Setup guide

Install, update or uninstall a Fusion 360 add-in

One guide for VanThanBK add-ins (plugins) in Autodesk Fusion (Fusion 360). Download the build for your operating system from the product page or Info › Download latest version, where available.

Steel Frame & Weldments, Weldments Pro and Tube & Pipe Routing publish a Windows bundle and a macOS bundle of every release — the download section on each product page lets you switch between them. Auto Backup & Export is built for both as well. Hole Series & Fasteners and Sheet Metal & Press Brake are Windows-only in this release.

Watch: download and update in about 2 minutes

Get the latest build from the product page with the email you bought with, replace the old copy in Fusion and restart. The video uses Steel Frame & Weldments; the other add-ins install and update the same way. The written steps follow below.

How to Download and Update Steel Frame & Weldments for Fusion 360
Download the latest Standard or Pro build from the product page, then replace the old copy in Fusion and restart.
Watch on YouTube →

1. First installation

Save your work and close Fusion. Use the method that matches your download.

App Store installer

Run the downloaded installer for Windows or macOS and follow its prompts. Then start Fusion and Run the add-in as described below.

ZIP download from this website

  1. Unzip the download and move the unzipped folder to a permanent place, such as Documents › Fusion Add-Ins. Fusion loads the add-in from this folder every time, so do not leave it in Downloads and do not delete it later.
  2. Start Fusion. Open Utilities › Add-Ins › Scripts and Add-Ins, select the Add-Ins tab and click +.
  3. Select the add-in FOLDER — the folder that contains the .manifest file — and confirm. Do not select the .manifest file or any other file. The add-in appears in the list.
  4. Select it and click Run. Enable Run on Startup so it loads next time. Open its Info or About command to check the version.

Select a folder, not a file

When you click +, Fusion asks for the folder that holds the .manifest file: on macOS the unzipped folder named after the add-in, on Windows the Contents folder inside the .bundle. Choose that folder and confirm. Never pick the .manifest, .py or .zip file itself, and do not pick a folder one level above or below it: Fusion then finds no add-in, or lists one that will not run.

macOS: select the unzipped folder (no Contents folder)

The macOS download unzips to a plain folder named after the add-in, such as WeldmentsPro, with WeldmentsPro.manifest directly inside it. There is no .bundle and no Contents folder on macOS. In the folder picker, select that folder itself.

Windows: select the Contents folder

The Windows download unzips to a folder ending in .bundle, such as WeldmentsPro.bundle. The .manifest file is inside its Contents folder. Open the .bundle folder, select the Contents folder and click Select Folder.

2. Update or switch versions

Use these steps for a new release, an early-access build, or switching between Weldments Standard and Pro.

  1. Save your Fusion work. Back up any custom libraries or presets you have stored inside the installed add-in folder.
  2. Open Utilities › Add-Ins › Scripts and Add-Ins. Select the old add-in, clear Run on Startup, and click Stop. Use Details › Full Path or Open File Location to identify the installed copy.
  3. Exit Fusion completely before changing the installed files.
  4. Run the new installer, or for a ZIP download delete the old unzipped folder and unzip the new one in the same place, so the folder you added with + keeps the same path. If you use a different folder, add it with + (the folder with the .manifest file, as in step 3) and remove the old entry. Keep any backup outside that folder so it cannot load as a second copy. If switching to Pro, add its own folder and leave Standard disabled.
  5. Restart Fusion, select the new version in Add-Ins and click Run if it is not already running. Check the version in Info or About.
  6. Enable Run on Startup for the version you want to use. Keep older copies disabled.

For Weldments, run one edition at a time. To return from Pro to Standard, disable Pro and restart Fusion before running Standard. Use a full restart when changing versions; Stop and Run alone can leave previously loaded code in the Fusion session.

3. macOS first-launch approval

macOS is fully supported: Steel Frame & Weldments, Weldments Pro and Tube & Pipe Routing each publish a macOS bundle next to the Windows one, with the same commands. Some downloaded builds may show a macOS security prompt when their native runtime opens for the first time. If this happens with your VanThanBK download:

  1. Click OK in the add-in notice, if shown. At the macOS Not Opened prompt, choose Done to keep the installed files.
  2. Open System Settings › Privacy & Security, scroll to Security, and approve the blocked item with Open Anyway or Allow Anyway, as shown.
  3. Run the add-in again and confirm the macOS prompt to open it.

A newer runtime or another installed copy may require approval again.

4. Windows blocked a file of the add-in

The Windows builds load a small native runtime file, _runtime.cp314-win_amd64.pyd, from the add-in's pyencode_runtime folder. Windows security features can block or remove it. Fusion then shows a SCRIPT ERROR when the add-in starts.

“An Application Control policy has blocked this file”

The file is installed, but Windows refuses to load it. This comes from Smart App Control (Windows 11) or from a policy set by an IT department. Exclusions in Virus & threat protection do not affect it.

  1. Open Windows Security › App & browser control › Smart App Control settings.
  2. If it shows On or Evaluation, choose Off and confirm. On many Windows versions Smart App Control cannot be turned back on without reinstalling Windows, so decide whether that is acceptable for your computer first.
  3. Close Fusion completely, start it again and Run the add-in.

If Smart App Control is already Off, the block comes from a policy on your computer, usually set by an IT department: ask your administrator to allow the file. Event Viewer › Applications and Services Logs › Microsoft › Windows › CodeIntegrity › Operational names the policy that blocked it.

“pyencode runtime directory contains unsigned files or directories”

With missing _runtime.cp314-win_amd64.pyd, Microsoft Defender most likely quarantined the file, often with a security notice while unzipping. An exclusion added afterwards does not bring it back. With unexpected files, a new version was unzipped over an old copy.

  1. Close Fusion. In Windows Security › Virus & threat protection › Protection history, open the entry for the add-in's file and choose Actions › Restore.
  2. Or delete the unzipped folder, download the ZIP again and unzip it into a new, empty place (excluded from scanning if Defender removed the file), then follow the update steps.

5. Disable or uninstall

Keep it installed, but stop loading it

In Scripts and Add-Ins, select the add-in, clear Run on Startup, then click Stop. You can Run it again later.

Remove the installed copy

  1. Disable and Stop it as above, then close Fusion.
  2. Installer installation: use the supplied uninstaller. On Windows, use Settings › Apps › Installed apps or Control Panel › Programs and Features.
  3. Manual ZIP or folder installation: delete only that add-in's unzipped folder. Back up custom files inside it first. Leave other add-ins in place.
  4. Restart Fusion. Remove any remaining manually linked entry from Scripts and Add-Ins if it still appears.

Keep your Fusion designs and exported files. Uninstalling the add-in does not cancel a subscription; manage billing through the service where you purchased it.

Add-in not showing up in Fusion 360, or still the old version?

Check that the download matches your operating system and that you added the folder containing the .manifest file, not the file itself (on Windows, Contents inside the .bundle folder; on macOS, the unzipped folder named after the add-in, which has no Contents folder). Compare the selected add-in's Full Path with the folder you updated, then follow the restart steps above.

For help, email support@vanthanbk.com with the add-in version, your operating system, and the message shown in Fusion.

Autodesk references: managing add-ins · installation folders and Run on Startup.