creating a 3D model from original plan

[Anonymous]

Hello, 

i`m new to 3D modelling and Fusion 360. My last Autocad experience is 20 years old and is 2D only to boot before that drafting tables and paper 😉 I`m a hobbyist and my intent is to use Fusion 360 to draw plans / parts for RC model aircraft for myself. 

I`ve watched most of the tutorial videos and can navigate the interface reasonably well. However i have a hard time wrapping my mind around the workflow of creating the model i want.

What is it i want to do: 

I have an original Subject airplane of which i have paper plans (scanned) and 3 views (jpgs) 

I want to create a 3D model of the whole aircraft

i want to then use cuts through the 3D model to make the Formers (bulkheads) and keel parts. 

From the Formers i could use profiles and sweep comands to get the stringers.

the end result should be something like this below, and be able to make cut files for laser cutter to cut all the parts (Ribs, Fomers, Keel parts, leading and trailing edges the stringers are just stick material hat gets installed later)

What i tried so far:

I tried to use the paper plans scans to crate the Formers wherever they where on the plan and then to later on arrange them like you would in a physical assembly. That didn`t work very well, the fomers of teh paper plan are very very imprecise also i didn`t read about rule #1 by then and so scrapped the whole thing and started over.

I started creating each former at the location it is supposed to be, so insert a plane (which was an excrutiating pain to do) on teh plan insert the scanend plan, scale it and move it so that the sketch of the former would be in the correct place, it takes forever. still getting dimmensions exactly right with all the scaling going on for each former was not very good and again teh imperfection of the formers is now clearly visible. So scratch that. 

So new start, start from a solid. 

I`ve arranged that the side view and the top view of the plans i want to use are scaled and oriented to properly match. 

now i have lofted the outline of the side view and then the outlines of the top view with an intersection cut. It now looks like a blok of wood ready for carving the more intricate details. 

Now one of my problems is how do i create construction lines that i an snap to that are not always disappering on me ? every time i have to go back to an older geometry its in different sketch and i cant use newer geometry as a reference because it jumps back in the time line. 

How would i proceed with this?

[davebYYPCU]

It's what I do, it's a lot of work no matter how you tackle it.

Your lower paragraph is better than first early statements.  

Totally depends on the subject aircraft,

and if as stated you want to cut all parts with a Laser, you should be working towards a sketch saved as dxf for every part.  

That said, Fuselage - I start with a solid model, developing top, side, front, rear views in respective positions on Construction planes, with basic sketches, from known data.

sometimes I use surface and thicken for outside skin, sweep keels and stringers inside that, then slice the model for formers, and fix lightening holes etc in about that order.

Wing - much the same, however I had trouble skinning near the trailing edges for airfoils, 

Happy to help via private message, for my email, project sharing, whatever suits.

Browny

[PhilProcarioJr]

@davebYYPCU

"Wing - much the same, however I had trouble skinning near the trailing edges for airfoils"

Was your trailing edge on the airfoils a sharp point?

[Anonymous]

yea i guess it builds faster with Balsa and a knife right away 😄 BUT i`m on the road a lot so it gives me the opportunity to do some modelling while not in the workshop.

The way i understand the workflow now: 

1) Create a solid model (this is actually a very large step 1)

2) slice at former locations to get former outlines

3) slice along keel axis to get outlines for keels

4) create skins with offset from outside surface

5) use Keels, and Skins and stringers to cut formers to get final former shape with cutouts etc. 

6) each part will now have it`s own sketch and can thus be saved as a DXF ready for cutting.

Good, now i`m just stuck at the getting the solid model part. I`m thinking that creating the solid model isn`t really a parametric action, so maybe its easier to do this in free modeling mode ? 

