create a wandering spline in 3d space
The sketch engine in Fusion 360 is a 3D sketch engine.
Once you've sketched your 2D spline, you can use the move tool to move one or more of the spleen points, or the entire spline away from the sketch plane into 3D space.
That is also how you can control the tangent handles in 3D space.
Interesting. I was not aware that you cannot move sketch points into 3D space when you're editing the sketch!
@Anonymous I think you are trying to move to an advanced topic too soon.
I believe what would really help your understanding of how to model with T-Splines in general if you would watch tutorials for Sub-D software on hard surface modeling.
This can be Maya, 3DSmax, Modo, C4C, etc. My preference is Blender, because it is free open source software and very powerful.
As a user who often talks to himself when designs get particularly challenging, this image is pretty funny:
"dave in reply to dave: Okay … we were both right."
As to distorting Circles and the like in 3D space: not all curves are Splines. A Spline is a Line with special facilities for curvature adjustment. Just as you can't freely distort a Line or Circle in 2D space, the same holds true in 3D. The end Points of Lines and Splines may be moved, but constraints can't be added.. So, Arcs and Circles and the like may be repositioned in 3D, but not bent; curiously, they can still be Scaled when moved off plane, but not Dimensioned. Moreover, the character of any curve that was not created as a Spline remains set in shape- just not size or position.
"As to distorting Circles and the like in 3D space: not all curves are Splines."
This is not true.
" Just as you can't freely distort a Line or Circle in 2D space,"
The only reason you can't is because both tools constrain them either to two end points or around a central point at a set distance.
" the same holds true in 3D"
Although you can not freely distort them those shapes can be distorted easily.
"The end Points of Lines and Splines may be moved, but constraints can't be added.."
Technically this is true but there are work arounds to this that make it possible.
"So, Arcs and Circles and the like may be repositioned in 3D, but not bent"
This is not true.
"Moreover, the character of any curve that was not created as a Spline remains set in shape- just not size or position."
There are work arounds for this also.
Phil Procario Jr.
Owner, Laser & CNC Creations
"Not Projecting a new Sketch element onto a 3D shape, but bending the product of the Circle tool in the Sketch Workspace."
I never said you could bend a circle in the sketch workspace, I said "Although you can not freely distort them those shapes can be distorted easily." Besides there is little point to freely bending a circle in CAD....if you wanted that level of inaccuracy just use a polygon modeling app and move on. The whole point of CAD is control over product design, thus the proper way to "Bend a Circle" in CAD is to project the circle with a dimensioned constrained sketch of how you need it to be bent.
"I'd also like to see where to find the Spline Control Handles on a Circle or a Projected curve."
You can't and you and I both knew that which is why I explained why you can't, read my previous post. If you want them with handles then use the spline tool and be done with it.
This was not a personal attack on you I was just saying that this stuff can be done with work arounds, something Fusion is currently the king of.
Phil Procario Jr.
Owner, Laser & CNC Creations
Novice or not misinformation doesn't help the novice grow in knowledge or capabilities.
Jeff Strater himself even said that a line is a spline in Fusion 360 in one of his other posts. A lot of the controls in Fusions tools are disabled like the spline handles for a lines and arcs, because that would be stupid to have them there. Most of the people that come here asking questions like that are new to CAD which is fine but telling them things that are not true doesn't help them grow. That is the point I was trying to make and nothing more. We serve the community better to give them as many facts as possible and explain why things are the way they are when we can and even offer a work around to get the job done. For instance here is a way to bend a circle with control and accuracy.
https://knowledge.autodesk.com/community/screencast/29079eb8-0a8e-46a2-8b4a-8c7ff01331a4
Phil Procario Jr.
Owner, Laser & CNC Creations
