Why Are Fusion Dimensions 10X greater on imported .STL files?

[lorne01]

I tried out Fusion 360 this evening.  I found it odd that every .stl i imported had the dimensions wrong.  I verified with Sketchup, and sketch up has the dimensions right.  I have figured out that the dimensions are out by a factor of 10.  

Is there some setting or something that needs to be changed to get the proper dimensions?  

The picture attached is of a ruler that is verified in Sketchup to be 10mm (length of the green line, but in Fusion it is 97MM.  Does this mean all my prints will be 10X bigger than they should be and i will have to mentally adjust for the error?  

I would appreciate if you have any insight.  

[MontyFlange]

Also getting edge distorsion

[MontyFlange]

Heres a good example the first pics is the whole design the second is a part of it saved on its own then added as you can see the size changes

[Phil.E]

Without a video or model there isn't much I can do here.

At least now I think I know what was going on, at least partially.

1. When you use Insert > Mesh > into a model that is on your Fusion screen in the Model environment, you can pick units.
2. When you upload to the data panel by picking "upload", you do not get a chance to pick units. There may be scaling required after that. This is known and there is no solution yet other than to use the Insert > Mesh workflow so you can pick units.

If you could export the model I could try your problem workflow, which seems to be "insert mesh, save file, open file = mesh wrong size" is that correct?

I could tell better by looking at the model.

Thanks,

[MontyFlange]

You on Facebook ?

[Phil.E]

Yes but I do not do any business on FB.

[Anonymous]

For what it's worth - I was racking my brain over this very same issue. I would set the units to mm in the file *before* I imported the mesh (this file was started from something I uploaded to the workspace), I would even pick the correct size in the mesh but no matter what I would do it would still come in too large.

I then created a new design - set the units to mm and then like before I picked insert mesh, picked the file - set the units to mm and all was well.
It seems like if you are starting a file from an existing file there is some embedded scale that can't be changed no matter what you pick in the part browser.

Regards,

Geoff S.

[Phil.E]

The browser units do two things. Display and input units, and export units for mesh. The browser units do not affect import of mesh.

Mesh is does not carry specific units, it just gives a relative size to what it calls 1 unit, depending on the measurement scale of the application used to create it.

So, if the application that created the mesh was counting "1 unit = 1 mm", then when you insert into Fusion you picked millimeter units, you get consistent results. 

If the application that created the mesh was counting "1 unit = 1 mm", then when you insert into Fusion you picked inch units, you get a model that is 25.4X too big. (1 in = 25.4 mm)

When you upload to the data panel, there is no way to pick the units. The cloud translation assumes "1 unit = 1 cm". This will likely force you to scale the mesh body to get the size right. This is why we suggest that you insert mesh into your files using Insert from the toolbar instead, so you can control the units as you import it.

Please let me know if you have any more questions.

Regards,

[MontyFlange]

Yep that makes sense as to the problem. But why use CM as the default size when nearly every software including your own 123D uses mm as default.

[Phil.E]

Actually the core unit in Inventor and Fusion, and I'm guessing 123d is actually CM. This is the unit the modeling engine uses. My guess is the translation team picked CM for this reason. The way to solve it is to have a unit picker for inserting files, which Fusion has. We need to improve the upload/translation dialog to include units, but just haven't gotten to it yet.

Translation units and default units are different concepts. Default units can be changed to inch, meter, foot, etc, at any time. 

[JKChesher]

I'm having a similar issue. I have a part I want to run multiple operations on in cam. I want to save the stock as an stl. Then import it back so I can work with the stock for the next operation. I can't get the still to import with proper alignment and size to the body.

[Phil.E]

@JKChesher

How are you exporting and importing? If you use File > Export > STL, and then Insert > Mesh, what is the result? (do it all from within the Fusion modeling window and command set)

Thanks,

[JKChesher]

I am running the cam simulation. Right clicking. Saying save stock as stl. Then going back to the model end of fusion. Going to the insert tab. Hitting insert mesh and clicking the still that was saved.

