Author Topic: Fusion 360 - MECHANICAL design Tips Tweaks and discussion. (Not Eagle)  (Read 25558 times)

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Offline beanflyingTopic starter

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A place to hangout and discuss ask questions on how to do X in Fusion 360 from a Mechanical or CAD/CAM perspective.

Not a place to muddy it with bitching about Eagle Beta or Autodesk anti propaganda. Do that elsewhere!

A few useful Youtubers on Fusion 360

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo29kn3d9ziFUZGZ50VKvWA Lars works for Autodesk but these now older videos are still worth a watch in particular the Basics ones.

https://www.youtube.com/user/TheKHaug Kevin Kennedy is a NON Autodesk and has come to Fusion from other software. Recommended for newbies in particular.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU7QDqWAeIdCK5aNFXPgX2g Fusion 360 School. Lots of great snappy tutorials and a heap to be learned.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLEVULiWognkczOpDSGSlFg/videos Also a Fusion employee but these are his and he now runs some of the Autodesk live streams.

https://www.youtube.com/user/AutodeskFusion360 The Evil empires own Channel and they have been running more consistently over the last few months in particular.

Some of the 3D printing Channels I follow do some good content from time to time on specifics.

Also worth a look

https://www.youtube.com/nyccnc New Your CNC. Primarily a CNC workshop but some good Fusion 360 CAD and in particular CAM videos.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxgunnLdsV72eAezHW6u0KA/videos Fusion with a mainly 3D printing content and some Laser use.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeKpbMimEGgLM_0tnghfoVw/videos Mix of CNC, Fusion and some 3D printing.

Install it watch a few Beginners youtube tutorials and have a bash it costs $0 to play  >:D

https://www.autodesk.com.au/campaigns/fusion-360/startups
https://www.autodesk.com.au/campaigns/fusion-360-for-hobbyists

ONLINE PARTS OR CAD FILE REPOSITORIES

https://autodesk-fusion.partcommunity.com/3d-cad-models/sso?cwid=4197 Autodesks own.

https://www.traceparts.com/en Contains a bunch of Electronic and Mechanical catalogues including RS.

« Last Edit: June 25, 2021, 08:04:52 am by beanflying »
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Offline beanflyingTopic starter

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I went looking for a more graphical method of producing a Laser Cutter wiring diagram for non Electronics nerds to follow. Tried Fritzing briefly looked at a few others and couldn't find what I wanted so I have been experimenting with a 3D approach. The other obvious approach would be Inkscape etc and do it as a 2D graphical option but this way the model can be made available online and be manipulated for viewing or working with it without installing Fusion.

The Stepper and attached wiring was where I started. Brought in the Nema 17 from McMaster-Carr then rather than adding a connector started a simple sketch. Extrude a few mm of fake wire, extrude a six core sheath and few mm of fake wire then use the loft command to link them together. The plan is this Stepper and 'Stub' will form the component to be used in a larger model.

To do a cable run then all you need to do is create a simple 3D single line path and follow it to where you need to go. Colour coding sheath or no sheath or dropping back to four wire is easy and can be done in the larger model.

The Model is over here if anyone wants to play https://a360.co/3c0vm2w

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Offline Jay_Diddy_B

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Hi,
I am new to Fusion 360. I got interested to support my 3D printing activities.

I have learned a lot by watching Clough42 on YouTube. Here is an example:



He use the features of Fusion 360 to solve some real world problems.

I have created so 3D models for KiCAD:



Regards,
Jay_Diddy_B
 

Offline beanflyingTopic starter

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It was been a bit of a haul for me as any real CAD usages was Ancient Autocad 2 I was taught at Uni on a HP Mini System with terminals (look it up it makes me the other side of 50  ;D)

Todays expansion of the Stepper idea was to Scratch up the Driver part of it. Not an Engineering model by any means but a practical simplified version for the purpose I have planned. The Screen printing from the original went under the flat bed scanner and was placed on the Face as a 'Decal' (cosmetic and no thickness) in Fusion. I haven't completed the stub connector part yet.

Model is over here if anyone want to play further https://a360.co/2AozrQQ

Not that it matters to me but I will insert the Steppers into my current Laser build 'just because' they will exist 8) 100W Laser shown here with the rear panel removed four grey boxes for the upgrade. Lots of detail lacking in the model such as V-Slots and fittings but this enables me to check fit of parts and provide a cut list for the sections and panels.
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Offline tpowell1830

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It was been a bit of a haul for me as any real CAD usages was Ancient Autocad 2 I was taught at Uni on a HP Mini System with terminals (look it up it makes me the other side of 50  ;D)

....................................SKIP..............................

