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Fusion 360 Cheat Sheet

A quick reference for designing parts in Autodesk Fusion 360. This is the handout from the Fusion 360 Basics class; see Classes and Instructors: Fusion 360 Basics for the class itself.

The core workflow

This is the process you will repeat for almost everything you build:

  1. Sketch a 2D shape on a plane or face.
  2. Extrude it into 3D (add material).
  3. Sketch on a face of your 3D object.
  4. Cut to remove material (extrude inward).
  5. Fillet to round edges and finish.
  6. Repeat steps 3 to 5 to add detail.

Keyboard shortcuts

Shortcut Action
S Search bar (find any tool by name)
L Line
C Circle
R Rectangle
D Sketch Dimension
E Extrude
F Fillet
Q Push/Pull
M Move/Copy
Ctrl+Z / Cmd+Z Undo

Tip: press S and type the name of any tool. It is the fastest way to find anything.

Mouse navigation

Action Control
Orbit Middle mouse button
Pan Shift + middle mouse button
Zoom Scroll wheel
Reset view Click the house icon on the view cube (top right)

Practice project: phone stand

The class project. Dimensions are included so you can rebuild it at home.

Step 1: Base

  1. Create Sketch on the XZ plane (the floor).
  2. Draw a Rectangle: 70 mm x 80 mm.
  3. Finish Sketch.
  4. Extrude (Symmetric): 10 mm.

Step 2: Back support

  1. Create Sketch on the back face (the 70 mm x 10 mm face).
  2. Draw a Rectangle from the top-left corner: 70 mm wide x 60 mm tall.
  3. Finish Sketch.
  4. Extrude: 10 mm (away from the base).

Step 3: Phone slot

  1. Create Sketch on the top face of the base.
  2. Draw a Rectangle: 50 mm x 4 mm, positioned 5 mm from the back wall.
  3. Finish Sketch.
  4. Extrude as Cut: -8 mm (leaves a 2 mm floor).

Step 4: Fillet

  1. Select Fillet (or press F).
  2. Click the top edges of the back support; radius 5 mm.
  3. Optionally fillet the bottom edges of the base: 3 mm.

Dimensions reference

Feature Size
Base 70 x 80 x 10 mm
Back support 70 x 60 x 10 mm
Phone slot 50 x 4 mm, 8 mm deep cut
Fillets 5 mm (top), 3 mm (bottom)

Stuck? Check here first

Problem Fix
Can't see my sketch Click the Home icon on the view cube
Extrude is grayed out Click Finish Sketch first
Extrude didn't cut Undo, redo the extrude, and change Operation to Cut
Sketch lines are still blue Add dimensions to fully constrain the sketch (it still works if you don't)
Can't select a face Zoom in and hover until the face highlights, not an edge
Model disappeared Check the eye icons in the Browser panel (left side)

What to learn next

  1. Components: organizing multi-part models.
  2. User Parameters: named variables for dimensions.
  3. Patterns: repeating features in circles or grids.
  4. STL Export: File, Export, STL, so you can 3D print your design.

Resources

  • Product Design Online (YouTube): beginner-friendly Fusion 360 tutorials.
  • r/Fusion360: a Reddit community for questions and inspiration.
  • The makerspace: come in and practice, and ask in #general on Discord if you get stuck.

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