Fusion 360 Post Processing Demystified

A few Fusion 360 updates ago, Autodesk implemented a new way to post process code called NC Programs. I’ve observed many users using this new functionality in the same way they used the legacy Fusion 360 post processing method and were frustrated by all the NC Programs that were created in their browser.
This video will show you the benefit of the new Fusion 360 post processing tools and how they are designed to make your job easier and more efficient.

[@TheDaumen]

No question about it your videos are by far the best on KZbin regarding Fusion 360. Perfect narration and a no fluff approach. No jokes, no ridiculous laughs. Your ability to impart knowledge clearly and precisely in a timely manner is much appreciated. Danke!

[@IDIMDM]

I started posting like this yesterday and I can’t believe how much nicer it is. I always thought there must be a better way to use the NC list and even named them but every time I would tweak something I “had” to save it using the same name. I love that you just make your changes put in the thumb drive repost and you don’t have to retype the file name or anything. Love it. No more deleting a long list of NC files to clean up.

[@IDIMDM]

This clears things up. I was just delegating all of the NC files to keep that folder clean.

[@CNCMachinistEducationNetwork]

Its good to know that any new stuff usually means the old stuff is going away. Like any new thing transition can be difficult. Like the UI big change on design. Plus tutorials that haven't caught up with changes. Like all products you need to find a way to learn the best you can and upgrade. I like that you can shut off the NC program repeat ladder. I set prog name/number - comment and WCS # in that before I program. We do occasionally set a program to run multiple WCS Ops at one time but not the norm. Individual programs - even move from lathe to mill. thanks for the update

[@7alfatech860]

Thanks for pointing out the "update" option. Looks like smoother workflow.

[@MechanicalAdvantage]

I didn't like NC Programs to begin with either. Then I got a good explanation and now I love them. And Autodesk isn't done improving things here either. There will continue to be enhancements to NC Programs that are being discussed now.

[@RobertBrown-lf8yq]

Hi Kevin, Thanks for all the work you put in to keeping us going 👏👏 I like your style mate 👍 Regards Robert

[@MechanicalAdvantage]

Hey Robert. Thank you very much. I'm glad you liked the video. I just wish I would have been able to finish it about 4 months ago :) Hope you are well.

[@MrRctintin]

Once again, thanks so much for your time in making the videos. For guys like me who are new to CAD and CAM, these videos are like gold

[@MechanicalAdvantage]

tried to keep it pretty simple because I know my metric friends can't handle too much complexity haha Hopefully it will help you to keep that NC Programs list from growing in your files.

[@MrRctintin]

@@MechanicalAdvantage strange how NASA and SpaceX use the measurement that the rest of the world uses… 😁

[@MechanicalAdvantage]

You mean the NASA that was floundering so much that they had to hand it over to a private company called SpaceX? The same SpaceX that is a “private” company but gets almost all its funding from the federal government? 😋

[@MrRctintin]

@@MechanicalAdvantage that uses the metric measurement system… yes, that one ☝️ 😁

[@saoudalattiyah]

Thank you Keven , and nice to hear from you again

[@MechanicalAdvantage]

Nice to hear from you! Maybe we'll catch up in person at IMTS this year.

[@AmericanMakerCNC]

Wow, it was right in front of my face this whole time. 🤦🏻‍♂ I though the "Post Process" option would just "recreate" the post with the old toolpath. I had no idea it would "regenerate" the post with the new tool path. It would be great if Autodesk reworded an updated NC program's context menu to say something like "Regenerate," or "Refresh" or "Update Post," I think that would be a more precise description. Thanks for posting this video. Your content always helps me improve my Fusion skills and save time in the process (no pun intended).

[@rbyt2010]

Ahh. I’ve been watching the nc programs list grow just as you said 😏 the minute you called attention to the yellow triangle it dawned on me - “outta date, click to update”. Thanks - pretty slick!

[@MechanicalAdvantage]

It is pretty slick once you get used to it. I'm hoping this will help people to repost their NC Programs rather than recreating them. Thanks for the comment.

[@dgoddard]

Geez, this just saved me a ton of time and headache! Thanks!

[@robbrandenburg5576]

Thank you so very much for making this video. I’m guilty of having several NC programs on my browser

[@MechanicalAdvantage]

Hi Rob. Hopefully this will help. I just sent you a reply to your email as well. Thanks for the idea.

[@devinpersons2927]

Wow thanks. I have been creating multiple nc files for each post.

