Help! Why does Fusion 360 refuse to turn this model into a branching tube?

[Anonymous]

Hi!

I am stuck in trying to make a tube that branches. If have this model https://a360.co/2IyGvZD . Feel free to interact with it and even provide the timeline required to finalise the design.

Question: Why cant I turn this into solid body? Specifically, Why cant I hollow it out so that it becomes a branching circular tube?

There's a lot of thing that seems to be wrong with this model. But I am unable to determine what it is. Fusion 360 refuses to treat it as a  solid. And it refuses me from turning it into one. And the errors I got tells me absolutely nothing. Sop I am clue-less and, to tell the truth, totally bewildered and super frustrated! So please help!

As a side note. Fusion 360 uses the terms face. surface, body, solid body, extrusion, form and what not in ways that does not make sense to me? I think this model can serve as a good example of all the things that a noob like me find bewildering with how Fusion 360 treats "stuff" and how I as a designer should interact with this "stuff".

So, if anyone that knows Fusion 360 can help me with turning this body into a branching tube I will really appreciate it! And if you can also explain to me what the model, the body, I have actually "is", I may succeed better in my future designs with Fusion 360.

Warm thanks in advance. Looking forward to your replies!

Best Regards, Kjell-Olov Högdahl

[TrippyLighting]

Here is one thread describing how ot create a proper Y-Branch.

Here's another.

[Anonymous]

Thanks! Most appreciated. I will look into that.

Although note that I need the "nozzles" to be tapered to be able to fit a 50 mm hose onto them. So if I use the "tube" command I still have to figure out how to add that geometry to the endings of the branch.

Here is a screencast of the error I get https://youtu.be/KI_EVOWyM3c.

==> Strange fact. Lars Christensen at Fusion 360 (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo29kn3d9ziFUZGZ50VKvWA) does not have a problem with my model. And is able to use the shell command on it. But I fail to do so. So there is something with my knowledge and using of Fusion 360 that is wrong...

Many thanks in advance to anyone that can shed some light to what I am doing wrong!

[TrippyLighting · Accepted solution]

I bet Lars model does not include the blue highlighted "piece" of geometry. Without it it shells fine.

There's no tube but a pipe command and one if the threads outlines methods specifically not using the pipe command. You can create a Y-Branch with al three modeling methods in Fusion 360, however the best geometry you'll get NOT using solid modeling. Using the Patch or T-SPline environment will yield better geometry in this case.

[Anonymous]

Thank you @TrippyLighting for your effort and solution. It totally worked! Although I am still not sure why that piece of shell at the junction caused the problem. Or why Fusion 360 could not tell me. But you learn as you go. I just have to struggle on 🙂

I have applied your solution and made a video about it here https://youtu.be/ha6F6cJ-EEM.

So, Thanks again and keep up the good work you do.

Best Regards, Kjell-Olov.