Is it possible to work on multiple designs at the same time in Autodesk Fusion?
Short Answer
Yes — in Autodesk Fusion, you can work on multiple designs at the same time by opening each design in its own tab and switching between them from the top tab bar. The most common professional method is using Open to load several cloud designs in one Fusion session. Limitation: performance can drop with large assemblies.
What You Need to Know Before
Warning: Multiple open designs in Autodesk Fusion share the same application resources, so large models can quickly consume RAM and graphics memory. A common failure is editing the wrong file tab and saving unintended changes to the wrong cloud design.
How to Open Multiple Designs in Autodesk Fusion
Command: Open
Shortcut: Ctrl+O
Quick Steps:
- In the Data Panel, find the first design and double-click it, or use File > Open.
- Open additional designs the same way; each file appears in a separate tab at the top of the Fusion workspace.
- Switch between tabs to work on each design, and use the Save button for each modified file before closing.
Use the fastest common method: opening designs directly from the Data Panel.
Real option: turn on the Data Panel if it is hidden, so you can quickly browse and open more files.
Variables & Settings
Key Setting: Data Panel visibility toggle
Expert Setting: Keeping the Data Panel visible makes multi-design work faster because you can open additional files without leaving the current workspace or browsing local folders manually.
Why it Fails
- Cause 1 (Geometry): Very large assemblies or complex mesh-heavy designs can overload GPU or RAM when several tabs are open.
- Cause 2 (layers/Locks): A design may be read-only due to permissions, version control, or another team member’s managed workflow state.
- Cause 3 (Command/Logic): Users often expect true side-by-side editing inside one Fusion window, but Fusion normally uses tab-based switching, not tiled drawing windows like AutoCAD.
Quick Fix & Best Practice
- Quick Fix: Close unused design tabs and reopen only the active files through Open or the Data Panel to free memory.
- Manager’s Verdict: Use multiple open tabs for quick review and light parallel editing, but avoid keeping too many large designs open during production modeling.
FAQ
Can I view two Fusion designs side by side?
Not natively in one tiled workspace; tabs are the standard method.
Can I copy parts from one open design to another?
Yes, you can copy and paste components between open designs.
Does Fusion auto-save all open designs together?
No, each modified design must be saved individually.
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