Overview#
Fusion gives you four overlapping ways to shorten the distance between your intent and a command: the right-click marking menu, keyboard shortcuts, the S command search, and a customizable toolbar plus the Application Bar's quick-access controls. Used together they make the interface feel very different from the default screenshots in tutorials. This page explains what each does, how to change it, and how to set up a sensible personal configuration without breaking anything.
The core idea is simple. The marking menu and shortcuts reward muscle memory: you stop looking for icons. The toolbar rewards visual recall: you keep the commands you use in front of you. The S search is the safety net for everything else.
Note: The marking menu is documented in Autodesk help ("Marking menu reference"). Customizing Design-workspace shortcuts or the toolbar is not documented in the help mirror; those parts of this page are marked "not confirmed in Autodesk's documentation".
Where to find it#
- Marking menu: right-click anywhere in the canvas; the menu appears around the cursor. Drag toward a command and click in the highlighted wedge. To dismiss it, click the middle, click outside, or press Esc.
- Model Toolbox / search: press S (Design); the search field in the basic-tasks help lets you type a function name and click Add to Shortcuts to add it as a button in the shortcuts dialog.
- Electronics shortcuts: Design tab > Shortcuts button (New, Edit, Delete).
- Preferences: Application bar > My Profile > Preferences; General > Mouse setup (pan, zoom, orbit).
Note: not confirmed in Autodesk's documentation: a three-dot "Change Keyboard Shortcut" button on toolbar commands, "Pin to Toolbar", and the Application Bar acting as a Quick Access Toolbar. Earlier drafts described them; check your build.
The marking menu in detail#
The marking menu is a radial menu with quick access to frequently used commands. It has three parts: a first-level radial menu, a second-level radial menu and a context menu.
First level (Design workspace default, 8 commands): Repeat last command, PressPull, Redo, Hole, Sketch, Move/Copy, Undo, Delete.
Changes by context: the commands change for each workspace, toolbar tab, contextual environment and active command. Examples from the help: on the Surface tab Hole is replaced by Patch; on the Sheet Metal tab Flange appears instead; the Form environment shows Edit Form and Face; Generative Design, Render, Animation and Simulation show commands for their own setup tasks; Manufacture is limited to Repeat, Undo, Redo and Import but has a more extensive context menu for toolpaths; Drawing shows documentation and annotation commands.
Second level: move the cursor over the bottom command of the first level to open it. Its 8 default Sketch commands are Finish Sketch, 2-Point Rectangle, Fit Point Spline, Project, Line, Offset, Sketch Dimension and Center Diameter Circle. Move over the up arrow to return to the first level.
Context menu: appears below the radial menu and holds navigation controls (Pan, Zoom, Orbit), Isolate/Unisolate, a list of workspaces for quick switching, and saved shortcut keys.
Gestures: once you have memorized the positions you can select commands by gesture without bringing up the full menu.
Note: not confirmed in Autodesk's documentation: the earlier table of what appears with a face, edge, browser item or timeline selected, and OK/Cancel positions during commands.
Customizing keyboard shortcuts#
What the help documents#
- Electronics: in the Design tab of a Schematic or 2D PCB document click the Shortcuts button, then New. Enter the command to run (several commands separated by semicolons run in order), press Tab, enter the key(s) (alphanumeric keys combined with Shift, Control/Ctrl/Alt/Option and Command) and click OK. To change a shortcut click Edit in its row and change the key and modifier; the command itself cannot be modified, so delete and recreate to change it. Delete removes it.
- Design and other workspaces: the help publishes the default keys (see the Keyboard shortcuts page) and the Add to Shortcuts button in the function search. Assigning your own keys to Design commands is not confirmed in Autodesk's documentation.
Tip (general guidance): Keep a note of any custom keys; Preferences > Restore Defaults and the Service Utility Reset restore default settings and may remove them.
Toolbar and quick access#
The help says the Toolbar differs in each workspace and is divided into tabs, with contextual tabs (such as Sketch) and contextual environments (such as Form) replacing the default tabs while active. Pinning, reordering and resetting the toolbar are not confirmed in Autodesk documentation. For fast access use the Model Toolbox (S), the marking menu and the default shortcuts.
