General questions for fusion360

[Anonymous]

im new to fusion360. i have some general questions 

1. i have 2 uploads i want to add to the same design. how do i go this?
2. when i import .stl files download from the internet into fusion360 why is it a mesh? i can not interact with it in the same way i would if i created a new body in the design window.

i hope i explained this correctly.

 thank you

[keqingsong]

Hello @Anonymous , thank you for reaching out. When you want to import existing data into Fusion 360, you can do this through the Upload icon in your data panel. 
To access the data panel, click on the grid icon at the top left corner of your window. You should then see the upload icon when the data panel is open. 

Refer to this link for more details: http://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/fusion-360/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/ENU/Fusion-Management/files/GUID-517EBB11-D93A-40ED-B4C4-51091EE4CBB1-htm.html

Uploading STL files this way will allow you to edit it like any other cad models. 

Let me know if this answers your questions. 

Cheers,

[Anonymous]

thank you. i have does it this way. however when i try to edit the file in fusion360 it labels it as a mesh, it does not allow me to combine etc. with the other designs i created from scratch in fusion360

[keqingsong]

How did the STL originate? Was it a scan? Was exported from a CAD model? 

[Anonymous]

i have tried downloads from grabcad and thingsverse, all .stl files. 

does it matter how they originated? is there a way to convert them to a file fusion360 will ? 

[keqingsong]

You'll need to upload a different format other than STL if you don't want it to come in as a mesh body. SAT and STEP works better. 

[Anonymous]

any recommendations with software for this? im not familiar with anything out there for this conversion.

[keqingsong]

STL files are typicalled used for 3D printing, and isn't very flexible when it comes to editing it from a CAD perspective. You can export Fusion 360 as STLs, but can't convert STL's back as Fusion 360 F3Ds. I think the workflow is a one way street. Any one else have thoughts around this? 

[keqingsong]

Btw to address your first question, you can insert designs into existing designs that are open by right clicking on the design your data panel and clicking on Insert.