Not that it matters to me but I will insert the Steppers into my current Laser build 'just because' they will exist 8) 100W Laser shown here with the rear panel removed four grey boxes for the upgrade. Lots of detail lacking in the model such as V-Slots and fittings but this enables me to check fit of parts and provide a cut list for the sections and panels.
As for AutoCAD, I was a user at version 2 also... also it dates me.

I like the spirit of accurate models of bought parts. So often, you can get a "3d representation" from the original mfg, but these are usually devoid of nuance. Yours is very accurate, this takes patience. The font is usually the most difficult to represent. But, what I do when I create these models, I store as a "library" part that I can quickly slap into an assembly later. However, with staples such as power supplies, these change so much nowadays and you may never find the same model/mfg again the next time.

With that said, "Is it worth the extra effort?". It depends on time constraints.

Nice work.
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Offline mnementh

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Just needed to say... I'm sick of Fusion me every time I try to do text on ANYTHING.  |O   That said... at least it's not Eagle. *shudder*

I DO like how easy it is to think in "extrusions" with Fusion; they make it easy to design a "silhouette" of the core body of an object correctly situated on the correct planes and just pull it out to the desired height/length.  :-+

mnem
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Offline beanflyingTopic starter

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Agreed Text currently SUCKS on Fusion BUT during a recent live stream I hit up Brad about it and they are working on a fairly major long overdue upgrade of the Text functionality. https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/fusion-360-feedback-hub/feedback-on-upcoming-text/td-p/9537505

The biggest issue with Text as it is currently  is the bounding box not being fully defined meaning the text can be bumped stretched or just plain go wrong if that isn't done properly  |O In the workflow I leave the text until nearly last then generally but not always define it so it doesn't go kaboom.

Last things in the workflow are generally Fillets and Champhers as changing the model proper after these often breaks them. If I want to change the model I roll the timeline back before these helps minimise the breakages. This took me a long time to learn and lots of  |O
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Offline beanflyingTopic starter

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Hi,
I am new to Fusion 360. I got interested to support my 3D printing activities.

I have learned a lot by watching Clough42 on YouTube. Here is an example:

snippity...

Regards,
Jay_Diddy_B

Added a link into post number 1. I have run across his channel before and there is some really good content :)
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Offline mnementh

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Oh Hells yes... proportional text box, text on arc and kerning are ALL things desperately needed. As well as a "simple" mode where you just start a text box, enter your text, then click on a surface to apply it; THEN, once you see what it's going to do, adjust font, size, +/- depth, +/- pitch and +/- slant of italics.  :scared:

Yeah, I also discovered that getting the main shape done and saving the fillets, then text for last was a major lifesaver; as well as making sure to save a new revision before doing fillets or text. That way if you revise something then go down a different design path, you don't have to worry about going back far enough to accidentally undo fixing a borked plane or something and finding it AFTER you've already done fillets & text.  |O

I've noticed that I get a lot more pushback from Fusion when trying to do multiple fillets at once, even on a single face; often it just goes NO!!! NO!!! NO!!! and I have to do most of them one covalent angle/line at a time. But a LOT LESS often does it break planes in the process, making 1-sided walls that have to be patched later (if possible at all) before it can be turned into a single body.

I've also noticed that whatever mechanism it uses to "auto-patch" a mass into one body after extrusion actions is a lot better; you can get a lot more complex in your angles without it randomly deleting or breaking individual polys and giving you voids to patch later. You know, until the exact instant you come to COUNT on it.  :-DD

mnem
 :blah:
« Last Edit: May 31, 2020, 01:29:41 am by mnementh »
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Offline mnementh

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Okay... Here's a basic design question for those with the know-how: I want to make a sandwich-type control panel box out of 2 300 x 400mm sheets of acrylic with 13mm radius rounded corners; I bought a stack of them cheap for this purpose. Normally, I'd just sketch out a couple concentric rectangles describing those dimensions and the inner dimensions, then extrude that to the desired height, then do my fillets to match the corners.

Here's where it gets sticky: I want the top panel to angle downwards such that the front wall is ~45mm high and the back is ~85mm high. This object will then have the corners filleted, incorporate built-in hinges for the bottom panel, then finally be sectioned into 4 workable sized pieces for printing.

