3D Printing Essentials Usage Instructions

  1. Run Autodesk® Fusion®
  2. Run this Add-In
  3. Create a component in the Design workspace or open a Fusion design that contains a component.

Table of Contents

Design Workspace

Manufacture Workspace

Design Workspace

Add Parts

3D Print Panel > Scripts > Add Parts
  1. Click the Add Parts command to open a file selection dialog.
  2. Select one or more CAD or mesh files to import:
    • CAD Files: STEP (.step, .stp), SAT (.sat), IGES (.iges, .igs)
    • Mesh Files: STL (.stl), OBJ (.obj), 3MF (.3mf)
  3. Files will be imported into the active design.
Note: Import behavior can be customized in the Settings dialog:
  • Parametric Import: When enabled, imports are recorded in the design timeline.
  • Auto-repair Meshes: Automatically repairs broken mesh files using progressive repair methods. Repaired mesh bodies are labeled with a configurable suffix (set in Settings > Add Parts tab) so you can easily identify which meshes were repaired.
Known Limitations:
  • Part Design not supported: The Add Parts command is not available in Part Design mode. Switch to Assembly Design or Hybrid Design to use this command.
Result: A new component will be created for each imported file. Components are renamed to match their file names. For 3MF files, the part names and assembly structure are preserved. Repaired mesh bodies will have a suffix added to their name (configurable in Settings).

Duplicate Components

3D Print Panel > Tools > Duplicate Components
  1. Select one or more components.
  2. Specify the arrangement type: Same Location or Arrange in XYZ.
  3. If you selected Same Location, enter the Number of copies.
  4. If you selected Arrange in XYZ, enter the quantity in X, Y, or Z and the Distance between components. The Distance value controls the gap between the bounding boxes of adjacent components (edge-to-edge spacing, not center-to-center).
  5. Use the Flip checkbox to reverse the direction of duplication along an axis (e.g., duplicate in -X instead of +X).
  6. Use the Symmetric checkbox to distribute copies on both sides of the original component:
    • For odd quantities (e.g., 5): Equal copies on each side (2 in +X, 2 in -X).
    • For even quantities (e.g., 6): One more copy in the positive direction (3 in +X, 2 in -X).
    • Combine with Flip to place the extra copy in the negative direction instead.
  7. Press OK.
Result: New component instances will be created based on your specifications.
Known Limitations:
  • Part Design not supported: The Duplicate Components command is not available in Part Design mode. Switch to Assembly Design or Hybrid Design to use this command.

Minimize Bounding Box

3D Print Panel > Tools > Minimize Bounding Box
  1. Select one or more components.
    • If the design only has a single component, Fusion will auto-select it.
    • This command works with both solid bodies and mesh bodies.
  2. Select the target axis for alignment:
    • Z Axis: (Default) Aligns the shortest dimension to Z - ideal for SLS/MJF layer-based printing
    • Y Axis: Aligns the shortest dimension to Y
    • X Axis: Aligns the shortest dimension to X
  3. Press OK.
Result: The selected component(s) will be rotated such that the bounding box occupies the least amount of volume, with the shortest side aligned to your chosen axis. This function is a common pre-processing step for nesting parts within the build volume of an SLS/MJF 3D printer.
Note: The command uses Fusion's built-in Oriented Minimum Bounding Box algorithm for both solid and mesh bodies. For solid bodies, the occurrence-level orientedMinimumBoundingBox property is used. For mesh bodies, the command falls back to the mesh body-level orientedMinimumBoundingBox property, which provides equivalent results.
Known Limitations:
  • Part Design not supported: The Minimize Bounding Box command is not available in Part Design mode. Switch to Assembly Design or Hybrid Design to use this command.
  • Root component bodies: Bodies directly in the root component cannot be minimized. Move the body into a component first (right-click > Create Components from Bodies).

