fusion360-exploded-view

A Fusion 360 add-in that builds exploded views automatically. Instead of pushing every part the same distance, it groups parts into layers by how far they sit from the reference and spaces them progressively — so parts separate from each other, not just from the block.

Before	After

Features

• Adds an EXPLODED VIEW tab to the Design toolbar, alongside SOLID, SURFACE and MESH.
• Reads the open assembly and measures each component's position from its bounding box center, not its transform — so a part's local origin can sit anywhere without breaking the result.
• Groups parts into layers by distance from the reference:
  • Parts at effectively the same height (side-by-side bolts, for example) share a layer and are never fanned out into a staircase.
  • Grouping uses a tolerance, since floating-point positions are never exactly equal.
• Explodes progressively, not by a fixed offset:
  • Layer 1 → 1 × gap
  • Layer 2 → 2 × gap
  • Layer 3 → 3 × gap
• Parts above the reference move up, parts below move down, so the result reads like an assembly order.
• The gap is entered by the user in a dialog at run time — nothing is hardcoded.

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How It Works

Most quick explode scripts translate every component by a fixed offset. The assembly moves away from itself, but the parts stay stacked relative to one another — which defeats the purpose of an exploded view.

Distance from the reference decides the layer, the layer decides how far the part travels, and the sign decides which way. Parts sitting at effectively the same height share a layer, so side-by-side bolts are never fanned out into a staircase.

flowchart LR
    subgraph read [Read]
        A[Active Design] --> B[rootComponent<br/>occurrences]
        B --> C[Bounding box center<br/>signed Y distance]
    end
 
    subgraph layer [Layer]
        C --> D[Sort by distance<br/>from reference]
        D --> E[Group by tolerance<br/>same height = same layer]
    end
 
    subgraph move [Explode]
        E --> F[dy = layer x gap<br/>above +Y / below -Y]
        F --> G[occurrence.transform2]
    end
 
    G --> H[Exploded Assembly]

Loading

The reference is the origin plane (Y = 0). Everything is positioned relative to it.

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Project Structure

.
├── Exploded View.py         # Add-in entry point. run() / stop() lifecycle, toolbar setup
├── Exploded View.manifest   # Add-in metadata read by Fusion
├── config.py                # IDs, workspace target, default gap and tolerance
├── AddInIcon.svg            # Toolbar button icon
├── commands/                # Command definitions, dialog inputs and event handlers
├── lib/                     # Explode logic: measuring, sorting, layering, transforms
├── docs/                    # Diagrams and screenshots used in this README
└── .gitignore               # Isolates .env, __pycache__, editor files from git

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Setup & Execution

1. Install the add-in

Copy this folder into your Fusion add-ins directory:

• Windows — %APPDATA%\Autodesk\Autodesk Fusion 360\API\AddIns\
• macOS — ~/Library/Application Support/Autodesk/Autodesk Fusion 360/API/AddIns/ The folder name and the .py file name must match. Fusion requires this.

2. Load it in Fusion

Go to Utilities → Scripts and Add-Ins → Add-Ins, select the add-in, and click Run. Tick Run on Startup to load it every session.

3. Run the command

Open an assembly in the Design workspace, then:

EXPLODED VIEW tab  →  Exploded View button  →  enter gap (e.g. 10 mm)  →  OK

Use Ctrl+Z / Cmd+Z to collapse the assembly back.

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Notes and Limitations

• Y axis only. Explosion happens along a single axis; radial and multi-axis explosion are not implemented.
• Top-level components only. Nested sub-assemblies are not traversed; their contents move as one unit.
• Jointed components may resist repositioning, since their placement is driven by the joint rather than a free transform.
• Fusion's internal unit is centimeters. The dialog accepts millimeters and converts.

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License

MIT — see LICENSE.