3D Sketches and constraints

[Fully_Defined]

I am a regular Solidworks user, but I have flirted with Fusion 360 for design for a few years. More for CAM.

I am trying to wrap my head around 3D sketches in Fusion 360, and especially sketch constraints. I want to be able to constrain 3D sketch entities coincident to planes I define in advance; I have argued for the ability to constrain to planes before on this forum, but I was received as someone who doesn't understand Fusion and it went nowhere.

Can someone explain:

1) Where is the 3D sketch button hiding?

2) Once I am in a 3D sketch, how would I project a plane (since that seems to be required) to constrain to it? It seems counterintuitive!

I use 3D sketches a lot in Solidworks for a lot of things, but I'm lost in Fusion.

[jeff_strater · Accepted solution]

There is no separate 3D sketch in Fusion.  All sketches are inherently 3D.  It's just that geometry that is on the selected sketch plane can do "extra" stuff - like parallel, perpendicular constraints, and right now, dimensions.  You can draw a 2D spline and, using the Move command, drag some fit points off the sketch plane.  You can take whole rectangles and circles, and move/rotate them off the sketch plane.  Right now, though, what you can do with 3D geometry is limited.  However, coming very soon, Fusion will support most, if not all, of the things you suggest here:  3D dimensions, and some 3D constraints.

[TheCADWhisperer]

Can you Attach an example *.sldprt 3dsketch File here?

I would like to give it a try in Fusion.

[TrippyLighting]

3D Sketches with  functionality similar to Solidworks (e.g. being able to dimension a 3D sketch) do not yet exist in Fusion 360.

[TheCADWhisperer]

Nearly all of my 3D sketches in SolidWorks are actually created and controlled by 2D sketches as it is much easier.

Attach your *.sldprt file here.

[Fully_Defined]

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@TheCADWhisperer wrote:

Nearly all of my 3D sketches in SolidWorks are actually created and controlled by 2D sketches as it is much easier.

Attach your *.sldprt file here.

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@TheCADWhisperer  @TrippyLighting Yeah, no. @jeff_strater already answered my question. If you don't understand the value of 3D sketches, my IP won't be able to help you.

Indeed, some 3D objects like projected curves come from 2D sketches, but ease is not the reason. Among other examples, I often use 3D sketches for CAM in HSMWorks, and in surface modeling. It is a huge hole in Fusion 360, and I understand if Fusion-only users wouldn't miss it.

PS
Asking for others' IP up front is a red flag. It's been something of a theme here, and it's a problem.

[TheCADWhisperer]

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@Fully_Defined wrote:

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It is a huge hole in Fusion 360, and I understand if Fusion-only users wouldn't miss it.

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You don't understand - I don't use Fusion 360 - I only monitor it's progress.

I use SolidWorks and Autodesk Inventor.

I have been a CSWP for 12 years and have written several tutorials on surface modeling in SolidWorks.

[TrippyLighting]

 @TheCADWhisperer teaches mechanical engineering and CAD at college level and is a Certified Autodesk Inventor user and. Certified SW professional with 30+ years in CAD.

My credentials aren't quite that impressive but I have used CAD and other 3D modeling methods/software in professional environments since college for nearly  30 years. That includes a few years of CATIA and 15 years of SolidWorks amongst others.

Obviously our knowledge is not limited to Fusion 360.

@TheCADWhisperer was not asking you to share your IP. If you cannot share your current model then maybe create one that exhibits similar properties and is suitable for sharing. Then Im am guessing he was going to demonstrate how that can be achieved in Fusion 360.

[Fully_Defined]

@TrippyLighting @TheCADWhisperer 

Red flag #2: Listing your credentials. I could not care less!

I care more about what you know about the subject I'm asking about, and @jeff_strater already answered my question. I look forward to seeing the coming featureset regarding 3D sketching in Fusion.

[TrippyLighting]

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@Fully_Defined wrote:

...and @jeff_strater already answered my question ...

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In that case, please accept Jeff's answer as the solution by clicking on the so named button.

[dmitriy]

Any updates on getting these features in?

[jeff_strater]

we're not allowed to mention any dates, but I think that 2020 will be a good year.  It's coming soon.

[Fully_Defined]

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@jeff_strater wrote:

we're not allowed to mention any dates, but I think that 2020 will be a good year.  It's coming soon.

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Okay, the 2020 update has posted... What now?

I'm trying to design a weldment, and as soon as I add a "3D" line the entire sketch does undefined. Prior to this line, the entire sketch was on the XY plane and fully defined. Then poof... ALL of the lines go from black to blue. ALL of the lines. WTF?

I don't know if it's sketch sequence or what, but after changing methodology a little I got the 3D lines to go fully defined. Then I set the undo back to the beginning of the sketch and I could not reproduce what I had just accomplished.

Let's pretend I want to sketch a skeleton for a square table with perpendicular legs. Just a square on the XY plane, centered on the origin, with legs of equal length perpendicular to the XY plane. Can you walk me through that?

Consider me Solidworks-proficient and Fusion-curious.

I am literally doing the exact same thing as this (link starts at 5:00): https://youtu.be/qCQGUNqJAUI?t=299

Below is an example of a headscratcher, where two lines with identical constraints have different defined statuses:

[davebYYPCU]

Everything is design dependant, but here goes,

Two planar sketches.  First on XY and 2nd on a vertical plane, pick one.

why has it got to be a non planar single sketch?

[Fully_Defined]

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@davebYYPCU wrote:

Everything is design dependant, but here goes,

Two planar sketches.  First on XY and 2nd on a vertical plane, pick one.

why has it got to be a non planar single sketch?

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I'll boil it down to a single reason: bends. It's impossible to fillet a line between 2D sketches.

[davebYYPCU]

There was no mention of bends in the original challenge.

[Fully_Defined]

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@davebYYPCU wrote:

There was no mention of bends in the original challenge.

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What challenge?

[dmitriy]

What’s needed and is missing is 3D sketching with constraints.

Routing tube through 3D space that’s not based on spline with relevant constraints with fillets (for tube bend radius)

Multi plane sketching is ok - but not useful for anything regarding tubes of any centerline type things through 3D space. Editing becomes a nightmare

This is also good for creating guides for lofts, to be able to create geometry in 3D space with constraints to planes and tangencies to other lines in 3D sketches. 

From a conversation with a Fusion specialist in late 2019 - this was going to be presented in end of 2019 /early 2020.

Is this still even in the roadmap?

[Fully_Defined]

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@jeff_strater wrote:

we're not allowed to mention any dates, but I think that 2020 will be a good year.  It's coming soon.

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I have attached a screen recording of the problem.

[davebYYPCU]

Just a square on the XY plane, centered on the origin, with legs of equal length perpendicular to the XY plane. Can you walk me through that?