Optimize Orientation

3D Print Panel > Tools > Optimize Orientation
  1. Select one or more components.
    • If the design only has a single component, Fusion will auto-select it.
    • This command works with both solid bodies and mesh bodies.
  2. Configure the search parameters:
    • Search Resolution: Angular step size (5°–30°). Smaller values give more accurate results but take longer. 10° evaluates ~650 orientations; 5° evaluates ~2600.
    • Upskin Threshold: Upward-facing surfaces tilted less than this angle from horizontal are flagged as stair-stepping (default: 20°).
    • Downskin Threshold: Downward-facing surfaces tilted less than this angle from horizontal are flagged as stair-stepping (default: 15°).
    • Tessellation Quality: Controls the mesh density used for the orientation search (Low, Normal, High, or Very High).
  3. Use the Preview checkbox to toggle between the original and optimized orientations. The checkbox must be checked when you click OK to apply the optimization.
  4. Press OK.
How It Works:

The algorithm performs a brute-force upper-hemisphere search, evaluating every candidate build direction against the upskin and downskin angle thresholds. For each direction, it computes an area-weighted stair-stepping cost. The direction with the lowest cost is selected, and the component is rotated around its bounding-box center to align that direction with the Z-axis (build direction).

Result: The selected component(s) are rotated to minimize near-horizontal surface area (stair-stepping) relative to the build direction. The statistics panel shows the stair-stepping area before and after optimization, the percentage reduction, and the computation time.
Known Limitations:
  • Part Design not supported: The Optimize Orientation command is not available in Part Design mode. Switch to Assembly Design or Hybrid Design to use this command.
  • Root component bodies: Bodies directly in the root component cannot be optimized. Move the body into a component first (right-click > Create Components from Bodies).

Sinterbox

3D Print Panel > Tools > Sinterbox
  1. Select one or more solid or mesh bodies as Input Bodies.
  2. Customize the sinterbox parameters:
    • Cage thickness: Wall thickness of the sinterbox cage
    • Bar width: Width of the cage bars
    • Bar spacing: Distance between bars
    • XYZ Offsets: Positive and negative offsets from the bounding box
  3. Optionally add a label to the sinterbox:
    • Enable "Add Label" checkbox
    • Enter label text, choose font, height, depth, and padding
  4. Press OK.
Result: A new component named "Sinterbox" will be created. If "Move Bodies to New Component" is enabled, the selected bodies will be transferred to the new component and empty components will be removed. This ensures the component can be 3D nested as a group.
Known Limitations:
  • Part Design not supported: The Sinterbox command is not available in Part Design mode. Switch to Assembly Design or Hybrid Design to use this command.
  • Label may not fit: If the sinterbox faces are too small for the label text (based on text height, text length, and padding), the label will be silently skipped. Reduce text height or padding, or increase sinterbox offsets if the label does not appear.

Label

3D Print Panel > Tools > Label
  1. Select a CSV file containing a list of label text (one label per row).
  2. Select a body to label:
    • Solid bodies: Select a planar face on the body
    • Mesh bodies: Select the mesh body and a construction plane
  3. Configure text options:
    • Font, height, and extrusion depth
    • Text position offset (X and Y)
    • Text flipping options
  4. Configure arrangement options:
    • Arrangement direction (X, Y, or Z)
    • Spacing between components
  5. Press OK.
Result: New components will be created for each label in the CSV file. Each component contains a copy of the selected body with the corresponding label text extruded onto it. Components are renamed to include the label text.
Multi-row labels: Use \n in a CSV cell to create multi-row labels (e.g., Line1\nLine2 will produce a label with two lines of text).
Known Limitations:
  • Part Design not supported: The Label command is not available in Part Design mode. Switch to Assembly Design or Hybrid Design to use this command.
  • Mesh body label extrusion is symmetric: When labeling mesh bodies, the text is extruded equally in both directions from the sketch plane (two-sided extrusion). If you use the Cut operation on a thin or concave body (e.g., a U-shaped part), the symmetric extrusion may remove material from the opposite side of the body. For best results, use Cut on surfaces with sufficient material depth behind them.

Pins and Holes

3D Print Panel > Tools > Pins and Holes
  1. Select a solid body as input to the Body to Split.
    • This command works with solid bodies only (not mesh bodies).
  2. Select a Construction plane or any of the default planes (XY, XZ, YZ) as the Splitting plane.
  3. Select your distribution type (Rectangular or Triangular).
  4. Enter the numerical inputs: Hole Spacing, Pin height, and Pin diameter (must be positive values).
  5. If necessary, activate the Flip Direction checkbox to control which body gets holes vs pins.
  6. Press OK.
Result: The input body will be split into 2 bodies with interlocking pins and holes. The body with holes will have 90% opacity by default. Body suffixes and opacity can be customized in the Settings dialog.
Note: This command requires parametric modeling mode.

