Learning move, import, cut, orientation and positioning with snap.... how to

[Fonzis]

Good day
I am an Acad hobby user looking to become perfect continuity on lofted surfaces created from spline constructions, my preferred creation method.
The forms are organic combined with mechanical parts.

I have give it a try in Inventor but Fusion definitively convinced me better. Less complicated and the orientation between planes is  more userfriendly as in inventor for me.

In Acad i use to construct things taking orientation direct from the splines that i form related to the positioning that i do in the 3 d environement. Orientating i do by typing or activating the snap commands  that i need, in free orbit cam.
At the moment i am learning and starting take confidence with fusion.

I have try to import as igs step and sat, it seams to not import 2d at all.
I am here to ask for 2 things, first of all i am tryng to import splines from acad.dwg/step/igs to prevent that i must construct all again in fusion.
The first question is, what filetype have i to import in fusion to have also the splines if it is possible? (I need them to reconstruct it by using T splines). Or what method do you suggest if i already have the lofted surfaces from acad.
I was thinking to loft it in acad even if i not have perfect continuity, cut the surfaces following the splines, after cut it take the edges to reconstruct them with same shape and intersection points.
My other question is, how to import sketches or creations made as 2d in acad (mechanical) to use them as reference in the sketch that i need to position at his place and need to be in relation to the loft guides that i wanna create?

First pic is an older grip, stitched to become it solid.

The other one is the actual one i am making, taller, smaller, no socket and adapted to another trigger mechanism.

Any kind of suggestions are welcome.

PS: i am looking for a good snap and move tutorial in 2d and 3d environement, if anyone can link me to a good one that allows me to understand how move and position better like i can do easy in acad i would be happy. Thank you in advance.

[Mike.Grau]

Hi @Fonzis,

Thank you for posting your question to the forum. I think this link here might be helpful when it

comes to importing data from other CAD systems. Another option would be to import your file as mesh like an *.stl.

You can use Autodesk Meshmixer to convert the *.stl into an *.obj_quad file. In Fusion you have the option convert your *.obj_quad into a T-Spline body as well.

I hope this information helps.

Thanks 

Mike

[Fonzis]

Hi Mike Grau Thank you for your suggestions

The first link i have already do like described, i uploaded the dwg and it imports even the splines from autocad, but like in inventor they are corrupted, closed splines are open and other of them lose the shape completely. The intersection points neither are there anymore, but all 2d planes drawing that i use in the dwg was there, and this is positive, very positive.

The second link, Meshmixer asks for closed surface or solid, and thats what i am looking for, adjacency and continuity to become the stuff watertight... so i cant feed MMixer with what he wants..... what can i do else? is there a way to not make lose the shape to the splines and then reconstruct it by using them as kinda underlayer?

Meanwhile i try to make it watertight hoping be able to feed meshmixer, if you have other suggestions specially about the method to keep measurements of the part that come from acad, please tell me it.

Thank you in advance

Alfonso A.

[Fonzis]

thats what i mean.... i cant move nothing and when i start to put splines and wanna move it i have no way to snap or input where it must capture (end, intersection etc etc)
How to put a spline where i want? in sketch nothing works, no snap even if snap is activated. I dunno ho find endpoints or midpoints... intersections, and my 3 d on the side i cant move it neither.
How say to splines where to intersect or start? how to move parts or 3ds on the spline sketch 😞



I think be on the good way, but if i dont find how orientate the functions i am blocked.

[Fonzis]

UPPP
Is there really nobody that can indicate me where become informations to learn correctly move in the environement? I am lost and from the vids in Learn section i cant find or understand what i look for. You see the pics, and i explained what i wanna do, reconstruct or use this one to reconstruct surfaces with perfect continuity because in acad continuity sucks!

Please help or give me suggestions to go on... 4 days are gone, i have learn a lot in fusion, exept what i really need! Frustrating, its all i can say!!!

[Mike.Grau]

Hi @Fonzis, 

I know that it can become very frustrating after a while when you try to import geometry.

You have mentioned the snap command in AutoCAD but this technology does not work in same way as Fusion.

Could you might check If you have the 3D sketch option enabled? I see that it is disabled in the picture you have provided.

You can turn on 3D sketch when you edit your sketch and check 3D sketch in the Sketch Palette.

A really good Fusion tutorial for advanced sketching is here. You can move forward to minute 27.55 where the author goes into detail when it comes to 3D sketches.

Can I ask what should be the end goal you are looking to accomplish by importing the model into AutoCAD? You can directly print your model from AutoCAD If you would like to? 

If I can get a better understanding of what you are hoping to accomplish in Fusion 360 and your requirements, I may be able to recommend a better workflow.

Please feel free to provide a link to your AutoCAD file in A360, I would be more then happy to review it besides.

