Is "Create Hole" functionality limited for imported components?

[mbostonsprint]

So, a couple of days ago I was happily using Hole command to create holes. It appears to work better now than it did a year or so ago, although maybe it's my level of "experience". As I just seem to have found out, though, the functionality of the Hole command seems different on imported components, and more limited. I am operating in Direct Modeling environment.

I am able to create holes in natively created parts models by selecting a face, and a point at which to locate the hole (point is typically created from a construction axis and a face intersection), then adjusting the hole specs as needed. On the imported components I have in a current design, the Hole command seems to work only with using reference edges, and not a point for location. Needless to say, this is somewhat cumbersome (and aggravating, to be sure).

I get an error message stating "No target body found to cut or intersect" when I select the point for locating the hole. It works fine on entities I have wholly created in the software.

*** I was just doing some additional experimentation, and found that where I have created a component from a body (not my usual practice at the concept design stage), the same thing occurs, although I now see that that the hole location is shifted to a point out in space, well off the part. In the case of my original observation, now if I zoom out, I see the attempt at hole location is about 18" away. The error message makes more sense now, BUT the root problem remains.

And, just as additional info, I am able to modify the imported components in other ways, such as press-pull operation from sketch work to create large holes.

What am I missing about hole command functionality?

[HughesTooling]

Did you try clicking Fip Direction when you got the error?

Mark

[mbostonsprint]

Hi, Mark --

Thanks -- I didn't try that, but it's completely non-intuitive that it would help. See screenshot.

The mislocation appears to be different displacement in the two defined cases I've seen so far.

[TrippyLighting]

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@mbostonsprint wrote:

I am able to create holes in natively created parts models by selecting a face, and a point at which to locate the hole (point is typically created from a construction axis and a face intersection), then adjusting the hole specs as needed.

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You are aware that you can create holes precisely dimensioned from existing body edges while in the hole dialogue ?

[mbostonsprint]

Trippy, thanks -- Yes, of course that's an option, but requires considerably more "figgerin" than taking a construction axis off of existing geometry and creating The Point at which to locate the hole. I generally design to the numbers, but in the case of matching existing component features, matching them directly with construction geometry is much more efficient (or should be, in any case). In such case, the dimensions are a result of the design process, rather than dimensional engineering creating the design.

My real question is about what this behavior is indicating. I'm not ruling out some sort of defect or anomaly in my model, but this clearly is a difference in the way these components are treated vs. parts that have been created within Fusion 360.

[TheCADWhisperer]

Can you attach the original file and the *.f3d file here that exhibits this behavior?

[mbostonsprint]

Here's the .f3d file, warts and all. Also included is a screen shot, showing a line drawn from where I attempted to place a hole in the small black optic mount, and where it ends up. The plain plate containing the hole is not a part of the design; I put it there so that the displaced hole would be a measurable entity. The hole ends up about 335mm away in the same plane. There is a second point on the same mount, where I also attempted to place a hole, and it puts that hole on the SAME displaced axis, but in plane, as far as I could tell by a quick look.

The adjacent small black optic mount (above and in front, if that makes sense), exhibits the same general behavior, although the displacement is in a different direction, so it exhibits the error message. The hole I was attempting to place was nothing special (the hole shown in the plain plate is just the default that came up from last use).

[TheCADWhisperer]

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@mbostonsprint wrote:

Here's the .f3d file, warts and all. ....

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Well I will have to confess that I don't have a clue about your design technique - hopefully someone with more Fusion experience than I have will come along and comment.

All I can say is it would not have occurred to me to do whatever it is you did. 

[TrippyLighting]

I'd have to agree with @TheCADWhisperer that your design technique is ... uuhhmmm ... unothodox to say the very least 😉

1. This design is destined for traditional, parametric design. Attempting this in direct modeling mode and not capturing the design history is really not advisable at all.
2. Your imported parts are all components (Fusion 360 components that is !) but all of your designed parts are bodies, but should definitely be components.
3. None of that is assembled properly with the joints available in Fusion 360.

It is likely a lot less work to re-do this with the timeline enabled using parametric design than attempting to complete this with direct modeling.

Direct modeling is great when you have complex forms and surfaces to deal with and explore.

This, however is much, much easier to "explore" with the timeline enabled. For example, inside of using construction geometry axes to serve as eat optical axis I'd create a skeleton sketch with the basic layout of the optical paths and assemble the components to that.

If you do re-create this with the timeline enabled adhere to Fusion 360 R.U.L.E #1: Before doing anything, create a component and activate it.