Fusion 360 Has An Export Problem

[cjwidd]

I have tried just about every workaround to get Fusion 360 to export into .OBJ, which is incredibly easy in literally every other 3d modeling program. There are two official solutions:

1. Create a base feature, select the solid bodies to convert, Brep to mesh, and then set the output features

2. Go online, download the design as obj; this results in a low quality mesh with artifacts (no refinement options)

For option1, doing this for a selection of solid bodies with normal deviation of 2, took hours to complete (overnight) on an i7, 16Gb RAM machine. This process created mesh bodies for each solid body, but the mesh bodies cannot be group selected and exported as OBJ; they can only be saved one by one.

There needs to be a way to export multiple bodies simultaneously into a single .OBJ file with refinement options, preferably into a quad mesh. This is very typical functionality in other Autodesk products, including 3ds Max and Maya. 

[laughingcreek]

Fusion definitely has some export issues.  Best bet may be to export as stl, and use something else (like mesh mixer) to convert to OBJ if that is what you need.

Unfortunately,  The only quads you are going to get out of fusion is the control frame of a t-spline (if you made it properly with quads to begin with).  Your not going to get quads out of any nurbs modeler.  The only reason those other programs export quad OBJ's is because the model was created as a quad mesh from the get go.  Mesh models and nurbs models are hugely different types of things, and not directly compatible with each other. 

[cjwidd]

Right, but I think a quad / tri mesh should be possible. Can MeshMixer import multiple STL simultaneously and export into a single OBJ?

EDIT: importing into MeshMixer, there is no option to flip axes, consequently the mesh orientation is incorrect from what was present in Fusion 360

[TrippyLighting]

Traditionally, CAD software creates solid geometry and /or NURBS surfaces. 

A polygon modeler such as 3DSMax or Maya, Blender, etc. crates mainly Sub-D models which are based on a quad mesh.

These are somewhat incompatible data formats and as such not easy to convert.

In Fusion 360 you can convert solid models into .stl files, which contain triangulated mesh data. I believe if you export a solid into a .obj that is the same.

I doubt you can export a solid directly into a quad mesh, at least no in Fusion 360. there are other modelers out there such as MOI that actually o very very nice job at that.

Also while many polygon modelers nowadays also offer to model in NURBS (I know Houdini does this) most people model in sub-D. This on the other hand cannot be directly converted into solid.

You can use these quad meshes to convert into T-Splines in Fusion 360 or PolyNurbs in SolidThinking Evolve.

The way yo mention some of the terms in the same sentence leads me to believe that there is a little learning to do on your side.

[cjwidd]

I'm very familiar with Moi3d and actually migrated to Fusion 360 from Moi. It does have an excellent exporter.

Moreover, I am also aware of the distinction between the properties of a NURBS Modeler and a SubD modeler; my suggestion for a purely quad mesh export was more of a lofty pipe dream (ideal case), whereas a quad / tri mesh exporter is a known possibility. 

The issue at hand is a matter of being able to export OBJ from Fusion 360 in a batch operation. Fusion 360 is capable of converting solid bodies to an OBJ format internally, but these objects cannot be exported as a single OBJ as is typical of other modeling programs. To be sure, any issue regarding why that may or may not be possible does escape me.

The current value proposition of the OBJ format in my particular workflow (Fusion 360 to Zbrush) is that Zbrush cannot multi-append STL files, it cannot only perform this operation on OBJ; a single OBJ file will preserve the subj-object groups, which is desirable for various reasons.  Because of this, it might be more appropriate for me to consult with Pixologic on adding this feature rather than insisting a dedicated OBJ exported be present in Fusion 360.

Also, while I'm sure benign, I visited this forum looking for advice, not condescension. I'm not sure this type of comment helps resolve the discussion in any constructive way. 
"The way yo mention some of the terms in the same sentence leads me to believe that there is a little learning to do on your side."

[TrippyLighting]

Sorry for sounding condescending!

You are correct, that only .stl export is offered when exporting an entire design.

The only quad meshes that can be exported from Fusion 360 are T-Spline control meshes and also only one at a time.

So to export solid geometry, when exporting to mesh data you are unfortunately stuck with triangulated mesh data. As such could you not simply import that into say Blender and convert that .stl into a .obj  and then use that in ZBrush ?

[cjwidd]

Fortunately, Fusion 360's component system allows for the careful organization of solid bodies - rather than having hundreds of disparate pieces, there can be an organizing principle among them. Doing so greatly reduces the number of STL files that need to be generated. Currently, there are a few methods to pipeline directly to OBJ, including batch file conversion of STL to OBJ outside of Fusion (using a third party application, as you've described), or importing STL directly into Zbrush. Either of these are a satisfactory solutions for now.

[cjwidd]

I forgot to mention, and perhaps others who consult this forum will benefit: the new Keyshot 7 plugin for Fusion 360 has been marvelous so far; it can be found in the Fusion 360 App Store. There is at least one import bug (that I expect is being worked out), but other than that, it is by far the fastest way to get my model into a production renderer with little effort or headache. I look forward to it being developed further.

[cekuhnen]

@cjwidd @TrippyLighting @laughingcreek

The lack of proper OBJ export (export options in general) shows clearly where AD sees Fusion to go to

and what based on their opinion the majority of users need - only use.

It leaves out all the others AD thinks are not their focus group. They react to the market but sometimes I feel that philosophy is a problem.

When you react only, the market will also not adapt or evolve so you do not create new opportunities.

I still simply export as STEP and then use MOI to make the render mesh since Keyshot is in my opinion overpriced+limited

and the offered build-in render engine very limited when you need more material and rendering tools.

[cjwidd]

Right, I tried this as well - using Moi3d as an intermediary to process the mesh - but this is a hassle (to add yet another program to my workflow, a paid software for that matter), and depending on the complexity of your mesh, you may need to experiment with the tessellation settings a lot to avoid artifacts in the resulting ouput.

Keyshot is definitely limited by way of its material graph, and there is a lot of room to grow in that regard, but the renderer seems fine. 

[PhilProcarioJr]

@cjwidd

First I would suggest using the 3d print button to export your .stl files as that allows you to control how accurate your stl meshes are then because you say you use ZBrush you should use the remesher for your all quad final model.

I too would like to see a better .obj exporter but I can promise you that AD does not see that as important in Fusion Dev any time in the near future.

So unfortunately you will have to deal with the current set of headaches that go along with this workflow.

[cjwidd]

I don't think the 3D print option provides additional settings beyond what is already offered during normal 'save as STL' dialog. To be sure, I agree with what everyone is saying on this thread, I have no argument at all. In fact, if the moderators want to close this thread, that is fine with me.

[cekuhnen]

@cjwidd

keyshot has the advantage of on the fly mesh tesselation - that is pretty significant.

but I found in all my years of creating and modifying Render scenes it was less of an issue or needed feature.

however the type of renderings I do for clients is different than what and why many use keyshot.

keyshot sells simplicity and at that it is great at - hands down

it also recently introduced material nodes which is a great improvement for designers that need control