topic Re: Absolute new person - looking for the right Fusion forum in Fusion Design, Validate & Document Forum

Absolute new person - looking for the right Fusion forum

walkernb2020 — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 07:56:22 GMT

Hi everyone,

and happy Monday wherever you are in the world.

I'm looking for a Fusion Forum for absolute beginners. I have 2 very simple designs made up of cylinders, I've had a go in Fusion and managed to get a half-shelled cylinder (it's ok to laugh)

I'm an old dog so to speak but keen to learn new tricks. I've drawn out the designs. If someone is patient and willing to help me create them, then I can learn for next time! I don't want them to be done for me; I really want to learn.

These are for sculptures I'm making using old laboratory glassware; these Fushion parts are to help join the glassware. I have a 3D printer that I can print the Fusion-made connectors on. I've just seen that I can upload a picture of my parts A and B, so I'll do that.

If someone can send me a link to the right Autodesk / Fusion forum where I can post the details, I'd appreciate that. I've had a look through Autodesk Support but I got overwhlemed and a bit lost to be honest.

Many thanks.

Barney

Betreff: Absolute new person - looking for the right Fusion forum

g-andresen — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 09:03:11 GMT

Hi,

1. This is normally a topic for "Design and Validate"

2. Part A

watch sereencast and follow actions in the timeline

(view in My Videos)

günther

Re: Absolute new person - looking for the right Fusion forum

davebYYPCU — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 09:09:20 GMT

As Gunther said, Design questions are not normally in Support - but does not matter in the long run.

Start at the Origin, sketch the outline and dimension a half section. Make the Axis a Centre Line, and dimensions will be diameters.

Using the Revolve Tool (Lathe style) Fusion will make the solid body.

Use the Modify > Shell tool - select top and bottom faces, set wall to 2.5mm

All done. Checking B diagram,

Might help...

Re: Absolute new person - looking for the right Fusion forum

walkernb2020 — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 09:17:02 GMT

Thanks Dave and Gunther, I'm sorry I landed in the wrong place.

I'll take a look at your suggestions.

Gunther sent a file but my version of Fusion needs updating first it says,
so I'm doing that now.

thanks again
Barney

Re: Absolute new person - looking for the right Fusion forum

walkernb2020 — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 09:21:01 GMT

Wow you've made the whole thing Guenther (thank you). I'm going to have a go and see if I can adjust parameters if I need to, using your shapes, that's something I can learn.

Thanks v much - I see the link to the proper forum you've put there.

I'll try the design on the printer tomorrow, it's late here now in Neuseeland.

Re: Absolute new person - looking for the right Fusion forum

g-andresen — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 09:33:46 GMT

Hi,

here´s part B

günther

Re: Absolute new person - looking for the right Fusion forum

davebYYPCU — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 09:45:07 GMT

Where's that?

Ok the part B is open to interpretation; blue lines are not dimensioned because the mud map doesn't have them.

Same thing, half section is Revolved. If the section is Ok, then it is a drilled hole on the circumference.

Make an Offset plane outside the donut. Place the hole position in a sketch with a point.

Hole Tool and create the blind the hole (depth not mentioned)

Circular pattern - set Feature select the hole icon from the bottom timeline, set full angle and 10 count.

If only 7 holes as drawn, then Partial angle and set 7 count.

Part A will not fit in part B until you swap dimensions, 21 and 20.8? Easy to fix.

Might help...

Re: Absolute new person - looking for the right Fusion forum

walkernb2020 — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 09:55:53 GMT

Hi Dave, I saw this just before heading off to bed. Part B is for a different sculpture than Part A, so they don't fit together. I'll draw a better diagram tomorrow, but you're certainly along the right lines, even going off my pretty average sketch.

thanks both 👍

Re: Absolute new person - looking for the right Fusion forum

walkernb2020 — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 06:56:01 GMT

That looks like the right shape and everything Guenther. I'm trying to learn some of these things - is the round bit on top called a torus?

I printed your part A - it is excellent. I was off a tiny bit with my measurements (my eyes aren't so good these days haha).

With your original model, I'll try to play around to see if I can adjust the dimensions just a little. For example, the outside diameter was 21mm, it's better at 22.2mm.

To aid my learning, did you make this piece out of 3 components - a narrow cylinder, a mini cone tapered cylinder, and a wider cylinder for top.

Dave below had some questions about missing dimensions which is fair so I've attached a slightly cleaner version of the diagram with more detail on the holes.

If you guys are keen to see the finished sculpture, when it's done in a few weeks I'm happy to share pix. Very appreciative of your notes and ideas.

Re: Absolute new person - looking for the right Fusion forum

walkernb2020 — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 07:05:48 GMT

Hi Dave, you've got the right shape there. I wasn't very clear with the array of holes. I attached a version 2 of the diagram with better detail.

Final design is for 10 to 12 spaced neatly around the circumference (10 is fine if they work out too close, otherwise 12 is better). They're 3mm deep. I read up on the Circular Pattern you mentioned - that's the tool I should be using - learned something already.

I'll have a go at your notes above tonight.

thanks!

Barney

Re: Absolute new person - looking for the right Fusion forum

walkernb2020 — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 07:08:52 GMT

I've attached 2 photos showing how part B connects the back glass lab tube to the fish's body. The fish also uses part of a soldering iron stand and used shotgun shells.

