About to try a motorcycle & bicycle frame

[Anonymous]

I'm about to try modelling a motorcycle frame and bicycle frame. These will be built from DOM tube as it's easier to do at home than hydroforming or stamping. 🙂

Any suggestions before I tackle this? As far as I know, Fusion doesn't really have framebuilding software. Any best practices from people who have tackled this project?

[TrippyLighting]

Yes, but I depends on what you want to do with the frame later.
I started the same thing for a bodies vs. components tutorial as its a borderline case. Good arguments can be made for both depending on what you wanted to do with it later.
Whatever you do, first create a component and then activate it.
Then you can create the tube sections as bodies. I can not post a screencast right now how I approached it but maybe tomorrow.

[JonSchaeffer]

I'm doing the same thing. (Bicycle frame)

I am more used to woring with primitive shapes. 

But I would like to bend tubes in Fusion for the frame design.

Is this something we can do in it?

[michael_sagan]

@JonSchaeffer @Anonymous @TrippyLighting 

Good luck with your designs in Fusion.

I designed Bicycles for 10 years with Trek's Advanced Concept Group. 

There is a ton of power here for this kind of work, If you any questions- let me know.  

I'd be happy to help out.

Best,

Michael 

Michael Sagan

Fusion 360: Customer Success Manager   

p  415-580-3309 

w http://fusion360.autodesk.com/about 

Autodesk, Inc.

1 Market Street, Suite 500

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San Francisco, CA 94105-5104

http://www.autodesk.com/

[Anonymous]

Michael, we would all be so grateful if you could share some of your work, and maybe take some time to make a screencast going over how you would design a bicycle frame (welded tube, hydroform, stamped, composite, i dont care!). Hoping to hear back from you, thanks!

[JonSchaeffer]

I put your contact info in my address book! Thank you very much for being so generous and reaching out.

[michael_sagan]

Hi all,

Thanks for the notes!

What if we imagined a Penny Farthing Hi Wheeler in Carbon Fiber?

Have a look here at this link..

http://a360.co/1wFm86A

Roll back the history to see the steps.

So I included:

Center lines & dimensions

Construction planes

and most important the Amazing Sculpt Command- Pipe.

Next - edit the form to the desired shape.

Then export to CNC  to make a CF mold!

If you have any questions- let me know

Best,

Michael 

[TrippyLighting · Accepted solution]

I've attached my go at a more tradidonal tube bicycle frame. The approach is similar in that I use a single sketch for the main frame and the tubes are all bodies within one component.

If a more curved geometry is desired the same approach can be taken by using a loft instaed of a straight tube extrusion.

For a CF frame the approach taken by Carl is really very nifty!

[michael_sagan]

RE: Traditional Frame

Nicely done TrippyLighting!

Evokes a very nice Ti front triangle.

Good suggestion on using a loft for more dymanic shapes.

RE: Penny Farthing Frame

Once in the Scuplt Tool- the fun really begins.  Super for CF or Hydroforming.

Check this link for more on the Pipe Tool:  http://help.autodesk.com/view/NINVFUS/ENU/?guid=GUID-2F3749DC-8EB9-4A16-93D3-A04976CE13A7

see here for model: http://a360.co/1BHZlau

[michael_sagan]

RE: Traditional Frame

Nicely done TrippyLighting!

Evokes a very nice Ti front triangle.

Good suggestion on using a loft for more dymanic shapes.

RE: Penny Farthing Frame

Once in the Scuplt Tool- the fun really begins.  Super for CF or Hydroforming.

Check this link for more on the Pipe Tool:  http://help.autodesk.com/view/NINVFUS/ENU/?guid=GUID-2F3749DC-8EB9-4A16-93D3-A04976CE13A7

see here for model: http://a360.co/1BHZlau

[Anonymous]

Hello everyone,

Nice thread and tips here. 

I am new on Fusion 360 and as more I study how to use it the more I discover so many ways of creating stuff.

I am wondering which function might be the most adequate for creating welded tube frame? (I couldn't open your Zip file)

Many thanks

[jamie.q.white]

If you're welding or brazing tubes into triangles, I would recommend BikeCad, especially if you're building frames to pay the bills. It is stable and fast and gives you everything you need.  It does not generate a true 3D model, but it gives you all the dimensions you'll need for your jig and you can print out mitering templates. The Pro version also lets you input values from rider measurements or a fit system like Retul or Shimano.

If you decide to use F360, you should know that it  crashes a lot and is really slow.  You'll spend a lot of time watching the beachball spin.  I literally spend over 50% of my time recovering from crashes, waiting for files to load from the cloud, and searching or posting to the forum to figure out how to solve basic design problems. The tutorials and online examples are Mickey-Mouse and for the most part don't really help solve real-world problems.  On the positive side, I've always eventually gotten help on the forum when I have asked, and the culture is very supportive.  The screencasts posted by expert users and Autodesk employees are especially helpful. 

So if I haven't dissuaded you, here's what I've found to work well (or at least ok). I set the main geometry up in a sketch within in its own component. Layout the tube centerlines and loft or extrude tube profiles along the centerlines to model the tubes.  I find it useful to put regions of the frame into their own components (headtube, bottom bracket, seat tube junction, dropouts, brake bosses, derailleur hangar).  I found the Pipe command doesn't handle real-world tube junctions very well (my attempts at a BB junction with Pipe looked like a Thanksgiving turkey).  If you're dealing with precise geomentry it is best to model the tubes as solid bodies whenever possible. If you need to sculpt structures, design them a little large or small and then cut or join with properly dimensioned solid bodies (for example, I sculpt a headtube structure and subtract away precise solids representing the pressed-in bearing surfaces).

I have the luxury of being able to survive on my wife's income while I recover from crashes and post questions to the forum every time Fusion 360 does somethign baffling (which is often).  If you're building frames for a living, Fusion 360 will take up too much time to be worth it. 

-jamie

[Anonymous]

I am curious if there will be support for CNC tube benders.  Length, rotation,angles with K factors for bend calculations. 

Todd

[Anonymous]

jamie.q.white

Thank you very much for your helpful and objective message.

I use to use BikeCad few years ago and I guess it has upgraded very much by now.

I'll keep learning how to use F360 for handlebar and various parts design while giving back a look at BikeCad.

Many thanks

[resdog76]

If you still have a link to that tutorial that would be a tremendous resource as I am about to be designing a frame for my business plan

[TrippyLighting]

What tutorial. There is a Fusion 360 file attached to the post I made.

[resdog76]

The bodies vs components tutorial where it sounds like you used a motorcycle frame as an example

[TrippyLighting]

I don't recall ever crating a tutorial including a motor cycle frame, but the idea of how to create a frame would essentially be the same as a bicycle frame. 

[Anonymous]

Good Day 

I spoke to Lars Christen about to makinging my own Mountain bike frame. i want to push my self out side my comfort zone. i have about 2 years of drawing experience. he gave me your link. 

so my objective is to make my own MTB Frame from start to finish. i will put in all the effort and even if i have to learn something before i can continue with my project i will, 

i just need someone to help me and be like my mentor 

could it be possible for you to help me

[resdog76]

Awesome! This sounds like a great idea! Im willing to help the best i can, i currently only have wifi at the library but i am definitley willing to help. I know i had to insterect patchs then create a pattern along path where they intersected. We can use screencast and zoom and i can walk you through that a little more clearly

[resdog76]

Hey Chris, any updates on progress?