Fusion 360 for NixOS

A NixOS flake for running Autodesk Fusion 360 on Linux using Wine, with a streamlined command-line interface and headless installation support.

Overview

This project provides a Nix-based wrapper around the excellent Autodesk Fusion 360 for Linux installer by cryinkfly. It packages the installation and runtime components into a NixOS flake for easier integration into NixOS systems and declarative workflows.

Key Features

• Headless Installation: Automatic, non-interactive installation process, just run fusion install
• Unified CLI: Single fusion command for all operations
• Development Shell: Pre-configured environment with all dependencies

Installation

Using Nix Flakes

If Fusion360 is already installed in the expected location, it will be launched, otherwise it will be installed first.

Note: You may still need to auth manually if the mime launch doesn't work. See Authentication

nix run github:nullstring1/fusion-360-flake

Development Shell

Enter a development environment with all dependencies:

nix develop

This provides:

• Wine and Winetricks
• All required system utilities
• The fusion CLI command

Usage

The fusion command provides a unified interface for all Fusion 360 operations:

fusion                 # Check if installed and run Fusion 360
fusion install         # Install Fusion 360 (headless, automatic)
fusion run             # Run Fusion 360
fusion update          # Update/reinstall Fusion 360
fusion uninstall       # Remove installation
fusion login <url>     # Authenticate with Autodesk using signin URL
fusion --help          # Show all commands

Installation Options

fusion install --force           # Force reinstall
fusion install --use-backup      # Restore from backup
fusion install --create-backup   # Create backup before install

Authentication

After installing Fusion 360, you'll need to authenticate with your Autodesk account. Due to limitations with the mime setup, the authentication flow may require a workaround:

Login Steps

1. Launch Fusion 360:

   fusion
   

2. Click Login in the Fusion 360 window

3. Sign in using your browser when the Autodesk login page opens

4. Inspect the Launch Button:

   • After signing in, you'll see a "Launch" or "Open" button
   • Right-click on the button and select "Inspect Element" (or "Inspect")

5. Copy the Authentication URL:

   • Look at the HTML element in the developer tools
   • Find the URL inside the element (it will start with adskidmgr://)
   • Copy the entire URL

6. Authenticate via CLI:

   fusion login "adskidmgr://..."
   

   Replace adskidmgr://... with the URL you copied

After running the login command, Fusion 360 should authenticate and launch successfully.

Project Structure

.
├── flake.nix                          # Nix flake definition
├── package.nix                        # Package derivation
├── fusion-cli.sh                      # Unified CLI interface
├── fusion360-installer-headless.sh    # Headless installer wrapper
├── fusion360-run.sh                   # Runtime launcher
└── locale/                            # Translation files (13 languages)

How It Works

1. Flake Configuration: Downloads the original installer from cryinkfly's repository
2. Headless Wrapper: Automates the installation process without GUI interaction
3. Runtime Environment: Configures Wine prefix and launches Fusion 360
4. CLI Interface: Provides a unified command for all operations

Installation Location

By default, Fusion 360 is installed to:

$HOME/.autodesk_fusion/
├── wineprefixes/
│   └── default/           # Wine prefix for Fusion 360
├── logs/                  # Installation and runtime logs
├── downloads/             # Downloaded installers and extensions
└── .install-state         # Installation state tracking

Requirements

• NixOS or Nix with flakes enabled
• x86_64 Linux system
• Active internet connection for installation
• Autodesk account for authentication

Configuration

Set the FUSION360_INSTALL_DIR environment variable to change the installation directory:

export FUSION360_INSTALL_DIR=/custom/path
fusion install

Troubleshooting

View Installation Logs

cat ~/.autodesk_fusion/logs/install-*.log

View Runtime Logs

cat ~/.autodesk_fusion/logs/run-*.log

Clean Reinstall

fusion uninstall
fusion install --force

Modifications to Original Installer

This wrapper applies several patches to the original cryinkfly installer to enable headless operation and fix compatibility issues:

Headless Installation Patches

1. Automated Prompts: All interactive read -p prompts are automatically answered:

   • Installation confirmation: auto-yes
   • GPU choice: defaults to option 1
   • Wine repository: defaults to option 1
   • Firefox snap: skipped

2. Qt6WebEngineCore.dll Path Fix: The installer downloads Qt6WebEngineCore.dll.7z to the host downloads directory but expects it in Wine's C:\users\$USER\Downloads. Added a copy step before extraction.

3. Qt6WebEngineCore.dll Patch Fix: After extraction, the DLL is in Wine's Downloads folder, not the host downloads folder. Updated the copy path in the patching function.

4. Disabled Auto-Launch: Commented out the run_wine_autodesk_fusion function call that automatically launches Fusion 360 after installation, allowing for headless completion.

5. Disabled Browser Opening: Commented out xdg-open calls for sponsorship links to prevent browser windows during headless installation.

6. MIME Handler Management: Disabled the installer's MIME handler setup since the flake creates its own adskidmgr-opener.desktop file in the Nix store (the installer can't write to read-only locations).

Graphics Optimization

Added automatic graphics settings configuration for optimal Linux performance:

• Graphics Driver: Set to VirtualDeviceGLCore. You may have better performance with DX9 or DX11, try these out too.
• Chromium Backend: Set to Vulkan for embedded browser frames
• Qt Rendering API: Set to OpenGL for UI rendering

These settings are written to NMachineSpecificOptions.xml automatically after installation.

Development Features

1. Wine Prefix Backup: Optional backup/restore of Wine prefix to speed up development iterations

   • Use --create-backup to backup after Wine setup
   • Use --use-backup to restore from backup and skip Wine setup

2. State Tracking: Creates .install-state file with installation metadata (version, timestamp, installer hash)

3. Comprehensive Logging: All installation output is logged to timestamped files in ~/.autodesk_fusion/logs/

Credits

This project is a NixOS wrapper around the original Autodesk Fusion 360 for Linux installer created by cryinkfly.

All credit for the core installation logic and Wine configuration goes to cryinkfly. This flake simply packages it for NixOS users and adds a streamlined CLI interface.

Please consider supporting cryinkfly for their excellent work making Fusion 360 available on Linux.

License

This wrapper is licensed under the MIT License.

The original Autodesk Fusion 360 for Linux installer by cryinkfly has its own license terms.

Autodesk Fusion 360 itself is proprietary software owned by Autodesk, Inc. You must have a valid license to use it.