Circular dependency found

[Anonymous]

hi
I am having some issues completing a very simple task. I am a beginner user, aiming now a creating simple solids to export al STL and then making gcode for 3D printing. Starting from a JPG canvass as a base for the sketch, I am getting this error that prevents me from extruding the shape into a solid... could anybody please help?

[TheCADWhisperer]

Can you File>Export and then Attach your *.f3d file here?

[Anonymous]

Thank you for your assistance...
here is the attached file. anyway I have already sorted it out REMAKING all the drawing from the beginning and that problem didn't occur...
just wondering what I did wrong in the first attempt

[chrisplyler · Accepted solution]

1. Well, it seems obvious at the very least that you have used multiple sketches to draw a single shape that could just be done in a single sketch. And it would seem that somehow you've established some circular reference between at least to of them. I would need to look in your file to figure out exactly what you've done.

2. A separate issue: Your image appears as if you've manually traced your shape using the spline tool. Is that right? I'm surprised you wouldn't create it from scratch with spirals and tangent arcs, such that it would be perfectly regular. Or are you intentionally going for the slight irregularity that clicking spline points onto a fuzzy image yields?

Here is a single sketch and the extrusion made from it...

[chrisplyler · Accepted solution]

Your file also isn't intelligently organized.

I presume that you are attempting to model each pendant as a separate bit to be manufactured. You will want to create a separate Component for each pendant, and create the Sketches and Bodies for them within the appropriate Components.

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

Yes that is right, there are multiple sketches in this project... still making a bit of mess as a beginner: for example I would imagine there would be the option to merge two sketches but still I haven't found it...
Also I didn't even consider the possibility to use other commands to draw it. I will definitely try in this other way and see if it is any easier. When I remade the drawing with spline I didn't have any issue and turned out pretty well.
Going to do a 3d printing test soon

Thank you very much for your wise suggestions... it's also the first time I use this forum and I am very impressed from the speedy and competent replies.
You rock!!!

[chrisplyler · Accepted solution]

There isn't anything inherently wrong with using splines. It just seemed to me that the shape can be drawn with a "geometric construction" approach, and so that's the way I attacked it. If using splines gives the results you are happy with, then go for it.

I don't think there is any one-click "Merge Sketches" type tool. You can copy/paste sketch elements from one to another though.

I'm glad to help where I can. I learned a lot from these forums in its great members myself.

[yehsPDX · Accepted solution]

@Anonymous

Thanks for raise the dependency issue and post the model. This is a known issue and Fusion has a fix in the next release update. 

Based on the data set, I guess you were dragging a geometry entity in Sketch3 and snap it to another geometry in Sketch4. Fusion mistakenly create forward reference and cause a cycle dependency.  If you need you can roll the timeline bar just before the Sketch4 and delete all features after the Timeline bar. This can bring you back to a workable stag, although you lost some design recipes.

Hope this information is helpful. 

Shu-Chieh

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

Thank you very much! This is indeed a very helpful community... I am really looking forward to learn more and more and become very proficient in Fusion360

[zhuravliki]

It is not only the reason for this problem. 'Circular Dependency' error happened to me many times. It is very annoying Fusion 360 bug:

When Fusion becomes busy for different reason (auto-saving, calculating, redrawing...) any click on any timeline element causes this element, and everything related to it on the timeline, disappearance. Then, 'Circular Dependence' error pops up. I have no idea why left mouse click on the timeline causes the deletion of the elements or features, but it happens to me three - four times a week. It does not affecting simple models just because the Fusion background actions delay is very short on them, and it is very hard to hit timeline element exactly at the same time. For the real models with multiple bodies and not 'just two spheres and one cubic' geometry, Fusion freezes for 5 - 15 seconds every five minutes or more often for performing auto operations. It is very easy to click on the timeline element exactly at that time and create the mess in your model. Undo helps sometimes in such cases, but most of the time you need to close the design without saving and reopen it again. You will be very lucky if you saved the normal copy recently.

