Editing dimensions of body or component

[Anonymous]

Hi,

     I need to edit an imported drawing (imported it as an .stp file) and am having a very hard time editing some of the dimensions. The press-pull funcion allows me to edit some dimensions, but not all, so I would like to be able to go into the original sketch used to create the part, and edit the dimensions there. I´m not sure if it is because I imported my drawing, but for some reason I usually can´t find or access the original sketches used to create the drawings bodies and components, and when I can and try to change the dimension I get an error message saying it is over constrained. 

     There must be an easy way to change the dimensions of a component but i´m new to fusion 360 and can´t seem to figure this out. I looked through the tutorials and forums and don´t see anything about this. Any help would be greatly appreciated. 

Thanks,

Nicole 

[taylor.stein]

Hi Nicole,

When a .STP file is imported into Fusion 360, it is translated into a .F3D file that Fusion 360 can read. This translation results in solid geometry in Fusion 360 that you can modify with the direct press-pull command, as well as any other solid modeling commands (for example you can create a sketch and extrude through this geometry). 

Unfortunately when a .STP file is imported and translated into Fusion 360, it does not maintain the original sketches and features that created the geometry. This is standard with any "neutral" file types such as .STP and .IGS.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

Taylor

[Anonymous]

Hi Taylor,

    Yeah I had a feeling it was because I was working with an imported file. Are there any other file types that you could recommened that maintain the original sketches and features (or that are at least easier to manipulate)?

     Since I´m stuck with this file type for now, I also have two other questions related to editing components:

                   1. Other than the press-pull command and extrude (which doesn´t always modify the feature I want or the way I want it to), are there any other commands  that I could use to edit, for example, the length of a feature?

                   2. Sometimes when I try to change the dimension of a feature, I either get an error message saying it´s overconstrained, or the program lets me "change" the dimension, but in the end nothing is really changed. I typed in and entered a new number, but the object is the same size. Any ideas on what I could be doing wrong or how to overcome this?

Thank you for your help,

Nicole

[innovatenate]

Nicole,

From what program does the original data come from? Would you be able to export a DWG or a DXF of the sketches from the originating program?  If so, you could use the Upload command in the Data Panel to import a file containing the sketches you're interested in.

There are a lot of tools available to modify "dumb geometry" imported from neutral CAD formats. Fusion 360 has roots as a Direct Modeler which enables it to modify these types of files with ease. It would really help to see a specific example of what you are trying to lengthen in order to make a recommendation. When you say the Push/Pull command doesn't accomplish what you want, could you explain what you mean?

You may consider recording a video with Autodesk Screencast and post a link here.

Sketch dimensions and constraints are relationships that control the positional behavior of sketch entities. Each constraint and dimension will determine the available degrees of freedom for sketch entities and determine how it is "allowed" to move in an assembly. Any time there is a conflict between two constraints or dimensions, you will receive a warning that the "Sketch Geometry is Overconstrained" warning message. To bypass this issue, you may consider removing any conflicting constraints or dimensions from the sketch.

Below are a few Screencasts that highlight this topic in sketching. These were made for other forum responses/programs, but I hope they will help here too. 

https://screencast.autodesk.com/Main/Details/c3a26eaa-4e93-4277-9f4d-d4cee9cd6538

This is a video made Autodesk Inventor, but the concepts are the same.

https://screencast.autodesk.com/Main/Details/cc43681e-2157-4a92-ba21-22bd4584704d

Let me know if this helps or if you have other questions.

[Anonymous]

Thank you Nathan,

    I can´t show you the real drawing, but if I were trying to modify something like in the attached picture, but didn´t have access to the original sketches or the design history bc the file was imported, how would you recomend that I modify the "height" of the object or width of the arms? 

Thanks,

Nicole

[innovatenate · Accepted solution]

Nicole,

Check out the below screencast that shows some of the direct modeling tools in Fusion 360. 

Let me know if you have any questions and I'll do my best to answer. I hope that helps!

Thanks,

[Anonymous]

Thanks! That helps alot!