What is the best workflow for different design iterations?

jeevesme — Fri, 15 Jul 2016 19:45:45 GMT

Let's say I am working on a design and at a certain point in the design, I really like how it looks. But, I would also like to continue to develop said design to give the client different ideas of what it could be. We will call these "iterations". How would one go about this using Fusion 360? Is it possible to do while maintaining the history of the timeline for each iteration? Would it be better to just create a new file from the design?

Re: What is the best workflow for different design iterations?

Oceanconcepts — Fri, 15 Jul 2016 20:46:15 GMT

This is a really good question, and one that I believe the future “branching and merging” options in Fusion are intended to help address.

I find I often need to work out different design alternatives in parallel, to discover which one works out the best in an environment with many variables. Just now, I’m dealing with an iteration of a product where I’m going between an industrial designer focused on aesthetics, my interest in ergonomics, a need to take into account the effects of any case changes on the enclosed electronics and the need to keep PCB layout changes to a minimum, and the requirements for machining and mold making. There are multiple solutions possible- I can preserve a PCB layout and save money/ testing time there, but that requires re-doing a mold for a part that is already completed. So I need exactly what you are asking for, a way to explore and present multiple alternative design options.

I don’t think there is one answer. In my current case, I’m proposing a couple of alternatives to a single sub-assembly, so I put just those components into a master component, duplicate that as a “new”, independent assembly, and work out an alternative. I have both within the same file. But other times, the differing choices will alter the design at a very fundamental level, and I find it’s easier to create a distinct file- duplicate my file and move on in another direction with the earlier timeline intact. Being able to branch out at a given point would be ideal. I do a lot of my work in direct modeling, without the timeline, so I often don’t have that concern, but I suspect if you are following paths that diverge at a basic level, separate files might be easier to keep organized.

topic What is the best workflow for different design iterations? in Fusion Design, Validate & Document Forum

What is the best workflow for different design iterations?

Re: What is the best workflow for different design iterations?