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Autodesk Fusion Cheat Sheet

Fusion 360 Comprehensive Cheat Sheet

This page list some of the common things a new user of Autodesk Fusion should know. Right now, the page is a mess. Don't even know if it's accurate.

Fusion Building Blocks

1. DESIGN

What it is:
The Fusion 360 document — the top-level container.

Contains:

Think of it as:
📁 The whole workshop.

2. PART DESIGN

Autodesk renamed Components → Part Designs.
Same concept, new label.

What it is:
A self-contained part with its own:

Why it matters:
This is the correct way to structure any non-trivial model.

Think of it as:
🗂️ A folder containing everything for one physical part.

Examples:

Golden rule:
👉 Always create a Part Design before sketching anything.

3. BODIES (the actual geometry)

What they are:
The 3D shapes you create.

Bodies DO NOT have:

Bodies are just geometry.

Think of them as:
📦 The physical pieces of material inside a Part Design.

Examples:

4. SKETCHES (2D drawings that drive 3D features)

What they are:
2D geometry used to create 3D features.

Used for:

Think of them as:
✏️ Blueprints taped to the workbench.

Sketches live inside:
👉 A Part Design (Component)

5. ASSEMBLIES (multiple parts working together)

What they are:
A collection of Part Designs with motion relationships.

Used for:

Think of it as:
🔩 Putting multiple finished parts together.

Important:
You do NOT need an assembly for a single enclosure with a faceplate.
You only need one if parts move relative to each other.

6. ASSETS (your reusable library)

What they are:
Reusable resources stored in your Fusion account.

Includes:

Think of them as:
🧰 Your drawer of reusable stuff.

7. THE MOST IMPORTANT RULES

Rule 1 — Always create a Part Design first

Rule 2 — Each physical part = one Part Design

Rule 3 — Sketches belong to Part Designs

Rule 4 — Assemblies are only for moving parts

Rule 5 — Bodies are geometry, not parts

8. VISUAL HIERARCHY MAP

DESIGN (the whole file)
│
├── Part Design (Component)
│     ├── Sketches
│     ├── Bodies
│     ├── Features (extrudes, fillets, etc.)
│     └── Origin
│
├── Part Design (Component)
│     ├── Sketches
│     ├── Bodies
│     └── Features
│
└── Assemblies (optional)
├── Joints
├── Motion
└── Constraints

9. QUICK DECISION GUIDE

“Should this be a Part Design?”

“Should this be an Assembly?”

10. GOLDEN WORKFLOW FOR CLEAN MODELS

  1. Create a new Design
  2. Immediately create a New Part Design
  3. Name it (e.g., “Enclosure Body”)
  4. Create sketches inside that Part Design
  5. Create bodies from those sketches
  6. Add more Part Designs for other parts (faceplate, PCB, etc.)
  7. Assemble only if parts move

11. COMMON PITFALLS (and how to avoid them)

❌ Sketching at the top level

Fix: Always activate a Part Design first.

❌ Multiple unrelated bodies in one Part Design

Fix: One physical part = one Part Design.

❌ Using “New Assembly” instead of “New Part Design”

Fix: Only use “New Assembly” when inserting existing parts.

❌ Confusing Bodies with Components

Fix: Bodies = geometry.
Components/Part Designs = actual parts.

12. KEY TERMINOLOGY TRANSLATION (old → new)

Old TermNew Term
ComponentPart Design
New ComponentNew Part Design
Root ComponentRoot Part Design
Bodies FolderBodies (same)
JointsJoints (same)

13. WHEN IN DOUBT — USE THIS RULE

If it exists as a separate physical object in the real world,
it should be a Part Design in Fusion.

PROJECT

DESIGN

Fusion Keyboard Shortcuts (Modeling-Focused)

Selection & Workflow

Sketching

Solid Modeling

Construction & Reference

Inspect & Analysis

Timeline & Editing

View Control

Bodies & Components

Parameters & Design Management

Creating Projects vs Creating Part Designs in Fusion 360

When You Create a Project

A Project is a cloud folder in Fusion Team.
You create a Project when you need to:

You create a Project outside the modeling workflow

A Project is not required to start modeling, but it’s best practice to keep each major product in its own Project.

