3D to 2D - Flattening surfaces or creating developable surfaces

[jeorane]

Hi, I would like to suggest a new feature to Fusion 360:

Flattening or unroll surfaces (3D to 2D) and export it to .dxf,  like as it is possible in Rhino 3D or in ExactFlat.

Video for Rhino:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FzTvxg88T4

Rhino commands:

http://docs.mcneel.com/rhino/5/help/en-us/seealso/sak_flatten.htm

ExactFlat Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTwrRpTYTiI

[Oceanconcepts]

Perhaps add your comments and kudos to promote these two ideas, which have been around for a while. 

Flat pattern Development

http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/Fusion-360-IdeaStation-Request-a/Flat-pattern-development/idi-p/395022...

Sheet Metal Development

http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/Fusion-360-IdeaStation-Request-a/Sheet-Metal-and-developement/idi-p/44...

-Ron

[garin]

Interesting stuff. We recently acquired Delcam that has some pretty interesting technology that I think is along the line of what you are talking about for soft goods.

This is not something we could likely do this year but certainly a great future consideration. Lets see if others have similar needs.

[paul.kuhne]

I think it will be fantastic; very useful.  

[steve]

The ability to flatten and unroll compound surfaces would be a huge enhancement. The applications for fabric related design and applications are endless. Rhino has had this capability for some time and SW just added it (but only for their premium customers!). Fusion is the future and it needs this capability 

[roambotics_scott]

Also useful for sheet metal.

[keqingsong]

Yes, this is currently in our backlog and is in its early phases of conception. I've marked your idea as duplicate of this existing idea: http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/fusion-360-ideastation-request-a/3d-to-2d-flattening-surfaces-or-creat...

[Goatcheese2001]

I too would like to see a flat pattern feature in Fusion360. As a footwear designer as well as a professor of fashion design and interior design I can see the huge benefit of this option to be used by a diverse group of designers.

[scottmoyse]

Oh hell yeah... this would certainly get one over Inventor.... man does that product need this as well.

[carlos_rego]

I work in packaging design and this tool is extremely important because I often need to unroll a specific surface to create the dieline of a label area. I use this tool everyday in other 3D software.

[z4041160]

This tool is very important! Have you any idea how to unroll a 3D plane (part of the car floor surface) to 2D (for laser cutting)?

[northsight]

Hi, 

can you tell me if there is any progress regardintg this feature?

I am currently designing a boat and need to unfold the surface. the hull parts will be made out of plywood sheets and so i need the form of this  planes to make a correct drawing of the flat and unbended part.

Possibly anyone can tell me a free alternative for unfolding the exported STL file of the surface.

Thank you in advance!

[thisispete]

Couple of projects that are worth exploring for anyone working on this:

pepakura paper craft software $38USD unfolds 3d models for papercraft, lets you edit things like paste tabs and overprinting surface material designs, etc..

http://www.tamasoft.co.jp/pepakura-en/

Similar project (command line interface I believe) under GNU license converts STL to flattened SVG automagically, geometry only no tabs or material designs. 

https://github.com/osresearch/papercraft

[jeorane]

Hi  thisispete

No,

"Pepakura Designer" and "Papercraft" cannot flatten non-developable surfaces. They can only unfold (this is different of flatten) developable surfaces.

Until now the best software used to accomplish this feature is Rhinoceros, no other can do it better.

[peasant-wizard]

What is the latest on this?  Sheet metal seems to have a lot of traction but most the interest in that thread seems to be more for general flattening. 

I am looking for the exact same thing as @northsight.

Rhino and DevSrf work great but I'm finding I spend most of my time in Fusion because of the CAM.

[michael.k.jansen]

This would be a very powerful addition for me.  I am designing boats (sailing yachts and powerboats) that are built in kit form.  The boats themselves are semi customisable at the design stage, and the structure and hulls and made from marine plywood.

The ability to unfold developable surfaces into 2D patterns would streamline what is now a slightly complex problem, and would make the development of the cutting files and kits for our clients significantly easier and more economical than it is now.

[simonVNB54]

This would be a very useful feature within Fusion 360.

I model inflatable products and producing accurate flattened shapes for cutting panels is very challenging even from relatively simple 3D forms.

[jan.kochanski]

This would be a very useful feature within Fusion 360.

[axel.mcrola]

Hi,

I searched reasearch papers on the subject, and found one very interesting. Shouldn't be too complex to implement:

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/0c76/bde36fe4729f85df94e9ae20f5b8f1b3ae34.pdf

The idea is that user draws 3D-curve(s), and a convex hull (surface) is generated for it (peacewise for better usability). The convex hull is always analytically developable (can not have negative gaussian curvature, and is always a ruled surface which has non-positive gaussian curvature, so the curvature is always zero, except in seam paths).

BR, -Topi

[axel.mcrola]

Or, if the software had a feature to create convex hull around set of objects. There is always one and only one solution. And in areas where the generated surface is "hanging in the air", it is always developable.

BR, -Topi