Fusion 360 Cup Holder Workshop: Model, Simulate, Print

By Admin, 07/09/2026 · 8 min read

Build a desk-edge cup holder in Fusion, explore stress and heat transfer, then prepare the model for 3D printing.

Fusion 360 workshop

Fusion 360 cup holder workshop

Follow the four lessons below to model a desk-edge cup holder, explore stress and heat transfer, and prepare a 3MF file for printing.

Get Fusion education access Install Fusion Participant resources Bambu Studio for the X1C

Workshop pages

Read the guide in order

Each page covers one part of the workshop and links to the next step.

Modelling step by stepBuild the C clamp, cup body, cavity, fillets and desk parameter.Static stress simulationApply ABS, fixed slot faces, a 10 N load, mesh and read three plots.Thermal simulationApply the 80 C cup wall, convection to room air and compare material choices.3MF export and slicingSave the body as 3MF, stand it on its base and check the Bambu Studio preview.

Setup

Before you start

Fusion on an education licence (the Simulation workspace is not in the personal-use licence: click DESIGN at the top left and check the list), units set to millimetres under Preferences > Default Units > Design, and a mouse. The education-access guide linked above covers the sign-up.

The part

A desk-edge cup holder

A clip grips the desk edge and a cup joins the closed wall of the clamp, so the drink sits beside the desk. The cup and the clamp share a base plane, so the part prints standing up with one small block of support in the slot.

FeatureSize

Clamp block40 x 60 x 30 mm, slot 28 mm deep

Slot heightA user parameter, desk = 25 mm, centred with (60 mm - desk) / 2

Cup body80 mm across, 28 mm tall, centre 35 mm behind the closed wall and 15 mm along it

Cavity70 mm across, 20 mm deep: an 8 mm floor and a 5 mm wall

Fillets3 mm on the four outside corners of the C, 1 mm inside the slot, both in Sketch1

Load pathCup floor, cup wall, clamp wall, prongs. The lever from the cup centre to the clamp is 40 mm

01 Around the interface

Fusion interface

Use these controls during the modelling steps.

1

Data panel

Your files, projects and versions. The grid icon top-left toggles it.

2

Toolbar tabs

SOLID, SURFACE, MESH, SHEET METAL, PLASTIC, UTILITIES. This guide stays in SOLID.

3

Workspace switcher

DESIGN now; SIMULATION later. Click the word to change.

4

Toolbar groups

CREATE, MODIFY, ASSEMBLE, CONSTRUCT, INSPECT, INSERT, SELECT.

5

Browser

Everything in the file: origin planes, sketches, bodies.

6

Canvas

The model. Right-click for the marking menu; press S to search for any command by name.

7

ViewCube

Click a face to look at it, drag it to orbit, click the house for Home.

8

Navigation bar

Orbit, pan, zoom, fit, display settings, bottom centre.

9

Timeline

Every feature in order. Drag the marker back to see history; right-click a feature to edit it, and everything after it rebuilds.

OrbitShift plus middle drag, or drag the ViewCube.

PanMiddle drag.

ZoomScroll wheel. Double-click the middle button, or F6, to fit everything.

Command searchPress S, type the first letters of a command, Enter. It works in every workspace.

02 Sketching

Sketch geometry and constraints

Dimensions set the size of a sketch. Constraints control how its geometry can move. Blue geometry is not fully constrained; black geometry is fully constrained. If Fusion reports conflicting constraints, review the highlighted geometry and remove the redundant constraint.

1

Create Sketch, click the XZ plane. It is the front plane, the one facing you in the Home view.

2

Press R and place a rectangle. Check which dimension field is active before entering the width and height; use Tab to move between fields. Press Enter, then Esc.

3

Drag a corner. It moves, because nothing says where the rectangle is. Ctrl+Z.

4

Place one corner at the origin and set both width and height. Check that the rectangle is fully constrained before continuing.

