May 14, 2025

How to Create a Nest Study in Autodesk Fusion

Gideon Bezuidenhout | Application Engineer

The Fusion Manufacturing Extension in Autodesk Fusion provides powerful tools to streamline your production process. One such feature is creating a nest study, which helps optimize material usage when cutting multiple shapes from a single sheet. In this blog, we’ll guide you through the steps to create a nest study efficiently.

Step 1: Prepare Your Components

Before you start, make sure your shapes, materials, and packaging are correctly set up in the Material and Packaging Presets and Process Material Library dialogs. Once everything is configured, you’re ready to create your nest.

Step 2: Open the Create Nest Study Dialog

To begin, navigate to Manufacture > Fabrication > Nest > Create Nest Study. This will open the Create Nest Study dialog, where you can define the main parameters for your study.

Step 3: Set Up the Study

In the Study tab, you can configure general properties such as:

Job Quantity: Specify the number of each shape within the nest.
Automatically Calculate Nest: Automatically generate the nest upon clicking OK.
Automatic Manage Nest: Let Fusion handle nest updates if source components change.

Step 4: Adjust Shape and Packaging

Go to the Shape tab to include or exclude shapes and view their properties.

Next, head to the Packaging tab to manage packaging options. To delete a packaging, right-click it and select Delete.

Step 5: Global Parameters and Output

In the Global Parameters tab, adjust values like nest position and remnant management. Under the Output tab, you can configure settings like:

Create Manufacturing Model: Generate toolpaths and NC code.

Include Stock: Add a visual representation of the material.

Step 6: Finalize and Generate

Click OK to create your nest study. You’ll find the study and its sheets in the Fusion browser. To generate the nest immediately or later, right-click the nest study node and choose Generate.

By following these steps, you’ll be able to create efficient nest studies, optimizing your material usage in Fusion.

Still looking for answers? Start a discussion with other professionals in your industry!

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About the Author

Gideon Bezuidenhout | Application Engineer

Gideon is an Application Engineer at Micrographics with over a decade of experience in Quality Control. His career began in the steel industry as an NDT technician with qualifications in UT Level II, MPI Level II, and PT Level II. He holds ISO 9001 Awareness, Implementation, Facilitation, and Internal Audit qualifications. Additionally, he is a certified Autodesk Inventor User, an Autodesk Certified Instructor, and possesses a Multi-Discipline Draughting Office Practice qualification. His extensive experience, particularly in the forging industry, provides in-depth knowledge of material specifications, heat treatment, and mechanical testing standards.