AlignScan / Guides / Align for Fusion
Guide
Align a 3D scan for Fusion
Reverse engineering a scan in Fusion goes much faster when the mesh sits square to the origin planes. Sketches start on the planes you can see, and faces of the part are parallel to them instead of fighting them.
Why alignment matters for scan-to-CAD
- Sketching. A new sketch on an origin plane projects cleanly onto flat walls only if those walls are parallel to the plane.
- Converting the mesh. Fusion's Mesh workspace can convert a mesh to a solid (Convert Mesh), and the result inherits the mesh's orientation. A square mesh gives a square body.
- Dimensions and sections. Section analysis and measurements along the axes are only meaningful when the part is square to them.
Workflow
- Align and recenter in AlignScan. Pick the up axis that matches your Fusion preference. Fusion's default up axis is a setting (Y or Z), so check Preferences → General → Default modeling orientation.
- Reduce huge meshes before inserting them; millions of triangles are heavy. Alignment does not change triangle counts, so decimate in a mesh tool afterwards.
- Use Insert → Insert Mesh and pick the units that match the file.
- Create sketches on the origin planes and project the flat faces; use the Mesh workspace to convert the mesh if you need a solid to build on.
Skip the manual work: drop your scan into AlignScan. It runs in your browser and the file is never uploaded.
Open the aligner →Tools for the next step
Fusion handles the CAD rebuild. Shapr3D is an alternative if you prefer a touch-first modeller for the same job.
Get Autodesk Fusion → Try Shapr3D →