Features do not automatically update after editing an existing sketch

[kdh4287]

I first noticed this issue last Sunday.

The symptoms are as follows:

1. I change a dimension in a sketch that was created previously.

2. Normally, the change would automatically propagate to the current design, but this is no longer happening.

3. So far, I have found two ways to force the change to update:

   • A. Run Compute All (Ctrl+B)

   • B. Open a feature created from that sketch and simply click OK

This issue only occurs in the file I am currently working on.

Older files that were created before this one, as well as newly created files, do not have this problem.

Since I first noticed the issue around the time of the most recent Fusion update, I am wondering whether the update may have caused it.

Alternatively, I would also like to know whether this could be related to the amount of design history accumulated in this particular file.

For reference, newly created sketch dimensions in this file are currently numbered above d3500.

If there is a known solution or workaround for this issue, I would appreciate any guidance.

[dsouzasujay · Accepted solution]

Hi @kdh4287,

Thanks for the detailed description. Since the issue occurs only in this particular design, while older and newly created files update normally, this looks more like a file-specific compute issue than a general Fusion update problem.

As a temporary workaround, Compute All (Ctrl+B) is the correct way to force Fusion to recompute the entire design. 

A few additional things would be useful to check:

• Are there any warnings or errors in the timeline?
• Does the issue occur when editing any existing sketch, or only specific sketches/features?
• If you roll the timeline back closer to the affected sketch and edit it, does the downstream feature update correctly?
• What is your exact Fusion build number?

Could you please share the affected F3D/F3Z file and, if possible, a short video showing:

1. The dimension being changed.
2. The downstream feature not updating.
3. Running Compute All and seeing the geometry update.

If the design is confidential, you can send it privately. With the dataset, I can check the timeline and dependency chain and determine whether there is something specific in the model preventing the normal automatic recompute.

[kdh4287]

I found the cause of the issue and wanted to share what I discovered.

There was one Revolute Joint that appeared to be the trigger for the problem.
The joint was shown with a yellow warning icon in the timeline, and after several tests I was able to narrow down the behavior.

1. If I deleted this Revolute Joint, design changes stopped propagating correctly afterward.
2. If I edited the joint and reassigned the components and snap locations, the joint still remained yellow and the error message continued to appear.
3. If I suppressed the Revolute Joint, all subsequent mechanisms and design changes worked normally again, and the error message no longer appeared. However, the suppressed joint icon still remained yellow in the timeline.

[How the issue was resolved]

In the end, the problem was resolved by keeping the original sketch geometry used by the feature referenced by the Revolute Joint, instead of deleting and recreating that sketch geometry.

In my case, the relevant sketch element was an arc.

In other words, if I deleted the original arc and created a new one, the problem occurred.
If I kept the original arc and modified its shape to reflect the updated design, everything worked normally.

[What I still find puzzling]

I have used Fusion 360 for many years and frequently rely on linked design workflows using Project Geometry, but this is the first time I have encountered this kind of behavior.

While troubleshooting, one possible explanation I considered was that the reference geometry had been lost, causing Fusion to rely on cached geometry and interrupting the normal recompute process.

However, in previous cases involving broken references, I was usually able to resolve the issue by rolling the timeline back to the relevant point, deleting the affected feature or component, and recreating it.

This case behaved very differently because deleting the problematic joint itself became the trigger that caused design updates to stop propagating.

In any case, thank you very much for the detailed guidance.
If I encounter a similar issue again, I will come back for further advice.

[delwilson6241]

How does one invoke "compute all"?  

[delwilson6241]

This is a classic case where Fusion requires a strict sequence of events and severely hampers making changes and updates to a design. Changes are a fact of good design and Fusion is very weak on handling changes.

[delwilson6241]

Never mind, I found it.  And it showed5 errors but didn't flag them in the timeline and they no longer appear like they self corrected!?????

[dsouzasujay]

Hi @kdh4287 ,

Thank you for taking the time to investigate this further and for sharing such a detailed explanation of what you found.

It sounds like the Revolute Joint had retained a dependency on the original sketch geometry, and deleting/recreating the referenced arc caused that relationship to become unresolved. That also aligns with the yellow warning you were seeing in the timeline. Autodesk's guidance notes that downstream features can lose references when upstream geometry is modified or deleted.

Glad to hear that preserving and modifying the original sketch geometry resolved the recompute behavior.

Your findings are also very useful for anyone encountering similar behavior with joints and projected or referenced geometry.

Thanks again for the details

[dsouzasujay]

Hi @delwilson6241 ,

You can invoke Compute All from:

• Design workspace > Modify > Compute All

You can also use the keyboard shortcut:

• Ctrl+B on Windows
• Command+B on macOS

Compute All forces Fusion to recompute the parameters, features, and assembly relationships in the parametric design. Normally Fusion performs these computations automatically while editing.

Regarding the design change behavior you mentioned, could you share a little more about the specific problem you are experiencing?

For example:

• What type of feature or sketch are you changing?
• What downstream feature is not updating as expected?
• Are there any yellow warnings or red errors in the timeline?
• Does running Compute All make the design update correctly?
• Does this happen in one particular design or across multiple files?

If possible, a screenshot of the timeline showing the affected features, or a small sample file that reproduces the behavior, would help us understand whether your case is similar to the issue discussed in this thread or something different.

[delwilson6241]

I found the compute all command and ran it. It found 5 errors and a number
of warnings, but when I closed it, there are no error messages shown. Some
of the timelines showed yellow, but when you click on the warnings, you
don't get enough information to really deal with them. Likewise, warnings
that the online help can't fix.

All the joints appear to be as I expect them to be and as I set them to be.
The online help, which is obviously AI, is very good, but it's handicapped
by the underlying architecture. The vector thing about joints is very
puzzling. It does not seem to be a good function. When I make a joint, it
stands alone. It should propagate through to higher assemblies, exactly as
set up in the subassembly. This is basic physics.

I also understand that Fusion is based on mathematics rather than physics.
This is a very disturbing and fundamental error. I'm a very senior,
experienced mechanical engineer, with a master's degree in mechanical
engineering and 47 years working in an Air Force test laboratory for
validating the performance of the Minuteman III ICBM. I received national
recognition for my work in that area, particularly for multi-shaker
vibration testing.

I'm an experienced programmer and designer. I've used AutoCAD products
since AutoCAD 9. I loved to use Inventor, but Fusion 360, originally, was
great. It seems to be going seriously in the wrong direction. I hope we can
do better going down the road.

Thanks for your interest.



*Del Wilson801-390-1513*
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*Del Wilson801-390-1513*