Fusion 360 Manufacture Setup Suggestion - Default Operation Type Setting

[Eric_Schubert]

Firstly, let me say there are some great improvements in the January 2021 update to Fusion 360.  I'm liking the High DPI support, right now.  The UI looks really crisp and sharp.

However, I have an issue with the Manufacture workspace and additive workflows.  (Though, I imagine others will run into a similar issue for various Manufacture machine types.)  I often import STL files and then slice and print them.  This is the only type of Manufacture workflow I currently do.  When I start a new design and enter the Manufacture workspace, then create a setup for the first time, the Machine selection always filters to milling machines only.  This is because the default operation type when making a new setup is "Milling".  Because I only do additive work right now, this feels irritating to have to change this option every single time.

I would like to see an option for default operation type in the Manufacture area so we can pick the most-common operation type and skip the extra clicks to pick something other than Milling.  That way I can pick "Additive" and never have to keep changing the filters in the Machine selection or change the operation prior to picking a machine.  Similarly, others could choose a different workflow, such as turning, as their default operation if that's what they do the most.

A second suggestion:  If the filters for picking a machine are set by the operation type, put the operation type at the top of the Setup palette instead of below the Machine selection.

[seth.madore]

If you create a Setup from the Manufacturing > Additive workspace, it filters it already for you:

 

[Eric_Schubert]

Sure, but that's still an extra click.  Therefore, based on your suggestion, which is totally valid, I would argue I'd like to have a default Manufacture workflow that I can set in Preferences where I can choose Milling, Turning, Additive, etc. as my default set of tools when I enter the Manufacture workspace.

[toddEG93M]

I'm with Eric on this, in that I would like to define my default environment as well as many of the settings within the operation dialog box. I just spent 4 days pretty much setting about 15 to 20 settings within the operations I was programming... for every stinking individual nest (programming a CNC router).

I theorized that I could make a "template" Setup with a preprogrammed Operation that would cover about 90% of the settings I would like to standardize for my operation. Then I could copy and paste it into every nest I programmed, but that seems a little barbaric. I would like to customize the Setup and Operation through a set of Preferences related to the operations I'm doing. That way others who use my license, we have 4 or 5 engineers running on two licenses, would be able to utilize the same Setups and Operations as I do.

I'm a relative newb to Fusion 360, only about a year, but I have 20+ years experience using Solidworks and several years of AutoCad as well. Am I missing something?

[Eric_Schubert · Accepted solution]

@toddEG93M
If you check in the preferences (General->Manufacture), Autodesk has added an option to choose the "Last Used" operation type, or you can pick a specific one to always go into when entering the Manufacture workspace. This is all I was asking for, so this one is already implemented. Thanks, dev team!

If you're wanting something deeper, like roughing, contour milling, etc. to fire up with predefined settings, I'm not sure that's really doable right now. You can't really make a template for new files, but you could set up "templates" that you then open and "save as" to have certain things already done. Or, as you mentioned, copying predefined operations from a "template" into various files that you have.

But I see where you're going with your comments. Having some sort of presets defined for certain operations would be interesting. Frequently-used tools, speeds, heights, etc. based on common methodologies and workflows. However, that's a separate idea entirely, and I'd recommend making a separate post for it to get better visibility.