Installation¶

The easiest way to get started with apper is to start from a template project.

This will download and structure a new add-in for you on your local system.

You can set some basic parameters and the template will generate everything you need to get started.

Prerequisites¶

Python interpreter
Install Git
Adjust your path
Packaging tools

Python interpreter¶

Install Python for your operating system. Fusion 360 uses Python 3.7 so it is recommended to install this version locally as it will simplify setting up your development environment in general.

Consult the official Python documentation for details.

You can install the Python binaries from python.org.

Install Git¶

Git is a free and open source distributed version control system designed to handle everything from small to very large projects with speed and efficiency.

You will need to have git installed to properly setup your local environment. It is recomended to just install github desktop if you do not already have git installed locally.

Alternatively you can review other installation options.

Adjust your path¶

Ensure that your bin folder is on your path for your platform. Typically ~/.local/ for UNIX and macOS, or %APPDATA%\Python on Windows. (See the Python documentation for site.USER_BASE for full details.)

MacOS¶

For bash shells, add the following to your .bash_profile (adjust for other shells):

# Add ~/.local/ to PATH
export PATH=$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH

Remember to load changes with source ~/.bash_profile or open a new shell session.

Windows¶

Ensure the directory where cookiecutter will be installed is in your environment’s Path in order to make it possible to invoke it from a command prompt. To do so, search for “Environment Variables” on your computer (on Windows 10, it is under System Properties –> Advanced) and add that directory to the Path environment variable, using the GUI to edit path segments.

Example segments should look like %APPDATA%\Python\Python3x\Scripts, where you have your version of Python instead of Python3x.

You may need to restart your command prompt session to load the environment variables.

Install cookiecutter¶

cookiecutter creates projects from project templates and is an amazing resource

For more detailed installation instructions see their documentation

First install cookie cutter into your local python environment

pip install cookiecutter

Or potentially if you have a separate python 3 installation you may need to use:

pip3 install cookiecutter

Using the Template¶

Navigate to the Fusion 360 Addins directory¶

Putting your addin in the following directory will allow Fusion 360 to automatically recognize it

Mac:

cd ~
cd /Library/Application Support/Autodesk/Autodesk\ Fusion\ 360/API/AddIns/

Windows:

cd  C:\Users\%YOUR_USER_NAME%\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\Autodesk Fusion 360\API\AddIns

Run the cookiecutter template¶

This will create your add-in directory.

cookiecutter https://github.com/tapnair/cookiecutter-fusion360-addin.git

Open your new add-in¶

In Fusion 360 click on the tools tab and select the Scripts and Add-ins command

You can now either Run your new add-in or select Edit to open it in VS Code