In Fusion 360, your engineers sketch, constrain, and model every feature. In Flux, you describe the part, and the AI engineer models it, checks it, and gets it made.
Flux is your team's autonomous hardware engineer. Give it a requirement. It plans the design, picks the parts, draws the schematic, routes the board, designs the mechanical parts, and writes the firmware. It checks its own work in simulation and design rule checks, and hands your engineers files ready to manufacture.
Autodesk Fusion is cloud-based software for 3D CAD, CAM, CAE, and PCB design, with data management in one workspace.[1]
Fusion includes PCB layout, SPICE simulation, and mechanical and electronics design in one tool.[2]
Describe the part or the change in plain words. Flux writes the parametric model, picks the right CAD kernel for each part, runs stress, thermal, and airflow simulation, and hands you STEP, STL, or 3MF files. Your engineers review and edit the result. Flux runs in your web browser.
| Feature | Flux | Fusion 360 |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | AI hardware engineer with its own design tools | 3D CAD, CAM, CAE, and PCB software[1] |
| Where it runs | In your web browser. Nothing to install. Your projects live in the cloud. | Desktop app for Windows and macOS that you install on your computer[3] |
| How a part is made | You describe the part. The AI engineer writes the parametric model. Your engineers review and edit it. | Your engineers model each part in the tool[1] |
| Mechanical CAD | Built in, kernel agnostic. From an enclosure to a complete robot arm. | Built in[1] |
| Mechanical simulation | Finite-element stress, thermal, and airflow simulation | Mechanical simulation[2] |
| Mechanical manufacturing | STEP, STL, and 3MF files, plus quotes for 3D printing, CNC machining, sheet metal, and laser cutting | CAM for machined parts[1] |
| And the electronics too | ||
| Schematic and parts | Built in. Picks from 734,000+ public parts. | Built in[2] |
| Board layout and routing | Built in | Built in[2] |
| Simulation and design rule checks | SPICE, electromagnetic, thermal, and mechanical simulation, plus design rule checks | SPICE simulation[2] |
Flux designs single parts and complete assemblies, from a bracket or an enclosure to a complete robot arm. It brings every part together in one model.
Flux fits each part to the real board: its mounting holes, connectors, and cutouts. The agent can change the board and the mechanical parts together.
Chips and connectors, devices that are not on the board, and mechanical hardware such as screws and standoffs are in one library for the whole product.
Flux saves each part as a STEP file and as editable CAD code. Your engineers can review the code and change it.
Bring your mechanical parts in. Ask Flux to change them in plain words. Then get them manufactured.
The request, as typed in Flux
“The holder must cover a much taller power supply. Make the bent side flange 40 mm deeper. Keep the 4.4 mm hole in the flange where it is. Then cut five 5 x 30 mm vertical vent slots in the new part of the flange, 15 mm apart and centered on the flange width.”
Import complete projects, part libraries, and 3D models. Schematics, placement, and routing come across.
Imported designs are ready to edit right away. Ask "move the USB cutout 3 cm left" or "make the enclosure tighter", and Flux does the work.
Flux hands you the files that your manufacturer needs: Gerber, ODB++, IPC-2581, bill of materials, and pick-and-place for the board, and STEP, STL, or 3MF for the mechanical parts.
Kernel-agnostic CAD
Traditional CAD tools are locked to one geometry kernel, and every part inherits its limits. Flux is kernel agnostic, the same way it is model agnostic. The AI engineer picks the right kernel for each part, switches kernels when one cannot build a feature, and brings every part together in one model.
Exact, standard geometry that CAM and other CAD tools read cleanly. Strong for machined parts and multi-part assemblies.
Smooth, curvature-continuous surfaces for hand-held and consumer products.
The kernel inside SolidWorks, NX, Solid Edge, and Onshape, for native-quality exchange with those tools.
Surface quality you can see. Zebra stripes, curvature maps, and curvature combs show that every surface is smooth before the part goes to tooling.
Verification lab
Flux doesn't stop at generating designs. The AI engineer simulates and checks its own work with professional-grade solvers, and it shows you the results.
Finite-element stress analysis of brackets, enclosures, and mounts.
Heat and airflow simulation of boards and enclosures before you build them.
Airflow and cooling through the enclosure, so vents, fans, and heat sinks work before the first prototype.
SPICE simulation of analog, power, and mixed-signal circuits, run and read by the AI engineer.
Full-wave simulation of the routed board: impedance, S-parameters, crosstalk, and antennas.
Electrical and manufacturing rule checks on every schematic and board.
Reads the datasheet of every part and checks the design against its pinouts, ratings, and limits.
Manufacturing
Flux gets quotes directly from the fabricators for circuit boards and assembly, 3D printing in plastic and metal, CNC machining, sheet metal, laser cutting, injection molding, and casting. The AI engineer compares price and lead time, checks the design against each fabricator's rules, and keeps the quote current as the design changes.
Craftcloud 
JLC 3D printing 
PCBWay 3D printing 
Shapeways 
OSH Cut 
SendCutSend JLCPCB PCBWay 
OSH Park 
AISLER The board, the mechanical parts, and the firmware are in one project. The agent can change the board and the mechanical parts together. You do not move files between an electronics tool, a mechanical tool, and a code editor.
There is nothing to install and no license server to manage. Flux works on any computer with a modern web browser.
Share a project with a link. Several people can edit it at the same time. Nobody sends files by email or asks which version is the latest.
New features and new AI models arrive in the product. You do not install a new version or move your projects to it.
The Flux library has 734,000+ public parts. You do not build a part library before you start.
Invite people with a link. Single sign-on and project-level permissions control who sees what.
Flux picks parts from 734,000+ public parts in the Flux library and draws the schematic.
Flux places the parts and routes the board.
Flux writes the firmware for the board it designed.
Flux runs frontier models from several providers. Adaptive model selection gives each task to the model that does it best for the price. Frontier performance at 30% lower cost.
$40/mo
billed annually ($50 monthly)
$80/mo
billed annually ($100 monthly)
$200/mo
billed annually ($250 monthly)
$4,900/yr
for 5 seats, billed annually ($500 monthly for 5 seats)
Explore, Build, and Pro start with a 14-day free trial. Cancel anytime. See all plans
Use Fusion 360 when your engineers want to model and machine parts by hand. Use Flux when you want an AI engineer to design the board, the mechanical parts, and the firmware, and your engineers to review it.
Start with a free trial, or book a demo with our team.