5

Finish Sketch, press E, click inside the rectangle, type 10, OK. Body1 appears in the browser and two features in the timeline.

The four sketch keys

L: Line. R: Rectangle. C: Circle. D: Dimension.

Click Finish Sketch, then press E to open Extrude. Select a closed profile and check its preview.

Check the extrude distance, direction and operation. New Body creates a separate solid; Join adds material to an existing body; Cut removes material.

03 The build

Five checkpoints from a blank file

The modelling page carries the full numbered screenshots. Build the 40 x 60 x 30 mm C clamp first, make the slot desk = 25 mm, add the 80 x 28 mm cup body, cut a 70 x 20 mm cavity and finish with 3 mm outside fillets and 1 mm slot fillets.

Open the modelling steps

04 Static stress

Fixed faces, 10 N load and three plots

The static stress page sets ABS Plastic, fixes the two slot faces, loads the cup floor with 10 N and solves for safety factor, von Mises stress and displacement. The first result gives minimum safety factor 27.8, maximum von Mises stress 0.72 MPa at the joint and maximum displacement 0.045 mm. Thickening the cup wall from 5 to 8 mm raises the minimum safety factor to 44.1.

Open the static stress steps

05 Thermal

80 C drink, 25 C room and convection

The thermal page applies 80 C to the cup floor and inner wall, then convection at 10 W/m2K to 25 C on the outside faces. The result runs from about 26 to 80 C, with the clamp top around 45 C and the slot faces around 30 C. The page also covers PETG, ABS, reduced contact and insulation for cup walls above 60 C.

Open the thermal steps

06 Export and print

Save as Mesh, then Bambu Studio

The export page saves Body1 as a 3MF in millimetres, then checks the file in Bambu Studio. Stand the part on its base, use the 0.20 mm Standard preset, 3 wall loops, 15 to 20 percent infill and supports on, then read the sliced preview before printing.

Open the export steps

Faults

Common sketch and extrude errors

What you see, what it usually means, and the fix.

SymptomAlmost alwaysFix

No shading inside the profileThe loop is not closed, or a line overshootsZoom to each corner. Trim the overshoot; drag the gap shut.

Extrude does nothingNo valid profile selectedSelect a closed profile, then check the distance and operation in Extrude.

A second body appearsOperation was New BodyCtrl+Z, extrude again with Join. Or MODIFY > Combine.

The cup floats above the clampSketched on the top face instead of the XY planeEdit the sketch, right-click, Redefine Sketch Plane.

The cavity adds material instead of removing itIncorrect direction or operationChoose Cut and preview a 20 mm cut into the cup body.

Fillet failsRadius bigger than a neighbouring edgeSmaller radius, or fillet fewer corners at once.

Dimension turns redOver-constrainedReview the highlighted constraints and remove the redundant one.

Everything is tiny or enormousDocument in inchesDocument Settings > Units in the browser.

No SIMULATION in the workspace menuPersonal-use licenceFinish the education verification. The Design side works in the meantime.

Solve asks you to saveCloud solves need a saved designSave the design and check the access requirements and charge shown in your Solve dialog before submitting.

Study material still says Same as ModelStudy material has not been assignedOpen the Study Material selector, choose ABS Plastic and confirm with OK.

Your own part

The same method on a part of your own

1

Model one part of your idea: fully constrained, with one user parameter for the dimension most likely to change.

2

Run the static stress study on it with the load it will carry, and keep the safety factor plot.

3

Export a 3MF, check its scale in the slicer, and print a small fit test before the full part. Compare the fit and stiffness with your design.

4

Keep the native Fusion design so you can edit its sketches, parameters and timeline later. The 3MF is the print export.

Related guides

Sources

Documentation used on this page

Autodesk: Fusion education access
Autodesk: sketch constraints reference
Autodesk: parameters in Fusion
Autodesk: static stress study
Autodesk: thermal study
Autodesk: Save As Mesh
Bambu Lab: Bambu Studio quick start

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