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Adom Desktop - Fusion 360 Bridge

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by adom

Drive Autodesk Fusion 360 from the cloud via Adom Desktop: component libraries, IPC package generation, board layout, exports (STEP/Gerbers/BOM/CPL), fast APS cloud search, and parametric modeling.

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adom-desktop-fusion-bridge / skills / fusion-libraries / MAKING_LIBRARIES.md
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Making component libraries in Fusion 360 (symbol + footprint + 3D)

How an Adom component library is built and gets into Fusion 360 Electronics as a placeable part, captured end to end on a real part (Nordic nRF54L15). It covers the parts that work today and the one hard step that is still being automated: attaching the real 3D chip via a Fusion cloud URN.

Companion skill: skills/fusion-libraries/SKILL.md. Verb reference: VERBS.md.

Demo video

A real screen recording, ~55 seconds (burned-in captions + voiceover): starting from the adom-lbr source view (symbol, the 4-sided footprint, and the 3D), the library opens in Fusion, fusion_attach_3d_package attaches the real 3D chip onto the footprint, then the library is saved to the cloud and reopened so the 3D binds onto the deviceset - a complete library: symbol, footprint, 3D, and deviceset. Live screen capture (WGC + the adom-lbr pup viewer), not stitched stills.

Watch / download the demo video

The pipeline

chip-fetcher  ->  adom-symbol    -> NAME.kicad_sym ┐
(vendor bundle)   adom-footprint -> NAME.kicad_mod ┼-> adom-lbr generate -> NAME.lbr -> fusion_open_lbr
   incl 3D/NAME.stp + NAME.glb                     ┘   (symbol + package + connects)    (Library editor)
                                                       (2D; 3D = placeholder)
                          then: STEP -> Fusion cloud (URN) -> 3D Package Generator -> real 3D on the package
Tool Role Output
chip-fetcher pulls a multi-CAD vendor bundle for an MPN; the content source library/<MPN>/<MPN>.step, .glb, vendor EAGLE/KiCad
adom-symbol builds the schematic symbol NAME.kicad_sym (2D, no 3D)
adom-footprint builds the PCB footprint NAME.kicad_mod (2D, no 3D)
adom-lbr assembles + validates the EAGLE library NAME.lbr (symbol + package + deviceset)

adom-lbr generate --sym NAME.kicad_sym --fp NAME.kicad_mod -o NAME.lbr then adom-lbr validate NAME.lbr -> "valid EAGLE .lbr with complete deviceset".

Step 1 - open the .lbr in Fusion

The .lbr is built in the cloud container; Fusion runs on Windows. There is no container-to-Windows push verb, so stage the file first, then open the Windows path.

# serve from the container
cd <dir-with-lbr> && python3 -m http.server 8931
# download onto Windows (build the JSON in Python; Windows paths need \\ )
adom-desktop shell_execute '{"command":"powershell -NoProfile -Command \"Invoke-WebRequest -Uri https://<workspace>.adom.cloud/proxy/8931/NAME.lbr -OutFile C:\\Users\\<user>\\adom-lib\\NAME.lbr\""}'
# open it
adom-desktop fusion_open_lbr '{"filePath":"C:/Users/<user>/adom-lib/NAME.lbr","verify":true}'
adom-desktop fusion_get_app_state '{}'   # expect activeWorkspace "Electronics Library", isElectronics true

The library loads with symbol + footprint + deviceset. The 3D package is a placeholder (the Content Manager 3D tab is empty). This is correct, and is the gap the rest of this guide closes.

Library open in the Electronics Library editor; symbol + footprint mapped, 3D still a placeholder

Step 2 - put the 3D model in the Fusion cloud (get a URN)

Fusion does NOT embed the STEP in the .lbr. A package references its 3D model by a Fusion cloud file URN (urn:adsk.wipprod:fs.file:vf.<id>?version=N). So the model has to live in the cloud first. Stage the STEP to Windows (same as step 1), then upload it:

adom-desktop fusion_aps_browse '{}'                                   # find hub + project
adom-desktop fusion_aps_browse '{"projectId":"<proj>"}'               # find the root folder
adom-desktop fusion_aps_create_folder '{"projectId":"<proj>","parentFolderId":"<root>","name":"Electronics 3D"}'
adom-desktop fusion_aps_upload '{"projectId":"<proj>","folderId":"<folder>","localPath":"C:/Users/<user>/adom-lib/NAME.step","fileName":"NAME-3D.step"}'
# -> { "itemUrn": "urn:adsk.wipprod:dm.lineage:...", "bytes": ... }

Verified on nRF54L15: the STEP (1088914 bytes) uploaded into Standard Components / Electronics 3D and returned a real URN. (Electron.getCloudPathFromUrn confirms the 3D package references a Fusion file URN, which is what this path produces.)