Part A connects (on a separate fish) a different back glass tube to a thinner piece of glass ware that acts as the long neck and head. That one will use (clean, new) acupuncture needles in the ring of thin holes in the "donut".

And of course, I'm working on the LED lighting and circuitry... that stuff I can do in my sleep 😂

Re: Absolute new person - looking for the right Fusion forum

davebYYPCU — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 08:03:47 GMT

Easy part - change the outside dimensions in the sketch, see the body update to those new sizes.

But - because the wall thickness is no longer uniform, you will have to add the inside wall to the sketch and not use the Shell Tool.

Part A earlier was one piece due to the sketching not joining 3 bodies.

So you fix (edit) the sketch. Delete the Shell icon off the timeline. Edit the Revolve feature and select the new outside section to Revolve and press OK.

12 holes will be closer together than 10.

Closer to all black, don't know how deep the groove is.

No a Torus is a donut, or a circle revolved - this is a slot with a rectangle rebate.

Might help...

Re: Absolute new person - looking for the right Fusion forum

g-andresen — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 14:24:43 GMT

Hi,

might help

(view in My Videos)

günther

Re: Absolute new person - looking for the right Fusion forum

walkernb2020 — Wed, 30 Apr 2025 10:43:29 GMT

Guenther, that's amazing. I'm slowly working through the video clip - thanks. Bits are starting to make sense now, like the circular path. I can also see that there are some user parameters which I can edit - these will be really useful because I'm finding some glass tubes are up to a mm different in diameter.

I printed your part B off on the printer - the top hole (top of the donut) is a bit narrow - it's about 20mm and should be 26mm, and I think that needs to go 1mm deeper. So tomorrow I'll have a go at the parameters to see if I can edit it.

Dave on this thread has done a good part A and that's something I'll practice because it will be good to know how to make a common connector for 2 differnet diameter tubes. Again, I'm finding subtle differences in tube diameters, so if I can get it to a point where I can amend and adjust before printing it will be good.

thanks!

I'll let you know how I get on.

I've attached a pic of the prints so far. I'm using a 0.4mm nozzle and low-medium quality while I fine tune the shapes; then I'll switch to my 0.2mm nozzle and low layer heights to get much more precise outputs.

Re: Absolute new person - looking for the right Fusion forum

walkernb2020 — Wed, 30 Apr 2025 10:48:39 GMT

p.s. the top bit issue I noted was my mistake - it should be 26mm internal diameter to accomodate the larger tube - my fault. So the bottom of the current 20.8mm tube is fine. That's where the smaller diameter tube fits in. Just at the top 5mm - it should be widened out to 26mm, to allow the bigger tube to slot in

Re: Absolute new person - looking for the right Fusion forum

g-andresen — Wed, 30 Apr 2025 11:30:47 GMT

Hi,

I recommend making test prints in order to be able to take deviations* in the prints (with defined print parameters) into account in the design by means of corresponding offsets.

Günther

* inside and outside diameters

Re: Absolute new person - looking for the right Fusion forum

walkernb2020 — Thu, 01 May 2025 05:20:02 GMT

that's a good idea Guenther. Test prints only take 10-15 minutes on my printer, and definitely worth it

I tried to edit your design and had 1 success, 1 failure. I managed to use the Parameter to make the top hole depth a little deeper. Great! (I'm quite proud I managed to do something right haha)

But I tried to drag the blue line (see attachment) out a little so I could get the inside hole at 26mm rather than the 20.8mm (there isn't a parameter for that). I could highlight the blue line, but it wouldn't drag and move out. I tried to unlock it using fix/unfix - that didn't work either. Is there something (probably simple) that I'm missing?

If there a command I can learn to make a parameter out of a dimension in a drawing, that would be a good thing to leanr.

thanks for your help and patience by the way

Barney

Re: Absolute new person - looking for the right Fusion forum

davebYYPCU — Thu, 01 May 2025 05:58:16 GMT

That's because the line you want to move is black and being held (constrained) vertical to the long line below it.

Delete the vertical constraining icon/s maybe more than one, until the line turns blue.

(Probably easier to delete the line and redraw it.)

Put the 26mm dimension on the blue line to position and turn it black.

IF you want a User Parameter created for it at the same time type

the (any unique) parameter (name) = (value) - like this

Pipe Diameter = 26

Might help...

Re: Absolute new person - looking for the right Fusion forum

walkernb2020 — Thu, 01 May 2025 06:01:06 GMT

Hi Dave

I did it! Well I think so. I attached a pic. I managed to delete the constraints until I could move it, then redrew the line and moved it out to 13mm (half of 26mm). So I think that's a win.

Is it easy to tell Fusion to treat the 13mm as a parameter so I could simply type in a value such as 12.4, 13.6 or whatever and it would adjust?

thanks!

Barney

Re: Absolute new person - looking for the right Fusion forum

davebYYPCU — Thu, 01 May 2025 06:13:12 GMT

Nope, it's 13.069

and now there are 2 vertical lines in line with each other, (colinear)

Delete one, join the ends up, edit (double left click) the dimension and you can type in a replacement value.

All values in Fusion created by the User can be renamed, and when Saved become User Parameters, active only in the current file.

This is probably more advanced that you were asking but can't hurt.

Take a huge hint, hide and forget you ever saw the Grid.

Might help...