(Noob) Deforming a portion of a body and having it repeat 4x circularly?

[nrobidoux]

Hello everyone!

I'm brand new to Fusion 360. I watched some YouTube and came from Blender. I'm using it for 3D printed parts and am loving it so far. Really the first full day with 360.

I'm converting some of my parts to 360 from blender... "converting"... I'm redoing them with the same measurements.

I'm a bit lost for my current task. The part is basically done except for  this (the subject). Essentially it is a tube through a square base, with the inner hole of the tube going through the entire object, tube ID almost the tube OD; lastly, the tube OD about matching up with the side of the square.

I made a shape which is slightly fancier than my description and revolved it (around Z). I made a square-like shape in the X-Y plane and used an intersection to essentially create what I described above. In Blender I essentially put 4 tiny flaps in the tube, increasing the OD, by 2x the thickness of the wall. Then I made it look fancier but it's the same functionally.

In my mind currently, the goal is to not have flaps pop out but a single angled slit in the tube wall and deform the area (increase the OD) above the slit. I offset the ends of both slits that created the flap because... 3D printing... layer lines are weak points and pushing in on the flaps just enough will break them. The offset helped... eliminating the flaps and having a deformed area and single slit (repeated at each corner) would be perfect.

I just have no clue at the moment. The wall thickness despite deformities should remain the same.

From my reading bodies don't go to t-splines... should I just restart with a different flow (ideas?)? Or, the shape I used to cut slits in the wall, modify it to cut out a floating piece, take some measurements off that, delete it and create a loft, copy + paste and weld / combine? Is that a possibility? You can use multiple guide rails? (i.e. one front-back; another left; another right)

Thank you.

[davebYYPCU]

A picture saves 1000 words, a file saves 10000 words.

In fusion you would make one, and circular pattern the other 3.  The rest, you lost me.

Might help.... 

[laughingcreek]

i.e. - export your model as an .f3d and post it here so we can see what your on about.

[nrobidoux]

Attached is a model pretty much represents the problem. The edges of the single-slit flap should for the most part match up to the cylinder. The top edge yes. There should be a deformed "bubble" in it that effectively widens the OD. The slit allows that area to sink in when it's inserted into a hole of the tube's OD.

[davebYYPCU]

This file does not accord to the descriptions.

There are cuts in a cylinder wall, and only 3 (expecting 4)

No other Part, to match to?

[nrobidoux]

My part isn't very complicated but I do have future plans to sell it... I printed over 100 of my last iteration in the design. Just not yet the season for the product. Filed provisional patents, all that stuff. I consider this an iterative improvement. I hopefully am wrong but I don't think it would be economical to fight anyone who pilfers it so I'm not keen on providing the actual model.

But really the model attached is extremely representative of my problem... coupled with my noobness. Perhaps the easiest thing would be to cut off the top of the tube...  say 50mm to the bottom of the cut??? (a.k.a alter the revolved shape accordingly) Create a 50mm loft of 1/4 of the top face of the tube wall? (How to split?) Have as many rails as needed to bulge out an area then emboss the cut profile and tinker between moving the cut and fiddling with the guide rails to get it right, then copy 4x? ... I take it I'll need a construction plane for every guide rail spline as all but 2 would not fall on a XYZ plane?

Or... loft a surface covering 90 degrees of the wall, modify accordingly and thicken to the wall thickness? Either of these possible? Good ideas? (Based on the attached model would be 120 degrees instead of 90.)

[davebYYPCU]

My answer to the riddle.

Might help....