Make multiple parts referring back to a single sketch?

[Anonymous]

I am missing some core concepts and vocabulary. I have a number of parts that are similar in many ways, enough that I have one underlying sketch that I've been copying and pasting into new designs and extruding, lofting etc. different areas, or altering the new sketch and extruding it then. I would like to keep the new sketches tied to the original such that any changes to the original also change the copies. 

I've made the sketch with a number of parameters that I can change, but not everything seems like it would be a parameter. 

I'm clearly missing some basic metaphor or concept in addition to the actual commands. This is my first attempt using at any actual CAD program. I've gotten quite far in other ways, managed to design parts and get through to generating g code, but I'm working in a very inefficient manner. I've watched a lot of tutorial videos and screencasts, search the forum, knowledge base and web, all without luck. 

I greatly appreciate any pointers, including just helping me know the right terminology so I can find the information myself.

Thank you!

[Anonymous]

I am missing some core concepts and vocabulary. I have a number of parts that are similar in many ways, enough that I have one underlying sketch that I've been copying and pasting into new designs and extruding, lofting etc. different areas, or altering the new sketch and extruding it then. I would like to keep the new sketches tied to the original such that any changes to the original also change the copies. 

I've made the sketch with a number of parameters that I can change, but not everything seems like it would be a parameter. 

I'm clearly missing some basic metaphor or concept in addition to the actual commands. This is my first attempt using at any actual CAD program. I've gotten quite far in other ways, managed to design parts and get through to generating g code, but I'm working in a very inefficient manner. I've watched a lot of tutorial videos and screencasts, search the forum, knowledge base and web, all without luck. 

I greatly appreciate any pointers, including just helping me know the right terminology so I can find the information myself.

Thank you!

[HughesTooling]

I was going to suggest inserting the drawing and keeping it as a linked component then create new sketches and project lines and points from the linked base sketch. I just tried it and it sort of works but when you open the linked file edit and save then use Get All Latest the sketch can come apart in the parent file. There are quite a lot of occations where arc end points don't stay joined to lines when they should.

Here's an example where I'v projected 2 lines from the linked sketch Layer02. After editing the linked file the arcs came apart then after fixing, the sketch will not shade even though it closed.

Mark

[HughesTooling]

I was going to suggest inserting the drawing and keeping it as a linked component then create new sketches and project lines and points from the linked base sketch. I just tried it and it sort of works but when you open the linked file edit and save then use Get All Latest the sketch can come apart in the parent file. There are quite a lot of occations where arc end points don't stay joined to lines when they should.

Here's an example where I'v projected 2 lines from the linked sketch Layer02. After editing the linked file the arcs came apart then after fixing, the sketch will not shade even though it closed.

Mark

[jeff_strater]

Mark's approach should work, I'll investigate why that might be a problem.  If you have a model or video to share, @HughesTooling, I'll look at that, otherwise, I'll play on my own

But, stepping back, I have a more basic question:  Do you need to have your different parts in different design files?  One of the nice things about Fusion, as compared to some other CAD tools, in my view, is that you can put multiple components into the same design.  The only real reason for putting components into different designs is if you want to share them across multiple top-level designs.  If  you have a nice, self-contained design, I would definitely recommend keeping everything in one.

Here is a very simple example design showing how to keep one sketch in the root of the design, and having that sketch drive multiple parts/components:

Let me know if that is not clear, or ask any follow-on questions that might come up.

Jeff Strater (Fusion development)

[jeff_strater]

Mark's approach should work, I'll investigate why that might be a problem.  If you have a model or video to share, @HughesTooling, I'll look at that, otherwise, I'll play on my own

But, stepping back, I have a more basic question:  Do you need to have your different parts in different design files?  One of the nice things about Fusion, as compared to some other CAD tools, in my view, is that you can put multiple components into the same design.  The only real reason for putting components into different designs is if you want to share them across multiple top-level designs.  If  you have a nice, self-contained design, I would definitely recommend keeping everything in one.

Here is a very simple example design showing how to keep one sketch in the root of the design, and having that sketch drive multiple parts/components:

Let me know if that is not clear, or ask any follow-on questions that might come up.

Jeff Strater (Fusion development)

[Anonymous]

Thank you both!

So, between the two I think I figured it out. Jeff, you are correct, I didn't know what I was talking about 🙂 No need for multiple files. I had not understood about making additional sketches within one design. Changes in the original sketch do alter the later sketches that use projected elements. That's what I was focussed on, when really I was missing a much more basic concept.

There may be other/better ways to do this, but what worked is to create an initial sketch, extrude the parts as needed, make another sketch, project elements from the first sketch onto it and extrude (etc.) using those, and repeat. To create a new "part" as I'm thinking of them, I set the extrude dialog box "operation" value from the default "new body" to "new component". Other times I added to existing components by setting it to "join". 

I have not made full sense of the project function but I'll do my homework, now that I know what to look for. 

Here is a screencast just in case it helps someone more confused than I am, or if you want to tell me if I'm doing it all wrong.

http://autode.sk/1Uhiir5

Thanks again!

[Anonymous]

Thank you both!

So, between the two I think I figured it out. Jeff, you are correct, I didn't know what I was talking about 🙂 No need for multiple files. I had not understood about making additional sketches within one design. Changes in the original sketch do alter the later sketches that use projected elements. That's what I was focussed on, when really I was missing a much more basic concept.

There may be other/better ways to do this, but what worked is to create an initial sketch, extrude the parts as needed, make another sketch, project elements from the first sketch onto it and extrude (etc.) using those, and repeat. To create a new "part" as I'm thinking of them, I set the extrude dialog box "operation" value from the default "new body" to "new component". Other times I added to existing components by setting it to "join". 

I have not made full sense of the project function but I'll do my homework, now that I know what to look for. 

Here is a screencast just in case it helps someone more confused than I am, or if you want to tell me if I'm doing it all wrong.

http://autode.sk/1Uhiir5

Thanks again!

[HughesTooling · Accepted solution]

One bit of advice after watching you screencast, start by making a component and activating it, when you want more components create a new component and activate and start the sketch in that component and project all the curves and point to make the component self contained, it will make working on multi component designs a lot easier. When you activate a component you only see the timeline for that component, makes it easier to see what's going on.

Here's a link to tip on components.

Mark

[HughesTooling · Accepted solution]

One bit of advice after watching you screencast, start by making a component and activating it, when you want more components create a new component and activate and start the sketch in that component and project all the curves and point to make the component self contained, it will make working on multi component designs a lot easier. When you activate a component you only see the timeline for that component, makes it easier to see what's going on.

Here's a link to tip on components.

Mark

[Anonymous]

Thank you Mark. I'll play with it on my actual design when I'm at the computer but already it clarifies a lot. I'm beginning to make broader sense of the program as this kind of thing fills in the large basic gaps just add much as it addresses the specific issue at hand.

I'd heard activate component mentioned in videos but it was just another term that didn't make sense, but wasn't so obviously unclear that I stopped and hunted it down. It's hard to know what is important to delve into when everything seems to almost make sense yet little quite does.

Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Thank you Mark. I'll play with it on my actual design when I'm at the computer but already it clarifies a lot. I'm beginning to make broader sense of the program as this kind of thing fills in the large basic gaps just add much as it addresses the specific issue at hand.

I'd heard activate component mentioned in videos but it was just another term that didn't make sense, but wasn't so obviously unclear that I stopped and hunted it down. It's hard to know what is important to delve into when everything seems to almost make sense yet little quite does.

Thank you!