What's the best way to start...? A trapezoidal sketch with the correct profile to match the size of the panels, extruded horizontally into a solid? Then how do I make uniformly thick walls after extruding the center cavity out of the solid?

I've played with the "rotate on" function, but I don't want the front/back walls to have a radius; I need them flat as there may be an I/O plate involved.

   

mnem
 |O
« Last Edit: May 31, 2020, 09:55:04 pm by mnementh »
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Offline mnementh

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Oklay... after 10 iterations I still haven't figured out to make the walls uniform. I'm gonna go eat some cake and rot my brain in front of the TV for a while.  :P

mnem
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Offline Jay_Diddy_B

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Hi,
Can you share your F3D file?

I am not sure exactly what you want to achieve. I have the front and back surfaces vertical.

Here is my version:



and the sections through this model





If you download the attached file, you can use these controls to step through how I created this. It is not to scale.



* console.zip (59.47 kB - downloaded 129 times.)

Regards,
Jay_Diddy_B
 
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Offline Jay_Diddy_B

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mnementh,

If I draw two sheets 300 x 400mm with 13mm radius corners. I have placed one horizontal and one at 15 degrees.

Are you looking for a box that will hold the panels in this position with a uniform wall thickness?








Regards,
Jay_Diddy_B
 

Offline Jay_Diddy_B

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mnementh,

Try this.





I used the loft and shell modifications and then punched out the bottom with an extrude.

I have attached the F3D file.

Regards,
Jay_Diddy_B

* console 3.zip (142.26 kB - downloaded 126 times.)
 
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Offline Jay_Diddy_B

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mnementh,

One more view:



Regards,
Jay_Diddy_B
 
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Offline beanflyingTopic starter

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Okay... Here's a basic design question for those with the know-how: I want to make a sandwich-type control panel box out of 2 300 x 400mm sheets of acrylic with 13mm radius rounded corners; I bought a stack of them cheap for this purpose. Normally, I'd just sketch out a couple concentric rectangles describing those dimensions and the inner dimensions, then extrude that to the desired height, then do my fillets to match the corners.

Here's where it gets sticky: I want the top panel to angle downwards such that the front wall is ~45mm high and the back is ~85mm high. This object will then have the corners filleted, incorporate built-in hinges for the bottom panel, then finally be sectioned into 4 workable sized pieces for printing.

What's the best way to start...? A trapezoidal sketch with the correct profile to match the size of the panels, extruded horizontally into a solid? Then how do I make uniformly thick walls after extruding the center cavity out of the solid?

I've played with the "rotate on" function, but I don't want the front/back walls to have a radius; I need them flat as there may be an I/O plate involved.

   

mnem
 |O

Sometimes problems are best approached sideways  ;)

Draw your side parallelogram but don't try and draw it accurately or think about it to much let Fusions parallel, symmetry and mid point functions to do the brain work. It can be done bottom up but it is really messy and would need offset planes and lofts  :--

** Note I set the HEIGHTS of the Nodes at 45 and 85 and not the length of the line connecting the upper and lower lines **

Sketch 1 is not fully defined but can be by several methods. Placing the construction line tied to the mid points of your upper and lower allows the upper 'fixed length' line to move and retain the heights already defined so it would be easy to make front and rear slope in equally if that suits. The more simple version would be to simply make the front or rear face vertical using the single constraint depending if you want the slight slope at the front or rear.

Then Three extrudes, Left Face, Front and Back Faces & Right Side. Add fillets etc as needed.

« Last Edit: June 01, 2020, 01:58:52 am by beanflying »
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Offline mnementh

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Damn you and your tricksy little constraints straight to hell, bean!!!  :-DD

Ahhhh... okay. So I WAS on the right track; I created the above objects by sketching a parallelogram, but then I extruded it as a single body. What I need to do is create the front/back walls as well in the sketch, that way the shapes of all the walls are defined.  :palm:

I’ll spend some time tomorrow looking into those functions; I must admit the way you were able to manipulate the entire construct is quite enticing... thank you!

Okies... next question... I usually leave fillets till the last... as much as I want to just get jamming on something semi-finished looking, I think I need to figure out sectioning and bottom hinge first.

I figure dividing into quarters with overlapping fingers should be the simple solution, and if I do it right I can incorporate the hinge into the seam at the back of the box. I intend to sink button magnets in the bottom wall opposite the hinge to make things dead easy.

I’ve seen some really neat videos on things like hinges and latches using the animation workspace, but really not ready for that yet. If you know some good beginner vids on that type of construction in the design workspace, please point me there.

