How to put two bodies in different files into 1?

[tobycwood]

I would bet I am thinking about how I did this incorrectly but lets see...

So I made an object, then I copied the file of the object and then opened the copy and modified some features and sketches so that now the 2 objects (which are in separate files) are different... but now I want to bring them together and attach them into 1 object. How do I do that?

I tried doing it within 1 file but there was no easy way to copy the sketch/feature structures. Does that mean both objects have to be built in the same file from scratch?

[SaeedHamza]

Hi,

Go to the body or component you want to transfer from 1 file to another and right click it from the browser, then save as stl file if it's a body and as many other formats if it's a component, and I recommend you convert it to a component if it was a body then export it

After saving it on your computer, go to data panel and upload it, then right click it after it's uploaded and hit insert into project

Regards

Saeed

[TrippyLighting]

I suggest you export both of these files as a .f3d file and then provide a more cohesive explanation of what you want to do in a screencast.

[tobycwood]

Cohesive explanation?

I made a design. Now I need another that is slightly different. So I copied the design and changed a feature and a sketch.

Now I want the 2 slightly different designs together in 1 with their corresponding sketches and features and bodies so that I can attach them.

IMO this is rather simple and common use case!

I can "Insert" one design into the current. This seems to do it, but the inserted object has issues... for example, when I try to extrude an attaching element to the inserted body from the original the result is no longer ending at the surface of the body. The preview shows it correct but after I hit "OK" it offsets. The inserted design has all it's sketches but they are all at a different level in the object hierarchy then the sketches form the 1st design. The impression is I am doing it wrong.

[SaeedHamza]

Hi,

I tried to create 2 files and inserted one into the other. Everything worked just fine, nothing offsets, even when it's created using the inserted one

Try breaking the link of the inserted one by right-clicking it from the browser, although it worked for me without doing it, Might help ...

I suggest you make a screencast to show the behavior, it will be better so that we can understand

Regards

Saeed

[TrippyLighting]

Re-using designs is a common use case. The way you are doing is also not necessarily uncommon in other CAD packages, however unnecessary in Fusion 360.

If you can attach your design that would be helpful.( export as .f3d and attach to your next post)

[tobycwood]

See attached. These will sit side by side and get attached with 2 small rectangular extrusions between them. 

[SaeedHamza]

Hi,

I inserted one of the attached files inside of the other, and aligned them, then extruded a part from the inserted one to

the other body, and it worked just fine without any offset

[tobycwood]

Please try them side by side with the uprights both in the same direction. End to end works fine for me too, but that is not what I am trying to do. They are to be used as splints on 2 fingers on someone's hand. I've tried again and again... When I extrude from a sketch with the start on one body and the end of the extrusion on the second body the extrusion always goes past the face of the second body. It shows OK in the preview. I was able to get it to work only after working the offsets which is a pita. It should work as it intends to or I am doing it all wrong.

Also...

Where in the hierarchy should this sketch that I extrude from be? and... I would have assumed that the ideal would be there is some way to join all the bodies into 1 body... but I do not see that.

[etfrench · Accepted solution]

A screencast would help everyone understand exactly what you want.

[SaeedHamza]

yup, it's time for a screencast

[daniel_lyall]

@tobycwood You know what you need and what part to join to from, your explanation of your work flow is not enough to know what part to join to from 

[TrippyLighting]

By your description is seems you are missing a key concept in Fusion 360, which is the difference between bodies and components in Fusion 360.

Also, none of you sketches are properly dimensioned and constrained, making it easy to accidentally break you design.

You need to explain how you imagine the linkage between these 2 comments to look. The brackets between these two do not. align.

[tobycwood]

Thank you SOOO much for this and the other replies. I did learn some things that are VERY cool that I had read and seen before, but you gave me more context.

The solution posted may be beyond the scope of what I was having trouble with and I suspect I was doing it right to begin with. Although I think the solution you gave will work just as well.

 I do not think it needs to be an assembly.  I tried again with 2 very simple designs instead of the 2 I posted and it worked fine. I may have found a bug. I will learn how to do a screencast and post again here.

[tobycwood]

Ok... I figured out what was wrong. Thanks to TrippyLighting's screencast I realized the best approach was to make a new design and then insert the 2 designs into that rather then using the Design file of one and inserting the other into it. Works exactly as I expected it to with no more problems.