[Phil.E]

@JKChesher

Okay thanks for the clarification.

I think this should be a new thread in the CAM or support forum. It doesn't sound like you are encountering the same problem that this thread addresses, especially because you are using the CAM space.

It's also still unclear what the actual problem is from your description. Can you use Autodesk Screencast to show us the problem in a video? It's the quickest way to understand what is going on and help your workflow.

Thanks,

[JKChesher]

Sure I'll create a thread in that forum and do the screencast

[Anonymous]

FOUR YEARS LATER and this is still not fixed.

I tried uploading this file from Thingiverse (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2781529) and it always comes in 10 times the correct size. I tried the various suggestions to import a mesh and whatnot and I have not figured out any way to get it to the correct size.

I'm a Fusion 360 newbie so I don't have a lot of experience with doing anything complicated. I wish there was some sort of manual / consistency with this. It's a neat package, but sort of frustrating to use when I'm constantly getting side-tracked by problems in the software.

[HughesTooling]

@Anonymous How big is it supposed to be, when I open it it's about 27x63mm. 

If all you are going to work with are meshes not sure Fusion's the correct program by the way.

Mark

[etfrench]

It's inserted at the correct size for me.  The pins are 2.54mm apart. 

Try this:

• Start a new file
• Set units to mm
• From the Insert menu select 'Insert Mesh'

[Phil.E]

@Anonymous

Sorry to hear it's still a confusing experience. We actually did fix this. The fix for this situation is to allow you to pick units as you insert your mesh files.

Here's the help page for it:

http://help.autodesk.com/view/fusion360/ENU/?guid=GUID-3C2DDE80-CC41-4516-88E6-1F3EDC6CF62A

Help topics can be searched using the ?Help menu, upper right corner.

I think you must be uploading the files. When you upload for cloud translation via the data panel, you don't get to pick units. The preferred workflow is the Insert > Mesh workflow. Please let me know if you have questions about it.

Thanks,

[Anonymous]

Hello,

Thanks for the reply. I have attempted this using all of the various suggestions I've seen in this thread to no avail. Just to be certain, I tried it again just now following your exact instructions and this is what I get (see below). I'm not sure what I'm doing that's wrong. It just doesn't work for me.

Thanks

John Whitten

Your Previous Instructions:

• Start a new file
• Set units to mm

• From the Insert menu select 'Insert Mesh'

(I'm not quibbling over the minor discrepancy from measuring with a slight angle...)

Then I tried to actually USE the part in another drawing:

(This is what it looked like in comparison to the other elements already in the drawing)

And here is a closeup showing the 10X size problem:

[Anonymous]

I did try uploading the files. That didn't work. Then I tried it via the "Insert Mesh" method that several people suggested. That also gave me problems (see my previous reply about that).

I do appreciate the help and concern though. I just wish there was a book I could read or a good reference manual that had all of this written down so that I could get a better sense of how it all works from one end to the other. I've been in the computer business for a long time, well over 35 years. I understand and get that bugs happen, "mis-features" creep in, and not everything always goes as advertised. That's all part of the process, both of using the program and of developing new features, etc. Stuff happens. 

I just wish that I could use it with less clumsiness to get more of what I want done. It just isn't very intuitive to me-- and I don't say that to knock the program at all. I want very much to be able to use it better. I think it's a very good program actually. 

I would really (sincerely) love to come work for you all and share with you my "ignorance" to help you improve your process / interface / whatever to help the idiots like me who really want and need to use your program but just don't "grok" it naturally. I can think of at least two alternative ways (interfaces), along with some other ways to inject on-the-spot help / assistance that would supercharge your front-end and make it easier for newbies / novices and non-CAD experts to use it.

If that's interesting to you, please reach out to me separately and let's talk.

John