Step 3 - the 3D Package Generator (attach the model to the footprint)

Fusion exposes a scriptable entry point:

adom-desktop fusion_execute_text_command '{"command":"Electron.Create3DPackage C:/Users/<user>/adom-lib/NAME.lbr"}'

This opens the 3D PACKAGE Generator: a Design-workspace authoring document with the footprint loaded (the green courtyard + >NAME / >VALUE), and a PACKAGE / SELECT / FINISH ribbon.

The 3D Package Generator with the nRF54L15 footprint loaded, ready for a model

The generator is itself an adsk::fusion::Design in the Package3DEnvironment workspace, with three command definitions: Package3DCmd, Package3DCreateCmd, Package3DStop (Stop = FINISH). So the insert + finish are drivable through fusion_run_modeling_script (full adsk API):

# inside the generator, via fusion_run_modeling_script:
d = adsk.fusion.Design.cast(app.activeProduct); root = d.rootComponent
im = app.importManager
im.importToTarget(im.createSTEPImportOptions("C:/.../NAME.step"), root)   # the real 3D body
oc = root.occurrences.item(root.occurrences.count-1)                      # STEP imports Y-up;
mat = oc.transform2.copy()                                                # rotate 90 deg about X
mat.transformBy(_rotX(math.pi/2)); oc.transform2 = mat                    # so it lies flat (thin in Z)
ui.commandDefinitions.itemById("Package3DStop").execute()                 # FINISH -> Save dialog

This works: the real chip imports at correct scale, orients flat, centered on the footprint, and FINISH saves a 3D package to the cloud (the Save dialog Name/Location are confirmed via desktop_ui_click).

The ADS8588SIPM chip seated on its matched 4-sided LQFP-64 footprint in the Package3D viewer

SOLVED - the 3D binds, end to end

Launched from the open library, Electron.Create3DPackage -> import the model -> orient -> Package3DStop (FINISH) -> Save does bind the 3D onto the deviceset. Proven on ADS8588SIPM (LQFP-64): the Content Manager tree shows the 3D nested under the package under the deviceset, the Packages panel's Package column flips from Placeholder to the part name, and the 3D preview becomes the real chip. First time the full Fusion electronics 3D attach is automated via the bridge.

3D bound: Content Manager shows the real chip under the package, Package column = part name

GOTCHA: the right-panel preview LAGS after FINISH (still shows the gray placeholder for a moment) - the Content Manager tree / Package column is the source of truth; re-grab the window after a beat.

How Fusion stores it (the ground-truth .lbr markup)

Export the bound library (fusion_export_source to a .flbr ZIP; the EAGLE XML is in electron.BlobParts/ExtFile<uuid>) and you see exactly how the 3D is referenced for a CUSTOM model:

<packages3d>
  <package3d name="<PKG>" urn="" wip_urn="urn:adsk.wipprod:fs.file:vf.<id>?version=1"
             locally_modified="yes" type="model">
    <packageinstances><packageinstance name="<PKG>"/></packageinstances>
  </package3d>
</packages3d>
<!-- inside the <device>: -->
<package3dinstances><package3dinstance package3d_urn="urn:adsk.wipprod:fs.file:vf.<id>?version=1"/></package3dinstances>

Key: urn="" is empty (that slot is for managed urn:adsk.eagle:package parts only); the real link is wip_urn= with the versioned file URN urn:adsk.wipprod:fs.file:vf.<id>?version=1 (NOT the dm.lineage form), plus locally_modified="yes". With this exact shape the binding can be written directly given the model's versioned file URN. Full detail: LIBRARY_FINDINGS.md §11-12.

Pitfalls

  • Container path to fusion_open_lbr/upload fails - paths must be Windows-local; stage first.
  • Assuming the 3D is there - adom-lbr output is 2D; the package is a placeholder until step 3 completes.
  • Electron.Create3DPackage with no/blank args opens a stray "Untitled" (or footprint-named) Design; close it with fusion_close_document '{"save":false}' if you abandon the generator.
  • Guessing the package3d XML - no on-disk example exists (not even vendor EAGLE downloads carry 3D); the markup is generated by Fusion. Reverse-engineer from a real FINISH before writing any.
  • desktop_screenshot_window needs hwnd (resolve via desktop_find_window) and returns inline base64.

Every verb used in this sequence

Verb What it did here
adom-lbr generate / validate build + validate NAME.lbr
shell_execute (PowerShell Invoke-WebRequest) stage .lbr / .step onto Windows
fusion_open_lbr open the library in the Electronics Library editor
fusion_get_app_state confirm active doc / workspace / isElectronics
desktop_find_window + desktop_screenshot_window capture the Fusion window
fusion_aps_browse find the hub / project / root folder
fusion_aps_create_folder make the Electronics 3D folder
fusion_aps_upload upload the STEP to the cloud, return the URN
fusion_list_text_commands discover Electron.Create3DPackage / getCloudPathFromUrn
fusion_execute_text_command run Electron.Create3DPackage <footprint>
fusion_close_document close the generator / stray designs