Share

Software hangs indefinitely or crashes while editing a sketch in Fusion

Technical Support

Issue:

Users reported that when creating, editing, or selecting a complex/bigger sketch in Fusion, the program:
  • Becomes slow.
  • Unresponsive.
  • Crashes.
  • Constantly freezes.
  • The mouse cursor may change to the "spinning wheel" icon immediately after selecting the surface or plane on which to sketch.

    Causes:

    • Performance issues (hanging/freezing) occur when Fusion is computing complex sketches. A complex sketch is typically made up of:
      • Imported geometry.
      • Complex Projected Geometry.
      • High Quantity of Patterns or Mirrors.
    • Too many entities were selected for one singular sketch command.
    • Overused copy and Paste items.
    • Multiple versions on same add in installed (sketch related).
    • Feature failing to recompute. 
    • Warning messages on sketch which need resolving.
    1 Reference Failure timeline warning
    Highlighted features in the timeline
     

    Solution:

    Manage imported geometry

    Address any issues related to imported geometry. See: Fusion performance is poor after inserting or importing a DXF, DWG, or SVG file.

    Turn off AutoProject edges

    1. Open Fusion.
    2. Open the Preferences menu by clicking the user icon in the top-right corner.
    3. Navigate to the Design tab.
    4. Turn off "Auto project edges on reference."
    5. Press OK and give it a moment to sync the preferences.
    6. Open the file and check if creating a sketch still causes a hang or crash.
    Disable Auto project edges on reference in the preferences

     

    Hide unnecessary components

    When creating or editing a sketch, hide the components that do not need to be visible by one of the following:

    • Click the visibility "eye" icon next to these components.
    • Right-clicking on these components and selecting "Show/Hide."

    Limit the effects

    Follow the steps described in the following article: How to optimize settings in Fusion  for performance.

    Resolve any computing issues

    • Run a "Compute All" to resolve a feature that will not recompute properly. For more info refer to this video: Best Practice Video: Compute All.
    • Resolve any warnings or errors in the file. 
    • Recreate the problem feature:
      1. Roll back the timeline, and edit the sketch.
      2. Incrementally roll it forward to figure out which feature is causing the problem.
      3. Recreate the feature. 

    Avoid Performance Pitfalls in the Sketch

    • Performing the pattern in 3D (under the Create menu) instead of 2D Sketch can drastically increase performance. 
    • Performing the sketch command multiple times with smaller selection sets can increase performance.
    • Use the rectangular or circular patterns feature instead of copy / paste when possible.
    • Avoid duplicated / redundant sketch geometry.
    • If working in small scale dimensions, scale the sketch larger. 

    Remove and reinstall Add-ins:

    1. Check if there are multiple versions of same add-ins.
    2. Remove the Add-in.
    3. Verify if the sketch issue is resolved.
    4. Reinstall Add-in if necessary.

    Insert the Sketch as DXF

    1. See How to save or export a Sketch as DXF in Fusion
    2. Insert a DXF file

    Products:

    Fusion;

    Was this information helpful?