How do you deactivate a component?
@kim.jansonT4WYD wrote:
"The timeline is gone and you have somewhat more freedom in some ways since you are working without parametric constraints. "
That is not true, it just moves to the browser and saturates it to unusable at the end.
So I do occasionally save as Step to get rid of the grab. so sad.
The Fusion 360 has potential for much more than it is, and that is simply by being less.
When you work in direct modeling mode history is not kept, and the timeline is gone. Actions on bodies do create entries in the browser, and that can clutter it up- particularly if you have not organized your model well in terms of components. Those items in the browser can easily be deleted if you don't need to revise them. The delete key gets rid of the clutter.
The fact that you are devising workarounds like saving as a STEP file tells me you have not made the effort to understand the basics of how Fusion is designed to operate. That will get you into trouble with anything but the most basic of CAD systems. All powerful tools require some instruction and adherence to principles and procedures to stay out of trouble. There are basic tutorials that cover these issues well, including some at the top links in this forum. You can USE Fusion as a very simple system with minimal clutter if you don't need its more sophisticated capabilities, but you still need to actually understand the fundamentals of how it works. I'm not hearing any problems from you that wouldn't be eliminated by better understanding the basic principles behind the tool.
I started using Fusion (well before it acquired that name) when it was just a very simple, non-parametric 3D design program/ project. But it was clear from the beginning that the architecture of the system was being developed to become what we have today, a very comprehensive tool for all kinds of design and manufacturing. I strongly disagree that Fusion would gain by going backwards to a less powerful system. I use that greater power all the time.
You're coming across like someone who paints themselves into a corner, and blames the brush rather than their own lack of planning.
- Ron
Mostly Mac- currently M1 MacBook Pro
Mostly Mac- currently M1 MacBook Pro
I've been on this forum since early 2015.
18000+ post, over 2000 solutions and 800+ screencasts later I've had a lot of interaction with Fusion 360 users across a large spectrum of abilities. I also occasionally tutor Fusion 360 privately.
The vast majority of beginners move past the simple designs you appear to have insurmountable problems with, rapidly in the first 3-4 weeks of their Fusion 360 journey. And many are faster than that. They come here because they encounter problems and every now and then a bug surfaces.
We advise on better workflows and report bugs and propose workarounds, and then those users move on in their creative processes.
For the most part, those are not the folks that you see here on the forum very vocally and relentlessly repeating statements that are demonstrably wrong.
However, there is something that makes a huge difference. It is having the interest and willingness to learn a new tool and simply being a bit more open minded! Those are tools that you are missing!
One pattern amongst users I've seen emerge is a specific set of users coming from an IT and software development background. Developing software is associated with often very abstract concepts and requires intelligence. Unfortunately sometimes that leads those users to erroneously conclude that software development is the pinnacle of human development and anything less should just be simple and less abstract.
At that point those users then are completely baffled when they encounter that creating seemingly simple mechanical designs with a parametric CAD tool comes with its own set of abstract problems. I believe that the vast majority of those users move past that and initial revelation and then simply learn the necessary concepts, tools and workflows and rather easily. After all, they are usually equipped with "the tools".
However, then there is a small minority of vocal user where that aforementioned intelligence is paired with a rather unhealthy dose of arrogance, resulting in an unwillingness accept that their software worlds is just not the crown of all creation. Then in order to maintain their self image of superiority they resort to blame the tool and/or the developers of the tool.
@kim.jansonT4WYD wrote:
The simplest solution to most of my problems would be "clear all history button" and it would solve many problems without needing to save as Step file.
That has been explained to you in clear terms in a recent post by @Oceanconcepts here in this thread!
@kim.jansonT4WYD wrote:
You do not simply listen to your paying customers, but serve who exactly?
As an Autodesk Expert Elite I am a customer, just as you are. I use Fusion 360 and other CAD and 3D modeling software professionally.
But I see it is pointless ...
Indeed! Good luck in your further endeavors!
