Questions about sketching

[Anonymous]

  I am a high school student. I've been using AutoCAD and I'm pretty proficient with it. Some features in Fusion 360 caught my eye and I decided to take a try, but I am having some problems with 2D sketching.

1. I can't move a line or copy a line(s) that is connected to another line without messing up the other line. It's like Fusion automatically turns any closed line into a shape. Is there a way to tell Fusion not to do so until I am done sketching? 

2. Is there a way to turn on and off object snaps? (midpoint, endpoint etc) 

Or are there any shortcuts to have to sketch in Fusion to be like it in Autocad?

thank you

[jeff_strater]

Hi @Anonymous,

Glad to hear that you are interested in Fusion enough to give it a try.  My first recommendation is to not think of Fusion sketching as any way similar to AutoCAD.  Fusion is a constrained sketcher that is designed to drive a parametric solid modeling workflow.  So, yes, when you connect a line to another line, that relationship is captured in the sketch.  Similarly, you can capture relationships between geometries (parallel, perpendicular, midpoint, etc), and you can dimension the lengths, angles, and distances between things.  When you modify a sketch, you usually do so by adjusting the values of dimensions.  But, you need to be aware that the whole thing is solved as a single system, so yes, other geometry can move, if it is not locked down.

There are some good training materials on Youtube.  I know that Lars Christenson's youtube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/user/cadcamstuff contains good material.  There are some good starter videos, such as:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5bc9c3S12g.  And here is one on sketching constraints:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqd_wlz9gpQ

It's a different mindset than you may be used to, but it doesn't take too long to get the hang of it.

Jeff

[chrisplyler]

If the ends of two lines come together, then Fusion decides those two points are coincident. If you select one of the lines, then hover over the endpoint and you will see the Coincident restraint symbol. If you click on that symbol, it will turn blue, meaning the constraint itself is selected. Now hit your Delete key. Now reselect the line you want to move, grab its endpoint and move it away.