Incorporating designs from Inventor and Solidworks

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The Desktop Connector for Fusion allows users to access and work with your cloud data locally.

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Desktop Connector is a program that runs on your desktop

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and creates a virtual drive that serves as a bridge between the local file system and data in the Autodesk cloud.

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From the Fusion web client, expand the Autodesk Account drop-down and select Install Desktop Connector for Fusion.

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This downloads and installs a local folder, which you can access through File Explorer on Windows and Finder on macOS.

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This is a local folder, but it connects to your Fusion data.

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As an example workflow, you can use Desktop Connector with Autodesk AnyCAD to reference designs created in other CAD applications

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directly in your Fusion designs, while maintaining their original format.

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This means that if another team uses Inventor as their design tool,

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you can add an Inventor part file, such as a new cover, to your Fusion drive.

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This part can be one of many native file formats from various CAD systems.

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Once the other team saves their design, using the Desktop Connector for Fusion, the file can be accessed by anyone with permission.

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Once you are ready to insert the part into your Fusion design, In the Data Panel, navigate to the correct hub, project, and subfolder.

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Then, right-click the part and select Insert into Current Design.

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This method creates a reference to the Inventor file, and acts just like any other geometry created in Fusion.

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In this case, you can create a joint to locate this new design.

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The advantage to using the AnyCAD and Desktop Connector workflow

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is that when the design team makes changes and saves the file in Inventor, another version of the Inventor file is created.

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Fusion recognizes the new version and displays a flag indicating a design change.

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If the design change ever causes an error, you can choose or promote a previous version.

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AnyCAD does not just improve the interoperability between Fusion and Inventor.

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It also works with other CAD data like SOLIDWORKS.

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A different project can be created for contractors, so they do not have to access the rest of your proprietary CAD data.

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Previously, you inserted the CAD data right into the design, but this time, right-click the part and select Open.

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Notice that it opens inside Fusion and does not translate the foreign CAD data.

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The file can be edited in Fusion or used directly in an assembly.

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Note that once you make changes to this design while using Desktop Connector for Fusion,

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the design can be updated within Fusion, and you no longer need the third-party software.

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In a case like this, the latest file can be uploaded,

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and the original will still be captured, in case you ever need to revert to an older version.