Preferences that change how input feels#
| Setting | Effect | Source |
|---|---|---|
| General > Mouse setup (pan, zoom, orbit) | Fusion (default), Alias, Inventor (Windows only) or SolidWorks; the reference also lists a PowerMill preset | Preferences reference |
| Graphics presets and Canvas Effects | Performance, Quality, Custom | Preferences reference |
| General > Default modeling orientation | Z up by default; Y up needs a restart | Preferences reference |
| Select Through | Lets Window and Freeform selection pick hidden objects | Selection help |
The earlier rows for marking-menu delay, zoom-direction and trackpad settings are not confirmed in Autodesk's documentation.
Options reference#
| Option | What it does | Notes/default |
|---|---|---|
| Marking menu | Radial menu on right-click | First level: Repeat last command, PressPull, Redo, Hole, Sketch, Move/Copy, Undo, Delete (Design) |
| Context menu part | Pan/Zoom/Orbit, Isolate/Unisolate, workspace list, saved shortcut keys | Below the radial menu |
| Model Toolbox | Command search | S |
| Add to Shortcuts | Adds a searched function as a button in the shortcuts dialog | Basic-tasks help |
| Electronics Shortcuts dialog | New, Edit, Delete shortcuts | Design tab |
| Mouse setup | Navigation preset | Preferences > General |
Step by step: a personal setup#
- Open a design and right-click in the canvas; note the first-level commands and hover over the bottom command to see the Sketch second level.
- Practice the gesture for PressPull, Repeat and Hole until you can select them without waiting for the menu.
- Learn the default keys that matter most to you from the Keyboard shortcuts page.
- Use S for everything else.
- In Electronics, create shortcuts through the Shortcuts button for the commands you run often.
Mouse presets that affect the radial menu workflow#
The marking menu opens with the right mouse button, so the Mouse setup preset matters. The Preferences reference lists these presets: Fusion (zoom by rolling the middle button or Ctrl+Shift+middle button, pan with the middle button, orbit with Shift+middle button); Alias (Shift+Alt with the right button to zoom, middle button to pan, left button to orbit); Inventor, Windows only (F3+left button zoom, F2+left button pan, F4+left button orbit); and PowerMill (roll to zoom, Shift+middle to pan, middle to orbit, Ctrl+Shift+middle to zoom to a box, with its own Default Orbit type). The Alias preset uses the right button for zoom; how that interacts with the right-click menu is not documented, so test it in your build.
Practical notes#
- The Manufacture marking menu is deliberately small (Repeat, Undo, Redo, Import) and puts most toolpath actions in the context menu.
- Drawing and Electronics have their own shortcut sets; see the Keyboard shortcuts page.
- Keyboard shortcuts are ignored while a text field is active, so click the canvas first.
- Isolate/Unisolate sits in the context menu part of the marking menu, a quick way to reduce clutter on a large design (see Performance tuning).
Tips and pitfalls#
Tip (general guidance): Gestures let you pick commands without waiting for the menu to draw.
Warning: Binding a key already used by your operating system or another application (screen capture, input method switchers) will make the shortcut appear dead. Pick another.
Warning: Do not assign single letters you type into text fields in a way that conflicts with your workflow. Shortcuts are ignored in text boxes, but a selection in the canvas is not a text box.
Tip: Consider a programmable mouse or a macro pad. Because Fusion shortcuts are ordinary key presses, a device that sends them will work without extra setup.
Tip: If the marking menu feels sluggish, check graphics settings and disable heavy visual effects. See the performance tuning page in this section.
Practice exercise#
- Right-click in the canvas, then hover over the bottom command to reach the second-level Sketch menu. Record the 8 commands.
- Use the marking menu to run Hole, then Repeat last command.
- Press Esc to dismiss the menu.
- Use S to run a command that has no shortcut.
Expected result: you can start at least three commands from the marking menu and know where the documented shortcut tools live.
Related#
- Keyboard shortcuts by workspace (this section)
- Commands index (this section)
- User interface tour (Getting Started)
- Preferences (Getting Started)
- Workspaces overview (Getting Started)