Manufacturing Data Model API V2.0 is now generally available

We are thrilled to announce that the latest and eagerly awaited Autodesk Manufacturing Data Model APIs Version 2, is now generally available. This latest version comes with a host of improvements, new features, and enhancements that aim to streamline your workflows. This new API version will enable you to create even more powerful applications, automate manual tasks, gain greater insights on your data for better decision making and accelerate digital transformation by reimagining product lifecycle workflows. 

What is the Manufacturing Data Model

The Manufacturing Data Model brings data together by connecting capabilities and people across the entire product development lifecycle. Connected workflows with data at the center improves collaboration leading to productivity gains, automating tedious and repetitive tasks. Connected data gives every stakeholder greater line of sight into product development from design to make, enabling better decision-making.  

The Manufacturing data model breaks up monolithic files into valuable bits of granular data secured on the cloud. That granular data is then made accessible via easy-to-use APIs and experiences that can be read, written, and extended using the Manufacturing Data Model API. In a nutshell, if the manufacturing data model is the hub for data, its application programming interfaces (APIs) are the spokes. APIs provide the pathways to move data where it needs to go.  

What can you do with the Manufacturing Data Model APIs today? 

Using the Manufacturing Data Model API, you can programmatically retrieve manufacturing information and access a range of cloud-based functions like: 

• Navigate Autodesk Fusion data from hubs, projects, folders, and files, down to individual component structure and drawings. 
• Access component properties such as: name, part number, description, material name. 
• Fetch assets from a component such as thumbnails. 
• Access Autodesk Fusion Manage Extension properties such as lifecycle, item number, revision and change order for the relevant objects.  
• Retrieve the entire model assembly hierarchy in one go, eliminating the need to fetch children of an assembly structure one level at a time. 
• Access to mass, volume, density, surface area and bounding box properties of an Autodesk Fusion component. 
• Export STEP, STL and OBJ files for individual components within an Autodesk Fusion design, even for internal components. 
• Automate Fusion administrative tasks such as creating projects within a hub and adding users to projects and hubs. 
• Augment the Manufacturing Data Model with custom properties such as item cost, stock availability, and supplier information. 

This latest version of MFG Data Model APIs empowers you to revolutionize your workflows and enhance productivity. Here are some examples of what the APIs enable: 

• Engaging Data Experiences: Access to a design’s part list and properties enables automating Bill of materials and seamless navigation to the part hierarchy within a model. 
• Rich Application Integrations: Enhance efficiency by integrating and extending Manufacturing design data with enterprise Enterprise Resource Planning(ERP) and Customer Relationship Management(CRM) systems. Automate sourcing, procurement, pricing, and inventory decisions effortlessly. 
• Insights and Analytics: Accelerate decision making and sustainability goals by integrating sustainability into early-stage product design with insights for more sustainable outcomes. Leverage granular data like material, mass, volume, and density to analyze carbon footprint or water use. Write this valuable information back to the data model as custom properties for ongoing traceability. 

What's New in API Version 2 

Autodesk's Manufacturing Data Model APIs Version 2 is designed with an emphasis on usability, flexibility, and robustness. While we have retained the best features of the previous version, we have also added several new capabilities based on your feedback and industry trends. 

Here are some highlights of what's new: 

• Updates and Improvements - The Version 2 APIs come with improved functionality that allows for more comprehensive data handling and manipulation. This means users can now perform more complex tasks with greater ease. 
  • Simplified access to thumbnails - You can now access the thumbnail of a Fusion component/drawing in single size via a signed URL. This improvement reduces the number of steps to display the thumbnail image in your application.  
  • Export geometry of an Autodesk Fusion component in additional file formats such as OBJ, and STL - You can now utilize these for applications such as visualization or 3D printing. 
  • Read API support for configurations – When navigating through project data you can now identify Configured Designs, distinctly from regular designs, and drill into a specific configuration from the table to further interrogate details of its components. 
  • General performance improvements and bug fixes - The latest version comes with better performance and faster response times, enabling developers to build more efficient and high-performing applications.

• New Features
  • Augment The Manufacturing Data Model with custom properties -  You can now add metadata, manufacturing, process information and IDs from external system as custom properties, modify those properties, and query the properties for their values. Custom properties will also be visible natively in various Autodesk Fusion experiences.
    • Create/Manage property definitions globally once, and then use them in multiple hubs.
    • Set behavior on a property based on your use case. The platform supports various property behaviors that allow you to simply attach values on a specific component/drawing version or update component/drawing version on property changes.
    • Add properties to individual components and drawing versions in a standardized way.
    • Use custom properties in Autodesk Fusion component property view and other navigation experiences. 

  • Fusion Administration APIs -  There are new APIs being introduced for project setup and administration. Integrate with other systems or automate the process of managing users and project data. In the coming months this set of capabilities will continue to grow to incorporate more administrative and data management workflows.

    • Create projects and folders.
    • View user roles, groups, and permissions. 
    • Invite and manage Users within hubs, projects, and folders.

Seamless Transition from Version 1 to Version 2 

We understand that transitioning from one version to another can be a critical process. We have designed a migration guide to accelerate your transition and minimize disruptions. In this section, we provide detailed guidelines on how to make the switch from API Version 1 to Version 2. 

Timeline and Deprecation Notice: 

To ensure a smooth transition, we will continue supporting the previous version of our API until 10 Mar 2025. However, we strongly encourage all developers to migrate to the latest version as soon as possible to take advantage of the latest enhancements. The deprecation timeline is as follows: 

• Deprecation Date: 24th Sep 2024 previous version has been officially deprecated. This is the official date of the new service, and the old service will move into maintenance mode only. NOTE:  no new features will be added to this version 
• End of Support Date: 25th March  2025 support for previous version will cease. Please migrate any current apps using the previous version as soon as possible. Reach out to our support group if you have any problems. 

At the end of support date, the previous version will no longer receive updates or bug fixes, and we cannot guarantee its continued functionality. 

Getting Started with API Version 2 

Ready to explore the capabilities of API Version 2? Our developer documentation offers step-by-step tutorials, code samples and detailed API reference documentation to jumpstart your development. Whether you are a long-time user or a newcomer, this is your opportunity to be among the first to experience the power of API V2. 

REFERENCE LINKS: 

• Overview of the Manufacturing Data Model APIs : Gain an overview of the Manufacturing Data Model APIs, use cases and customer success stories. 
• Developer Documentation : Access developer documentation for version 1 and version 2 of the APIs from here.  
• Manufacturing Data Model APIs Roadmap : Stay up to date on our latest API features, strategic plan, and timeline. 
• Support: Reach out to our support group if you encounter problems, bugs or need help.