Data Panel Basics

Overview#

The Data Panel is Fusion's built-in file manager. Autodesk describes it as the place to "access, organize, and share your Fusion projects, design data, samples and libraries". It shows what lives in the Autodesk cloud: your hub, the projects in it, the folders inside each project, and the designs and other files in those folders. Every design you save in Fusion goes here, so understanding the Data Panel is essential: Fusion saves designs to a project in your hub rather than to an arbitrary local path.

The Data Panel is hidden by default. Fusion Home and the Fusion web client offer other views of the same hub data.

Where to find it#

• Open or close: click the Data Panel icon on the Application bar, or press Ctrl+Alt+P (Windows) or Option+Command+P (macOS). If Fusion Home is open, create or open a design first to switch to a Fusion workspace.
• See all controls: double-click the name of a project, sample, or library in the Data Panel.
• Controls Autodesk lists:
  • Current hub: the hub name at the top; an icon beside it confirms a collaborative editing hub.
  • Data or People: switch between the Data and People views.
  • Upload or New Folder: upload a file from your device or create a folder in the current project.
  • Settings: customize and sort the view, for example show data in a grid or sort by name.
  • Return to the project list: back to the list of projects, libraries, and samples.
  • Current project: the project or library you are in.
  • Open on the Web: open the project or library in the Fusion web client.
  • Context menu: right-click a project or folder for its commands.

Data Panel, Home, and the web client#

Note: The web client is not included with Fusion for personal use or trial versions of Fusion.

On Home, Start working has shortcuts to create a design, create a project, open a file, or upload data. The Projects page lists projects and folders in the current hub and has a Search for drop-down to search the hub, a project, or a folder. Search in Home is not available in Fusion for education.

Step by step: the daily workflow#

1. Open the Data Panel with its icon or Ctrl+Alt+P. The active project name is displayed at the top, with thumbnails of the designs and folders in it.
2. Choose a hub. Use the hub switcher on Fusion Home (and the hub name at the top of the Data Panel) if you belong to more than one hub.
3. Create a project. At the top of the Data Panel, click New Project and enter a name (a hub admin must have given you project-creation permission). You can also create one from Home (Start working), in the Fusion web client, or in the Save dialog via the Location arrow and New Project. A new project is secret by default: only you and hub admins can see it until you invite others.
4. Create a folder: open the project and click New Folder.
5. Save a design. After File > New Design, click Save. In the Save dialog, type a Name, then use the Location arrow to pick the project and folder; the default location is the active project. In a hub with collaborative editing, you also pick a Part Number type (Shared Part Number or New Part Number). The design is saved as a Fusion design in the F3D format.
6. Open a design. In the Data Panel, navigate to the project and folder and double-click the design; it opens in a document tab.
7. Upload a file. With the destination project open, click File > Upload, drag files into the Drag and Drop Here area or click Select Files, optionally Change Location, then click Upload. Watch progress in Job Status. The Fusion web client also supports drag and drop, uploading files or folders, uploading an assembly (choosing a parent file), and uploading from Dropbox.
8. Move a design. Right-click it, click Move, pick the project and folder in the Move To dialog, and click Move. Moving between projects keeps the content and comments with it. Hold Ctrl (Windows) or Command (macOS) to select several.
9. Copy. Right-click and choose Copy (viewer or higher); choose a part number type and a destination, and optionally Include Drawings. If names collide, the word Copy is appended. References to components that were also copied point to the new copies.
10. Rename. Right-click, Rename, type the new name, press Enter. The name updates everywhere the design is referenced, and the Part Name property follows. Name changes are not tracked historically.
11. Share. Right-click the design and choose Share Link (details below).
12. Delete. Right-click and choose Move to Trash (see below).

Files and file types#

You can open many formats from your computer with File > Open > Open from my computer, including Fusion (.f3d, .f3z), Inventor, SolidWorks, Creo, NX, CATIA V5, AutoCAD DWG, DXF, IGES, JT, OBJ, Parasolid, Rhino, SAT/SMT, Alias, and FBX files. Which formats you can use depends on your license: the supported formats reference has a Personal Use column, and a blank cell means a commercial subscription is required.

Note: If you upload a design created outside Fusion that has file references you want to preserve, Autodesk recommends using Autodesk Desktop Connector on a Windows device: file references for a non-Fusion design or assembly are not preserved when you upload with Fusion.

