Do you need to create drawings from designs? Tell us about it.

[garin]

There have been a few comments on the forum around the need to create drawings from your designs. We would like to know more about your needs to create drawings. For example who is the consumer of these drawings? How detailed are they? Please chime in with your needs and thoughts around drawings. 

[Oceanconcepts]

Well, sometime in the next week I'm going to have to take a circuit board shape with its interconnects, major components, holes, etc. that have been designed in Fusion, and put that into a drawing I can annotate for the PCB layout designer, showing preferred areas for specific components. I can give them a CAD file for the shape, but I still need to illustrate some of the information. In this instance it's not a precision engineering drawing, more of a graphic communications tool.
Ron

[rishivadher]

Hi, there

It would be nice to have some possibility to send information to someone with notes but not like a link our CAD model that has to be open. Something like a 3D PDF that can be used for have queries information more detailed, and anyone can open anywhere easily.

Best regards,

[Anonymous]

At my workplace there are many different consumers of drawings, all with different needs.

- DWFs are used for internal review & approval; traditionally 2D only but we include the 3D model more & more as people "like to spin it around" . The 2D drawing is the master document, unless the part is very complex. The audience is mech engineers, electronic engineers, purchasing, tech director and sometimes marketing.

-2D DWFs are also sent to stores for goods inwards. They normally print them out and keep them in a folder.

- For suppliers of cable looms, sheet metal parts, some machined parts & others they demand a 2D drawing.

- For RPs & injection moulded parts we send 3D files, but normally add a 2D drawing describing material, colour, surface finish, critical dimenions etc. Here we normally put "refer to 3D file for full dimensional info" on the drawings.

- For myself I often make quick drawings that I print out 1:1 to check dimensions in the real world.

- sometimes make drawings that show particular views or installation arrangements....anything a bit unusual that's a one off.

So the audience & level of detail required can vary a lot.

[kat.ingalls]

Thanks for letting us know this is something you'd be interested in, Ron, Rishi and Mark. This is a feature we're looking to implement in future versions of Fusion 360, and your feedback helps us understand what the most useful implementation might be.

[garin]

Great to hear your needs around a documentation tool. We are conducting research around this topic and would love to talk to any of you that have 30 - 45 min. If you could spare a few cycles shoot me an email or DM and I will set up a call with you. I am sure this will help us make a better tool for you in the future 🙂

Thanks in advanced!!

garin dot gardiner at autodesk dot com

[formdes]

I intend to use fusion 360 s a mechanical design tool. My clients insist on drawings. They are usually the master document used in PDM systems. The manufacturing guys will use the model in conjunction with the drawing. I guess one of the main reasons for the drawing is all the notes it contains, such as materials, finishes, inspection data, tolerances assembly instructions.
I look forward to a drafting capability.

[kat.ingalls]

This is a great example of why drawings are still necessary, even as the world is moving to a "3D native" environment. The request for 2D and drafting capabilities in Fusion is already in our IdeaStation: http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/Request-a-Feature-Fusion-360/Drawing-Layouts/idi-p/3874491

Check in there for updates on this request, and feel free to share any additional feedback directly to the product development team!

[Oceanconcepts]

Just spent this morning at our contract manufacturer, an extremely high tech facility with high speed robots assembling microscopic electronic components faster than your eye can follow. And the baseline documentation on the factory floor is-- 3 ring binders. Filled with text and drawings.  They aren't all walking around with tablets yet.  So yep, drawings are still important. 

 

Ron

[garin]

15 years ago I thought for sure we would be paperless at this time but here we are not much different in that regard. My bet is that we will still be creating drawings for years to come.

[Anonymous]

Paper still has some great benefits.

Plus, it's nice to be able to do some things without electricity

[Anonymous]

Hi,

Im fairly new to Fusion and am currently road testing it for use at the bespoke furniture makers that I work for - so far Im VERY impressed by the 3d modeling capabilities and the ability to quickly and accurately rework models.  However from what I've seen so far the drafting environment seems a little rigid and very flat in terms look and feel and lacks any real (company specific)  customisation.

Here are some of my thoughts on what I'd really like to be able to edit / customise in order to bring drawings into line with my company's document spec (I've attached some recent drawings produced in a different application below):

• Edit text by block not as a blanket style for the whole document (change fonts, allow for bold, italic, underline, change font colour, add coloured blocks behind text)
• Show colour views without having to export images - these could be shaded colour or even better, textured (showing decals etc)
• Use colours for dimensions and have control over the dim styles - the ones that are available in at the moment dont allow for detailing large items with small details (eg a 4m long bench with a 2mm detail at either end) as the dims just clutter over one another.
• Chain dimensions should be selectable from the start rather than having to draw one standard dim, then select it and start a chain.
• Some more control over where the dimension text goes whilst setting out dims would be good - I find my self having to go back and rework lots positions for chain dims.
• Use of colour generally in drawings would be hugely advantageous.
• The ability to draft in 2d on the page would be very useful (see some example attached) or to be able to use 2d DXF / DWG content.  I design furniture and often need to show a 2d set out plan of where the furniture sits in the room / building.  At the moment if I adopted Fusion for all my drafting I'd need to use AutoCAD to draw up my plans and (if possible) I'd love to be able to do all of this in one application.
• More control and customization in drawing symbols and labels.
• Ability to show different materials in different colours in section views - this really helps to clarify what's made of what for our workshop.

I'm really enjoying modelling in Fusion and really like a lot of the functionality in the drafting environment, however the drawings that I'm able to output (while they are easy to produce) look like drawings that I was working on 15 plus years ago before we could afford a colour printer - colour and customization is good, I'd like to be able to control drawings and give them my style rather than having to just use black lines, large arrow and the same font across the entire document....

Thanks

Sam

[Anonymous]

WOW - just realised that this is a VERY old thread.  Will look around for something more up to date....