Importing Assemblies and Maintaining Association with Individual Parts
Yes, you are missing something 😉
In Fusion 360 you can create a complete assembly in a single file. As such, when you import STEP assemblies all components and the assembly structure are created in a single Fusion 360 file/design. It is also created in Direct Modeling mode by default and if you want to record the design history you'l have to enable it.
New designs are created with the timeline (design history) enabled by default.
Having that said, I've worked in many CAD systems over the last 30 years. One mistake I see many experienced CAD folks do is to start using a new CAD system that seems to resemble their old system and start working based on the expectation that it'll work out.
But often that leads to problems that could have been prevented by watching the 60 minutes or so of introductory tutorials in the Support and Lerning section.
@Anonymous wrote:
Your reply confirms my concern. Having everything come in as a single file without creating the subsequent piece parts individually in the data center is not a positive.
Why is that a concern and not positive ?
@Anonymous my apologies for my snotty mouth! I am also getting older and maybe more stupid by the minute 😉
@Anonymous Agreed!
I actually started watching some of the introductory material myself, in particular the Fusion 360 mastery course.
I wonder what audience this is aimed at, but it is clearly not professionals. the first 10-15 minutes are so laced with marketing hyperbole that I have to take a break in between. Then there are a few good segments and then it continues with marketing.
Very few of the tutorials actually provide explanation of basic concepts. That slack is usually left for others to explain. The materials that explain transitioning from Solid Works are leaving out some of the first steps I see so many people step right into.
Yes, that won't work and I can see that in larger assemblies this is not a workable solution.
Fusion 360 started as a direct modeling software and the timeline was added later. Back then it was advertised as "design differently" mostly to connect (product) design, mechanical engineering and CAM, so the workflow from ideation to making that is usually very disconnected with each of the disciplines working with their own software solution.
But AD had discovered that mechanical engineering and machine design are a large market segment and have changed direction, so now competing with Solid Works in that market segment is pursued very aggressively.
Fusion 360 strength is top down design. I use it very effectively to create concept models for manufacturing automation solutions. I don't have to provide a lot of detailed mechanical design, but convey a concept, so the ability to quickly create acceptable concept models in single file is great.
However, there is no way Fusion 360 would be able to replace Solid Works , or Autodesk inventor - at least not now - for creating a "real" machine design in that industry. In my experience machine design, particularly automation solutions are 90%+ bottom up. That is really NOT Fusion 360's strongest suit.
Why it's being advertised as such remains a mystery to me!
If you have a assembly of 193 parts and that is one of your smaller assemblies, then Fusion 360 might not be for you. The usual rule of thumb is that Fusion 360 will get sluggish past 1000 components.
May I ask what sort of designs you create for personal use that have that many parts ?
Can you be more specific as to what you want to do ?
What do you mean specifically with "file association" ?
Do you want to import assemblies from SW to Fusion 360 ?
@jagSJMV8 wrote:
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A save body as linked component is a desperate need.
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That can be done with "Derive". This allows you to derive a component out of the assembly into the data panel.
The derived component will maintain its links to the assembly, so every change to mea o the component in that assembly will be reflected in the derived component.
Then in that derived component you can change into the manufacturing workspace and create you set-ups and tool paths. Thus you won't have your assembly file overloaded with all of he manufacturing related data.
Yes one way. It can be explained by this:
DesignA is the assembly, Design B is the "derive"
We Derive in Design B into A and any changes in the Derived model (Model A) are not sent back.
Ryan Bales
Fusion 360 Product Support
Just so all parties are aware - Edit in Place is coming for linked designs and those changes ARE two way. Very cool if used wisely.
Ryan Bales
Fusion 360 Product Support