It is very frustrating Fusion 360 modeling, with enabled timeline, flaw.

[HarrySatt]

Hi

there 2022 and nothing happend in getting rid of this awful behaviour. it is still in the newest release. AUTODESK is not able to get this work done. Believe me. What is on with theses guys. This circular dep error destroyed again one of my designs. Dont know what they are doing. Solving errors not, I think.

think AUTODESK never will find this error. Someone want to bet.

Regards, Harald

@RichardHammerl 

@jorge_garcia 

[TrippyLighting]

Can you share a design that exhibits that behavior or are you only interested in ranting?

[HarrySatt]

I send in the project. So be polite. In fact it is a disaster for AUTODESK that this behavior is not solved for years. So do not tell me that I am ranting. It is a problem and makes live hard for designers.

See below and keep calm you expert.

Regards, Harald

@jorge_garcia 

[TrippyLighting]

---

@HarrySatt wrote:

...

See below and keep calm you expert.

...

---

I am perfectly calm. While this "circular dependency" problem has come up a number of times in the last 8 years here on the forum, I would say that this happens rarely and sometimes it's user error.

I've recently encountered a situation that created a circular dependency externalizing a design with "save copy as" that basically corrupted the design, which has been recognized as a bug. But that might be different from your case.

I still don't quite understand the purpose of your post. 

[jorge_garcia]

Hi @HarrySatt ,

It's nice to hear from you again. I haven't checked the design yet, but is this related to the 3D PCB and working with an enclosure? If it is, there is no way to avoid it when using the Associated PCB. I went over all of the methods of using the 3D PCB in this video. I have chapters in the description to jump to the appropriate sections.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCntaivZtw0&list=PLmA_xUT-8UlL80Xm8Gxz98YNum3I9GInr&index=3

I cover this at depth and provide the various ways to deal with it.

Best Regards,

[HarrySatt]

Is not related to cicuit design. It is a severe error in FUSION360 3D
design. I have retired and work now at home on private projects.
Therefore I only use the maker costles FUSION360. But still there seems
to be this circular dependency error which makes a design uneditable.

Also nice to hear from you.

Regards harald

[TrippyLighting]

IHi @jorge_garcia,

That design is a simple purely mechanical design and this is likely a modeling/timeline problem. I am tagging @jeff_strater and @Phil.E. 

I looked at it yesterday and my guess is that at some point in time timeline features were re-ordered and that is what introduced the circular dependency. It would be great if @HarrySatt could remember what operations were performed and in what order right before this problem occurred.

Looking at the screenshot, we can see that the first sketch in the timeline is Sketch12. However, in the browser, that sketch isn't to be found anywhere. the timeline starts with importing a triangulated mesh body, likely from a .stl file.

That body also isn't to be found anywhere in the browser.

You'd have to scroll the timeline marker back to before the "Convert mesh" feature to see it again.

I've only seen this a hand full of times in the 8 years I've been active here on the forum.

[HarrySatt]

Hi

the problem rose up after saving and reopen the last time. Up to this moment editing was without problems and now the the project is broken. I do not know when I did the mistake or acted in a manor FUSION360 is not able to deal with.

sorry.

Regards, Harald Sattmann

[harald.sattmann]

Hi there

I found a workaround. I deleted the reference plane which was shown in the circular dependency error tab. After that I defined a new identical plane right before the sketch and referenced the sketch to this new plane and the problem was gone. Not solving the possibility that this error can be introduced for whatever reason. Seems to be a bug but for me this workaround does the job.

regards and thank you for help, Harald

[Phil.E]

Is it possible to intentionally reproduce the issue? Here is why I ask.

• Often on the forum people post a model like this that is akin to a Gordian knot. 
• Software is debugged the best when things are being created. This is why we try to reproduce crashes.

So looking at a broken file doesn't help as much as being able to break a file. Thanks for your help.