When You Create a Part Design (formerly “Component”)

A Part Design is a part inside a Design file.
You create a Part Design when you need to:

You create a Part Design inside a Design

A Part Design is required for proper parametric modeling.

The Key Distinction

Project = cloud folder (organization) Design = CAD file (modeling environment) Part Design = part inside the CAD file (actual geometry container)

Rules We Learned (Important!)

1. You can create a Project anytime

A Project is purely organizational.

2. You can only create a Part Design inside a Design

You must be in a Design file, not an Assembly file.

You cannot create a Part Design when:

You can create a Part Design when:

3. If you start modeling without creating a Part Design

Fusion puts you in body-only mode, which causes:

Always create a Part Design first.

Quick Decision Guide

Create a Project when

Create a Part Design when

Example

Fusion 360 Comprehensive Cheat Sheet

Designs • Part Designs • Bodies • Sketches • Assemblies • Projects • Workflow

1. Fusion 360 Hierarchy Overview

DESIGN (the entire file)

The Fusion 360 document — the top-level container.

Contains:

Think of it as: The whole workshop.

PART DESIGN (formerly “Component”)

A self-contained part with its own:

Think of it as: A folder containing everything for one physical part.

Golden rule: Always create a Part Design before sketching anything.

BODIES

The actual 3D geometry.

Bodies do NOT have:

Think of them as: The physical pieces of material inside a Part Design.

SKETCHES

2D drawings used to create 3D features.

Used for:

Think of them as: Blueprints taped to the workbench.

ASSEMBLIES

Multiple Part Designs working together.

Used for:

Think of it as: Putting multiple finished parts together.

ASSETS

Reusable resources stored in your Fusion account.

Includes:

Think of them as: Your drawer of reusable stuff.

2. Visual Hierarchy Map

DESIGN (the whole file)
│
├── Part Design (Component)
│     ├── Sketches
│     ├── Bodies
│     ├── Features (extrudes, fillets, etc.)
│     └── Origin
│
├── Part Design (Component)
│     ├── Sketches
│     ├── Bodies
│     └── Features
│
└── Assemblies (optional)
      ├── Joints
      ├── Motion
      └── Constraints

3. Most Important Rules

Rule 1 — Always create a Part Design first

Avoids body-only mode.

Rule 2 — Each physical part = one Part Design

Never mix unrelated bodies.

Rule 3 — Sketches belong to Part Designs

Never sketch at the top level.

Rule 4 — Assemblies are only for moving parts

If nothing moves, you don’t need one.

Rule 5 — Bodies are geometry, not parts

Bodies = shape.
Part Designs = actual parts.

4. Projects vs Designs vs Part Designs

PROJECT

A cloud folder in Fusion Team.

Create a Project when:

A Project does NOT affect modeling tools.

DESIGN

A Fusion 360 file (.f3d).

Contains:

This is where modeling happens.

PART DESIGN

A part inside a Design.

Create a Part Design when:

5. Rules We Learned About When You Can Create Each

You can create a Project:

You can create a Part Design only when:

You cannot create a Part Design when:

6. Keyboard Shortcuts (Modeling-Focused)

Selection & Workflow

Sketching

Solid Modeling

Inspect & Appearance

View Control

Bodies & Components

7. Example Structure: Motor + Frame With Wheels

1. Project Structure (Cloud Folder)

Project: Robot Drive System

Robot Drive System (Project)
│
├── Motor Assembly.f3d
├── Frame Assembly.f3d
├── Wheel.f3d
├── Tire.f3d
├── Axle.f3d
└── Shared Assets

Multiple people can work independently:

Reusable parts stored separately:

2. Motor Assembly Design

Motor Assembly (root)
│
├── Motor Housing (Part Design)
├── Rotor (Part Design)
├── Shaft (Part Design)
├── Mounting Plate (Part Design)
└── Fasteners (Part Design)