@kim.jansonT4WYD wrote:
The simplest solution to most of my problems would be "clear all history button" and it would solve many problems without needing to save as Step file.
In any design with a timeline, you can disable the timeline by right-clicking on the root of the browser and selecting "Do not capture design history".
|
"People who do not want to spend a lot of time learning the tool and being great 3D designers, but just get done what needs to be done."
I’m very much in that camp. CAD is not our main focus here, but we need the mechanical parts to make our instruments work. There is a tradeoff with any tool, though, where failing to learn the basics will cost you far more in time, workarounds, and errors than would spending a few hours making sure you understand how to use the tool effectively. We’re talking about basic concepts, principles, and logic here, not the esoteric or sophisticated capabilities that might take a lot of time to master. What is clear from your posts is that you are trying to build (and criticizing) without a solid foundation.
"To be clear, I do use components, I do make joints when they are useful etc. I even would like to design the components as separate files and link them to main design, but that simply just does not work reliably, and that is the reason I do not like most of the advanced features, they simply are not reliable and I spend all too much time fighting with the tool."
This forum, and particularly people like @TrippyLighting are incredibly helpful and put many hours into helping users understand what might be wrong- particularly if you can post a file. I very frequently- actually almost always- build components outside my main file and import them, and have zero issues with doing this. That’s not an “advanced” feature, it’s quite basic. It does require that you understand how to do this consistent with the basic operation of the software. Provide an example of what doesn't work and you will very likely get plenty of help quickly.
"It is pretty clear to me that the biggest source of my problems with Fusion 360 is the timeline, It just cause all too much delays when calculating it, prohibits deleting, causes errors, and couple of times complete crash of the model that each time took couple of days to recover."
You can create errors in the timeline if you don’t pay attention to the way a parametric design needs to be structured, particularly how geometry is referenced- this is something you don't need to think about much in direct modeling. There is lots of help for understanding this. This AU class from a few years ago is an excellent introduction and would be very helpful for the issues you are describing: https://www.autodesk.com/autodesk-university/class/Debugging-Your-Fusion-Design-Lets-Get-Rid-Red-and... The timeline doesn’t prohibit deleting (though Remove is usually a better command), but if you delete something that subsequent geometry is referenced to then you will create errors. That’s not unique to Fusion, it's in the nature of any CAD system that pays attention to history. If you don’t want to deal with this, and don’t use the parametric capabilities, then you should just work in the direct modeling environment. I often work in direct modeling in the early stages of a design, but I’ve increasingly found that working in the timeline saves time and effort once a design direction is clearly established, by making edits easily flow through the design. This is only true if the design is well organized. You need to attend to the issues discussed in the class above. This also enforces a kind of discipline that will help create better results, in my experience.
"And how it clutters the browser if "turned off" is just not understandable, that those can not even be collapsed."
I’ve complained in the past about not being able to collapse these items, but as I mentioned above, the easy solution is just to delete them.
"And I realy would like to be able to delete unused sketches. I know it is terrible, that I do not manage the sketches, I just create a new one when needed, so a simple design can have 150 sketches, cluttering the browser, and I can not delete them without catastrophe on the time line. The biggest reason I create a new one is as I can not see the model as it is no if selecting an previously created sketch."
If you want to work like this, you should be working in the direct modeling environment, without the timeline. When Fusion doesn’t have to keep track of history it grants you far more freedom to move, edit, and delete sketches or anything else. What you are describing WILL create errors in ANY history based CAD system. Fusion gives you the option to work in a history-free environment. As I mentioned above, I find working in the timeline very helpful in later stages of a design. When I need to alter some early part of the design- to accommodate a changed PCB outline, for instance, I know the changes will be reflected through the design. I can roll back to any point and make changes. But it does require that you think through and be intentional about the order in which you do things, how you manage sketches, and how you reference geometry. If you want to have a more free-form approach, direct modeling is ideal. |
- Ron
Mostly Mac- currently M1 MacBook Pro
Mostly Mac- currently M1 MacBook Pro
