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Autodesk Fusion 360 Tutorial
This tutorial provides an overview of the basic features and functionality of Autodesk Fusion 360. Fusion
360 is a powerful 3D CAD (Computer-Assisted Design) platform that enables modelling, simulation, tool-
pathing, and animation. Fusion 360 provides many of the features found in other 3D modelling
platforms like SolidWorks and SketchUp, and it offers an intuitive and straightforward user interface
experience.
This tutorial will guide you through the design of a simple 3D car model. Although this is by no means an
exhaustive walkthrough of all the features offered by Fusion 360, it will give some basic insight into
constructing models which can subsequently be 3D-printed or CNC-milled. You should install Fusion 360
on your computer or access a computer with the software installed before continuing the tutorial. This
tutorial will also show you how to create 2D drawing and export as PDF file, and how to export the
model as STL file for 3D printing.
Constructing a Model Car
After watching the videos, you should already be familiar with the basic menus and controls of Fusion
360, we can now proceed to build a simple 3D car model.
We’ll begin our car model by drawing a rectangle. The 2-point rectangle tool can be found as in Figure 1.
Figure 1: Selecting the Rectangle Tool
When you click on any sketching tool, Fusion 360 will ask you on what plane or face you would like to
draw your 2D sketch. In this example, we will select the X-Z plane, which by default is the plane defined
by the blue and red directions as shown in Figure 2.
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Figure 2: Selecting Sketch Plane
For this sketch, we’re going to make a model car that is 100 mm long and 50 mm wide, whose upper left
corner is at the origin. Click the origin and and place your first corner there. Then you can drag your
rectangle to be 50mm x 100mm. You may need to zoom out a bit to fit this size of object on the screen.
Once you drag and size the rectangle to the desired dimensions, click the location where your opposite
corner should lie. One you finish, click “Stop Sketch”.
Figure 3: Dragging Rectangle to the Right Dimensions
Now we will raise a 3D object from the 2D sketch. Go to “MODIFY”-> “Press Pull” and select the
rectangle as shown in Figure 4. The selected face will turn blue.
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Figure 4: Selecting the Press Pull Tool and Choosing Face to Modify
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Once you click on the rectangle sketch to select it, a blue arrow should appear. Click on this arrow, and
drag it upward until the dimension reads “20.00 mm” as shown in Figure 5, click “OK”. This will be the
height of the base of our car.
Figure 5: Using the Extrude Tool from Press Pull
Now we are going to build the roof of the car. In the SKETCH menu, find and select the 3-Point Arc Tool
as shown in Figure 6.
Figure 6: Selecting the 3-Point Arc Tool
We are going to draw the arc on the plane associated with the front face of the car. Select this face as
shown in Figure 7 in order to proceed.
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Figure 7: Selecting Front Face of Car
To draw the arc, place the starting point on one of the top ends of the rectangular prism, then place the
ending point on the other top end. The third point will allow you to contour the arc. In this example we
will place the top of the arc above the center point of the car at 50 mm. Raise it about 15 mm above the
center point, and click it into place. You should get an output similar to that shown in Figure 8. Note the
area under the arc should turn light yellow (means a closed area) as shown in the figure.
Figure 8: Car Roof Arc
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Click “Stop Sketch”. Use the “Press Pull” tool to extrude the roof surface over the entire car as shown in
Figure 9. Click “OK”.
Figure 9: Extruding the Roof
Next we’re going to soften up the edges between the roof, car base, and along the lower edge of the
car. To do this, again select “MODIFY”-> “Press Pull”. Select all the 12 edges of the car, apply a 5-mm
filet and click “OK”. It should look like the view in Figure 10.
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Figure 10: Filleting the Edges
Next, we will create the wheel well. Locate the Center Diameter Circle tool under the SKETCH menu.
Specify front face as the sketch face, and mark the center of the circle 15 mm from the origin along the
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bottom edge. Specify a diameter of 22 mm for the wheel well by typing in the diameter dimension text
box as shown in Figure 11, then click and put the circle in place. Click “Stop Sketch”.
Figure 11: Drawing Wheel Well
Now go to “MODIFY”->”Press Pull”. Select both the top and bottom portion of the circle you just drew,
and extrude the wheel well inward by 10 mm as shown in Figure 12.
Figure 12: Extruding Wheel Well
Perform the same circle and extrusion operation in order to construct the remaining three wheel wells.
