Changing Drawing Settings in Fusion

Are you tired of spending countless hours manually creating drawing sets in Fusion? Do you wish there was a way to speed up the process without sacrificing accuracy and detail? Imagine generating complete drawing packages with just a few clicks, freeing you up to focus on more critical aspects of your design.

Fusion offers powerful automation tools that can revolutionize your drawing creation workflow. By leveraging drawing templates and customizing document settings, you can control exactly how your drawings are generated, ensuring consistency and saving valuable time.

This guide will walk you through the process of automating your drawing sets in Fusion. You'll learn how to create custom drawing templates, adjust document settings to meet your specific needs, and optimize the automation process for maximum efficiency. Let's dive in and make drawing creation easier!

Understanding Fusion Drawing Templates

Drawing templates in Fusion are like pre-set blueprints for your drawings. They define the layout, views, and annotations that will be automatically included when you create a drawing set. Using templates ensures consistency across all your drawings and drastically reduces the time spent on repetitive tasks. It's all about working smarter, not harder!

Creating a New Drawing Template

Let's begin by making a new drawing template. First, go to the "File" menu and select "New Drawing Template." You'll then get options to choose a standard, like ASME or ISO. You'll also pick a sheet size, such as A, B, C, or D. Choosing the right settings here sets the foundation for your entire drawing set. It helps ensure everything fits well.

Utilizing Base View Placeholders

Base view placeholders are super useful. They let you define what should appear on each sheet by default. When you click on a placeholder, you can choose the source. You can pick an assembly, a component, or even a sheet metal flat pattern. You can also set the view orientation, like front, side, or isometric. These placeholders help you to build your drawing automatically.

Customizing Drawing Template Elements

Now let's discuss customizing different parts of the drawing template. This includes things like title blocks, tables, and annotations. Adjusting these elements lets you tailor the drawing to your exact needs. Let's explore how to make it your own!

Adding Bills of Materials (BOM)

Adding a Bill of Materials, or BOM, is simple. If you have an assembly view in your template, Fusion 360 knows you'll likely want a parts list. Just click on the "Table" tool, and it will create a BOM linked to that view. You can then position the BOM where it makes the most sense on your sheet. This is really efficient.

Incorporating Automated Center Marks and Center Lines

To add automated center marks and center lines, select your base view. You'll find options to automatically add them for holes, round extrudes, and round cuts. You can customize these marks and lines further to meet specific standards. This ensures clear and accurate drawings every single time.

Automating Drawing Creation from a 3D Model

Here's where the magic truly happens! Let's use our created template to automatically generate drawings from a 3D model. It saves so much time and hassle.

Selecting Automatic Drawing Creation

To start, go to "File--> New Drawing from Design". Instead of choosing "Manual", pick "Automatic". Then, select the drawing template you just made. Fusion will use the settings in your template to create the drawing set.

Understanding Level Options: First Level vs. All Levels

When creating automatic drawings, you'll see two options. You can pick "First Level" or "All Levels". "First Level" only includes parts at the top level of your assembly. "All Levels" includes everything, even parts in subassemblies. Picking "All Levels" will make way more drawings.

Fine-Tuning Document Settings for Optimal Drawings

The document settings allow you to fine-tune your drawing output. You can adjust text sizes, units, and annotation styles to get the exact look you want. This ensures your drawings are clear, precise, and professional.

Adjusting Text Settings and Units

To adjust text settings, go to "Document Settings". You can find this through the Change Document Settings icon. Here, you can change the text height, choosing from small, medium, or large. You can also set a custom size. Changing linear precision lets you control the number of decimal places in your dimensions. You can even turn on leading or trailing zeros!

Modifying Annotation and View Defaults

In the "Annotation" tab, you can change line types, colors, and arrowheads for dimensions. You can customize view defaults for assemblies and components. Options include tangent edges, hidden lines, and center marks. For example, you might want to change the color of all dimensions to blue.

Excluding Unnecessary Components

The "Emit Components" feature is a game-changer. It lets you exclude certain components from your drawing set automatically. You can add keywords like "bolt," "screw," "hinge," and "pin." Fusion will then skip creating drawings for any component with those words in their name. This cleans up your drawing set.

Advanced Tips and Tricks for Enhanced Drawings

Here are some additional tricks to enhance your drawing sets. These tips can help you polish your drawings. Let's make them shine!

Manipulating Bills of Materials for Clarity

If your Bill of Materials is too long to fit on a sheet, don't worry! Click the small triangle at the bottom of the BOM and drag it to break the BOM into multiple columns. This makes it way easier to read.

Aligning Balloons Quickly

Aligning balloons can be tedious. Use the "Align Balloons" feature. Select the balloons, specify a start point, and they'll line up perfectly. This is a huge time-saver!

Conclusion: Mastering Automated Drawings in Fusion

By mastering the techniques outlined in this guide, you can significantly reduce the time and effort required to create professional-quality drawing sets in Fusion. From creating custom templates to fine-tuning document settings, these automation tools empower you to focus on design innovation while ensuring accurate and consistent documentation. Embrace these features, and unlock a new level of efficiency in your design workflow. Happy designing!