Fusion 360 | Essentials

Fusion 360 | Essentials is a comprehensive three-day private course, available virtually or in person, designed to help professionals build a strong foundation in Fusion 360 for design and engineering projects. Led by a Certified Autodesk Instructor, the course focuses on core tools and workflows, including sketching, modelling, assembly, and 2D drawing, providing practical skills for creating, editing, and documenting models with confidence.

As you progress through this course, you will learn how to navigate the Fusion 360 interface, initiate your first project with quick shapes, and work through essential sketching and modelling techniques. You will explore a range of advanced sketching tools and features, including fillets and chamfers, that allow you to refine your designs with precision. The course will also cover pick and place features, construction planes, and reference geometry, which are critical for evolving your initial concepts into functional models. Building on these skills, you will dive into the use of equations and parameters, enabling you to automate design changes and establish parametric relationships for more dynamic models. Additionally, you will practise creating complex design features like sweeps and lofts, learning how to duplicate and manipulate features to streamline your workflow. The course will also introduce distributed and multi-body design principles, helping you efficiently manage collaborative projects and complex assemblies. To continue growing your skills, you will work on creating 2D drawings from your 3D models, adding detailed annotations, and documenting your designs accurately for production. For those interested in 3D printing, the course will include a module on preparing models for printing, covering important considerations for optimising designs and ensuring a smooth transition from digital to physical form. If 3D printing is not a priority, this portion of the course will be dedicated to a more in-depth exploration of other essential topics.

By the conclusion of this course, you will have established a solid foundation in utilising the core tools and workflows of Fusion 360, enabling you to confidently undertake more advanced and complex design tasks. You will acquire the essential skills needed to efficiently apply Fusion 360 in professional design and engineering projects, enhancing both your productivity and precision as you continue to refine your expertise.

During this course, you will explore the following topics:

• Module 1 – Introduction | Quick Shapes: Develop a foundational understanding of the Fusion 360 interface and its core tools. This module covers how to set up your workspace and configure preferences to suit your workflow, helping you optimise your design process from the start. You will initiate your first project and create quick shapes, enabling you to begin modelling with ease. Additionally, you will explore best practices for organising your projects, ensuring smooth workflows and effective cloud-based data management, which are key to fostering effective collaboration.
• Module 2 – Settings | Sketching: Learn how to configure settings in Fusion 360 to optimise your design process and improve efficiency. This module introduces the essential sketching tools, including lines, arcs, and circles, while guiding you through the creation of basic shapes that will form the foundation for more complex designs. You will also explore how to adjust sketch constraints to enhance precision, ensuring your designs align with project specifications from the outset.
• Module 3 – Advanced Sketching Tools | Finishing Features: Explore a variety of advanced sketching tools and features designed to enhance the detail and precision of your designs. This module covers the creation of complex sketches, including splines and advanced geometries. You will also be introduced to finishing features such as fillets and chamfers, which allow you to refine your models for a more polished result. Additionally, you will learn how to modify sketches efficiently and apply design intent, ensuring your designs meet project-specific goals and constraints.
• Module 4 – Pick and Place Features | Construction Features: Learn how to use pick and place features, along with construction features, to advance the development of your models. This module walks you through the process of adding components, using construction planes, and building reference geometry. These tools will help ensure that your design evolves efficiently and accurately from an initial concept to a fully functional model.
• Module 5 – Equations | Parameters: Understand how to use equations and parameters to enhance the precision and flexibility of your designs. This module introduces the use of equations to control model dimensions, allowing for consistent and accurate modifications throughout the design process. You will also learn how to apply parameters to automate design changes, saving time and improving efficiency. Additionally, you will explore how to establish parametric relationships between different features and components, enabling you to create more dynamic and adaptable models.
• Module 6 – Design & Display Manipulation | Sweep Features: Discover how to manipulate design settings and display options to optimise your modelling experience and enhance visual clarity. This module also introduces the creation of complex sweep features, enabling you to form detailed, curved shapes that add depth and precision to your designs. You will learn how to control both the sweep path and profile with accuracy, allowing for greater flexibility and refinement in your models.
• Module 7 – Loft Features | Feature Duplication: Learn how to create loft features, which are essential for smoothly transitioning between different shapes and geometries in your designs. This module also covers feature duplication, a powerful tool that allows you to replicate design elements across your model quickly and efficiently. By applying these techniques, you will save valuable time while ensuring consistency throughout your design process, maintaining accuracy and uniformity across all aspects of your model.
• Module 8 – Distributed Design | Component Design: Explore the principles of distributed design and component design, which are crucial for collaborative projects and managing complex assemblies. This module guides you through the process of creating and managing individual components, ensuring that your designs can be shared efficiently between team members. You will also learn how to organise and manage large-scale projects within Fusion 360, improving workflows and enhancing collaboration across the team for successful project delivery.
• Module 9 – Multi-Body Design: Understand the core principles of multi-body design in Fusion 360, a crucial approach for managing multiple design elements within a single model. This module covers techniques for organising and manipulating multiple bodies, allowing you to efficiently handle complex models. You will learn how to edit, merge, and separate bodies, enabling more advanced workflows and giving you greater flexibility in refining your designs.
• Module 10 – 2D Drawing Creation | Views & Dimensions: Learn the fundamentals of creating 2D drawings from your 3D models, an essential step in transitioning your designs from digital concepts to physical production. This module guides you through the process of generating detailed 2D views of your models, ensuring clarity and precision. You will also learn how to apply dimensions effectively, enabling you to communicate key measurements clearly for manufacturing purposes.
• Module 11 – Detailing Drawings | Annotations & Symbols | Parts Lists: Discover how to add the final touches to your 2D drawings by incorporating detailed annotations, symbols, and parts lists. This module focuses on ensuring that your drawings are complete, accurate, and fully prepared for production. You will explore techniques for refining your documentation, ensuring your design intent is conveyed clearly and precisely for efficient manufacturing and assembly.
• Module 12 – 3D Printing: Learn how to prepare your models for 3D printing, ensuring a smooth transition from digital design to physical creation. This module covers how to optimise your design for different 3D printing technologies, guiding you through the process of exporting the necessary files in the correct format. You will also explore important printing considerations, such as selecting appropriate supports, understanding material properties, and ensuring structural integrity.

