history timeline not showing

[tdcambridge]

Hi I am sure I am missing something obvious but the timeline isn't showing up in Mac ultimate.  I do have redo/undo arrows with a pull down history but no timeline on the bottom.   If I make a new drawing the timeline shows up now so I guess no timeline if your editing an imported STL ?  It's better to paste said STL into a new drawing after importing to get the timeline??

Any help would be appreciated.  Thanks 

[jeff_strater · Accepted solution]

Yes, you are correct, for imported models, Fusion creates a Direct Modeling (not history-based) design. You can right click on the browser root and choose "Capture Design History" to convert to a history-based design, but that will just start capturing history from that point on.

Jeff Strater (Fusion development)

[innovatenate · Accepted solution]

There is a setting in the Preferences that will enable you to disable, enable, or prompt Design History (Parametric Modeling) by default when creating a new file.

I note that when you use the Upload command in the Data Panel to import an STL file, the result is a Direct Modeling file with a Mesh Body in it. This is by design.

To work around this you have two options:

In the recently imported STL file, select the capture design history command to enable the timeline (parametric mode).

Or...

Instead of uploading an STL through the Data Panel, Insert it into a workspace

1. Create a New Fusion 360 Design (blank workspace) or open an exisiting one
2. Select Create Form or Create Base Features command
3. Next, from Insert drop down menu, select Insert Mesh
4. Select the STL file and then select OK.

[Anonymous]

I have gone through the list of things to do when you do not see your history but... to no avail.  Please help. Its been near a month since it went away after an update.  I am using Mavericks 10.9.5... 

[TrippyLighting]

Would you have an example of a file tat this does not work with ?

Perhaps you can post a screencast or other useful information. Otherwise it's difficult to provide help 😉

I thried this with several downloaded files and have no problems doing it.

[Anonymous]

I have actually not used Fusion 360 in 3 weeks due to this!  Today a new update was installed and still have not been able to get the design history back.  Since I do not get to choose the updates they just happen I do not get to go  back to the version that my History was working on.  Ive done all the resets etc and still can not access that part of Fusion which seems important.  I could learn to use it without but its a feature I would like to use.  Anyone else having this problem?

[innovatenate]

Have you tried promoting an old version and editing it?

See the below link for details.

http://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/fusion-360/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/ENU/Fusion-F...

or with more screenshots:

http://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/fusion-360/troubleshooting/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/How-...

Thanks,

[tdcambridge]

Hi yes maybe your using an imported .xt file or something?  When this happens you have no history

[Anonymous]

I final unintalled everything I could find relating to autodesk from my computer.  I then reinstalled Fusion360 now.. History!!! finally I was about to give it up and jump ship.. 

[Anonymous]

>You can right click on the browser root and choose "Capture Design History"

This is the most obscure place in the world to put this.  Can we have it in a more intuitive place ... perhaps some other menu that is regularly used by most users?  Every time I need to toggle this after starting with an imported model I find myself searching for minutes, and eventually going online to find out where I toggle this.

[crullier]

Sorry to bring this thread back to life. I am too going thought this at the moment.

What is the idea behind direction modeling around imported geometry... 

The way I see it, is if wanted direct modeling I would go to sketch up (not I would never) but you get the point.

All I know is that I have wastes a lot of time remodeling because of this, so please share the idea behind it.

[TrippyLighting]

The reason behind it is that you can do some of the things in direct modeling that you cannot so easily do when recoding the design history without polluting your timeline with unnecessary stuff.

Designs created with direct modeling data wise are much lighter than models with the timeline enabled. When yo start doing real stuff this can make one heck of a difference.

Direct modeling can be very powerful as demonstrated in this Autodesk University class.

[crullier]

Please define real stuff...

[TrippyLighting]

Designs with over a thousand components.

Designs with complex T-Splines .

[crullier]

Like one of yours? I'd would love to see how that is done. Please share
because I would find "Inventor Lite" pretty inefficient for such assemblies.

[TrippyLighting]

I don't have such a large assembly in direct modeling mode, I assume thats what you're asking for. My biggest assembly has about 400 components but it's designed with the timeline on. It also was an iteration of an earlier design and I had a clear understanding of what I wanted the assembly/browser structure to look like. This is performant even on my 7 year old i7  iMac.

However, if a design is more exploratory or complex reorganizing the assembly structure might become necessity. Reorganizing the assembly structure in a timeline model such as move this component into that assembly or move that subassembly in to this assembly I find is a nightmare and it can easily break the timeline due to the parametric dependencies.

Ive helped many Fusion 360 users with their designs and assemblies including a few with 1000 components and all to often it is clear the the timeline can quickly turn from a blessing into a curse and unfortunately that clearly manifests itself in performance problems.

However, if your design such things in direct modeling mode, such limitations do not exist. A friend of mine (another Expert Elite) designed a train model with 16000 (Yep, no typo) components. That number of components would be entirely impossible in timeline mode!

Yes, if it comes to assemblies Fusion 360 is not very efficient  due to missing functionality and lack of performance. 

[crullier]

I don't think I will build a model with that many parts anytime soon. I don't use Fusion professionally, Autodesk gets my money from the AEC / BIM products I do use to their capacity.

I would just be careful with a comment such as "something real". As far as I know, my 10 or so part assemblies are pretty real once I CAM them and I get to install them on my car or use them in any other way. to put into a better perspective that is like me going to the Revit or Navis forum and calling someone's project  (who is doing a small house) "not real" 

Either that, or your comment did not come across as intended.

PS: I do not think Fusion was meant for large assemblies. They have Inventor for that.

[TrippyLighting]

With "real stuff" I was referring to a model in size and complexity that would stress a CAD system. I certainly did not mean to implicate that you work would not be real!

You can build assemblies with 1000 components in Fusion 360 with some forethought and knowing what the limitations are.

[Anonymous]

Is there a video on the preferred workflow for a complex part involving many components showing when and where to use timeline based vs. direct modelling, switching between the two, doing model updates,  collaboration, etc?

Seems like this would be extremely useful to spoon feed new users.  Performance issues seems to be the  #1 problem with Fusion360, and if it could be handled with a idealized workflow then that should probably be one of the top things users should be instructed to do, keep it as a sticky at the top of the most popular forums.

Am I wrong?

[CJ-459]

I Saved my model as STL. Fusion gave me the exported file to save to desktop. I later moved the file that was in Fusion's data panel to another folder within the data panel. When I went to open that file I had saved and exported as STL the timeline was gone and I could not get it back.