Minimum Part Gap Analysis

3D Print Panel > Analysis > Minimum Part Gap Analysis
  1. Run the command to analyze the minimum distance between all bodies in the scene.
Result: Displays the minimum distance between all bodies, helping identify parts that may be too close together for successful 3D printing.
Known Limitations:
  • Pairwise computation time: The analysis measures every pair of bodies, which scales quadratically. For scenes with a large number of bodies (50+), the analysis may take some time to complete.

Minimum Wall Thickness

3D Print Panel > Analysis > Minimum Wall Thickness
  1. Select bodies to analyze.
  2. Set the minimum wall thickness requirement (in mm).
  3. Choose tessellation quality for solid bodies.
  4. Optionally show passing regions and create selection sets.
  5. Press OK.
Result: Analyzes selected bodies and generates a report showing which bodies pass or fail the minimum wall thickness requirement, along with the thinnest measured value for each body. Optionally creates selection sets for passing and failing bodies for easy re-selection.

Upskin / Downskin Analysis

3D Print Panel > Analysis > Upskin / Downskin Analysis
  1. Select a body to analyze.
  2. Configure analysis settings:
    • Mode: Upskin only, Downskin only, or both
    • Upskin Angle: Threshold angle for upskin detection
    • Downskin Angle: Threshold angle for downskin detection
    • Build Direction: X, Y, or Z axis
    • Tessellation Quality: Low, Medium, High, or Very High (for solid bodies)
  3. Press OK.
Result: Highlights upskin regions (green) and downskin regions (red) on the selected body. Upskin surfaces face upward and typically require adjusted print parameters (e.g., upskin exposure or laser power settings) but do not need support structures. Downskin surfaces face downward and generally require support structures to prevent sagging or failed overhangs during printing.

Trapped Volume Analysis

3D Print Panel > Analysis > Trapped Volume Analysis
  1. Select a solid or mesh body to analyze.
  2. The tool automatically analyzes the body and displays results in real-time.
  3. Press OK or Cancel to exit (no permanent changes are made).
How Detection Works:
  • Solid Bodies: Uses Fusion's native shell topology. Internal void shells are identified as trapped volumes. Reports count and volume (cm³).
  • Mesh Bodies: Uses a negative volume detection algorithm (similar to Netfabb):
    1. Stage 1 - Shell Separation: Temporarily separates the mesh into individual shells
    2. Stage 2 - Negative Volume Check: Checks if any shell has a negative volume, indicating an internal/void shell with inward-facing normals
    This approach correctly identifies trapped volumes while ignoring through-holes and external features.
Result: Reports whether trapped volumes exist (YES/NO). For solid bodies, also displays trapped volume count and total volume. The selected body is shown at 20% opacity during analysis for visual clarity.
Known Limitations:
  • Mesh bodies — bounding-box containment check: For mesh bodies, trapped volume detection relies on shell separation followed by a negative-volume check. In rare cases, non-manifold or open meshes may not separate correctly into distinct shells, leading to missed detections.
  • Mesh bodies — no volume reporting: Unlike solid bodies, mesh body analysis only reports whether trapped volumes exist (YES/NO) — it does not report the trapped volume count or volume in cm³.

Interlock Analysis

3D Print Panel > Analysis > Interlock Analysis
  1. Select two or more solid or mesh bodies to check for interlocking.
  2. Choose a tessellation quality (Low, Medium, or High) for the analysis.
  3. Press OK.
How Detection Works:

Uses 3D voxel-based Directional Escape Analysis. The algorithm voxelizes all selected bodies onto a shared 3D grid, then checks each pair of bodies across all 6 axis-aligned directions (±X, ±Y, ±Z). For each direction, it walks every column perpendicular to that axis and determines whether one body can slide past the other without collision. This correctly handles concave geometry (holes, channels, recesses). If any of the 6 directions allows escape, the pair is separable. If no direction allows escape, the pair is interlocked — like chain links that cannot be pulled apart after printing.

The analysis also detects collisions (overlapping bodies that share voxels) and reports them before interlock checking can proceed.

Result: Displays a report showing which body pairs are interlocked (cannot be separated) and which are separable. Interlocked pairs are flagged with a warning, as they cannot be separated after 3D printing. If bodies overlap (collide), the collision is reported and must be resolved first.
Sinterbox note: If your setup contains a Sinterbox, the analysis will report parts inside the sinterbox as interlocked. This is expected — the sinterbox is designed to enclose parts. Exclude sinterbox bodies from the selection or ignore interlock results involving the sinterbox.
Known Limitations:
  • Axis-aligned directions only: The analysis checks separation along 6 cardinal directions (±X, ±Y, ±Z). Bodies that could be separated by diagonal or curved sliding paths may still be reported as interlocked.

