Updated October 16, 2026
How to Display Component Colors in Autodesk Fusion
When every part looks the same, identifying which body belongs to which component can slow you down. Autodesk Fusion (formerly Fusion 360) has a useful display option that gives components distinct colors, making complex models easier to understand.
What You’ll Learn
- How component colors help you navigate an assembly.
- How to toggle component colors with Shift + N.
- How to find the command using Design Shortcuts or the Inspect menu.
- How component colors help when reviewing designs for 3D printing.
Watch the Workflow — or Read It Step by Step
You can follow this guide in two ways:
- Read the steps below if you want quick written instructions, reference images, and modeling notes.
- Watch the full video at the end of this post to see the workflow in real time — including extra tips, camera angles, and shortcuts that don’t fit neatly into text.
Both formats build on each other.
Reading helps you understand why each step matters, while watching shows how to move faster in Fusion.
Step 1: Understand What Component Colors Show
Component colors provide a visual connection between the geometry in your workspace and its component in the Browser and Timeline.
You may already see component color swatches in the Browser and Timeline while the model itself still displays its normal appearance. Enabling Display Component Colors extends that visual coding to the model.
The colors identify components. If several bodies belong to the same component, this display mode does not give each body its own separate color.
Fusion’s Browser and Timeline already carry component color swatches while the mold assembly retains its gray appearance. The red annotations mark these two places where the component colors can be identified before they are displayed on the model.
The color belongs to the component, not to each individual body. Several bodies inside one component therefore share its display color.
Step 2: Press Shift + N to Display Component Colors
With your design open, press Shift + N.
Fusion displays the model using component colors, helping you distinguish neighboring parts without selecting each one individually.
Press Shift + N again to turn the display off.
This is the quickest method when you use component colors regularly—for example, while navigating an assembly with multiple similar parts.
Press Shift + N to extend component colors to the model. The mold base, silicone volume, soap master, and top support become visually distinct while the existing section cut exposes their nested arrangement.
Press the shortcut again to return to the normal model appearance. Toggling this display does not alter the solids or the section plane.
Step 3: Find the Command Through Design Shortcuts
If you forget the keyboard shortcut:
- Open Design Shortcuts.
- Type Component Color into the search field.
- Select Display Component Colors.
Searching by the command name gives you a quick way to find the tool without remembering its keyboard shortcut or menu location.
Press S to open Design Shortcuts, then search for Display Component Colors. The partial query “dis” already brings the command into the results shown here; select that result to toggle the display.
The cut faces remain colored even though the exterior is gray. Section Analysis can use From Component for its section colors independently of the normal exterior appearance.
Step 4: Use the Inspect Menu
For occasional use, access the command from the toolbar:
- Open Inspect.
- Select Display Component Colors.
This enables the same display mode as Shift + N. Choose whichever method fits your workflow: the keyboard shortcut, command search, or the Inspect menu.
Open Inspect in the Design workspace and select Display Component Colors. The menu lists Shift + N beside the command, providing a reminder of the keyboard route to the same display mode.
The tooltip explains that this view hides physical materials and appearances. Use it to distinguish components during inspection, then switch it off when reviewing the model’s assigned appearance.
Step 5: Review Internal Parts with Section Analysis
Component colors are also useful when looking inside a model.
Open Inspect > Section Analysis and select a plane or planar face to define the cut. In the Section Analysis settings, Section Color: From Component uses component colors to shade the cut faces.
This helps you follow the boundaries between parts that would otherwise be hidden inside the assembly.
For a 3D-printed enclosure, for example, you could use this view to distinguish the lid, housing, and internal inserts while reviewing how they fit together.
Step 6: Use Colors to Support Your 3D Printing Checks
Before exporting a design, component colors can make it easier to identify the part you intend to prepare for printing—especially when an assembly contains several similar pieces.
Combine that visual clarity with your normal printability checks:
- Print orientation: Review each part’s intended orientation and where overhangs may need support.
- Wall thickness: Inspect thin sections separately; color alone does not tell you whether a wall is printable.
- Fit between parts: Use section views and measurements to review clearances between mating components.
Display Component Colors is a visual aid. It does not change the geometry or assign filament colors in your slicer.
With the surrounding mold components hidden, the pink top support and green soap master remain visible in the section view. Their contrasting colors make the boundary between the support and the master easy to follow.
Use Browser visibility controls to remove obstructing components while keeping Section Analysis active. This exposes the interface for inspection; checking an actual clearance still requires measurement rather than judging the colors alone.
Key Takeaways
- Press Shift + N to toggle component colors.
- Search for Component Color in Design Shortcuts if you forget the shortcut.
- Use Inspect > Display Component Colors to access the command from the toolbar.
- In Section Analysis, From Component colors the cut faces by component.
- Use component colors to navigate assemblies more confidently while reviewing parts for 3D printing.
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Now that you can use component colors to distinguish parts in Fusion, explore three ways to build and refine their geometry: create honeycomb patterns, shape a twisted bracket with 3D sketches, and control model dimensions with User Parameters.
These tutorials extend your Fusion workflow from identifying components to creating patterned geometry, curved connections, and adjustable parts. Combine those modeling skills with component colors and section views to inspect your designs as you refine them for 3D printing.