Help me understand sharing sketches and projection.

[Julie_7]

I created some basic sketches at the root of my design thinking that it would be easy to use them in multiple components. The basic profile sketch is used in many places throughout the design. Here I have selected the profile, highlighted in blue) that I want to use.

It includes some of the basic geometry that is shared by many of the components that will be created.

Now what I would like to do is create a new component, offset the blue line profile and extrude the area bounded by the original shape and the offset shape.

So, I create Component1, start a new sketch with the profile sketch visible and selected. I select offset (the blue icon)

and get an error.

I have the auto-project options turned on in preferences.

I don't understand why I can't offset from a projected profile?

If I select the profile and explicitly project it into the current sketch it turns into separate lines that cannot be double click selected as a single profile.

I think I am also misusing some of the terminology. I am calling the connected set of purple lines above the profile. However when I change my selection filter to select sketch profile it highlights the interior of the lines as if I was going to extrude the profile. When I change the selection filter to sketch curves then I can drag select the entire sketch (set of lines) which is what I wanted, but double click select still doesn't work.

Working out how to ask the question did answer my question "how do I create an offset profile?" though.

When I drag select the entire sketch then it will let me create an offset, which is what I was having trouble doing.

Then I can extrude the area between the two rounded rectangles.

Am I doing things the hard way?

I have simple "profile" that changes when I change the size parameters of the design. I want to reuse that profile in many places so that I don't have to repeat the basic sketch and all component geometries based on that basic profile, including its size, update when the model parameters change.

[jhackney1972]

If your multiple components will be created and developed inside one assembly file, then the method you propose should work well.  If on the other hand, the components are created in multiple assembly files, then the process will be different.  I will assume the first scenario.  In the video I use one parametric sketch to create two components.  The I change the parameters to show the change.  The main thing to remember if I loose the copied sketch, due to ending the design, closing Fusion 360, etc. I can always start again by going into the master sketch and copying it again to my clipboard.

[davebYYPCU · Accepted solution]

Why are you fussing with more sketch lines?

Thin Extrude the original curves.

Might help....

[Julie_7]

Thanks. I didn't know thin extrude existed. I am not an expert Fusion 360 user. That is why I ask the questions that I do. I am trying to learn.

[minjehigol]

Trial, error, and Saunders videos on occasion

Hard for me to gauge how long it took since I'd learned autodesk back in high school, then solidworks after that, then back to fusion. Some elements of every cad/cam package is going to give you a leg up or kind of act as a barrier depending on how positively or negatively it translates to the next package https://tutuapp.uno/ .