creating pipe flat pattern

[davidSWEUU]

I am designing a stove pipe section that has multiple segments and grows at one end. I have it sketched, but when I try to create bodies, they don't create as sheet metal parts and therefore I cannot open them. Also, the create a weird bow instead of having straight edges.  I did add "slices" so that they are not a closed body without a seem. The best I could figure was to use the sweep function. any other ideas or tools I should try?

[davidSWEUU]

Wow! I tried loft many times and it wouldn't flatten!  I went through your process and I noticed that the main difference between how you did it and how I did it was that I made the two side pipes into sheet metal and then lofted the faces of their thickness. You made everything in surface mode, including the gore in question, before converting to sheet metal.  In fact, the trick I followed was to add a tiny tiny SM body, and then join to it while thickening. Trying to convert to SM after didn't work either. I am unclear why this makes a difference, except that while lofting the face with existing thickness, it tends to distort the part a little bit causing it to not flatten. Lofting surface edges doesn't seem to do that.   That being said, THANK YOU!

[carl.j.barker]

I'd be lying if I said I knew it would flatten.  In my opinion Fusion sheet metal is too rigid - the slightest trace of a twist, compound curve or deviation in thickness and it chucks it's toys out. We have tolerances when stitching surfaces or re-meshing models but no forgiveness with sheet metal. I more often then not would do this type of transition with lofted forms/flanges in Solidworks and use Fusion's anycad to get it into fusion if needed.

[jakerson]

jhackney1972

I just wanted to thank you for this post, I need to do quite a bit of sheet metal elbows for work and your solution has been a game changer for me. By far the best method I have found. (or been able to come up with on my own)

Thanks!

Jeff