Versioning and Milestones

Overview#

Fusion records the history of every design in the cloud. Autodesk's current terminology (aligned with industry convention) is:

• Change: every time you modify and save a design, Fusion records a time-stamped change in the History panel.
• Version: when you are ready to mark a design state as a significant iteration, you create a version.

In Fusion for education the words differ: every save is a version, and you mark important ones as milestones. For hubs with collaborative editing, Autodesk states that "what used to be called milestones in Fusion are now versions, and what used to be called versions are now changes." This page follows the current (non-education) terms and notes the education differences.

History is separate from the Timeline inside a design: the Timeline records modeling operations within a document, while versions and changes record the saved states of the whole file over time. Versions and history are available only for Fusion designs and drawings, and you cannot version a configured design (you can version one of its configurations).

Where to find it#

• Create a version: with a design open, File > Create version; or right-click a component in the Browser and choose Create version; or open History and click Create version.
• History dialog: right-click a component in the Browser and choose History; or in the Data Panel expand a design's details (arrow at the lower right) and click the History button.
• Web client: at the top right of a design or component, click ... and choose Create Version.
• Save As Latest: File > Save As Latest (for out-of-date designs).
• Education: the Save dialog has a Milestone check box, and the Data Panel has a version drop-down.

How changes and versions work#

Every save of an existing design records a change. Create a version when the design reaches a meaningful stage, for example after several saves when you have added all features, create a version for the first iteration, then continue for an alternative and create a second version.

Versions matter for references. When you insert a design into an assembly as an external component, the parent always references the most recent version of the part. Regular saves are not automatically reflected in the parent; only versions are. When someone versions a subcomponent, the upper component is flagged as needing an update. Versions also take priority on insertion: a versioned design is inserted at that version even if more recent unversioned changes exist. (In education, the latest milestone is inserted; otherwise the latest version.)

Step by step: working with versions#

1. Save changes. Press Ctrl+S (Command+S on macOS). Each save records a change.
2. Create a version. Click File > Create version, enter a description in the Create Version dialog, and click Create Version. The new version icon appears on the component in the Browser.
3. Open the History dialog. Right-click the component in the Browser and choose History. It lists model saves, versions, revisions, and property edits; you can filter which types of changes to show.
4. Open an older change. In the History dialog, hover over the entry, click More, and click Open (or click the timestamp). The historical change opens in the canvas; the Out-of-Date icon shows in the Application bar and a Warning icon on the default component, because newer changes exist.
5. Save an old state as the latest. With the old change open, click File > Save As Latest and then Continue in the warning. A check mark appears next to the design name in the document tab. The saved design will not include changes from newer updates.
6. Edit an out-of-date design. If you changed an out-of-date design you cannot use Save; use Save As Latest instead. Note that saving as latest removes quantity overrides in the bill of materials and resets them to design values.
7. Save a copy. File > Save As makes a separate copy (components stay referenced); Save Copy As (right-click a component) makes an independent copy with no shared references.

References and updating#

• Get Latest updates out-of-date components to their most current versions. For sub-assemblies, select the assembly node in the Browser, right-click and choose Open, click Get Latest, save, then return to the original document, right-click the node and choose Get Latest.
• Uses and Used In tabs in the Data Panel list the external components a design uses and the designs that use it; the Drawings tab lists drawings that reference it.
• Upload a new version of an uploaded file: upload a file with the same name, drag it into the project, or hover the file in the web client and choose the drop-down Upload New Version. Updating an unchanged file reports no change.

Fusion for education: milestones#

In education, a version is created on every save, and milestones identify important stages:

• Create a milestone while saving (not available on the very first save): click Save, check Milestone, enter a version description and milestone name, then OK.
• Or create one later: in the Data Panel use the design's version drop-down, hover a version, click More, then Create Milestone; or right-click the design thumbnail and choose Create Milestone.
• In the History dialog the options are Go to, Create Milestone, and Edit Milestone.
• Milestones are not available for single-user (personal) storage accounts, and they are not the same as revisions, a Fusion Manage Extension feature.
• A new milestone on a component marks parents as out of date; normal saves do not trigger updates. Milestone icons turn gray for historical milestones.

Branching-style workflows#

Fusion has no merge feature in the help. Teams make parallel copies with Save As or Copy, and use versions to mark states. Collaborative editing hubs also offer shared part numbers and a hub merge for admins.

Recovering from mistakes#

Offline limits#

In offline mode you cannot create versions or milestones, and you cannot view design history (unless you use Fusion for education).

Options reference#

Note: not confirmed in Autodesk's documentation: a "Promote to Milestone" command, deleting individual versions, downloading a version as an archive, or a visual version compare. Earlier drafts described these.

Tips and pitfalls#

Tip: Write a descriptive version description, such as "Increased wall thickness to 2.4 mm for strength test".

Tip: Create a version only at meaningful states; every version triggers an out-of-date flag in parent assemblies.

Warning: Save As Latest discards newer changes made by others since the state you opened. Check with collaborators first.

Warning: Do not treat cloud history as your only backup. Export important designs periodically.

Practice exercise#

1. Create a box design and save it. Add a hole and save; add a fillet and save.
2. Right-click the default component and open History; find the three saves.
3. Click Create version with the description "Initial block with hole and fillet".
4. Open the first change from History and note the Out-of-Date icon.
5. Use Save As Latest and observe the check mark on the tab.

Expected result: you can navigate your history, mark a version, and restore an earlier state.

Related#

• Data Panel basics
• Cloud collaboration
• Hubs and projects