Z Removability

3D Print Panel > Analysis > Z Removability
  1. Select two or more solid or mesh bodies to analyze for vertical removability.
  2. Choose a tessellation quality (Low, Medium, or High) for the analysis.
  3. Press OK.
How Detection Works:

Uses 3D voxel-based analysis to check vertical removability:

  1. Meshes all selected bodies and voxelizes them onto a shared 3D grid (surface rasterization).
  2. Detects collisions: if two bodies share a voxel, the overlap is reported and the analysis stops.
  3. Builds per-body per-column Z extents (min/max Z for each XY column) using the actual voxelized geometry.
  4. Performs pairwise mutual-blocking check: body A blocks body B if, in any shared XY column, the highest voxel of A is above the lowest voxel of B. A pair is stuck when both bodies block each other.
Result: Displays a report showing stuck pairs — bodies that mutually block each other and cannot be separated by lifting vertically. If no stuck pairs are found, all parts can be removed by lifting straight up. If bodies overlap (collide), the collision is reported and must be resolved first. This is useful for SLS/MJF builds where parts must be unpacked from the build platform after printing.
Sinterbox note: If your setup contains a Sinterbox, the analysis will report parts inside the sinterbox as stuck. This is expected — the sinterbox is designed to enclose parts. Exclude sinterbox bodies from the selection or ignore removability results involving the sinterbox.
Known Limitations:
  • Vertical (Z) removal only: Only straight upward (+Z) removal is considered. Parts that could be removed by sliding sideways or along a diagonal path are not evaluated.

FFF Setup Automation

3D Print Panel > Scripts > FFF Setup Automation
  1. Ensure you have components in your design.
  2. Run the command to open the configuration dialog.
  3. Select a Vendor and Machine from Fusion's machine library.
  4. Select a Print Setting for your chosen machine.
  5. Configure optional processing steps:
    • Orientation: Enable to automatically orient components. Select an orientation template and optionally filter the list by name.
    • Arrangement: Enable to automatically arrange components on the build plate. Select an arrangement template. Set Max Setups for multi-setup packing.
    • Support: Enable to automatically generate supports. Select a support template.
    • Toolpath Simulation: Enable to simulate the additive toolpath after setup creation.
  6. Optionally enable Generate Report to see a summary when finished.
  7. Press OK.
Result: Creates an FFF setup in the Manufacture workspace:
  • Creates a new Manufacturing Model
  • Creates an additive setup with the selected machine and print setting
  • Orients components using the selected template (if enabled)
  • Arranges components on the build plate (if enabled). If not all parts fit, additional setups are created automatically up to the max setups limit
  • Generates supports using the selected template (if enabled)
  • Simulates the additive toolpath (if enabled)
  • Displays an HTML summary report (if enabled)
Note: All dialog settings are remembered between sessions. The automation supports cancellation at any time.
Known Limitations:
  • Cloud template classification: Templates stored in the Fusion Cloud library cannot be inspected for their contents (arrange, orient, or support type). As a result, all cloud templates appear in all template dropdowns regardless of their actual type. To work around this, give your cloud templates descriptive names and use the name-based filter field to narrow the list.

SLA/DLP Setup Automation

3D Print Panel > Scripts > SLA/DLP Setup Automation
  1. Ensure you have components in your design.
  2. Run the command to open the configuration dialog.
  3. Select a Vendor and Machine from Fusion's SLA/DLP machine library.
  4. Select a Print Setting for your chosen machine.
  5. Configure optional processing steps:
    • Orientation: Enable to automatically orient components using a selected template.
    • Arrangement: Enable to arrange components on the build plate. Set Max Setups for multi-setup packing.
    • Support: Enable to automatically generate supports using a selected template.
  6. Optionally enable Generate Report to see a summary when finished.
  7. Press OK.
Result: Creates an SLA/DLP setup in the Manufacture workspace:
  • Creates a new Manufacturing Model
  • Creates a setup with the selected machine and print setting
  • Orients, arranges, and generates supports based on enabled options
  • Supports multi-setup packing when arrangement is enabled — additional setups are created for overflow parts
  • Displays an HTML summary report (if enabled)
Note: All dialog settings are remembered between sessions. The automation supports cancellation at any time.
Known Limitations:
  • Cloud template classification: Templates stored in the Fusion Cloud library cannot be inspected for their contents (arrange, orient, or support type). As a result, all cloud templates appear in all template dropdowns regardless of their actual type. To work around this, give your cloud templates descriptive names and use the name-based filter field to narrow the list.

