once I changed to a different configuration.

[tylerkoster73]

Yeah, most CAD software lets you place multiple configurations or design variations in the same drawing file. Usually you can create separate views for each configuration and label them clearly with dimensions, instead of relying on notes like “make this one smaller.”

That approach is honestly much better for the welding team too since it reduces confusion and avoids manual interpretation during fabrication.

You could also use configuration tables or design tables if your software supports them, especially when the only changes are dimensions between sizes.

For projects with repeated variations, keeping everything organized in one drawing sheet can save a lot of time — kind of like keeping structured Quran recitations or a simple Surah Yaseen PDF download collection organized for easier daily use and reference.

[Victoria.Studley]

@Engineering2PJ4TC @tylerkoster73,

Thanks for posting about your experience trying to create drawings for multiple configurations. Since this thread was first posted, we've introduced a couple of workflows that could help you accomplish this with Configurations in Fusion.

• 1 Configuration Per Sheet: Create a drawing and set up Sheet 1 for Configuration 1. Duplicate the sheet. Use the Switch Configuration tool to switch to Configuration 2 for Sheet 2. Repeat for each configuration in the set.
• 2+ Configurations Per Sheet: Create a second Base View on the same sheet, and select another configuration in the set from the same Configured Design.
• All Configuration on One Sheet: Use the Table > Configuration Table tool to create a tabulated drawing. The table represents each configuration in the set as a row in the table on the sheet.

Here are some links that might help you with these workflows as well:

• Create drawings of configurations, switch configuration
• Create a tabulated drawing for a set of configurations

Let us know if you have additional questions or run into any issues as you try these.