topic Re: Workflow Form mode in Fusion Design, Validate & Document Forum

Workflow Form mode

ruben_van_lerberghe — Fri, 03 Jan 2025 21:16:30 GMT

Hello,

I'm new in using the form mode and try to find a structured way to approach this design. The 4 legs should all join together underneath the table in a similar shape. The leg with the Blue patch is close to the final shape I'd like. Is there an easy way in the form mode to copy the structure of this leg onto the other 3 ?

I used sweep to get the connecting part, which is also the smoothest part..

I'm spending hours between modify, cilindrify to get a smooth model. I guess I could do it in the parametric mode but I like the fact that I can do small adjustments afterwards.

Any suggestions are welcome,

Thanks in advance

Best regards,

Ruben

Re: Workflow Form mode

jeff_strater — Fri, 03 Jan 2025 21:40:37 GMT

I would use Symmetry in the Form workspace. Your form looks like it has one natural plane of symmetry (approximately the YZ plane) that you can leverage. Your model in its current form is not quite set up for it, so, some tweaking will be necessary. You might have to delete half the model and mirror it.

Re: Workflow Form mode

jeff_strater — Fri, 03 Jan 2025 22:01:47 GMT

here are two different versions of the model, one with a single plane of symmetry, and one with two planes (I was not sure where you were headed with this). The process to get there was a bit hacky, because of the way the model was constructed, (and, you may want to start over, or do this yourself), but it will give you an idea of how symmetry works in Form

Re: Workflow Form mode

TrippyLighting — Sat, 04 Jan 2025 17:01:29 GMT

ork @ruben_van_lerberghe wrote:

... I guess I could do it in the parametric mode ...

I don't think so! Evaluating such a flowing organic shape is much quicker and more fluent with T-Splines (or Sub-D modeling).

Your model is good for someone relatively new to T-Splines (Forms in Fusion). I improved the topology by adding edges to eliminate N-Gons.

To achieve the final shape in the render and attached model, I removed almost all of the creases and replaced them with support edge loops. This took me several hours and some experimentation.

Your sophisticated furniture concepts are not simple to model and are not beginner-friendly.

Don't get frustrated, and keep going!

Re: Workflow Form mode

ruben_van_lerberghe — Sun, 05 Jan 2025 17:27:44 GMT

Thank you ! I turned off the symmetry to early

Re: Workflow Form mode

ruben_van_lerberghe — Sun, 05 Jan 2025 17:34:28 GMT

Thank you so much for taking your time to analyse and explain this.

It reassures me knowing that it's also time consuming for someone experienced as you.

When in "form mode "I was wondering if you would the loft and sweep tools and then manually adjust until you have the desired shape. Or just start with the plane form and then keep pullling it from the different views with "modify" ?

Thanks again, also for the encouragement 🙂

Re: Workflow Form mode

TrippyLighting — Mon, 06 Jan 2025 01:54:36 GMT

For the curved legs, I would probably do a pipe, loft, or sweep just to get some geometry to start with.

I've created this screencast to show how I modified the model you provided.

Replacing the creases with beveled edges is something I recommend doing only if you are completely satisfied with the overall shape. The more edges/polygons you create, the more difficult it will be to modify the overall geometry.

Re: Workflow Form mode

ruben_van_lerberghe — Tue, 07 Jan 2025 15:45:42 GMT

@TrippyLighting that's really useful. Thanks for your time, again !

Re: Workflow Form mode

ruben_van_lerberghe — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 09:39:28 GMT

Hello again,

I started to rebuild this model completely, with new canvases to guide the legs.

Had a few questions :

Since the four corners go down on a 45 degree angle, I adjusted the edges on the plane, I think how you explained it. That is to say: i made sure everything has four edges. Would this be the best start for this model ? the previous one had a triangle in the top.

And then ones the top is divided nicely, i would make a 3D sketch that follows the curve on the different canvases ? To be able to do a loft command with that 3D sketch afterwards ?

And finally ( but this question might be more suitable in a new forum post? ) too make it with wood, I use a process called bent lamination. This means that thin strips are used that can be manipulated to curve as you might be able to see on the canvases. Would it be possible to do a model analysis, to make sure that the load at some points is not too heavy ? And to be able to do this analysis correctly ( which is why I ask it now) should I model it as being separate strips of wood ? So for example the section of a loft would not just be a square, but a lot of thin rectangles "glued" together to a square. Would fusion understand it as such ?

I attach the start of the updated model.

Thanks in advance for having a look,

Ruben

Re: Workflow Form mode

TrippyLighting — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 13:10:10 GMT

I'll have a closer look at it later, but have to say that his model is much less sculptural and has more of a prismatic nature.

So much that I would consider not using T-Splines but a surface modeling approach.

I am familiar with bent lamination and woodworking techniques.

In essence they are a composite structure, similar to carbon fiber composite and have similar characteristics. Wood in general has anisotropic material properties that are different depending on which direction stress is applied. That applies even more to a composite structure of wood fiber/glue laminate.

I don't think that can be simulated with FEA in Fusion and even if, it requires expertise in setting up and being able to interpret the results..

Re: Workflow Form mode

ruben_van_lerberghe — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 13:18:53 GMT

No the model would still be as sculptural as the previous one ( quite similar actually just more balanced ) I just wanted to start over with a new plane and avoid ngons. But so I guess I did not start off great with the table top ?

Re: Workflow Form mode

TrippyLighting — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 17:36:24 GMT

Ok, good to know. Your polygon layout is excellent!

It has an added benfit.

Vertices where more than 4 edges join are called poles. Those cannot be avoided. There is one in the image below that I have circled in red.

Your approach puts that pole into the flattest and most visible part of the table, which is very good. Keep going!

To answer your other question, this is a bit of personal preference. I'd much rather work directly with 3D geometry than with a spline and then loft.