3. Frame Assembly Design

Frame Assembly (root)
│
├── Frame Rails (Part Design)
├── Cross Members (Part Design)
├── Motor Mount (Part Design)
├── Axle Mounts (Part Design)
├── Wheels (Inserted from Wheel.f3d)
├── Tires (Inserted from Tire.f3d)
└── Axles (Inserted from Axle.f3d)

4. Reusable Parts (Separate Designs)

Wheel.f3d

Wheel (root)
└── Wheel Body (Part Design)

Tire.f3d

Tire (root)
└── Tire Body (Part Design)

Axle.f3d

Axle (root)
└── Axle Shaft (Part Design)

8. Summary

Project Creation and Deletion

There appear to be some things that need to be done from the web portal. I have no idea why, but that seems to be the way it works.

Use the web to delete projects. First, you need to archive them. Then, go to the archive tab and you will see the archived project. From there, you can delete it. Be sure to refresh the page otherwisew it will look like the project is still there.

You can create a project from the hub page in the desktop aplication. Use the left pane navigation to select "Projects". Then, you can select "Create project" right above the list of current projects. Note that the default items in the hub are the "Assests" library and trhe "Default Project" project.

After you create a project and click on it, I expected so see a way to create something in the project. Perhaps I should have noticed it quickly, but in the left pane navigation, there is a clickable element with "New..." in it. Click on that and you will be prompted for what you want to design. In my case, I wanted to design a new enclosure for an electronics project, so I selected "Part Design". The help text says "Create sketches and bodies to model a single component to manufacture or use in an assembly."

When you create it you have the design surface in front of you. The "Browser" in the upper left tells you that your part has no nname yet. You can clich the save icon in the small toolbar (menu) in the upper left. There, you can give it a name and, if you want, create a new project and / or folder.

Understanding Parts and Assemblies in Fusion 360 (Beginner Summary)

1. What a “Part” Means in Fusion

A Part (called a Part Design in Fusion) represents one physical object in the real world.

Examples of Parts:

Rule:
If it exists as a separate physical object, model it as a separate Part Design.

2. What a “Design” Is

A Design is a Fusion 360 file (.f3d).
It is your modeling workspace.

A Design can contain:

Think of a Design as a workbench.

3. What an “Assembly” Is

An Assembly is when multiple Parts are positioned together.

Fusion supports two types:

A. Internal Assembly (inside one Design)

Multiple Part Designs inside a single file.

Example (enclosure):

Enclosure Design
│
├── Box (Part Design)
└── Faceplate (Part Design)

Use this when:

B. External Assembly (multiple Designs inserted into a top-level file)

Each subsystem is its own Design file.

Example (robot car):

DriveSystem_Assembly.f3d
│
├── Motor Assembly (inserted)
├── Frame Assembly (inserted)
└── Wheels/Tires/Axles (inserted)

Use this when:

4. How to Approach an Enclosure

No separate Assembly file needed.

5. How to Approach a Robot Car

Because different people work on different subsystems and some parts are reusable:

Separate Design files:

Then create a top-level Assembly Design and insert them.

This supports:

6. The Simple Mental Model

One physical object → one Part Design
One subsystem → one Design file
One complete product → one Assembly (internal or external)

7. Quick Decision Rule

If one person is building it → internal assembly.
If multiple people or reusable parts → external assembly.

🧩 When Two Pieces Bolted Together Are One “Unit” — Are They One Part or Two?

✔ Fusion Rule: If it starts as two pieces of material, it is two parts

Even if:

They are still two separate Part Designs because they began as two separate manufactured items.

✔ Only model as ONE part when:

Quick Guide

Two metal plates screwed together → TWO PARTS  
Two brackets welded together → TWO PARTS  
Two halves glued together → TWO PARTS  
One piece machined from billet → ONE PART  
One piece 3D printed → ONE PART

Why Fusion treats them separately

Bottom line:
If you could hold each piece separately in your hand before assembly, Fusion wants them as separate Part Designs.

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