Overview#
A drawing template holds everything that should be the same on every drawing you make: the drafting standard, units, text and dimension styles, sheet size, border, title block, and optionally placeholder views and a parts list. Fusion starts a drawing From Scratch from a default ISO or ASME template, and lets you create your own templates.
Choosing the right standard is not cosmetic. It changes projection method, dimension style, arrowheads, decimal and tolerance conventions, and the sheet sizes offered. Mixing conventions is the quickest way to get a drawing rejected by a shop.
ASME versus ISO at a glance#
| Topic | ASME (Y14.x, US practice) | ISO (ISO 128, 1101, 5457 and related) |
|---|---|---|
| Projection in Fusion | Third angle (read-only Projection Angle setting) | First angle (read-only Projection Angle setting) |
| Units | in or mm (chosen at creation) | in or mm (chosen at creation) |
| Sheet sizes in Fusion | A (11 x 8.5 in), B (17 x 11), C (22 x 17), D (34 x 22), E (44 x 34), Custom | A4 (297 x 210 mm), A3, A2, A1, A0 (1189 x 841 mm), Custom |
| Decimal delimiter | Document Settings Delimiter: decimal point or comma | Same setting |
| Tolerancing | ASME Y14.5 GD&T | ISO GPS (ISO 1101 and related) |
| Dimension text | Usually horizontal (unidirectional) | Often aligned with dimension line |
| Title block | Free format by company | ISO 7200 block layout |
The rows above after Decimal delimiter are general drafting practice, not Autodesk data. Autodesk states that the drafting standard defines the behavior and characters of each GD&T symbol (see the GD&T page); you are responsible for applying the right rules.
Note: Third-angle versus first-angle is the single biggest cause of misread prints. In third-angle the Right view is placed to the right of Front, Top above Front. In first-angle the Top view sits below Front and the Right view sits to the left. Put the projection symbol on the sheet whenever you can; Autodesk's help does not say that the default templates place it for you.
Where to find it#
- Choosing a standard: In Create Drawing, the Standard option (ASME or ISO) sets defaults for the new drawing. Sheet sizes follow the standard. Standard, units and projection angle are read-only afterwards.
- Templates: Choose File > New..., select Drawing, set Type to Template and click Create New. The Create Drawing Template dialog starts From Scratch (default ISO or ASME), from an Existing Template, from an Existing Drawing, or Browse. To use one, open File > New Drawing > From Design and pick it under Destination > Template (or Browse to one outside the project).
- Document settings: In the browser, hover over the Document Settings node and click Change Document Settings. Tabs: Document Settings, Annotation, View, Hatch, Table, Symbol and View Details. Sheet size, border and title block are under Sheet Settings.
Step by step: build a custom template#
- Create a drawing template (File > New... > Drawing > Template > Create New) with the ASME or ISO standard closest to your company practice, units and sheet size. The Template environment opens.
- Optionally place a Base View Placeholder (Placeholder Views > Base View Placeholder) and projected view placeholders, and adjust the Placeholder View dialog.
- In the browser adjust Document Settings and Sheet Settings.
- Select the title block geometry, right-click and choose Edit Title Block to change it and its attributes; right-click the border and choose Edit Border to edit that.
- If you have an AutoCAD title block, Autodesk supports building one from a DWG: keep geometry, text, attributes and images in model space with the title block's bottom right corner at the WCS origin (0,0), and define AutoCAD attributes with ATTDEF; Fusion converts them to Fusion attributes.
- From the toolbar add text, images and table placeholders (for example a parts list), and use the + button in the Sheet Bar for more sheets.
- Choose File > Save, name the template (for example "ISO A3 Company") and pick a location. It appears in the Data Panel.
- Test it: create a drawing from the template on a design with a different shape. Autodesk says base view, projected view and table placeholders are generated automatically for the referenced design. Check that fields fill and views fit.
Title blocks and properties#
Title block fields are attributes that you edit in the title block environment (Edit Attributes). Autodesk documents that the sheet number and total sheet count show in the title block and update as sheets change, and that the REV attribute is driven by a revision history table. Typical content (general practice, with exact attribute names set in the title block editor):
- Part or assembly name and number (from component properties)
- Material and mass
- Author, date, drawn by, checked by
- Scale and sheet number
- Revision (from a revision table)
Fill component properties in the Design workspace (right-click a component, Properties; or the Browser's component properties). Material is assigned in the design with the Physical Material command.
Tip: If a title block field shows blank, the source property is empty on the design. Fix it in the design, not in the drawing.
Options reference#
| Option | What it does | Notes/default |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | ASME or ISO | Read-only after creation |
| Units | in or mm | Read-only; does not change the 3D model |
| Sheet size | Paper size, orientation, custom size | Sizes depend on standard |
| Projection angle | First Angle (ISO) or Third Angle (ASME) | Read-only |
| Text | Font and Text Height Group (Small, Medium, Large, Custom) | Mm presets: Small 1.8/2.5/3.5, Medium 2.5/3.5/5, Large 3.5/5/7 |
| Dimension overrides | Per-dimension settings | Override Document Settings only for that dimension |
| Border/title block | Frame and information block | Editable via Edit Border and Edit Title Block |
| Placeholder views | Auto-placed views in new drawings | Scale defaults to Automatic |
| Table placeholders | Tables such as a parts list filled from the design | Useful for assemblies |
Tips and pitfalls#
Tip: Make one template per standard and sheet size you actually use, rather than one giant template. Name them clearly.