Design details and related data#

Click the arrow next to a design in the Data Panel to expand details. The tabs and buttons Autodesk documents include:

• History: opens the History dialog showing model saves, versions, revisions, and property edits (Fusion designs and drawings only).
• Uses: the external components this design uses.
• Used In: the designs that include this design as an external component.
• Drawings: the drawings that reference this design.

From any of these lists you can click Open to open the item in a separate tab. In the Data Panel, right-click a design and choose Insert into Current Design to insert it into an Assembly or Hybrid design. Fusion education hubs expose a version drop-down instead of the History button.

Sharing and permissions#

• Share a link from Fusion: right-click the design and choose Share Link. In the Share dialog, check Share the latest version with anyone using this link; optionally check Allow item to be downloaded and Require a password to access the public link; then click Copy. Recipients do not need an Autodesk ID. The link opens the design in the Fusion web client viewer.
• Downloads from a shared link: if download is enabled, a Download menu appears in the viewer; choose a CAD format and enter an email address to receive a download link. The download link is active for 7 days from when the email arrives.
• Share from the web client: copy a link, email a link, or embed the file in HTML. When you share with a non-team member, a copy of the design is shared rather than the original; sharing with a hub project member opens the original in the viewer.
• Hub-level control: a hub admin can turn file sharing on or off for the hub in the Fusion web client (Admin > Hub Settings > File Sharing > Edit > Allow Sharing). Turning it off disables previously shared links, for hub members too, until it is turned back on.
• Project permissions: each project, and each folder (except in legacy projects), can have its own access permissions through roles: Viewer, Reader, Editor, Manager, and Folder Admin (see Hubs and projects). Editor or higher is needed to use Trash; Copy needs Viewer or higher plus Editor at the destination.
• Personal use: the web client and some collaboration features are not available; see Licenses and plans.

Trash and recovery#

• Move to Trash: right-click the design in the Data Panel and choose Move to Trash; it goes to the Trash folder in the parent folder, visible in the Fusion web client. You need Editor privileges or higher. Moving a folder to Trash moves its contents too and keeps the folder structure.
• Restore: in the web client, open the project, click the Trash folder, select items, right-click and choose Restore; items return to their original locations.
• Delete forever: folder admins can permanently delete from Trash in the web client with Delete forever.
• Crash recovery: after an unexpected close, use File > Recover Documents to reopen locally cached recovery files, then Save.

Offline and sync notes#

• When you save, Fusion uploads in the background; Job Status shows progress and shows an offline indicator (a red dot) when you are offline.
• You can pre-cache files: right-click a file or folder and choose Add to Offline Cache, or Cache This Project. In the Data Panel Settings, choose View Offline Cache to gray out thumbnails that are not cached.
• Offline mode lasts two weeks at a time and cannot upload files, create folders, or create versions.

Options reference#

Tips and pitfalls#

Tip: Use a consistent naming scheme (project code, part number, revision) so designs sort and search predictably.

Tip: Keep an assembly's components in the same folder or its sub-folders: when you move a folder that contains a Fusion assembly in the web client, all referenced files must be in that folder or its sub-folders or the move is refused.

Warning: Share links are not permission-based; anyone with the link can view. Use the password option and do not share confidential designs this way.

Warning: Referenced components are linked to their source designs. Before trashing or moving a design, check the Used In list to see what depends on it.

Warning: There is no operating-system file for a Fusion design in the hub. If you need a local copy, use File > Export (see Export designs in Autodesk's help).

Practice exercise#

1. Open the Data Panel with Ctrl+Alt+P. Create a project called "Learning" from Fusion Home, then create a folder called "Week 1".
2. Create a box design and save it as "Box v1" in that folder.
3. Close it and reopen it from the Data Panel.
4. Use File > Upload to upload a file you have, and open it.
5. Right-click the box design, choose Share Link, tick the password option, copy the link, and open it in a private browser window.
6. Expand the design's details and click History to see its saves.
7. Move the design to the Trash, then restore it from the Fusion web client (if you have web client access).

Expected result: you can create, find, open, share, and restore files from the Data Panel and the web client.

Related#

• Hubs and projects
• Versioning and milestones
• Autodesk Drive
• Cloud collaboration