[@MechanicalAdvantage]

Hi Devin. Hopefully this will speed you up and keep you from getting annoyed with the growing NC Programs list.

[@jeffcarroll7012]

Thanks for the info there!!! I needed that. Lol

[@wazwuz205]

Thnak you, this will save a lot of my time

[@MechanicalAdvantage]

That's what I like to hear. Thanks for letting me know.

[@ps9417]

Thank you for the info

[@MechanicalAdvantage]

You bet

[@matthewbeck9825]

Dude! Thank you

[@MechanicalAdvantage]

Thank you for the comment. I hope it helped and I find people really like this new method once they understand what is going on.

[@brettrichardson2423]

The New NC post is getting easer to use with time, and costly mistakes to parts and tooling, Make sure to double check the Operations tabs be cause it still dose not switch between Setups/operations. when the current setup is selected. (opp 1 & opp 2) thus causing a crash if you don't catch it in the Operations tap within the NC Program. I also run a MAC and Autodesk needs to verify there updates before they push out these updates to the users. As I thought that it was just me having this problem. Keven I always learn something when I watch your videos like checking the "Open NC file in editor" I think this will be helpful Thanks!

[@davelewis4864]

I create a different ncprogram for each setup and name them. Then if I have to repost any of them after a change, just right click on the one you want and repost it.

[@MechanicalAdvantage]

Hey Brett. Glad you got something out of it. Maybe when you get a chance sometime, you can email me or send me a video of your exact workflow that can cause a crash so I can take it back to the team.

[@AaronEngineering]

G’day Kevin. I watched this but forgot to comment. Thanks for the clarification. I was a little confused when I saw this function appear in one of million updates. No idea how I can get the code into my old green Herless mill. Guess I just have to keep cranking those handles rofl🤣

[@JayVon_Ro]

THANK YOU. My God.

[@MechanicalAdvantage]

Hopefully that means it was helpful :)

[@williamregan1200]

Is there a way to set the default as to where my machine goes when it’s done machining? It currently comes all the way forward but also goes all the way left. That requires me to manual.y handle jog to the right to get it in the door opening. Thanks as always for your excellent videos! They are so well done and easy to understand and always timely and useful!!!

[@MechanicalAdvantage]

Hi William. Yes, that position is controlled in the post processor that you are using. Posts aren't my specialty, but I bet that if you go to the post processor support forum found at forums.autodesk.com/t5/hsm-post-processor-forum/bd-p/218 that someone will be able to easily help you make that change. Glad the video was helpful.

[@mateuszwawak7437]

Im also frustrated by new NC programs. We can enable it in the features for now. Legacy is much better and clean for me.

[@MechanicalAdvantage]

Did you watch the whole video? What does legacy provide that is better than NC Programs?

[@joem6859]

Beautiful project and process!! How many man hours do you think you have in this piece?? Just curious.

[@MechanicalAdvantage]

Thanks. I don’t think it took a lot of time. The model of the table was from a vendor. I had previously created the parametric vise, side note, you can find that vise and many more that I did in the Samples directory under work holding, and it took a few hours to draw and program the bottle opener.

[@ragnarhairybreeks]

Hi, The “new” nc posting is working for me mostly. But I wish you could change the file extension . You see the extension in grey, in what looks like an edit , or input box

[@MechanicalAdvantage]

Do you always need to change your extension? That is a pretty easy post mod. And I say that as someone that really can’t edit posts. But I know how to change that. Email me if you want some help.

[@ragnarhairybreeks]

Hi, Thanks, I sent that message while distracted , maybe that’s obvious. I’ll explain more in email . It’s really due to the usb dongle hack we have for the mini mill. I’ll try to explain fully in email. Thanks again Alistair

[@davidg4188]

At 4:38 how do I get the operations tool list to print out? I can't get my tools to post the same tool description as shown.

[@MechanicalAdvantage]

You would need to create a setup sheet. That would contain all the tools and operations for the setup.

[@nunobrandao5375]

Is there anyway to post process single files? Our machines are old and work toolpath but toolpath, instead off One single NC program , i want to post all toolpath with single NC program. Like powermill

[@MechanicalAdvantage]

I'm not exactly sure what you are trying to accomplish. You can post a single toolpath. You can post a group of toolpaths. You can post an entire setup, you can post multiple setups at the same time. Does that help to answer the question?

