[CLOSED] Nesting

[javiar]

Nesting has been a long-awaited feature request on the Fusion IdeaStation. We're now getting closer to enabling sheet metal nesting in Fusion 360. Right from the beginning, you will be able to go from sheet metal Design & flat patterning to Nesting to CAM as a complete end-to-end workflow. If you make any design edits, the related nests will become "out-of-sync" and can be updated associatively. These changes can also be propagated to CAM to ensure toolpath operations are up-to-date with design and nest updates. Moreover, the new "Convert to Sheet Metal" feature in Design will allow you to import non-native sheet metal designs into Fusion and make them nestable. Sheet metal nesting is just the beginning; Nesting for non-sheet metal solids is also in the pipeline and will be available shortly thereafter.

Thank you for your ideas and comments and your continued interest in helping us shape this solution for Fusion 360. While we continue chipping away at this task, we would really appreciate if you can devote 2 minutes of your time to our brief survey:

https://autodeskfeedback.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1Fv4SEtLZsj5SUB

If you'd like to engage with us in this early phase and provide more direct feedback, please be sure to submit your email address on the last question of this survey.

[jean-michel_legoff]

Nesting could be very interesting in many industry, but it needs to be linked to rendering and how you apply textures.

You need to take care of pattern position and orientation. If you think about a piece of furniture made in plywood, you may think about grain line orientation...the same case if you think about printed packaging.

Most often Mechanical CAd software don't take care about Texture, but sometimes it is a real and important "conception information" and 2D graphic design meets 3D engeineering.

[jeff.pek]

@jean-michel_legoff : Can you describe a little more of what you have in mind, in terms of workflow? Are you saying that you want to be able to create a rendering of the nested (3d) arrangement? Are there other types of things you want to do with the shapes (Other than, of course, actually cutting them) after the nesting process has taken place?

Curious too: do you expect to take the nesting output into CAM (Manufacture)? Or would you work with the results in some other way?

Thanks,

  Jeff

[jean-michel_legoff]

Hello,

What I have in mind is to make trunks from plywood panels.

the goal is next to cut out those panels from the minimum of plywood sheets.

but I need that those panels will be nested according to a given direction and not completely random, as it could be for a metal part.

The output will be a CNC path from FusionCAM (2.5 axis milling machine) or a DXF, SVG or EPS file in order to be processed by laser or waterjet cutter.

Thanks

[javiar]

Hi @jean-michel_legoff ,
Thanks for your input. I completely agree that "grain direction control" is a non-negotiable when working with anisotropic materials or when alignment is required for purely aesthetic purposes. We are currently evaluating how to implement this functionality in phases:
1. Use an "arrow" on the parts to visualize part alignment with respect to material grain. For example, on a part with 45deg grain and allowed rotation of 180deg, parts will get nested such that all the arrows follow material grain and point toward 45deg or 225deg.
2. Include material appearance on the nests to show part alignment with respect to material grain (arrows no longer needed).

Would that be useful? Please let us know if there are any additional requirements on this capability and we will consider them during the planning phase. Thanks,

[bryan5]

I am happy to see nesting added, but the CAM post need to get a little more robust and reliable to make nesting a winning CAM combination. I still have issues writing posts for Trumpf laser.

[Anonymous]

Please consider a Sheet Metal Loft function please. Thanks

Devon Sowell
CarlsbadCAD

[bryan5]

Check out this sheetmetal loft video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGwn6SsyPwA&feature=youtu.be

[carl.j.barker]

Is there anymore news on this yet?

I'm most interested as to how access to this is going to be handled. Is any form of this going to be in the core fusion or are you going to lump it into the manufacturing extension? I certainly will not be paying £7200 a year for 4 seats just to get a few nests a month. If it is going to be an 'extra' then a pay as you go system like rendering would be better for me.

[lesterN4P2J]

I was assuming that this was going to become available as a core feature to sheet metal, I hope I am right!!!!


