topic Re: How do I bend/fit a plate to a complex surface? in Fusion Design, Validate & Document Forum

How do I bend/fit a plate to a complex surface?

TomaszJarmuszczak — Sun, 23 Nov 2025 14:06:21 GMT

I have a bone scan converted to a solid model.
I'd like to fit a plate with holes to the bone surface, which will hold the bone fragments in the correct positions. Is it possible to bend this red plate to the shape of the bone in Fusion?

Re: How do I bend/fit a plate to a complex surface?

TrippyLighting — Sun, 23 Nov 2025 19:39:05 GMT

I have a few questions before I can make a suggestion.

1. How are you going to manufacture that plate?

2. Do you use a paid or free Fusion subscription?

IMHO you already started off on the wrong foot by reducing the mesh and converting it directly into a solid.

Re: How do I bend/fit a plate to a complex surface?

TomaszJarmuszczak — Sun, 23 Nov 2025 22:46:01 GMT

The plate will be 3D printed from metal.
I have the paid version of Fusion.
I might change my approach. I converted it to solid because it's easier to use Fusion's 3D modeling tools, such as slicing.

Re: How do I bend/fit a plate to a complex surface?

TheCADWhisperer — Sun, 23 Nov 2025 23:14:43 GMT

@TomaszJarmuszczak wrote:
The plate will be 3D printed from metal.

Is the actual bone comprised of faceted planar triangles?

Re: How do I bend/fit a plate to a complex surface?

MichaelT_123 — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 04:02:52 GMT

Panie TomaszJarmuszczak,

Consider:

Creating couple construction planes covering the width of your plate stripe.
Use them as bases for respective sketches
In each sketch generate intersection with "your bone"
Utilise the sketch intersection curves (possibly adding some rails) to generate a loft body
Do additional "finishing" to the object.

Pozdrowienia

MichaelT

Re: How do I bend/fit a plate to a complex surface?

TomaszJarmuszczak — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 13:17:57 GMT

The bone is an actual 3D scan of the pelvic bones.
The scan is created from a grid of points with triangles stretched across them.

Re: How do I bend/fit a plate to a complex surface?

TomaszJarmuszczak — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 13:20:51 GMT

Thank you for your reply.

Re: How do I bend/fit a plate to a complex surface?

TrippyLighting — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 13:41:08 GMT

@TomaszJarmuszczak wrote:

The plate will be 3D printed from metal.
I have the paid version of Fusion.
I might change my approach. I converted it to solid because it's easier to use Fusion's 3D modeling tools, such as slicing.

The question isn't necessarily whether or not "it" should be convert it to a solid. The question is more how that conversion is done.

With the paid version you have access to the "organic" conversion.

That will allow you to create a plate that will very closely follow the 3D scan.

That will require some preparation of the mesh before you do the conversion.

First I'd separate the approximate area of the original mesh that will contain the plate.

Then I'd use the organic conversion to create a surface model of that area.

Then I would use the solid modeling tools to trim that surface to size and then thicken that surface.
Thickening can be a problem due to too tight radii in the converted surface, but for a 3D printed object, we don't need consistent thickness, so that can be worked around easily.

If precision isn't needed the method @MichaelT_123 suggested is perfectly viable , but I would still recommend working with the original mesh, not a reduced version.

Re: How do I bend/fit a plate to a complex surface?

TheCADWhisperer — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 15:44:22 GMT

@TomaszJarmuszczak wrote:
The bone is an actual 3D scan of the pelvic bones.
The scan is created from a grid of points with triangles stretched across them.

Do you observe that all you have is straight lines and triangular planar facets? No curves, not one.

See @TrippyLighting response.

Re: How do I bend/fit a plate to a complex surface?

TomaszJarmuszczak — Thu, 27 Nov 2025 08:36:42 GMT

This is obvious, 3D scans consist of points and triangles, there is nothing curved about them.