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Fusion360 MCAD Integration — EasyEDA Pro Extension

Real-time collaboration between EasyEDA Pro and Fusion360 via WebSocket + HTTP. Supports model export, bidirectional position sync, cross-probe, and deletion sync.

Features

Requirements

Installation

Step 1: Install EDA Extension

1. Open EasyEDA Pro
2. After installation, find Fusion360 MCAD Integration in the extension list and confirm it is enabled
3. Enable external interaction permission: Go to Extensions → Extension Settings → Enable External Interaction permission (required for WebSocket communication)

Step 2: Install Fusion360 Script

1. Download the script (The script file can also be saved locally via EDA menu Fusion360 MCAD Integration → Download Script)

2. Open Fusion360 and create a new document

3. Create a new add-in module

4. Open the script file location, replace the script content with the downloaded script file. Note that the script name must match the one used during creation.

5. Click Run. Note: you must run the module, not the script file.

   

6. Verify successful startup: You should see the following in Fusion360's text command window:

[EasyEDA] CustomEvent registered
[EasyEDA] Add-in started ✅
[EasyEDA] Starting WebSocket server on ws://0.0.0.0:8767

Usage Guide

1. Export 3D Model to Fusion360

1. Make sure the Fusion360 Add-In script is running

2. Create or open a component design document in Fusion360

   

   If the script is already running, just click the export button — a new document will be created automatically.

3. Open a PCB design file in EDA, enter the PCB Editor

4. Click menu Fusion360 MCAD Integration → Export 3D to Fusion360

5. Automatically connects to Fusion360, retrieves the STEP file, and uploads it in chunks.

2. Enable Bidirectional Interaction

After exporting the model, you can enable bidirectional interaction for real-time sync:

1. Click menu Fusion360 MCAD Integration → Enable Bidirectional
2. EDA will automatically map component designators to Fusion360 3D objects (build_mapping)
3. After mapping is successful, you can:
   • Drag a component in EDA → The 3D model in Fusion360 follows in real-time
   • Drag an object in Fusion360 → The component in EDA moves synchronously (via HTTP polling for position changes)
   • Click a component in EDA → Fusion360 auto-selects and focuses (flashing highlight)
   • Click an object in Fusion360 → EDA auto-navigates to the corresponding component

Known Limitation: The mapping is one-to-one. Opening multiple pages will cause mapping conflicts. Please operate on a single page.

3. Stop Bidirectional Interaction

1. Click menu Fusion360 MCAD Integration → Disable Bidirectional

2. All mappings and listeners will be cleared.

4. Connection Management

Technical Details

Communication Architecture

EDA ←— WebSocket:8767 —→ Fusion (Command channel: upload/mapping/position update/cross-probe)
EDA ←— HTTP:8768/poll ←— Fusion (Status channel: selection detection/position changes)

Key Technical Decisions

Thread Safety

Fusion360 API requires all document operations to run on the main thread, but WebSocket/HTTP runs on background threads.

• Read operations (selection detection, position reading): Can be called directly from HTTP/WS background threads, works but not fully stable
• Write operations (position update, cross-probe, delete): Commands received via WS are called directly
• executeTextCommand: Can be safely called from background thread (Fusion executes internally on main thread)
• Polling interval of 2 seconds reduces crash probability caused by thread contention

FAQ

Failed to connect to Fusion360

Check in order:

1. Is Fusion360 running and the Add-In script is active
2. Is port 8767/8768 occupied — Close Fusion360 and retry
3. External interaction permission — Is it enabled in EDA extension settings
4. Firewall — Check if Windows firewall is blocking the port

"Design OK" after import but no model visible

Make sure a component design document is open or created before import. Translator.Import imports the STEP into the currently active document.

Fusion360 freezes when importing large files

Fusion360's STEP import is a synchronous operation. The UI may become unresponsive during large file imports. It recovers automatically after import completes. The code uses time.sleep(3) to wait for import completion.

Fusion360 crashes after bidirectional interaction runs for a while

This is a Fusion360 API thread safety limitation. Background threads (HTTP/WS) reading Fusion API may compete with the main thread, causing crashes. Reducing polling frequency can help (currently 2 seconds).

Selecting a component in Fusion360 has no response in EDA

1. Confirm bidirectional interaction is enabled (log should show Monitor enabled)
2. Polling interval is 2 seconds, wait 1-2 seconds after selection
3. Check if designator mapping was correctly established (log should show Mapping: X / Y matched)

Project Structure

pcb-export-to-fusion/
├── src/
│   └── index.ts                         # EDA extension main logic (TypeScript)
├── script/
│   ├── Interactive-with-fusion.py       # Python script
├── config/
│   ├── esbuild.common.ts                # Build configuration
│   └── esbuild.prod.ts
├── build/
│   ├── packaged.ts                      # Packaging script
│   └── dist/
├── locales/
│   ├── zh-Hans.json                     # Chinese translations
│   └── en.json                          # English translations
├── images/
│   └── logo.png                         # Extension icon
├── extension.json                       # Extension manifest
├── package.json
└── tsconfig.json