How to Scan Real Objects on to Fusion 360.

So, do you have some sort of real object you would love to scan into Fusion 360? This is how you can scan your objects into Fusion 360. This skill can also be applied to components of a kit.

Disclaimer: This only applies to pieces that are relatively flat and can be designed on a 2D plane.

For me, I will be using a kit called 'Sunflower', a very clever circuit that tracks the sun for the solar panel's full efficiency. I wanted to make a few modifications to the kit and this is how I scanned the components onto Fusion 360.

• Fusion 360
• Printer that can scan(and can export the file to a computer)
• Laser cutter/3D printer, whatever suits you to model it
• Anything that can run Fusion 360

Obviously, the first step is to find what you want to copy. Specifically, it has to be in the form of parts, not the whole thing. For me, I broke down my kit to have access to all my parts. If glue is involved in your initial assembly, it could be hard but for most kits, this should be a relatively tedious but doable process.

After you have everything you want to import to Fusion, you need to scan it.

For my printer (MP C5503), I placed my parts on the scanner and placed a blank piece of paper. In my photo, it might not seem blank but it is okay as long as the side facing downwards is blank. This might seem like an unnecessary procedure but it helps a lot with scanning the edges and getting the minor details accurate.

Be sure to make sure all the parts fit on the A4 page or else all the parts won't fit and will be cut off.

From my email, I download the pdf file. It should look somewhat like the image above.

But the issue here is that PDF files are not supported and unfortunately our scan is a PDF file(unless your printer's default file is PNG). It is required for the file to be png so I recommend using your go-to file converter but I personally use this website.

After converting the PDF file to a PNG, you want to open Fusion and go to the design where you want to import the scan.

Here is the process to import the image:

1. Click on the Canvas button on the top right
2. Click "Insert from my computer" on the bottom left
3. Click your file
4. Click the plane you want to select it on
5. Change the scale, position whatever you want to and click OK.

And that's basically it! All that is left is to trace your lines and then you can either construct it from there and 3d print it or leave it as 2d and laser cut out the pieces.

If there is any confusion on the steps, you can download the video below and it should show a screen recording of all the steps.

Good luck!