3D Printing Essentials
Win64, EnglishGeneral Usage Instructions
You can find detailed usage instructions in the following help document:
3D Printing Essentials Usage Instructions
The 3D Printing Essentials Fusion Add-In supports the following features:
Design workspace
- Add Parts (CAD and mesh import: STEP, IGES, SAT, STL, OBJ, 3MF)
- Duplicate Components
- Scale (with individual centroid mode)
- Minimize Bounding Box
- Optimize Orientation
- Sinterbox (with optional label)
- Label (with multi-row support)
- Pins and Holes
- Minimum Part Gap Analysis
- Minimum Wall Thickness Analysis
- Upskin / Downskin Analysis
- Trapped Volume Analysis (multi-body)
- Interlock Analysis
- Z Removability Analysis
- FFF Setup Automation
- SLA/DLP Setup Automation
- MJF / Binder Jet Setup Automation
- SLS Setup Automation
- MPBF Setup Automation
- Settings
- Check for Updates
Manufacture workspace / Manufacturing Model
- Tessellate
- Duplicate Components
- Scale (with individual centroid mode)
- Mirror
- Center Components on Platform
- Optimize Orientation
- Sinterbox (with optional label)
- Label (with additive setup support)
- Component List (with optional HTML export)
- Minimum Part Gap Analysis
- Minimum Wall Thickness Analysis
- Upskin / Downskin Analysis
- Trapped Volume Analysis (multi-body)
- Interlock Analysis
- Z Removability Analysis
- Slice Analysis
- Move by Keyboard
- Post Configurator (FFF)
- Display Component Colors
- Display Mesh Face Groups
- Check for Updates
- Netfabb for Fusion (Windows only)
Fusion libraries added by this Add-In
This Add-In also adds a “3D Printing Essentials” folder to Fusion’s template library, containing templates used by the automation workflows:
Template Library
- FFF – Additive Arrange V1
- FFF – Automatic Orientation
- FFF – Solid Volume Supports
- SLA-DLP – Additive Arrange V1
- SLA – Automatic Orientation
- SLA – Braced Bar Support
- SLS – Additive Arrange V1
- MJF – Additive Arrange V1
Note: The FFF, SLA/DLP, MJF/Binder Jet, SLS, and MPBF setup automations support dynamic machine and print setting selection from Fusion's full machine library. Any compatible machine and print setting installed in Fusion can be selected. Orientation, arrangement, and support templates can also be chosen from Fusion's template library or your own custom templates.
Commands
Installation/Uninstallation
Install
The installer that ran when you downloaded this app/plug-in from Autodesk App Store will start installing the app/plug-in. Or, simply double-click the downloaded installer to install the app/plugin.
Uninstall
You can unload the add-in without uninstalling it by clicking the "Stop" button when the add-in is selected in the list box on the "Add-Ins" tab of the "Scripts and Add-Ins" dialog.
Unchecking "Run on Startup" causes the add-in not to be loaded in future Fusion sessions.
To uninstall this plug-in, exit the Autodesk product if you are currently running it, simply rerun the installer, and select the "Uninstall" button.
Or, you can uninstall it from 'Control Panel/Programs and Features, just as you would uninstall any other application from your system.
Additional Information
Supported additive technologies: FFF, SLA/DLP, MJF/Binder Jet, SLS, and MPBF (Metal Powder Bed Fusion — requires Manufacturing Extension).
Supported import formats: STEP (.step, .stp), SAT (.sat), IGES (.iges, .igs), STL (.stl), OBJ (.obj), 3MF (.3mf), Fusion (.FUS)
Localization: Command names and descriptions are localized for English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Turkish, and Chinese Simplified.
Platform: Windows and macOS. Netfabb integration is Windows-only.
For detailed usage instructions for every command, see the built-in help file included with the add-in (`help.html`).
Known Issues
Part Design not supported: Most Design workspace commands require Assembly Design or Hybrid Design mode. Switch design type if commands are unavailable.
Cloud template classification: Templates stored in Fusion's Cloud library appear in all template dropdowns regardless of type. Use descriptive names and the name filter field to narrow results.
MPBF requires Manufacturing Extension: The MPBF Setup Automation requires the Autodesk Manufacturing Extension to be active.
Contact
Author/Company Information
Support Information
For product support, contact additive-app-support@autodesk.com.
You can also visit the 3D Printing Essentials page on the Autodesk App Store for version history and additional information.
Version History
| Version Number | Version Description |
|---|---|
|
1.0.0.311 |
Bug Fixes: - Fixed an issue where Sinterbox could produce incorrect cage dimensions when the Subnest (parent) subassembly was selected instead of individual nested components. Bounding boxes are now computed from all enclosed bodies, including those nested within sub-assemblies. New Features: - Added Arrange Template Comparison to pack the same parts with multiple arrange templates and review the results in an HTML report — including copies packed, build height, layer count, and density metrics — without modifying your design. - Added Create Arrange Template in the Design workspace to author additive arrange templates and save them to your local Fusion template library for use in setup automation and Fusion's Additive Arrange dialog. - Added Create Orientation Template in the Design workspace to author automatic orientation templates for Fusion's orientation solver, for use in setup automation and Fusion's Automatic Orientation dialog. Improvements: - SLS and MJF Setup Automation now support 0-quantity components, so you can keep every component listed in the table while excluding specific parts from a run. Set Global Quantity to 0 to clear all rows, then enter quantities only for the components you want to pack. - Pack density optimization in SLS and MJF automation is faster and more reliable — density retries rebuild packing from scratch at updated object spacing instead of regenerating the existing arrange operation, and learned spacing is reused across subsequent setups. - Improved SLS and MJF packing density optimization with smarter multi-setup spacing, clearer density reporting, and automatic migration of saved density settings from earlier versions. - Add Parts and Sinterbox now use Fusion's One Touch Fix mesh repair. Add Parts adds configurable repair modes (Off, damaged meshes only, or all meshes), with repaired meshes labeled using a configurable suffix. |
|
1.0.0.302 |
Bug Fixes: - Fixed an issue where the Sinterbox command could fail when enclosing duplicated mesh components. Mesh bodies are now correctly positioned and moved into the generated sinterbox component. - Fixed an issue where Duplicate Components, Minimize Bounding Box, and Optimize Orientation could fail with externally referenced components inserted from another Fusion document. - Fixed several issues affecting SLS and MJF setup automation to improve reliability and overall workflow stability. New Features: - Added support for generating supports from a selected support template for multiple bodies or components simultaneously within an active additive setup. - Added quantity-driven packing to the SLS & MJF Setup Automation, including configurable part quantities, CSV import, combined identical components, enhanced packing reports, and automatic multi-setup generation. - Added support for selecting arrangement templates from the local Fusion template library, including templates organized within subfolders. Improvements: - Optimize Orientation and Minimize Bounding Box now warn when selected components are constrained using Ground to Parent or Pinned, helping prevent unexpected results. - Added a clear visual indicator when template filters return no matching templates, making it easier to identify and adjust filter criteria. - Improved SLS & MJF setup automation with enhanced packing efficiency, smarter spacing optimization, and more detailed build reports for large production jobs. |