This course includes 12 months of complimentary access to the course-related ASCENT Center for Technical Knowledge e-book (valued at 75 USD) which contains files that need to be installed prior to joining the training. This e-book provides comprehensive training notes that you can refer to after the training to further ensure your knowledge retention. Login details for the ASCENT platform will be issued a few days before the training. To learn more about ASCENT, please visit their website.

Participants joining this course virtually will need:

• Fusion 360 installed on their computer, together with all recent updates (required). Please contact us if you need to purchase a software licence.
• The latest Zoom version installed on their computer (required).
• A stable internet connection with a minimum download speed of 10 Mbps (required).
• A secondary screen to follow instructions shared by the course instructor during training, along with a mouse for easy software navigation (recommended).
• A headset to ensure clear communication with the instructor, and preferably a microphone and webcam for interactive conversations (recommended).

Participants joining this course in person will need:

• Fusion 360 installed on their computer, together with all recent updates (required). Please contact us if you need to purchase a software licence.
• A large computer screen, along with a keyboard and mouse for easy software navigation (recommended).

Additionally, the training venue should be equipped with:

• A projector setup or a large screen enabling the instructor to connect their laptop, facilitating attendee visibility of the instructor's screen (required).

To join the course, participants will need basic computer skills and a solid understanding of design and engineering principles. No prior experience with Fusion 360 is required, but exploring the user interface beforehand is recommended.

ARKANCE, an Authorized Autodesk Training Center, delivers high-quality training for Autodesk software users. Upon successful completion of the course, participants will receive an official ARKANCE Certificate of Completion, demonstrating their commitment to ongoing professional development.

Additionally, participants are encouraged to register their attendance with Autodesk Education to receive a Certificate of Completion from Autodesk. To obtain this certificate, participants must follow the steps provided in the confirmation email sent after registration and submit a post-training feedback survey within 60 days of completing the course.

Our private training sessions are offered at a flat rate per course and accommodate up to eight participants. Delivered on request, these courses can be conducted virtually or on-site at your venue.

The training can follow a standard agenda or be customised to align with your team’s specific workflows, existing templates, and project requirements. Please note that in-person training will incur additional travel costs, and pricing may vary for customised curriculums.

Please contact us to discuss organising this training for your team.