Tip: Keep fonts to a common one. Drawings that are exported to DWG and opened in AutoCAD may substitute fonts that are not installed.
Warning: Standard, units and projection angle are read-only once a drawing exists. Create the drawing from the right template or standard instead.
Warning: A template stores sheet and document settings, not the 3D model. Do not expect a template to remember a particular part; it only stores layout and placeholders.
Warning: Company standards often exceed what Fusion's ASME/ISO defaults provide (for example specific notes, revision block formats). Add those to your template.
Worked example: choosing a standard and sheet for a real job#
A UK machine shop asks for a 150 x 90 x 12 mm steel plate with a central bore. They work to ISO, expect first-angle projection (the shop's own prints use it) and use A3 paper. The right setup is: Standard ISO, units mm, A3 landscape (420 x 297 mm), scale 1:1, and a general tolerance note "ISO 2768-mK". A US job for the same plate at a US shop would be ASME, inches (5.906 x 3.543 x 0.472 in, which you would normally round to design values such as 6.000 x 3.500 x 0.500), ANSI B (17 x 11 in), third-angle, and tolerances in the title block such as .XX +/-.01 and .XXX +/-.005. Note that the second job also changes the numbers on the part, not only the drawing: rounding a metric part to inches is a design decision, not a drawing option.
Reading the projection symbol#
Because first-angle and third-angle drawings put the same views in different places, the sheet should carry the projection symbol. In both cases the symbol is a truncated cone seen from two directions. In third-angle the circular view is on the right of the side view; in first-angle the circular view is on the left. As a quick test of any print: in third-angle the Top view sits above the Front view; in first-angle it sits below. If your template does not place the symbol, draw it with the Sketch tools in the template so every drawing carries it.
General tolerances worth putting in a template#
| Standard | Class | Linear tolerance for 6 to 30 mm | Linear tolerance for 30 to 120 mm |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISO 2768-1 | fine (f) | +/-0.1 mm | +/-0.15 mm |
| ISO 2768-1 | medium (m) | +/-0.2 mm | +/-0.3 mm |
| ISO 2768-1 | coarse (c) | +/-0.5 mm | +/-0.8 mm |
These ISO 2768 figures are general standards data, not Autodesk data. The medium class is the usual default for machined parts. ISO 2768-2 adds geometrical classes H, K and L, so the common note "ISO 2768-mK" means medium linear tolerances and class K geometric tolerances. Check the figures against the standard before releasing a drawing, as the table above is a summary.
Failure modes and fixes#
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Title block shows "A4" on an A3 sheet | Text typed rather than an attribute | Replace it with an attribute |
| Revision column empty | Revision history table not in the template | Add a revision history table to the template |
| Template looks wrong on another monitor | Fonts differ | Use a common font; avoid decorative faces |
| Placeholder views do not fit a larger part | Placeholder scale set manually (default is Automatic) | Edit the scale in the drawing; the template stays as is |
| AutoCAD title block does not import cleanly | DWG not prepared | Keep content in model space, corner at WCS origin, attributes defined with ATTDEF |
| New drawings default to the wrong units | Template built from the wrong source | Fix the template's units and resave |
| Company note missing on new drawings | Note was typed on one sheet, not in the template | Put it in the template as a text object |
Workflow advice#
Build the template from a real, finished drawing rather than from scratch: dimension a typical part, adjust the text sizes until the print is comfortable to read at A3, and then delete the part-specific content, leaving the layout. Keep a "gold" test part that exercises everything (a hole table, a parts list, a section) and run a new template against it before releasing it to colleagues. Version templates as you would code: put the revision in the name ("ISO A3 Company v2") and tell people when it changes.
For small teams, two or three templates cover almost everything: part (one sheet), assembly (view plus parts list), and sheet-metal (flat pattern plus bend table). Resist adding variants for every customer; a note block can be edited per drawing.
Practice exercise#
- Create a drawing from any design with ISO, A3, mm. Open the sheet settings and record the standard, units, sheet size and projection.
- Edit the title block (Edit Title Block, Edit Attributes) so part name, material, scale, sheet number and total sheets are attributes, not typed text. Fill in the missing properties in the design to confirm they populate.
- Add a general tolerance note "UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED: GENERAL TOLERANCES ISO 2768-mK, BREAK SHARP EDGES 0.3 MAX" and a projection symbol drawn with sketch tools.
- Add placeholder Front and Top views at 1:1 and a parts list placeholder.
- Save as the template "ISO A3 Basic v1".
- Create a new drawing from the template on a design that is at least twice the size of the first and note what does not fit; adjust only the scale in the drawing.
- Create a drawing with the ASME template for the same design and compare the view positions.
- Expected result: a reusable template whose fields fill themselves, a projection symbol visible on the sheet, and a written list of two differences between the ISO and ASME starting drawings.
Related#
- Drawing workspace overview
- Sheets and exploded drawings
- GD&T and symbols