Loft documentation leaves much to be desired

[C.FOTI]

Hello. I don't like griping in general, but the documentation on so many features is pretty sparse and beckons some gripe.  My issue today is with the Loft command.

I created two simple spline curves, then issued a loft command while they were coplanar.  Loft created just fine, however I then edited a few points on one of the profiles, moving it up in x,y and z axis.  All of a sudden the loft fell apart and I get the error about curves tracked in old profile aren't coplanar any more and the loft fails.

After reviewing the documentation for the loft command, I see no mention of 'coplanar' anywhere in the below doc links. https://help.autodesk.com/view/fusion360/ENU/?query=LOFT%20(Command)%20coplanar&knowledgeSource=Prod... 

Are the details of these commands documented anywhere else? I used the search term Loft and Coplanar; coplanar was included in the warning dialog so I expected to find some documentation on it.  None found!  I think if Fusion is going to give error dialogs, then somewhere in the documentation there should be some of those same keywords discussing the topic which is producing the error.  Seems pretty straightforward to me.

So what is the deal with Loft and non coplanar profiles?  Why does a profile that was once coplanar and is subsequently modified all of a sudden lose its 'profile' status and not selectable in any dialog that ask for a profile?  Are profiles only 2D?

I attached a simple exercise for the purpose of this question and fully understanding how the command/dialog will behave.

Interestingly, making a loft using the surface tools works...again, quite bewildering.  If you can loft a surface, then you can loft a solid body I would think.

Can someone please shed some light?

[g-andresen · Accepted solution]

Hi,

SOLID loft needs "closed" profiles  (blue shaded) !

In this (your) case you can close both sides with patch and then stitch the faces.

The result is a solid body.

günther

[jhackney1972 · Accepted solution]

Solid body Lofting requires at least two profiles.  One of your sketches is 3D so it will not develop a profile.  Surface modeling does not require a profile just a sketch so it works fine.  My suggestion is to go ahead and create the surface loft and then use the Thicken command to make it into a solid body.  Your model modified this way is attached.

[C.FOTI]

I understand the solid needs a closed profile, and when I first draw the profile it does show as blue, however when I move any of the spline points in 3D space, it stops selecting as a blue-filled profile and instead as two lines. I don't get why it does that...do all edges of a sketch object need to be on the same plane for Fusion to still consider it a 'profile'?  

I do however get that sometimes there's more than one way to reach the objective, so thanks for the tip.  Is there a collection of tidbits like that anywhere?  You know, stuff that's not immediately intuitive for new users until they learn the nuances. 

[jhackney1972]

Well I do not know of any "central" location of Fusion 360 tips and tricks but the web is full of them.  When I ever get in a pinch, I go to the web and just search using a direct statement of my issue being sure to have the phrase Fusion 360 in the statement.  The forums, as you can see, are a wealth of knowledge.  Find a topic that interest you, look for a "reputable" poster and read their solutions.  Blogs are also a good source of info.  A lot of the posters on the forum have their blogs listed at the bottom of their posts, in their call sign, like I do.  Here is one of my blog articles and videos on lofting if you are interested.  In the long run, we learn from experiences, enjoy the journey!