Working on a .dwg model brought into Fusion

Working on a .dwg model brought into Fusion

spiesspurchaser
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Message 1 of 16

Working on a .dwg model brought into Fusion

spiesspurchaser
Participant
Participant

Have just started with Fusion 360 on trial. Brought in my Autocad .dwg 3D model very easily and successfully. Impressed with the ease of seeing and moving around it. But now I want to work on it and add Fusion features. But every time I double click onto my model I lose all the Fusion controls! So I have missed a step but what?

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Message 2 of 16

HughesTooling
Consultant
Consultant

Really you should have used Upload in the browser so the file is translated automatically into a Fusion design. You are just seeing it in a viewer in your pictures.

What you can do now is Right click on the DWG in the browser and select Create Fusion Design.

HughesTooling_0-1721320375167.png

When you open the design in Fusion you might want to enable history so you can use the timeline. Right click top folder in the broswer.

HughesTooling_1-1721320492306.png

 

Mark Hughes
Owner, Hughes Tooling
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Message 3 of 16

spiesspurchaser
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Thanks, but none of your suggestions were available whatever or were ever I went. Reloaded Fusion then in browser re uploaded model then dragged it into browser. Fine except it is not responsive to any commands. My autocad model was constructed with 3D shapes or faces all arranged on and controlled by layers. I selected a component and try to delete, nothing only option is to cancel.
So I am still missing a step to what 'explode' my model into Fusion compoentes? Stuck, so much promise, so difficult to even get started

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Message 4 of 16

HughesTooling
Consultant
Consultant

First, please don't attach pictures, just paste them into your message.

 


@spiesspurchaser wrote:

Thanks, but none of your suggestions were available whatever or were ever I went. Reloaded Fusion then in browser re uploaded model then dragged it into browser. Fine except it is not responsive to any commands. My autocad model was constructed with 3D shapes or faces all arranged on and controlled by layers. I selected a component and try to delete, nothing only option is to cancel.
So I am still missing a step to what 'explode' my model into Fusion compoentes? Stuck, so much promise, so difficult to even get started


You should just open the design from the data panel if you want to edit it. Your picture shows you inserted it into another design. You can edit inserted designs in place but I don't think that's the best idea here.

This icon shows you have an inserted design.

HughesTooling_0-1721390323084.png

If you used Upload in the data panel you should have the option to open the design after its uploaded and translated into a Fusion design.

 

Mark Hughes
Owner, Hughes Tooling
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Message 5 of 16

spiesspurchaser
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Participant

but I dont get that option. Is it because I am in trial mode?

spiesspurchaser_0-1721395477242.png

 

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Message 6 of 16

HughesTooling
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Consultant

It shows open at the top of the menu?

HughesTooling_0-1721395648106.png

 

Mark Hughes
Owner, Hughes Tooling
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Message 7 of 16

spiesspurchaser
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yes I did use open and ended up very similar: selected components (single then selection set, but delete would not respond:

spiesspurchaser_0-1721396530243.png

 

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Message 8 of 16

laughingcreek
Mentor
Mentor
Accepted solution

I didn't think .dwg files are supported on a personal licenses.  worth checking

Message 9 of 16

HughesTooling
Consultant
Consultant

It looks like somehow you are using anycad so the design is opening as a linked design. So can you create a new project with no designs in it, then upload the design using the data panel in Fusion.

Clipboard01.png

This is what I've done here and it works perfectly and yes it should work with the trial version while the trial is still active.

 

Mark Hughes
Owner, Hughes Tooling
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Message 10 of 16

HughesTooling
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Consultant

Just did another test and just using Open from the file menu should open DWG files. Just make sure you select open from my computer not from a cloud project.

HughesTooling_0-1721403593593.png

 

Mark Hughes
Owner, Hughes Tooling
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Message 11 of 16

spiesspurchaser
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Participant

Finally got there, able to access my model as a .dfx
In browser/blocks I have hundreds if not '000,s iof individual blocks. Tried to hid all except those I wanted to work on.
but
tall order - ?can I rename/hide all but selected/use selected to find other similar?
as previously mentioned my autocad model is structured on named layers.
Would be better approach be:

in autocad, hide all layers but for one component layer at a time, then save that layer as .dfx and eg ExtWalls

then insert/open each .dfx layer in Fusion and they would all come into the same place and, together, form the assembled house. I would then be able to work on each component?

Or again in autocad on the one selected layer, select all then make as a block with a the same insertion point then bring that .dfx block layer back into Fusion? I might then have one complete component block to assign properties too.Would that work or have I seen that Fusion does not accept Blocks?
I am diving into Fusions depths but my entry route is not covered by any previous tutorials, Q&A, videos that I can find.  Clearly out of my depths as to the best way to work forward.

 

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Message 12 of 16

HughesTooling
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Consultant
Accepted solution

Solid modeling programs like Fusion use imported blocks as components, so creating blocks in Autocad will be your best bet for organisation in Fusion. Then there are some selection tools to help. EDIT. Note you can have blocks within blocks to create components with sub components (sub assemblies).

HughesTooling_0-1721404634503.png

 

Mark Hughes
Owner, Hughes Tooling
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Message 13 of 16

spiesspurchaser
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Participant

thanks you for all your suggestions so far. Im getting closer to begin to explore what Fusion can do for me! I'll give the Blocks approach a trial and see where it takes me!

Message 14 of 16

spiesspurchaser
Participant
Participant

in autocad, made block of components (with all same insertion point)  then exported them as a block.dwg then uploaded those into Fusion - as a .dw. Fusion split the Block into all the different bodies that made the block up.

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Message 15 of 16

HughesTooling
Consultant
Consultant

Are the bodies in a component with the block's name?

 

One way to see what Fusion needs would be to crate a model in Fusion with components and subcomponents and export as a DWG, then open in AutoCad to see the structure. I don't have Autocad but I have used Rhino and a script that turned layers into blocks then exported to DWG and that worked. Also received assembly files from several solid modelers and found I needed to use explode blocks to layers to go the other way when exporting from Fusion, Inventor, Solidworks etc.

 

Mark Hughes
Owner, Hughes Tooling
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Message 16 of 16

spiesspurchaser
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Participant

Guessing I am confusing things by mixing terminologies. In Autocad a modelled in solids and 3Dfaces on to layers for the different parts of my house. I then made exportable Block.dwg's  for the collection of solids/faces on each layer. These were the Block which I Uploaded into Fusion. Fusion split those Blocks back into their individual solids.
Thanks for your help

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