Cheers,

mnem
 :=\



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Offline mnementh

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mnementh,

One more view:

(Attachment Link)

Regards,
Jay_Diddy_B

Wow, Jay... that’s a lot of exposition. Thank you!

Tomorrow when I can concentrate on it, I’ll review your workflow; between that and what bean has explained, I think I can actually make some progress.  :-+

mnem
Y’all are gonna have me doing constraints and all that badunka-dunk yet...  :-DD
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Offline beanflyingTopic starter

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I ran into a similar issue with the 740B control box I made some time ago as the sides slope in on the original and in all sorts of wacky angles and I did my  |O then  :-DD

So as it is a cold and wintry day out there I moved this upcoming project up the list as the guts of it was done and sitting in Fusion ;) Will be 3D printed sidewalls with Brass Inserts to retain the top and bottom Laser cut panels. Still need to finalise how much real estate I need for the low voltage switches and an Ammeter but as shown here 180x300 but I will slim it down to maybe 280 and print face down as 1 piece on the CR-10. Tweaking the dimensions of the box is trivial and shouldn't break anything else as it is all fully dimensioned.
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Offline Ranayna

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So, i'm a total noob regarding 3D CAD.

Would you recommend Fusion 360 for someone learning the basics?

As several others in this thread, i have a 3D Printer that needs feeding :p
 

Offline beanflyingTopic starter

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So, i'm a total noob regarding 3D CAD.

Would you recommend Fusion 360 for someone learning the basics?

As several others in this thread, i have a 3D Printer that needs feeding :p

Some of the alternates put up have some severe limitations on abilities and some insist you publish ALL your designs as open source on the 'free tier'. So when looking at a package bear that in mind.

Trying to be even minded about it Fusion and it's two current 'free tiers' offers most of us an amazing package for $0 BUT at the whim of the Evil Empire that might change but the community backlash would be truly epic. Such is the nature of Cloud based software.

Install it watch a few Beginners youtube tutorials and have a bash it costs $0 to play  >:D

https://www.autodesk.com.au/campaigns/fusion-360/startups
https://www.autodesk.com.au/campaigns/fusion-360-for-hobbyists
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Online tautech

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So, i'm a total noob regarding 3D CAD.

Would you recommend Fusion 360 for someone learning the basics?

As several others in this thread, i have a 3D Printer that needs feeding :p

Some of the alternates put up have some severe limitations on abilities and some insist you publish ALL your designs as open source on the 'free tier'. So when looking at a package bear that in mind.

Trying to be even minded about it Fusion and it's two current 'free tiers' offers most of us an amazing package for $0 BUT at the whim of the Evil Empire that might change but the community backlash would be truly epic. Such is the nature of Cloud based software.

Install it watch a few Beginners youtube tutorials and have a bash it costs $0 to play  >:D

https://www.autodesk.com.au/campaigns/fusion-360/startups
https://www.autodesk.com.au/campaigns/fusion-360-for-hobbyists
Links ^^ need to be in the OP.  ;)
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Offline beanflyingTopic starter

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Nag Nag Nag  :P

EDIT: Done now I have finished eating  :P :P
« Last Edit: June 01, 2020, 09:45:57 am by beanflying »
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Offline mnementh

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   I ran into a similar issue with the 740B control box I made some time ago as the sides slope in on the original and in all sorts of wacky angles and I did my  |O then :-DD
So as it is a cold and wintry day out there I moved this upcoming project up the list as the guts of it was done and sitting in Fusion ;) Will be 3D printed sidewalls with Brass Inserts to retain the top and bottom Laser cut panels. Still need to finalise how much real estate I need for the low voltage switches and an Ammeter but as shown here 180x300 but I will slim it down to maybe 280 and print face down as 1 piece on the CR-10. Tweaking the dimensions of the box is trivial and shouldn't break anything else as it is all fully dimensioned.

bean, I swear to FUCK I am gonna flap my fat dwagon wings alla way down-under and break my foot off in your arse...:-DD You've infected my DREAMS with this F360 shit, haven't you?

I woke up at the butt-crack of dawn this AM with visions of my project box dancing in my head, all redesigned with inset panels top & bottom JUST LIKE YOURS. |O

mnem


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Offline mnementh

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Somehow, I've missed THIS tutorial on Sketch Constraints all this time...  |O

Either I didn't find it before, or maybe I did and I'm just ready for it now... but this morning, I found this one very clear and straight to the point.

DEFINITELY one for the 1st post.  :-+

mnem
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