MJF / Binder Jet Setup Automation

3D Print Panel > Scripts > MJF / Binder Jet Setup Automation
  1. Ensure you have components in your design.
  2. Run the command to open the configuration dialog.
  3. Select a Vendor (e.g., HP, Desktop Metal, Digital Metal) and Machine from the library.
  4. Select a Print Setting for your chosen machine.
  5. Configure orientation options (optional). Use this option to find an orientation that minimizes stair-stepping effects:
    • Enable/disable Orientation Optimization with the group checkbox.
    • Set Search Resolution (5°–30°) — the angular step size for the orientation search. Smaller values give more accurate results but take longer.
    • Set Upskin Threshold (5°–45°) — upward-facing surfaces tilted less than this angle from horizontal are flagged as stair-stepping.
    • Set Downskin Threshold (5°–45°) — downward-facing surfaces tilted less than this angle from horizontal are flagged as stair-stepping.
    • Select Tessellation Quality (Low / Normal / High / Very High) — controls the mesh density used for the orientation search.
  6. Configure arrangement options:
    • Enable/disable Arrangement with the group checkbox.
    • Optionally filter arrangement templates by name.
    • Select an Arrange Template from the Fusion, local, or cloud template library.
    • Set Max Setups for multi-setup packing (1-100).
  7. Optionally enable Generate Report to see a summary when finished.
  8. Press OK.
Tip: If you are using orientation optimization, select an arrangement template that does not rotate parts or only rotates them around the Z-axis. Otherwise, the arrangement step may override the optimized orientations and you will lose the benefit of minimized stair-stepping.
Result: Creates an MJF or Binder Jet setup in the Manufacture workspace:
  • Creates a new Manufacturing Model
  • Optimizes component orientations to minimize stair-stepping (if enabled)
  • Creates an additive setup with the selected machine and print setting
  • Arranges components within the build volume (if enabled). If not all parts fit, additional setups and Manufacturing Models are created automatically
  • Parts too large for the build volume are identified and placed in a separate Manufacturing Model
  • Displays an HTML summary report showing parts arranged, setups created, and time elapsed (if enabled)
Note: All dialog settings are remembered between sessions. When arrangement is disabled, a single setup is created with all parts without arranging them.
Known Limitations:
  • Cloud template classification: Templates stored in the Fusion Cloud library cannot be inspected for their contents (arrange, orient, or support type). As a result, all cloud templates appear in all template dropdowns regardless of their actual type. To work around this, give your cloud templates descriptive names and use the name-based filter field to narrow the list.

SLS Setup Automation

3D Print Panel > Scripts > SLS Setup Automation
  1. Ensure you have components in your design.
  2. Run the command to open the configuration dialog.
  3. Select a Vendor (e.g., EOS, Formlabs, Sinterit, Farsoon) and Machine from the SLS machine library.
  4. Select a Print Setting for your chosen machine:
    • EOS machines use EOS-specific print settings
    • Formlabs machines use Formlabs SLS settings (matched to Fuse 1 vs Fuse 1+)
    • Other vendors use Generic SLS settings
  5. Configure orientation options (optional). Use this option to find an orientation that minimizes stair-stepping effects:
    • Enable/disable Orientation Optimization with the group checkbox.
    • Set Search Resolution (5°–30°) — the angular step size for the orientation search. Smaller values give more accurate results but take longer.
    • Set Upskin Threshold (5°–45°) — upward-facing surfaces tilted less than this angle from horizontal are flagged as stair-stepping.
    • Set Downskin Threshold (5°–45°) — downward-facing surfaces tilted less than this angle from horizontal are flagged as stair-stepping.
    • Select Tessellation Quality (Low / Normal / High / Very High) — controls the mesh density used for the orientation search.
  6. Configure arrangement options:
    • Enable/disable Arrangement with the group checkbox.
    • Optionally filter arrangement templates by name.
    • Select an Arrange Template.
    • Set Max Setups for multi-setup packing (1-100).
  7. Optionally enable Generate Report to see a summary when finished.
  8. Press OK.
Tip: If you are using orientation optimization, select an arrangement template that does not rotate parts or only rotates them around the Z-axis. Otherwise, the arrangement step may override the optimized orientations and you will lose the benefit of minimized stair-stepping.
Result: Creates an SLS setup in the Manufacture workspace:
  • Creates a new Manufacturing Model
  • Optimizes component orientations to minimize stair-stepping (if enabled)
  • Creates an additive setup with the selected SLS machine and print setting
  • Arranges components within the build volume (if enabled). If not all parts fit, additional setups and Manufacturing Models are created automatically
  • Parts too large for the build volume are identified and placed in a separate Manufacturing Model
  • Displays an HTML summary report (if enabled)
Note: All dialog settings are remembered between sessions. When arrangement is disabled, a single setup is created with all parts without arranging them.
Known Limitations:
  • Cloud template classification: Templates stored in the Fusion Cloud library cannot be inspected for their contents (arrange, orient, or support type). As a result, all cloud templates appear in all template dropdowns regardless of their actual type. To work around this, give your cloud templates descriptive names and use the name-based filter field to narrow the list.

