At first glance, Fusion offers a cornucopia of tools for getting stuff done- and that's a real problem. A cultivated impression of capacity is developed that works against design success- especially for new users; having not stepped in all the pitfalls and bear traps, the initiate and veteran alike are subject to project derailment when presumably firm foundations crumble. This circumstance is compounded by a no-Fusion-manual policy.
Two examples.
First- and one I'm not intimate with -is the Primitive creation tools (Box, Cylinder, Sphere) accessed via the Model > Create menu. I understand a number of tool failures present that will break Parametric workflows- what Fusion is all about -amongst other unforeseeable liabilities, such as inconsistent reporting of locations. These tools risk spawning workflow failures to the extent most Expert Elite users react to their employment as one might the planned marriage to a sibling.
The second example provides visual clarity. The BRrep to T-Spline Conversion tool produces forms that are only tangentially related to the parent. As example, I've Intersected a Cube and Sphere to produce a non-symmetric fractional "orange slice":
Let's Convert some of those surfaces from BRep to T-Spline, examine the results. I'll Convert the curved face later; I'd like you to image NOW how that curved section of "orange slice" will appear as a T-Spline form for later comparison with the actual product. First, a flat face:
As you can plainly see, Fusion has no capacity to Convert curved Edges- a primary asset in the T-Spline/Sculpt workspace! The 3-sided, curved Profile is translated to 4 squares. Unequivocally, a "dumb" tool. Can the shape be produced using T-Splines in the Sculpt workspace? Sure- and even with the T-Spline-preferred 4 sides. The best thing to be said about this lack of capacity: it is readily evident the moment employed. A lack of capacity or failure of other tools- such as the aforementioned Primitives -is often several steps removed from the when or where the tool was first employed.
Now let's see what happens when we Convert the curved face. Recall what you imagined it would look like? Good. Now regard the actual product:
The selected area in blue is the Face from our orange slice; the product here is an entire sphere! As a secondary issue, notice the unasked-for sphere suffers creasing of a face near the visible nexus of slices.
I've come to understand that a number of basic tools for confronting T-Splines are missing from this toolkit. "Fewer tools- that must make for an easier new-user experience, right?" Not at all, as users are left attempting to achieve results suggested by what is possible without the benefit of the right tool- a bit like trying to use a hammer for all your carpentry needs, or pilot a car that starts up, no problem- but lacks breaks or only turns left. (one might reason such a hypothetical car would feature label would be prominently
So, why care? What are the consequences? For new users, a gross misapprehension of capacity is likely. For moderately experienced users, X time is lost when workflows break. For expert users, Fusion is relegated to a tertiary role in favor of tools with demonstrated capacity and reliability.
A few solutions are self-evident:
- create a comprehensive tool manual inclusive of the state-of-the-art, including failures, incapacities, and work-arounds
- employ beginner, intermediate, and expert users to comprehensively alpha test tools before releasing them to the public
- re-balance priorities toward reliability AND fulfillment of tool-suggested capacity
I suspect developers reflexively curtail their use of Fusion to the confines of their intimate knowledge of it's failures and limitations- an unrealistic condition for most users attempting to practically employ the tool kit.
I include here a screencast of the Conversions:
