Extruding a simple line...

[SA2020]

I created simple box and extruded it.  I then sketched two lines perpendicular to each other as a starting point for what I'm trying to achieve.  I'm wanting to extrude the lines into the box, but when I enter the depth, nothing happens.  Ultimately, I need to create numerous lines that will be engraved and I'm needing to extrude them .010 deep so that I can create a print.  How can this be done?  

[etfrench · Accepted solution]

You can extrude lines in the Surface workspace, but you'll need to Thicken them before you can use a Combine/Cut or Join command with them.

In the Solid workspace, you can only extrude closed profiles (They will turn yellow when the boundary is closed).  You can use the Offset command plus lines between the end points to create closed profiles in the Solid workspace.

p.s. If you are using a router or mill to do the engraving, then you only need the sketch lines to engrave in CAM.  Use the Trace toolpath for single line tracing and the Engrave toolpath for closed profiles.

[SA2020]

Thanks for the reply and information.

How do I thicken the lines in surface workspace?  

I understand what you're saying about closed profiles in the solid workspace.  I have a solid box and then sketched a few lines in the position that they need to be in.  

I just tried offsetting the lines in the sketch workspace and it allowed me to do so.  I offset them by .005 and figured I'd trim, and then could extrude.   But I'm having trouble trimming them.  I go to sketch, modify, trim, but when I go to select the line I want by hovering over the line, I get a dialog box that says "select curve section to trim".  I don't have any curves, how can I trim lines?  

I'm assuming that if I can trim the lines and get the offsets I want, then I could extrude and create a print.  I understand the CAM side of engraving a line like I'm referring to.  For this example, I need to create a drawing with all of the locations for the individual lines, that's why I want to extrude them into the solid.

[etfrench]

You can use a sketch in a drawing.  I don't think you need to extrude your lines.  In any case, in the Surface workspace, you need to Extrude the line before Thickening.

All lines, arcs, circles, splines, etc. may be called curves in Fusion 360 messages.

[g-andresen]

Hi,

1. Please show with a picture what you want to achieve.
2. if a line is in the xy-plane, you can extrude it into the z-plane in surface mode. The surface thus created is then thickened with "Thicken" perpendicular to the surface to form a body.

günther

[SA2020]

I've attached a screenshot of the block with 2 simple lines.  I'm going to add more once I figure out how to "extrude" them.  But in the end, all I want to do is to be able to have a solid model or a solid block with surfaces, assuming that surfaces will allow to me to create a print that shows the dimensions of the block and also where the lines are located.  

On a side note, when you sketch lines, there is an option for the length of the line, but you have to snap it to a point.  Is there a way to define that X and Y location?  Or a way to adjust if if necessary?  

[etfrench · Accepted solution]

I'd recommend going through the learning tutorials.  The questions you're asking are basic 101 tasks.

Here's a little screencast showing one way of accomplishing your tasks:

[SA2020]

Fully agree about the tutorials, where are they located?  

But with that said, what I'm trying to do should be simple and even after your video (which by the way was very helpful, thank you) I could not move the lines to an X and Y location of my desire.  I was able to follow your video and move the X, but not the Y.  The simplest of things become very frustrating and it should be simpler.  

What about the right click and move function.  I played around with that a bit, can't get what I want though.  I tried not using components and just starting from a fresh sketch.  I snapped the one line from the origin and then snapped the horizontal line.  I right clicked and tried inputing a translate move to an X and Y location, but nothing happens.  

[davebYYPCU · Accepted solution]

Secret is to not snap something to the origin, if you want to move it, there are automatic locks applied, (Constraints)

Sketch 101, rough draw the shape, constrain it as much as you can, dimension it, to and from each other or the Origin.

just as Ed showed you

The process is - what do I want, now put it where it is to be, takes some getting used to, 

End game is to have the whole sketch turn black, no more blue articles....

He uses the Dimension to do what you say you can't.