Lester Manley
MD

6 Ballyoran Lane, Dundonald, Belfast,BT16 1XJ, N.Ireland
T: + 44 (0) 28 90579000 E: [email protected]
[cid:[email protected]]

[cid:[email protected]][cid:[email protected]] [signature_637544609] [cid:[email protected]]
DISCLAIMER: This e-mail and any attachments hereto contains proprietary information, some or all of which may be confidential or legally privileged. It is for the exclusive use of the intended recipient(s) only. If an addressing or transmission error has misdirected this e-mail and you are not the intended recipient(s), please notify the author by replying to this e-mail. If you are not the intended recipient you must not use, disclose, distribute, copy, print, or rely on this e-mail or any attachments, as this may be unlawful.

[Anonymous]

Wow... This is great news for us. We can't wait to start nesting parts as soon as this new feature is available. Good job Autodesk!!!

[GRSnyder]

This may be getting off the fairway a bit given the short-term goals, but have you considered approaching 2D nesting in a way that would allow for 3D nesting (aka packing) to be added in the future? It's not nearly such a well-explored field, but I would imagine that many of the same heuristics used in 2D would apply in three dimensions as well. 3D packing of bodies or components would be a very natural addition to Fusion 360.

I'm going to guess that I don't need to list all the applications that 3D packing would be useful for. 🙂

[fleming.kyle.william]

We are anxiously awaiting a nesting solution within fusion for our case products!

This is great, thank you all so much for the evolution of the IdeaStation and Feedback hub!

[petkocabmill]

I would really appreciate a nesting workspace too. I'm a cabinet/woodworking shop and nesting is essential. Currently, I have a setup in F360 and using Nester to do it. I can share my setup if anybody is interested. In the Nesting workspace, it would be great to be able to track grain direction, have a good way to label components and export for printing or in PDF for the operator. Also how useful it will be in large nesting jobs? Say 30-40 sheets. If it's slow and buggy it may actually cause a slower process. A feature like what's in the drilling toolpath would be great too. You don't need to manually select all the holes but it selects it within a boundary.     

[Anonymous]

---

@javiar wrote:

...

If you'd like to engage with us in this early phase and provide more direct feedback, please be sure to submit your email address on the last question of this survey.

---

I forgot to submit my email address.. But I am interested 🙂

BR

[jean-michel_legoff]

Hi,

Let me wish you a Happy New Year.

I'm just wondering how to access to nesting feature...

I need to test if it may work for wood work and if the solution is able to nest wood pannels accordingly to a "grain line"...

Many Thanks

[jean-michel_legoff]

Hello,

Sorry I miss to answer this message.

To be complete, we may have one more information to add to the direction.

It is the Origin of the pattern regarding the stock.

If you consider cutting out parts from a printed stock, you need to take care of the origin and the orientation of the "motif". I know, it is probably a little "border line" from your first intention, but it may happen in some industries.

[Anonymous]

@javiar , I would love to join the beta program for Fusion if it is available! 

[Anonymous]

My company is focused on bespoke furniture and custom architectural millwork. We have recently implemented Fusion in our CAD department. Are there any updates on the nesting feature? We would love to have a turn key solution for all of our CAD/CAM. We are currently processing parts on a Homag CNC router and a Weeke ABD 060 drill and dowel.  

I would love to hear some feedback on the nesting feature and also how we can get a post written for dowel insertion .

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Is there any plan to include machined parts into the nesting platform ?  I don't use waterjet or laser, just cnc mill.  I can do it manually but its time consuming.

[MattWynn]

@Anonymous Since December nesting has included support for 3D parts and sketches (in addition to the sheet metal).  I believe mesh bodies is also included in the April update that went out earlier this week.

Nesting will orient the largest flat face to the -Z direction.  If this is not the desired orientation, or if you are nesting parts without any flat faces (like spheres, mesh bodies, etc.) there is a nest authoring command on the tools tab in the design workspace where you can pick a nesting planar face, set a sketch as your nesting shape, or ignore the component for nesting.

NOTE: it will not bring the CAM on the individual component into the manufacturing model, you will need to program the CAM on the entire nest.