How to create a simple factory layout in Fusion 360

[Anonymous]

I am just learning Fusion 360 after a 10 year break from 3D modeling (Solidworks) and I am trying to create a building layout with equipment and furnishings inside to model a factory layout.  I'm having a really hard time with this top-down assembly philosophy.  I have managed to create walls and a table component, and brought them together, and cannot figure out how to join these items (at the floor plane only) so that the table, for example, can just be moved into place and moved around as needed to optimize a layout.  I'd like to add racks and other assembly line fixtures and have the freedom to move things around easily without putting in mates or dimensions for each exact location.  To be clear, I'd like to model components (furnishings), bring them into the building assembly), and have the ability to move them around freely with only one fixed plane (the floor).

Any advice?  Thank you!

[barry9UDQ6]

Maybe something like this:

• Create your first component and ground it. Model your factory/walls here.
• Create a second component for your table, do not ground it. Model up your table.
• Activate your root/top level and add a planar joint between the table leg bottom and your factory floor.

As long as you are working with the top level activated you will be able to drag your table around freely.

Or here is a slightly different approach:

• Do the first 2 steps as above.
• Activate your top level, hit M for move and set the picker to component, select your table.
• use the gumball thingy for a bit more control for how you move your table around. As long as you grab the correct handle the table will not move on the Z/up axis.

A slight variation that I often use is to ground the table from the beginning, stay with the table active and move with the picker set to body (as long as your table is only 1 body).

I like this because a move feature now appears in the timeline for this component, and the next time you want to move it you can just activate the table and then edit the move feature in your timeline and keep moving it.

So each component only needs to have 1 move feature in it's timeline (right at the end) that you use over and over again each time you want to move the component.

[davebYYPCU]

Nooooo

forget about moving the component body. Other parts of the component get left behind, including component origin, but Planar Joint was on the money.

[John_Wright]

Make each table, rack, machine etc around the main origin as separate components, then assemble each of them to the floor with a planer joint. You can then just drag them to where you want them.

[barry9UDQ6]

What's wrong with 'quick and dirty' 😁.

But yes, you are correct. Although I have been impressed by how Fusion lets me abuse geometry without breaking.

[TrippyLighting]

As other posters have already mentioned, without using joints you cannot really constrain objects to move only in a (floor) plane.

My professional work involves a lot of equipment and floor layouts as I develop custom automated manufacturing systems. What I usually do to create proposal layouts is to create a sketch at the top level with the overall building plan, including walls, columns and other immovable objects.

Then I create components and component groups  that might contain specific pieces of equipment. That usually includes 3D geometry but if I am pressed for time and don't have time for modeling it might only include a sketch with a top view.

These components then get joined to points I create in the initial sketch. I can move these points freely and when satisfied with the arrangement of "stuff" they will be dimensioned.