Design from Image ?

[FalconCrest]

Has anyone come across re-creating a design from an image are there any tools in Fusion which can help ?

[nathan.skalsky]

Hi - Sure, depends on how you use the image(s).  

- I think the most typical / tried & true method uses "Attach Canvas" command and do some sketching using that image as reference.  You can see a simple example of modeling using a 2D image that is attached to a sketch plane using attach canvas here --> https://youtu.be/KO9iRt9hlKg?t=2m38s.  If you had front/right/top-type 2D images you can assign them to the corresponding planes and build up a 3D model that way.  

If you are talking about directly capturing 3D model elements from multiple photographs, thats a more involved but do-able.   There are a number of tools including Catch 123D for iPhone/Andrioid (uses the phone's accelerometer to automatically map the photographs in space) --> http://www.123dapp.com/catch.   Or something like http://insight3d.sourceforge.net.     What you get from these as output is mesh (triangle) data that can be imported into Fusion as reference geometry.   In my expereince this mesh data needs to be cleaned/simplified quite a bit to be of much use and can't be directly converted to solids (too much facet data).  

I'm interested in others experiences here - I've been doing more of this lately and still finding the mesh-based workflows often more time consuming than just using my $20 caliper and modeling  the relevant stuff and using some creative guess work for the non-critical geometry.  

-Nathan

[FalconCrest]

Hi, I'm aware of Catch 123D. What I want to model has some parts that are unseen in the image, that would probably make the Catch 123D solution useless. I did search for front/right/top 2D images but none could I find available for the image.

If you like I can directly send you the image ?

[TrippyLighting]

What image ?

[FalconCrest]

Here.

[TrippyLighting]

Based on that image, my answer to your inintial question would be that the solid modeling tools in Fusion 360 are perfectly capable of capturing that design.

Actually, It's rather straight forward. Sketch, extrude etc.

[FalconCrest]

What about the inner parts, you can't see ?

[TrippyLighting]

What tools in Fusion 360 would you imagine that could help you modeling things that are invisible to a human eye or to a camera ?

[FalconCrest]

Not sure !

[nathan.skalsky]

TrippyLighting, maybe Fusion needs a "I'm Feeling Lucky" button - so what if it fills the interior with used pinball machine parts?.. Someone will write that script.

Hi FalconCrest - Might help if we understood what your ultimate goal is here. If you want to just visualize / render it as part of a broader assembly that's one thing or model the interface to join it to a existing assembly vs. if you actually want to manufacture or otherwise have complete & reliable geometry.

[FalconCrest]

The goal is simple, to model inside & out what you see in the image. As I mentioned the problem is, not the outside or one half of the outside of the object, rather what does the inside look as to create a replica ?

[TrippyLighting]

The inside is filled with old pinball machine parts. There is clear indiaction in the image that this is what it is.

[FalconCrest]

What ? 

No Games, please.

[FalconCrest]

What tools in Fusion 360 would you imagine that could help you modeling things that are invisible to a human eye or to a camera ?

[TrippyLighting]

It was clearly stated that a script is needed to fill the void with old pinball machine parts.

+1 from me!

[FalconCrest]

Are you saying literally pinball machine parts; or that is a term to describe aligning parts internally ?

[michallach81]

Is there a Wizard in the House?

[TrippyLighting]

Well.. in such cases you'll have to make some some educated guesses. I've been a German mechatronics engineer for almost 30 years, so my guesses are naturally biased toward electromechanical parts. It might also be be possible that there are "Siemens Lufhaken" in there as well. Those were engieered in Germany even before my time and I don't know the best way to explain how they work.

[nathan.skalsky]

Hi FalconCrest - What we are saying is that there is no function in Fusion 360 that can infer this missing geometry data (From photographs or otherwise). If knowing what the interior looks like is important for your needs, you'll need to find more photos or take one apart.   Humans can do this inferencing to some degree (ie. we see the top of the pullys and they are probably symmetric) or better yet if you know what these things *should* look like mechanically (I don't).   

The pinball machine parts thing is just a attempt at humor - I apologize if that wasn't clear.

-Nathan

[TrippyLighting]

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@nathan.skalsky wrote:

The pinball machine parts thing is just a attempt at humor

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Yes, and a rather brilliant one. I am still chuckling 😉