How to Cancel Fusion Operations

To implement a cancelation feature in Autodesk Fusion 360, which is a common request due to the software’s tendency to freeze or take a long time to process certain operations, here are some steps and considerations that could be integrated:

User Interface Adjustment

• Introduce a cancel button or an "ESC" key functionality that allows users to abort ongoing operations. This button/key should be accessible even when the UI is frozen or unresponsive due to a long-running calculation.

Dialog Confirmation

• When the user presses the "ESC" key or clicks the cancel button, a dialog box should appear asking for confirmation to abort the operation. This ensures that the cancellation is intentional and not accidental.

Return to Previous State

• Upon cancellation, the software should return to the previous working state before the operation was initiated. This could involve reverting to the last saved state or the state before the current operation started.

Non-Blocking UI

• Implement the processing of operations in a separate thread to prevent the UI from becoming unresponsive. This allows users to interact with the application and cancel operations without having to force quit the application.

Error Reporting

• When an operation is cancelled, capture the current state of the application and report it back to Autodesk. This can help in identifying and fixing issues that cause long-running or failed operations.

Example Workflow

• Initiate Operation: The user starts an operation in Fusion 360, such as a complex modeling task or a calculation-intensive process.
• Operation Takes Too Long: If the operation takes an excessively long time, the user can press the "ESC" key or click a cancel button.
• Confirmation Dialog: A dialog box appears asking the user to confirm whether they want to cancel the operation.
  • If the user confirms, the operation is aborted.
  • If the user cancels, the operation continues.
• Return to Previous State: Upon confirmation of cancellation, the software reverts to the state before the operation was initiated.
• Error Reporting: The application captures the state at the time of cancellation and sends a report to Autodesk for further analysis and improvement.

This approach would significantly improve the user experience by providing a way to cancel long-running operations without losing work or having to force quit the application.