Thanks

Mike

[Fonzis]

thank you for your attention

the goal to reach is to have a solid with smooth surfaces, i need to adapt different trigger mechanisms to it, so i need solids that can be extruded and manipulated to add compatible parts/accessories that are necessary to assemble with different versions. At same time i would like to have a freeform option to eventually adapt the organic shapes to different hands and change the forms if necessary.

First and most difficult was to close the surfaces to become a solid, this is done.
.
Instead combat in acad or with freeform where it gives me more as 1 uniform surface out from an existing solid, i followed your suggestion and cleaned the surface that came bad with meshmixer.

I think be on the good way as you can see in the pics.
I first have clean it in meshmixer, then i used instant meshes to make cubic meshes.
Now i am encountering 2 problems, if i take what instant meshes gives me, the flat sides that i need like they are, after conversion come out as broken appearing with big quadrats and if i try make this one of the fotos to a solid it does not work.

What am i doing wrong? how can i keep flat surfaces not lose the shape?

[Fonzis]

Here a pic of the bad results....

Here like i want it to be 😞

[Fonzis]

i have it in A360

[Mike.Grau]

Hi @Fonzis,

Thank you for keeping me updated and I´m glad that the suggestions helped.

I think you did really good. I know from my experience that these steps included a lot of work.

The result you have achieved looks very good. We might be able to remesh your mesh *.stl file.

This could keep surface from losing shape.

Could you share a public link of your *.stl before you import it into Fusion? 

That would be great, I`d really like to help you and modify the mesh a bit.

Thanks, 

[Fonzis]

https://myhub.autodesk360.com/ue28c0c70/shares/public/SH7f1edQT22b515c761ed9c75447bbcaf3e3


If i did all right should be this link. Pass was sent you via Private message.

The version of this link is the one that i made right now. I imported the solid, and made it to stl in fusion. It came more sharp as the other version when i open it in meshmixer.
I did it from the solid that is in the same file but this stl look a lot sharper. At same time upscaled and i dunno why.
To adjust those broken continuitys that remained in the solid i just was tryng to convert it to a big freeform object... but no idea how do it correctly 😄

"We might be able to remesh your mesh *.stl file.

This could keep surface from losing shape."

I hope it works, thank you for your help and your patience

[Fonzis]

i have work on this one http://a360.co/28JyeoH

I repaired broken continuitys as good as i could. Let me know what you think of both versions and how you think ameliorate it. Ty

[Mike.Grau]

Hi @Fonzis,

thank you for your updated design you did really good. 

I´m curious to see the results. 

Thanks,

[Fonzis]

Hello Mike, thank to you for your reply.
I have just try some things but all my trys went bad.
It seams that as more high the mesh resolution is as more bad the quads come out. How can that be? I expected the reverse effect.
Another thing that i cant understand, why this limitation of 10000 quads? i have try all what i found from online informations to screw down the file to convert and remain in this limit, but he never accept the conversion to t-spline. Maybe also the minimal res is to high for fusion??
Has fusion other limits in Freeform beside the 10000 quads creating from complex mesh?
Can Inventor handle this situation better to become a freeform wich output is better and needs less adjustements as a freeform created here in fusion because more near to the original?
If necessary i can acceed to a workstation with inventor and rhino on it, so know this information would also be interesting for other projects.

Is it the limit of Fusion itself or is it just the resolution of mesh limit generally? I still do not understand if a higher quad ammount keep better the shape or not?
Where is the mistake and why it doesnt want to become the freeform object that we want?

For any info that help clarify my "con"fusion with quads i thank you in advance

[Fonzis]

I have downloaded and install Remake, the quad result can be defined directly to 10000, fusion opens it and the result compared to the output of Meshmixer looks 100 time better.
Nearly perfect i would say what belongs the shape but boundary borders of flat sides remain a problem, they dont wanna stay flat and become corrupted or broken.

[Mike.Grau]

Hi @Fonzis,

Thank you for keeping us updated. 

Here is the best result I could achieve so far with ReMake. 

These are 20,000 elements and you might want to work a bit on certain edges once you imported it into Fusion.

http://a360.co/28M9MAm

I hope this helps. I´ll send the password via private message.

Thanks,

[Fonzis]

thank you very much Mike
I gonna try it but i cant access to messages, i become an error message so i cant see the password

An Unexpected Error has occurred
Your request failed. Please contact your system administrator and provide the date and time you received the error and this Exception ID: 35B304F1

can you send me the pass again?
Thank you

[Fonzis]

if possible take same pass as i used so we do not need check private Mess. 😉

atm i still cant enter in mesage box, dunno why

[Mike.Grau]

Hi @Fonzis,

I have tried to open "private message" on my site but I could not send out a message either.

I´ll send out the password again as soon as it works.

Thanks,

[Fonzis]

OK thank you very much, if the problem persists and takes longer just change pass to same as mine and thats it. Thanks in advance.