What is driving me crazy right now is that if i select some part of geometry like a center axis etc. it always drags me into the sketch when that line was made and that might be in a different plane and whatever i try to do now is not there as that geometry was created earlier. it`s driving me nuts, probably because i`m tying to do something that`s not the way the software wants stuff done and i`m fighting it in my ignorance 🙂 

I might not be the only person trying to do this and as such i think a more detailed discussion on the workflow and a bit of a how to on creating the solid base model would be appreciated not only by me but by others coming later and searching the forum 🙂 

[PhilProcarioJr]

@Anonymous

I do stuff like this all the time...

I think I would go about it a little differently.

Steps should be something like this.

1) Setup image planes and make sure the scale is set properly.

2) Create components and name them for all major parts of the plane.

3) Pick a component and activate it and create the sub components for each part of that main component and name them.

4) Active sub components and create construction planes for each piece your going to cut on the laser. Make sure each plane is lined up with each piece.

5) Draw a sketch for each cross section on each construction plane you plan to laser cut

6) If you want a final form model do that last from all the pieces you have made and make sure the final form model is in the master component and not the sub components. 

[davebYYPCU]

Gooday Phil, - oops your both Phil,

@PhilProcarioJr

Yep, they are sharp points, work around was to offset the sketched outlines. Fusion was not happy with Shell or thicken back then.

There are many ways to skin the cat, with wings and tails, I prefer to get Fusion to do most of the work, by slicing a constructed solid model.

@Anonymous

Generally what Phil said is the way to go, lots of named sketches, sub component / component set ups, have sent PM reply.

[Anonymous]

Hi

sorry to jump in but was planning something similar using foamboard 5 mm thick  to create

rc planes like these And using fusion to produce the plans 

https://forum.flitetest.com/index.php?resources/ft-spitfire-master-series.122/

Would you recommend similar methods 

I was thinking of starting with 3 view plans  with formers already drawn

https://www.the-blueprints.com/blueprints/ww2planes/ww2-supermarine/79153/view/supermarine_spitfire_

4

and creating a solid shape first

i  then need  to create the correct size formers,5mm thinner than the full size ones you get with  3 view drawings,the correct shapes for the skin which can then be stretched and bent  .and a central keel again  5 mm thinner to hang the formers off and wrap the skin round.

similar to this

https://www.nerdnic.com/content/2200mm-nncorsair-build#

Thanks 

[davebYYPCU]

My workflows and Fusion have seen some changes since then.

Build from outside -> In.  Build half and mirror.

Formers are produced last, after skins, stringers, interlocking, plates and pushrods, etc.

You will need “some” cross section data, but slicing for formers / ribs, with all other stuff done first, is where I am at now.  

Bending foam board, use Sheet Metal areas for fuse sides and flat patterns.  Compounded curves don’t work in Sheet Metal for flat patterns.

no experience in Fusion Drawings, so can’t help with those.  I use dxf 2d files.

Might help....

[Anonymous]

Hi
Thanks for your help.
Remember I’ve only been using fusion a few days so be gentle!
This is my image
https://web.ipmsusa3.org/sites/defa...ls---book-decals/kagerobf-109a-dprofiles1.jpg
I know it has no top view but I only want to design a fuselage first, maybe a wing later.
I know how to insert this image into fusion and scale it.

What I now want to do is sketch each of the formers from this sketch ( using 360 splinetoolswhich I’m ok with) without having to do part 1 for each former but not sure where to save part 1 in order to do this.
Now all this is sketching? ,not bodies or components.
To me the there is only 1 body here ,the finished 3d fuselage,which could then be a component of the final design if I decide to add on my wing later??

I know fusion is top down but have a feeling I,m working bottom up .
I need some help organising the workflow,if you can help please.
Thanks

[davebYYPCU]

Your link is broken.

Don’t get too hung up on the technical stuff.

Fuse, wing , and all the moving bits are normally an individual component, if you want to use Fusion to animate some movement, Rudder, Elevator and Aileron servo horn calcs for example. Ribs spars longerons and other construction items are new bodies within the main component.

You will need basic sketching for the outlines, Offset those for the skins.  Taking a section view now at various stations you can see and have accurate formers, so no don’t build from the inside -> out.  That’s hard work, and prone to copying original errors.