[@trevteesdale9006]

So I think the 'legacy' option has been removed after my last update, thing is mach 3 won't recognise the new csv files as they are all commas, how can I get my code to the old tap files for mach 3 to read?

[@MechanicalAdvantage]

Do you mean it is posting with the wrong file extension?

[@trevteesdale9006]

@Mechanical Advantage its ok its now sorted, basically I always used to defer to the legacy option in preferences, when that went and the nc box came up instead i didn't realise it wasn't set to mach 3, because I never used it I didn't know about it. All fixed though, thanks for getting back to me, and thanks for the great videos, they have been a great help.

[@pxly1929]

Can you explain how to fin my Machine in post proces.Ty❤

[@ragnarhairybreeks]

Hit send too soon…. Would be good for me if I could change the file extension type. On the Haas mini mil we have, I have to use an usb interface to the original serial port. To cut to the chase … I need a .txt extension in my g code files for the usb dongle to work . I do look at the code with editor after posting, for this and that, so it’s not too much of a chore to change file type then.

[@jenspetersen5865]

Is there any way to autoname the NC proigram from the part name with version control like ...part V17

[@MechanicalAdvantage]

I think you will continue to see improvements around this. There has been a lot of discussion around auto naming NC Programs. Different people want different things, and there are different scenarios. For instance one of the ideas is to automatically populate the NC Program with the setup name. But what happens if you post two programs as on NC File. How should that output be named. All I know for sure is this is an active topic and they want to make sure it works for everyone’s needs.

[@jenspetersen5865]

@@MechanicalAdvantage I am guessing by default you would have partname ver - setupX The setups auto numbers setup - so why not use that

[@johngover1455]

This is the main issue with auto updating a file. There is no way to know which file is being sent to the machine, aside from a creation date as it just overwrites the existing file...or did it? Who knows.

[@Robinlarsson83]

Is this really all that new? I've done it this way for almost a year now? Clearly the better way

[@MechanicalAdvantage]

It has been in preview for a very long time, however, it was made the default way in the August release (99% sure on that one). There are still lots of people that enable the legacy method of posting that will be removed from the software eventually, so I wanted to make sure those people knew how to use the new method as well as help out the people that are currently using it but didn’t quite get how it’s works yet.

[@emblemcc]

the NC program naming messes the process up. I see no reason why the NC program name is not the name of the file. If it would be it won't be as confusing as it is now, especially when you come back to that setup after a bit. There is no way "anybody" is able to remember if the NCProgram1 is this or that or what.

[@MechanicalAdvantage]

Because many machine controls won’t allow alpha characters to be used and will only accept numbers.. You can rename your NC programs and you will continue to see work here on automating the naming of programs.

[@emblemcc]

@@MechanicalAdvantage I'm talking about the NC programs names where the alphanumeric problem is not a case.. as the native names have both alpha and numeric characters starting with "NCProgram1".. the stupid behavior is the inconsistent naming with what the user does.. When we safe the Program "name/number" we can choose the name same as with file name and yet the NC program keeps generating redundant confusing names with no connection with what the user choose for the name/number or the file name. This actual behavior is as stupid as if we would not have a chance to define file name and will be forced to post-rename the post file (any file) in the system file browser every time we save new file. The reason why people do not use the NC programs or they find it hard to work with it is actually this naming nonsense. That is why they rather regenerate the program the old way as they get what they set. I know we can rename it afterwards, but yet again.. why should we do it manually every time we create new program is beyond me.

[@MechanicalAdvantage]

How should the program be automatically named? How would you choose to name it?

[@emblemcc]

@@MechanicalAdvantage the Program name should be same as what the user defines in the Program > Name/number field when we post/save the file the first time. This way it stays consistent. If I name it "123" the NC program would have the same name, if I save it as "side1_001_clearing_8mmFlatBit" it should have that name.. etc.. This way I know what program I will go to update when I do a change withing that specific post setup and even if I forget what the NC program covers if I name it logically the name will remind me. Because if I forget to name the generic names "NCProgram1..999.." right away I loose the mental connection and the program is basically useless as I have no clue without extra hassle what is within that program.. I think it is clear why we do not name all the files we create like file_1, file_2, ... If on the other hand I change the name/number the program next time I "manually re-post" it should ask me if I want to update the name of the relevant NC Program or create a new NC Program with a new name, same like if I try to overwrite file.

[@michalkalavsky]

Inside program name is always 1000, I dont care for it.