2D missing features - boolean operations, fillet, etc.

[Anonymous]

I find it odd that a few basic features are missing from the Sketch module.

Boolean operations are a must. It's very counterintuitive to draw something in 2D, and if I need to Fillet a corner or, most importantly, Substract something, I have to extrude and then do these operations in 3D. I'd much rather do them as soon as possible, in 2D.

Unless I'm missing something. 

[Anonymous]

Oh, one more: Pattern.

I'm trying to make a cog, and it appears I have to make the inside and the teeth as separate sketches so I can pattern one arond the other.  o_O

[cekuhnen]

coming from illustartor one owuld miss those options butb because Fusion is parametric you dont need it because the solid tools can offer you the same ability without trimming your paths down. Check this video:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Byzv_NlyKp_2MGVWeXpIUGR4VEU/view?usp=sharing

[Anonymous]

Thanks cekuhnen, I kinda knew of this "workaround", as I said in the original post. It did explain a bit better the whole concept, but I still find it odd that I have to do that. 

Most vector program these days are parametric and history-aware, including illustrator that you mentioned. I can intersect two circles and then go back and change those shapes, and the intersection will update.

[cekuhnen]

I understand what you mean with the pathfinder in AI, thats true - but you have that in Fusion as well.

You use a sketch to extrude surfaces or solids from. The solid tool can make the boolean union decission add, substract, etc, for you by you making the selection of what you want to extrude.

You need to realize that AI is 2D - Fusion is 3D.

There are also proper workflow in terms of stacking your commands. You can put fillets into the sketch or simply add that later to the surface having the advantage that you keep your sketch simplified and being able to use better fillet options through the surface tool.

AI is also not that much history aware or parametric as Fusion when it comes to the overall capabilities. AI doesnt even have a usable rounding tool - it only offers tangent rounded corners for all edges of the sketch. Bah ...

Take a look at the video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Byzv_NlyKp_2ekRYYldOZ3czWFU/view?usp=sharing

The reason why I also do not want to fillet the sketch in this case is that I can later add fillets to selective edges only.

Again AI is 2D Fusion is 3D so the way you approach this is different.

In the end Fusions sketch looks limited but considering ther workflow you will that the tools are there, you just use them differently.

And specifically through the sketch dimensions and mirror option you can see how quickly I can adjust things.

[cekuhnen]

I actually till today find Illustrator being a poor tool for drawing and Illustration - it never reached the finnes of competitve products both in Illustration and technical drawing abilities.

[Anonymous]

I guess it's true, the functionality is there, maybe I just have to get used to the fact that it's moved to the modeling area, and I have to do booleans in 3D. 

Maybe in time it won't seem like a workaround 🙂

Thanks for that video, so glad pattern is in sketch mode too! I somehow missed it and it was so annoying. Even more reason for that autocad-like command-line feature that I requested 🙂

And I cannot agree more about illustrator, it's mindblowing and appaling that they had to wait till 2015 and version 54534 to offer independent round corners. Like 3-4 years AFTER they had 3D lofts and revolves, perspective drawing, etc. Or that it still has the worst snaps in the history of snapping. But AI is mostly a layouting app, with its own ways, limitations and blind spots, but it's fast and pretty versatile. Highly technical drawin or graphic illustration is better left for other apps. I have big hopes for Afinity Designeras a replacement.

[LMD001]

Hello sdlx,

This illustrates (pardon the pun) the huge challenge the Fusion 360 Team faces, bringing a number of drafting disciplines, and different levels of experience, together on 1 platform, be it technical, illustrative, design, they all seem to have a need for specific drawing tools.

As Mr Kuhnen explained and showed very well, the tools you ask for, are, in some form, available in Fusion 360.

You will, however, not find the exact same tools in a 2D illustrative environment than in a 3D drafting software, but some can be similar.

If you are in 3D modelling, after a while, I'm sure you will love Fusion 360!

Kindest regards,

Ludo

[cekuhnen]

Sketching in Fusion is quite different then for example in Rhino. Rhino beats when it comes to drafting tools most of the CAD packages on the market. Alias looks like a kindergarden toy. However Rhino has no design history at all, trims you make are a done deal.

So with Fusion the end product will be a 3D model, and thus some of the 2d tools one might like to have, are solved through 3d tools.

This actually gives you the option to better control what to round and for how much and in what style and sequence.

The only thing that I would miss in sketching in Fusion are CV curves, blend curves, and some abilities like in Rhino to draw a line between two or to or from one curve being perpendicular or tangent. That would be nice to have.

The hard edge modeling and the feature round/blend works quite well. You keep your sketch geometry pure to the basic elements, the sketch solver does not need to calculate too much, and in 3d space you can add surface finishes via fillet features.

Coming from Alias it honestly took me an adjustment but once you understand how to structure your design flow in a solid modeler (Fusion is not a surface modeler) then you quickly get a long with it.

[Anonymous]

Don't get me wrong, I do like fusion a lot already. I mean, a light and pretty powerful technical modelling app, what's not to love?

Not that there is much competition on a mac. 

[cekuhnen]

dont worry - I just added my experience to help you to see that yes there are no booleans in Fusion sketch but you can work differently. Making that transition can sometimes be hard/cryptic if you are not used to it.

[Anonymous]

I was about to post a comment also complaining about lack of boolean operations in sketch (like Moment Of Inspriration) but understand now the wisdom of it not being there. Continuously impressed wit Fusion 360.