Ability to parametrically generate featured faces for complex solids

[Anonymous]

Hello all! I'm new to CAD, so I may use some incorrect terms in describing my goals or challenges.

I've been producing wood and paper lamps for a little while now with OpenSCAD, Adobe Illustrator and a laser cutter, but wanted to use a proper CAD package to make my life easier. My goal is to quickly produce lamps based on simple solid shapes, or unions/differences of simple solid shapes. I started by recreating an existing lamp in Fusion, with the shape of a rectangular box.

I've set up this Fusion model with user parameters for the number of windows I'd like in each axis, and the lamp's faces are all generated parametrically from there. Each face is two layers, a frame and a grid layer, with the grid providing structure through box joints.

Here's one frame removed, and a grid panel alternately textured for detail.

This is where I am not sure where to look online or in the software to continue, or even what terms to search for on forums. This design was created by manual creation of faces, and patterns and extrusions, and can't easily become anything other than a rectangular box. I'd like to know if what features in Fusion360 I could look into to produce more complex forms parametrically. I haven't found much in the realm of sketch generation from SVG import, or voxel based parametric assembly. Am I looking at python scripting being the most robust method for this family of designs? 

Any help in being able to generate multiple sketches for faces based on sets of rules would be much appreciated.

 Thank you for your time and input.

[Beyondforce]

Hi @Anonymous

Welcome to Fusion 360.

In order to figure out the right way of building your parts, you must think of how the end product should look like and the assembly of the parts.

As you know there are many way to create a square/a box. But in order to find the right way for your design, you must first think on the above!

1. Remember R.U.L.E #1, ALWAYS create a component for each part and active the component when you working on it!

2. Keep your sketches clean and simple. Try not to work with a Master sketch for all the parts.

3. Testing testing testing... check for Pros and Cons for each part assembly variation.

4. "Any help in being able to generate multiple sketches for faces based on sets of rules would be much appreciated." Is it in order to create a different part sizes/dimensions?

5. The way it looks right now, you only need 3 x frames and 3 x 2 layer faces. But of course, if all the frames have an dimensions, than you will need less parts 😉

6. Use Top Down design workflow, as Fusion 360 has been designed specifically for it! I will start with creating the frames, and then I'll use the frames as a reference for the 2 layer face. This way, when you change the dimension of the frame, the inside faces will automatically resized.

If you have more questions, please let me know.

Cheers / Ben
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[daniel_lyall]

@Anonymous those sort of shapes shown in your first pick are quite easy to do.

I would use sketches and use patterns.

the joint between each side look like finger joints.

the squires inside you would use a pattern to do it you would draw one square on a sketch then draw another square in a corner dimension it to size and position and do a pattern to add the other squires.

the finger joints would be draw a squire on the outside of the first squire dimension it to size and position and pattern it.

if it is a square shape light box you would only need to do a male and female part it would only be the fingers joints that need changed.

if you want I can do a screencast for you.

you will need to use R U L E 1 to do this so you can use the parts over and over again, and change the size of each part.

it will take you some time to work out the best way to do it but you will only have to learn how to do it one time and quite often only draw it onces if your parameters are good.

and you can do other types of shapes.

fusion can do what you want, you will want to talk to @TrippyLighting he makes fancy lighting he will be haveing a look anyway you use @ and a person's handle to get there attention 

[TrippyLighting]

Looks like Shoji lamps ? When done, we need to see images of the real thing. Otherwise it did not happen 😉

No scripting needed! this can be den with Fusion 360 base toolset.

Actually most of the work is not going to be to create the components but to create the proper parameters and formulae of the desired patterns.

How many individual components is each side panel of the lamp made from ? Could you sketch that on a piece of paper ?

[Anonymous]

@TrippyLighting Well if you're interested in some previous work, here's what I have laying around.

 The bottom left lamp, without its paper, is the first cut prototype from my Fusion360 foray.

I've set up lots of parameter to automate the workflow for the block lamp. I've set equations to generate all dimensions and features, like windows and finger joint tabs. Thanks to this, in order to create a new lamp, all I do is edit the size of the windows and the number going down the length, width and height of the lamp.

Each face has two components, the structural layer, with fingered border, and the frame layer, which is purely decorative to cover the box joints and add a bit of textural information for the eye. The idea is to be able to create a form, and extrude inward from each face the structural layer, and extrude outward the frame layer. In the drawing below, the grey body would be extruded inwards, as the arrow moves in relation to the dotted line cube. From each face, a frame is extruded outwards, as shown by the maize body.

@daniel_lyall in terms of how I'm accomplishing my box joints, you've described my current process. I manually set up a square with the material to be removed on the face of the structural body, cut that out, and then pattern the faces down the side, and mirroring for the reverse edge. After getting a proper edge of fingers cut out, I use the panel as a tool to cut the fingers of the adjacent panel. Every step of the way I fiddle with the parameters to make sure that the whole model is flexible and is responsive to changes in wood thickness, window size, overall dimensions and so on.

I think I buried my actual goal in the original posting, so maybe I can clarify. I'm hoping there are a few ideas here on how I could create or describe a solid form, and to algorithmically produce these sketches. I don't mind some manual work on selecting faces to make box jointed edges, and then cutting those out from adjacent pieces manually (I doubt I could code something robust enough to handle all edge cases autonomously). This much parametrization and patterning has helped with the simple box, but as I move away from 90 degree angles, and start complicating the forms, I worry about the manual creation of all joinery getting away from me.

Perhaps I am prematurely optimizing.

[TrippyLighting]

It might simply take some experimentation with the different forms.

If you apply some forethought and what you have learned from your simpler designs then I see no reason that this should not be possible.

Just don't rush through it and test every single step. But seeing your results I am sure you know this already.

The mistake I see more often is that folks rush through something just to get as quickly as possible to the end result. Sometimes it works, but as projects get more complex error potential increases exponentially and sometimes a rushed approach in the beginning can present a serious road block closer to the end.

Very nice lamps indeed!!!

[daniel_lyall]

you can do a script for the box joint finger there is one on github look up fusion360 you will find it.

onces you have a simple design stagey down just like your first pick.

what you can do is a base design what just has the finger joints on it all working with no problems at all have the male and female designs in there own file done in a component all there needs to be is the sketch.

then when you come up with a new idea you would insert the base design into a new sketch. activate it then go from there for how it is to look inside the squire, then ones you have one side down you would bring in the other base sketch place it do what is needed.

then if all sides are to be the same then it's just mirrour each side and done.

doing it this way is quick as you have the base done and working I do cabinets this way I have a base designs that has all the parameters I would ever need in it no matter what the size of the cabinet is.

all I do is presspull the parts out add what is need to the face a bit more press pulling and done.

this did take 6 months to do, but now I can have a cabinet done in under a hour at whatever size is needed.