MPBF Setup Automation

3D Print Panel > Scripts > MPBF Setup Automation
  1. Ensure you have components in your design.
  2. Run the command to open the configuration dialog.
  3. Select a Vendor (e.g., EOS, Renishaw, SLM Solutions, Trumpf, DMG MORI, Additive Industries) and Machine from the MPBF machine library.
  4. Select a Print Setting for your chosen machine.
  5. Configure optional processing steps:
    • Orientation: Enable to automatically orient components. Select an orientation template and optionally filter the list by name.
    • Arrangement: Enable to automatically arrange components on the build plate. Select an arrangement template. Set Max Setups for multi-setup packing.
    • Support: Enable to automatically generate supports. Select a support template.
    • Toolpath Generation: Enable to generate additive toolpaths and simulate the first setup after creation.
  6. Optionally enable Generate Report to see a summary when finished.
  7. Press OK.
Result: Creates an MPBF setup in the Manufacture workspace:
  • Creates a new Manufacturing Model
  • Creates an additive setup with the selected MPBF machine and print setting
  • Orients components using the selected template (if enabled)
  • Arranges components within the build volume (if enabled). If not all parts fit, additional setups and Manufacturing Models are created automatically up to the max setups limit
  • Generates supports using the selected template (if enabled)
  • Generates toolpaths and simulates (if enabled)
  • Parts too large for the build volume are identified and placed in a separate Manufacturing Model
  • Displays a summary report (if enabled)
Note: This command requires the Manufacturing Extension. If the extension is not available, a prompt will offer to learn more about it. All dialog settings are remembered between sessions.
Known Limitations:
  • Manufacturing Extension required: The MPBF Setup Automation requires the Autodesk Manufacturing Extension to be active. Without it, the command cannot create metal powder bed fusion setups.
  • Cloud template classification: Templates stored in the Fusion Cloud library cannot be inspected for their contents (arrange, orient, or support type). As a result, all cloud templates appear in all template dropdowns regardless of their actual type. To work around this, give your cloud templates descriptive names and use the name-based filter field to narrow the list.

Settings

3D Print Panel > Settings (available in Design, Manufacturing Model, and Manufacture workspaces)

The Settings dialog allows you to customize various options for the 3D Printing Essentials add-in:

Add Parts Tab

  • Parametric Import: Enable/disable timeline history during imports
  • Auto-repair Meshes: Automatically repair broken mesh files
  • Repaired Mesh Suffix: Suffix added to repaired mesh names

Pins and Holes Tab

  • Pins Suffix: Suffix added to the body with pins
  • Holes Suffix: Suffix added to the body with holes
  • Holes Opacity: Opacity of the body with holes (0-1)

Updates Tab

  • Automatically check for updates: When enabled, the add-in will automatically check for updates when Autodesk Fusion starts. You can still manually check for updates using the "Check for Updates" command.

