How to Model a Realistic Tire in Fusion (formerly known as Fusion 360)

In this tutorial, you'll learn how to efficiently combine surface and solid modeling workflows in Fusion—earlier known as Fusion 360. Whether you're working on a toy tire or a more advanced design, this step-by-step process will teach you practical skills you can apply to many different projects.

If you're more of a visual learner, the full video tutorial is embedded at the end of this post, so feel free to follow along!

Getting Started: Setting Up the Base Sketch

We’ll start with a new internal component. Keep an eye out for keyboard shortcuts—they’ll appear in the bottom left corner whenever used.

Begin by creating a new sketch. I recommend sketching on a vertical construction plane to align the model naturally with how a real tire sits. Surprisingly, the sketch itself only requires two simple lines. For demonstration purposes, I’m designing this as a toy tire, so things like traction, rolling resistance, or aquaplaning are outside the scope.

Position the lines a little away from the origin; we’ll use the center axis later to revolve this profile and form the tire’s base.

Want to dive deeper into user parameters? Drop a comment—I'd be happy to cover that in a future tutorial.

Revolve with Surface Modeling

We’ll use the Surface Revolve tool, since solid revolutions require a closed profile and we’re working with an open one here. Pre-select your profiles, make sure the red axis is selected, and set the extent to Full.

At this point, it’s smart to use the view cube to check your model from various perspectives. It’s a habit that helps spot mistakes early on.

Next, apply a Fillet to round the edges. The radius doesn’t need to be perfect—we’re focused on workflow, not perfection. Fine-tuning can come later.

Thicken and Cut Operations

The Thicken tool is essential when working with surface bodies. I’ll thicken the tire by -5mm, thickening it in the opposite direction of the arrow. After that, I’ll remove 2.5mm with an Extrude Cut on one side and apply another fillet for a smoother appearance.

A quick note—on the back side of the model, I noticed I couldn’t directly extrude the face, possibly due to fillet settings. If you know exactly why, share in the comments!

Creating Tread Features with Projected Sketches

Here’s the workaround: I set up a new sketch on the central construction plane and use Sketch Project to project the geometry. The projected lines show up in purple, giving us a reliable base for further operations.

I extrude two separate bodies (4mm and 2.5mm respectively), ensuring each is set to New Body. This keeps the bodies separate for the tread design.

For clarity, press Ctrl + 5 to enable Shaded with Hidden Edges—you'll easily see all the separations between bodies.

Cutting Tread Grooves with the Pipe Tool

The Pipe tool isn’t just for adding material—you can also cut. Selecting the line between bodies, Fusion suggests a Cut operation by default, and it even remembers the previous cut distance settings. Apply it twice to shape the grooves.

Tire Shoulder Pattern: Slot & Emboss Techniques

For the tire's side pattern, sketching directly on the tire is tricky due to the fillet geometry. Instead, create an offset construction plane above the tire and use a simple Slot shape. Don’t stress about positioning perfectly—you can tweak it later.

Once the slot is ready, apply the Emboss command, switching to Deboss to give it depth. If you'd like to learn more about emboss alignment options, check out the related video tutorial in my library.

To multiply the pattern, use Circular Pattern set to Feature Type, selecting the deboss feature and the central axis. Distribute it fully with a quantity of 36 for a complete wrap-around look.

Applying Appearances & Adding Tire Markings

With the main geometry in place, it's time for appearances. Search "weather" and apply Weathered Rubber to all three tire bodies at once.

For the tire markings, create a new sketch on the outer face. Use Project to capture the tire’s geometry, then offset the projected line 4mm and add text using Text on Path. I set the text height to 5mm—it’s clear enough without being oversized.

Extrude the text as New Body to keep the markings separate. Inside the browser, select all marking bodies (from Body 5 onward) and apply a bold white appearance to them together.

Mirroring the Tire

Since the tire was built symmetrically, it’s easy to mirror. Create a new offset plane behind the tire, select all bodies, and use the Mirror tool. Set the operation to Join to merge the mirrored sections.

At this point, you can switch back to the standard Shaded View by pressing Ctrl + 4 to clean up the display.

Final Touches: Rendering Your Tire Model

To make your tire pop, open Scene Settings and change the background to Environment. I used the Crossroads environment here, but feel free to experiment.

Set the resolution to 1920 × 1080, hit Render, and wait for the magic.

Here are my results from a few different renderings. Which do you prefer? Let me know in the comments on Youtube!