Note you can use the “Orbit” button on the bottom center tool bar or use the Perspective Cube at the
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upper right corner to get to the back side of the car. One you finish, the result should look something
like Figure 13 when viewed from below.
Figure 13: Finished Wheel Wells
Next we will add four wheels. Again use the Center Diameter Circle tool to draw a circle of diameter 18
mm inside each wheel well as shown in Figure 14. Select the inmost face as the sketch plane for the
circle.
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Figure 14: Sketching the Wheel Circle
Use “Press Pull” to extrude the circle to the same width as wheel well, which is 10 mm. Once you have
extruded all four wheels, the bottom view of the car should look like Figure 15. It’s finally starting to look
more like a car!
Figure 15: Wheels Complete
Now if you like, you can use your creativity to customize the car by adding finishing touches using basic
shape sketches and extrusions. For example, you can add rear window (need construction plane for
this), doors with windows and handles, headlights, a radiator grill, and tire rims as shown in Figure 16.
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Figure 16: Finishing Touches
Creating 2D Drawing
Now we will create orthographic 3-view 2D drawing from our 3D model. Before we can create the
drawing, we have to first save the design. Go to “Save as”, you can give your car a name such as “car” or
any other name you like, and click “Save” as shown in Figure 17.
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Figure 17: Saving Design
Note all your designs are saved in the cloud. You can access your design from the web at https://myhub.autodesk360.com/portal/. To access a design from Fusion 360 program on your computer, click the Data Panel button on the top left, and you can navigate to your folders and designs as shown in Figure 18.
Figure 18: Navigating Folders and Designs
Now go to “New Drawing”-> “From Design” as shown in Figure 19.
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Figure 19: Creating New Drawing from Design
Choose “ASME” as Standard, “mm” as Units, and select Sheet Size to be “11in x 8.5in” as shown in
Figure 20. Click OK.
Figure 20: Creating Drawing
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Change the scale to 1:1 and place the base view at the left center as shown in Figure 21.
Figure 21: Placing Base (Front) View
Now click on “Projected View”, the 2nd icon from the top left. Select the parent view on the drawing.
Place a top view and a right side view on the drawing as shown in Figure 22. Then press “Enter” on your
keyboard.
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Figure 22: Placing Top and Side Views
Now we have a top, front and right side orthographic 2D drawing of our 3D model. We will add another
isometric view. Click “Base View”, the first icon from the top left. Change Orientation to “NE Isometric”
and Scale to 1:1 as shown in Figure 23. Place the view at a proper location and click “OK”.
Figure 23: Placing Isometric View
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Now that we have our 2D drawing, we can create a PDF file from it by clicking “Output”-> “Output PDF”
as shown in Figure 24. Click “OK”. You will be prompted to save the PDF file. You can also save the
drawing by clicking on the Save icon at the top of the menu bar, so that you can access the drawing in
the Fusion 360 workspace.
Figure 24: Exporting Drawing as PDF File
3D Printing
One more thing before concluding this tutorial. You can export your design as a STL file, which can be
opened in a 3D printing utility or sent directly to the 3D printer, depending on compatibility. Go to
“Make” -> “3D Print” as shown in Figure 25.
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Figure 25: 3D Print
Select the part you want to 3D print, uncheck the “Send to 3D Print Utility” box, and click “OK”. Then
you will be prompted to save the STL file. Alternatively, you can send the 3D model data to a program
like Print Studio and use it to format the print job.
Figure 26: Export to STL File
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Extra: Construction Plane
This is a practice of using construction plane to create rear window.
To begin, we’re going to use a construction plane to create a sketch plane oriented tangentially to the
arced roof surface. Use the construction plane tool marked “Tangent Plane,” as seen in Figure 27.
Figure 27: Construction Plane Tool
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Now specify the location of the plane by select the top (roof) face as shown in Figure 28. Click “OK”.
Figure 28: Construction Plane Alignment
Click the 2-point rectangle tool, then specify the construction/tangent plane as the sketch plane. Draw a
rectangle where you want to place the rear window as shown in Figure 29. Then click “Stop Sketch”.
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Figure 29: Rear Window Placement
Now select the rectangle and use “Modify->Press Pull” to extrude it inward by 1 mm as shown in Figure
30. Click “OK”. Now you have your rear window.
Figure 30: Extruding the Rear Window