Check for Updates

3D Print Panel > Check for Updates (available in Design, Manufacturing Model, and Manufacture workspaces)
  1. Click the Check for Updates command.
  2. The add-in will check the Autodesk App Store for newer versions.
Result: If a newer version is available, you will be notified with information about the update and instructions to download it from the Autodesk App Store. If you have the latest version, a confirmation message will be displayed.
Note: The add-in also automatically checks for updates periodically when Fusion starts (can be disabled in Settings > Updates tab).
Manufacture Workspace

Tessellate

Additive Tab > Prepare Panel > Tessellate
  1. Select components to tessellate.
  2. Configure tessellation settings:
    • Refinement: Choose preset or custom settings
    • Surface Deviation: Maximum distance from original surface (0.001 - 100)
    • Normal Deviation: Maximum angle between face normals (1 - 41)
    • Max Edge Length: Maximum face edge length (0.001 - 10000)
    • Aspect Ratio: Height to width ratio of mesh faces (1 - 21.5)
  3. Press OK.
Result: Selected solid bodies are converted to mesh bodies with the specified tessellation quality.

Scale

Additive Tab > Prepare Panel > Scale
  1. Select solid or mesh bodies to scale.
  2. Select a point as the center of the scale operation.
  3. Choose scale type:
    • Uniform: Scale equally in all directions
    • Non-Uniform: Scale independently in X, Y, and Z
  4. Enter scale factor(s) (0.001 - 1000).
  5. Press OK.
Result: Selected bodies are scaled by the specified factor(s).
Note: This command only works on bodies within a Manufacturing Model.

Mirror

Additive Tab > Prepare Panel > Mirror
  1. Select components to mirror.
  2. Select a mirror plane or planar face.
  3. Choose whether to add new copies to the active setup.
  4. Press OK.
Result: Mirrored copies of the selected components are created.
Note: This command only works on components within a Manufacturing Model.

Sinterbox

Additive Tab > Prepare Panel > Sinterbox

Same functionality as the Design workspace Sinterbox command, optimized for use within a Manufacturing Model.

Label

Additive Tab > Prepare Panel > Label

Same functionality as the Design workspace Label command, with an additional option to add new labeled components to the active setup.

Optimize Orientation

Additive Tab > Prepare Panel > Optimize Orientation

Same functionality as the Design workspace Optimize Orientation command, available for use within a Manufacturing Model context. Useful for minimizing stair-stepping on parts before arranging them in the build volume.

Component List

Additive Tab > Prepare Panel > Component List
  1. Ensure you have an active setup with components.
  2. Run the command to see a summary table of components and their quantities.
  3. Configure the Capture component images options:
    • Enable or disable image capture with the group checkbox. When disabled, the exported HTML will not include component images.
    • First instance: Isolates and zooms into a single instance of each unique component. The resulting image shows only that component, cleanly framed against a blank background. This is ideal for identifying individual parts.
    • All: Shows all instances of a component in the context of the full build layout without changing the camera view. This is useful for seeing how many copies of each part are placed and where they sit relative to other parts.
  4. Click Export HTML to save the report, or Cancel to close without exporting.
Result: Generates a list of all components within the machine's build volume of the active setup. The exported HTML report includes the component name, quantity, volume, bounding box dimensions, and a comments field for each component. An overview screenshot of the full build layout is always captured and displayed at the top of the report regardless of the image capture setting.

Minimum Part Gap Analysis

Additive Tab > Prepare Panel > Analysis > Minimum Part Gap Analysis

Same functionality as the Design workspace Minimum Part Gap Analysis command, available for use within a Manufacturing Model context. Uses setup bodies if a setup is active, otherwise uses the manufacturing model or design bodies.

Minimum Wall Thickness

Additive Tab > Prepare Panel > Analysis > Minimum Wall Thickness

Same functionality as the Design workspace Minimum Wall Thickness command, available for use within a Manufacturing Model context.

Upskin / Downskin Analysis

Additive Tab > Prepare Panel > Analysis > Upskin / Downskin Analysis

Same functionality as the Design workspace Upskin / Downskin Analysis command, available for use within a Manufacturing Model context.

Trapped Volume Analysis

Additive Tab > Prepare Panel > Analysis > Trapped Volume Analysis

Same functionality as the Design workspace Trapped Volume Analysis command, available for use within a Manufacturing Model context. Supports both solid and mesh bodies with the two-stage detection algorithm for reliable mesh analysis.

Interlock Analysis

Additive Tab > Prepare Panel > Analysis > Interlock Analysis

Same functionality as the Design workspace Interlock Analysis command, available for use within a Manufacturing Model context. Select bodies from the Manufacturing Model or active setup to check for interlocking.