Tutorials can be found in the Forums under Learn and Support, or

under the Question Symbol in Fusion top line next to your account name.

Might help....

[SA2020]

Got a bit further, was able to create the lines I wanted,  then I used the move to origin, then transform to the X and Y location I wanted.  Not the most efficient method, but I was able to understand it and do it.  

Ok, next question before I start created surfaces, you mentioned to have the sketch turn black so that there are no more blue articles.  How is that done?  Asking because I finished all of my lines, but only the first set that I created/moved are black, the rest are still blue.  I was able to create a solid box and extrude that.  But not sure how to get all the lines black instead of blue.  

[SA2020]

I was able to get all of my lines black as I redid everything after watching that earlier video.

But now I'm trying to do a surface, create, extrude, then I select one set of lines that I want to give depth to.  I do that and input a depth, but then the black lines go away.  If I hover over the area, the lines then become visible, but they're not there unless I hover over.  I followed what you did in that video, so not sure why that's happening.  

[etfrench · Accepted solution]

Most likely cause is the visibility of the sketch has been turned off.  Fusion 360 will do this automatically if [Preferences/General/Design/Auto hide sketch on feature creation] is checked.

[SA2020]

Thank you, I changed the preferences and it worked exactly as what you were doing in the video.  

I was able to create the top side of what I'm wanting to achieve and it looks great.  

But now I'm running into a problem on the bottom of the part.  I'm needing to do something similar with lines and choose the bottom as my plane, then sketched a series of lines out in space.  When I go to sketch dimension to move to my needed location, I keep getting the error seen in the screenshot that I've attached.  

"Adding this dimension will over-contain the sketch.  

Choose OK to create a Driven Dimension."

How can I get around this so that I can place my lines where I need them?  

[davebYYPCU]

It’s File > Export, and attach it to another message with the paper clip icon found just below this edit window.

We get better results when using your data, to teach.

Example, the sketch mode has the Offset command, to make parallel lines, to streamline the process, but until we see your file and you describe what you want, we have to guess.

Not good for either of us.

[SA2020]

I've attached one of the files I'm working on.  

I was able to get a bit further on the bottom side.  In my previous response, I was having trouble with the sketch dimension because I had laid out a series of lines, then went back to do the sketch dimension.  I went back in and realized that if I created one set of lines, then did the sketch dimension, it allowed me to move it.  Ok, baby steps are good.  

But, now when I move using the sketch dimension in the bottom view, it won't allow me to move anything below Y0.  You can see in the attached file that the horizontal line in the bottom view is above Y0, it would not allow me to input a negative Y value?  I was trying to get that horizontal line, with the vertical line, inside of the box.  I was able to set the value from the vertical line to a value of .750 and it moved.  But when I did Y value, I tried inputting negative values nothing, I put .125 and you can see it's outside of the box.  How do I get my lines into negative Y values, what am I missing here?  

[etfrench]

Delete the dimension, then drag the line to the interior of the box.  Now create the dimension.

[SA2020]

I created the lines over, but within my box, then created the dimension, that worked.  Now I'm onto creating a simple print and could use some help.

Is there a way to have a mix of fraction and decimal dimensions in the same print?  If I toggle one to the other, it changes all of my dimensions.

I created base views, but I'm curious how to align them so that they are inline.  Is there a way to "snap" each so they're inline?

In the past I would upload a DWG file for a simple title block template that I've used in the past.  When I try to upload the DWG file, I get the error shown in the attachment, how do I get around this?  I have a blank drawing sheet with the correct title block saved in Fusion, but when I try to open, I can't figure out how to get it into my current drawing.

[etfrench]

IMHO, fractional measurements are only useful for rough carpentry.  If you need a fractional setting simply use the fraction in a formula in the dimension or user parameter.

[SA2020]

Not overly concerned about the fractions, but what about the aligning views and also the title block?

[etfrench]

Sorry, can't help on the title block.  I rarely use drawings.