Z Removability

Additive Tab > Prepare Panel > Analysis > Z Removability

Same functionality as the Design workspace Z Removability command, available for use within a Manufacturing Model context. Useful for verifying that parts in a powder bed build can be unpacked vertically after printing.

Slice Analysis

Additive Tab > Prepare Panel > Analysis > Slice Analysis
  1. Ensure you have an active additive setup with bodies.
  2. Configure analysis parameters:
    • Voxel Size: Size of each voxel cube in millimeters. Smaller values are more accurate but slower.
    • Layer Thickness: Slice thickness in millimeters.
    • Tessellation Quality: Low, Medium, or High (for solid bodies).
  3. Press OK.
How It Works:

The algorithm tessellates all bodies (solid and mesh) in the active setup, voxelizes them onto a shared isotropic 3D grid, solid-fills the interior using column Z-parity, then counts filled voxels at each layer height to compute cross-sectional area.

Result: Opens an interactive HTML report in your browser showing a graph of cross-sectional area (cm²) vs layer number. The report includes metadata such as the number of bodies analyzed, total layers, layer thickness, voxel size, and Z range. This is useful for identifying layers with large cross-sections that may cause thermal issues during powder bed fusion printing.
Known Limitations:
  • No build volume pre-check: The analysis does not verify that parts are inside the machine's build volume before running. Make sure all parts are arranged within the build volume to get accurate results. Parts outside the build volume will still be included in the calculation and may skew the cross-sectional area data.
  • Manufacture workspace only: This command requires an active additive setup in the Manufacture workspace. It is not available in the Design workspace.
  • Voxel resolution vs. speed: Very small voxel sizes produce more accurate results but dramatically increase computation time and memory usage. The grid is automatically capped at 2000 voxels per dimension or 200 million total voxels.

Center On Platform

Additive Tab > Prepare Panel > Center On Platform
  1. Ensure you have an active additive setup with a machine assigned.
  2. Select one or more components from the active Manufacturing Model.
  3. Optionally set a Platform clearance (Z offset in mm) to leave a gap between the component and the platform surface.
  4. Choose the Move as Group option:
    • Enabled: Selected components maintain their relative positions and move together as a group.
    • Disabled: Each component is centered individually (they may overlap at the center).
  5. Press OK.
Result: Selected components are centered on the additive build platform in X and Y, and positioned at the platform surface in Z (plus any specified clearance). The command accounts for the machine's platform origin offset, ensuring correct centering for all machine types including those with centered coordinate systems (e.g., Renishaw AM250) and corner-origin systems (e.g., most FDM printers).

Move By Keyboard

Additive Tab > Prepare Panel > Move By Keyboard
  1. Select components to move.
  2. Set the translation increment (default: 5 mm) and rotation increment (default: 90°).
  3. Use keyboard controls:
    • Translation: Press X, Y, or Z to move in positive direction; hold ALT + key for negative direction
    • Rotation: Hold R + press X, Y, or Z to rotate; hold ALT + R + key for opposite rotation
  4. Press OK to commit changes.
Result: Selected components are moved/rotated by the specified increments. Final positions are committed via Manufacturing Model snapshots.

Post Configurator

Additive Tab > Actions Panel > Post Configurator
  1. Open the Post Configurator.
  2. Configure post processor settings for your FFF machine.
  3. Save the custom post processor.
Result: Creates or modifies custom post processors for use with FFF (Fused Filament Fabrication) machines.

Display Component Colors

All Tabs > Inspect Panel > Display Component Colors
  1. Click the button to toggle component color display on/off.
Result: Toggles the display of component colors in the canvas. When enabled, each component is displayed with a distinct color for easier identification.
Keyboard Shortcut: Shift + N

Display Mesh Face Groups

All Tabs > Inspect Panel > Display Mesh Face Groups
  1. Click the button to toggle mesh face group display on/off.
Result: Toggles the display of mesh face groups in the canvas. When enabled, different face groups within mesh bodies are displayed with distinct colors.
Keyboard Shortcut: Shift + F

Netfabb for Fusion

Additive Tab > Actions Panel > Netfabb for Fusion
  1. Ensure you have an active setup with bodies.
  2. Click the Netfabb for Fusion button.
Result: Transfers all bodies within your active Setup to the latest installed version of Autodesk Netfabb for advanced mesh repair and analysis.
Note: This command is only available on Windows and requires Autodesk Netfabb to be installed.