Struggling with workflow on a chassis design

[Anonymous]

I'm attempting to design a tube chassis for a race car and I don't think I'm using proper workflow. I've gone through the beginner courses, watched YouTube videos, and read every thread I can find here on workflow related to automotive designs. The design is complex and involves over 300 tubes of different diameter and thickness. I'd like to be able to edit each tube individually and have the sketches change with the tubes if/when I need to edit them. I'm not really sure where to start; Should I create a complete wire frame of the chassis first and then use the "pipe" feature to create each tube as a new component? Should I start with an empty component and then create a sketch within it for each tube and then use the "pipe" feature to create each tube as a body? Does every sketch need to be constrained before I attempt to create a body/component from it? I'm beginning to think I may be overthinking it a bit but I'd really like to do it the right way.

I appreciate any suggestions, screencasts, and links to anything similar if anyone can provide them.

Thank you all for any help.

[davebYYPCU]

Yes file has come through ok.

You are on the right track, some concern is the white dots, that are in mirrored sketches, which means the corners are not connecting, or more likely the mirror line is not in the middle of the sketch.  Not all is mirrored?

Work towards all black lines in the sketch, more dimensions.

I am first to say that I don't use the Drawing or BOM systems in Fusion, and if you are intending to get a BOM, mirrors or patterns or copies makes a difference.

So the confusion comes from the Top Component, a 3d sketch that can be done with 2d.  The missing line is in another component, and these two yellow lines are on the same plane, so this is what we mean by 2d sketches work.

Having looked through, my updated opinion is still to do a wireframe from many 2d sketches, when making the pipes, convert them to components at that time.  Will send an update but this will get you thinking.

Might help...

[Anonymous]

Ah I see, I bet you're right about my mirror line. Ill go back and correct that and then re-mirror those lines. 

Could you recommend a different software for sketching and BOM? Those will be very important to me and if it could make the job easier it would be a very big help. PM me if necessary. 

I think I understand what you mean with the "top" component. If I were to create a plane through the line that is not highlighted in yellow in your picture I could create a 2D sketch for the lines that connect to it. 

Thank you so much again for your help

[Anonymous]

The yellow line at the front I thought was necessary to do in 3D because I needed to connect the top line with the "rocker side" lines at a point. I was unsure of the angle and figured I would be able to mirror the line later so wasn't concerned with the one 3D line. 

 Just to clarify

[davebYYPCU]

Main hoop frame has small fillet corners, and some more mirror white dots.

There are missing dimensions,  

What size frame pipe is being used, and why the fillets in this sketch.

As you bring the sketches up to date, most of the new work will be 3 point planes, using what you have to build what you need.

Happy to answer questions.

[Anonymous]

Different size pipe for different areas. Some will be 1 5/8" .083, some 1 1/2" .065, 1 1/4" .058, 1" 0.49, etc. The main structural tubes will be 1 5/8". 

The fillets are for bends and they aren't accurate size yet, just there to remind me where I will need bends for now. Those tubes will be one single piece. They don't have dimensions yet because I'm unsure of the dimensions I will need to make the bends I want and I haven't figured out how to properly constrain a radius yet. Full disclosure. 

[Anonymous]

You mention some of the lines not being mirrored; this is because some tubes are only on the driver's side and not on passenger's side. The bar on the floor you have highlighted is a seat support. There will be no seat support or seat frame on the passenger's side. The vehicle will have only one seat. 

[davebYYPCU]

All good, sent a PM.

[chrisplyler]

You don't need to mirror sketch lines across to the other side of the car.

Like, say you've got a plane made for the left side of the cabin. Lines in that sketch can only be mirrored on that plane anyway. They can't be mirrored over to the other side of the car. That's why you can't figure out how to do it...because it doesn't work like that.

Just make the bottom, the top, and ONE side. Model up the pipes. Then mirror the COMPONENTS (pipes) of the side you've done.

[chrisplyler]

---

@davebYYPCU wrote:

Having looked through, my updated opinion is still to do a wireframe from many 2d sketches, when making the pipes, convert them to components at that time.  Will send an update but this will get you thinking.

---

Don't "convert" them into components. Create components and build them within those components to begin with.

[Anonymous]

The problem I have with not being able to create both sides is that I need tubes that connect from one side of the sketch to the other. Should I just make a line through the center to connect them to? That way I can mirror the line later to make it go the whole way across? 

Also, I'm not sure how that would affect the final model, because the tubes that connect one side to the other should be one, solid tube. 

I hope that makes sense. I've attached the new file I'm working on now and I'll make another post with old screenshots from my first design to help explain. 

Thank you for your input, I have been attempting to apply it to this model. 

[Anonymous]

These are two of the bars that will need to connect the two sides together

I may be able to accomplish this using planes, like has been suggested. I'll attempt to do that for now. 

[chrisplyler]

Make the sketch lines for those cross bars all the way across. Make sure they are symmetrical across the center line of the car. So the crossbars can be one piece. And when you mirror the side bars, they will be in the right spot at the other end of those cross bars.

Now, if you've got some bars that are NOT mirrored - bars that are unique to one side or the other - make those separately after you've mirrored all the rest.

[chrisplyler]

OR...

If you're happy making those cross bars in halves like you have, just Combine/Join them later, and they will become one.

[Anonymous]

I do have some that will only be on one side. I only mirrored the bars I needed on both sides. Was that a mistake? Should I have only made the sketch lines for the bars I wanted to mirror first, then mirror those, then go back and draw in the lines that are only on one side? I've gotten what I wanted by only mirroring the lines I needed, but is that not best practice? 

Thank you for the symmetry suggestion, I hadn't thought of that. 

[kb9ydn]

---

@chrisplyler wrote:

---

Second, it's not more complex at all. It's just a different line item in the Browser.

---

Every component that you create is it's own item in the tree, and in the timeline; so more components means more items.  You can break things up into groups of sub-components to help with organization, but that's still something that has to be managed.  My point was just that it is SOME amount of extra work, which may or may not be worth it.

---

@chrisplyler wrote:

---

---

---

Third, what if you want to create a cut list of individual pipes? What if you DO want to Joint some pipes together (suspension components, for example)? What if want to save out certain pipes, or certain grouping (Assembly) of pipes, for use in a separate project or to explore derived variations? Etc.

---

Mmmhh... I keep forgetting that Fusion is less than stellar for doing BOMs and drawings, as I don't use those.  So yes, for any of the things you mention you would need components.

C|

[chrisplyler]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

I do have some that will only be on one side. I only mirrored the bars I needed on both sides. Was that a mistake? Should I have only made the sketch lines for the bars I wanted to mirror first, then mirror those, then go back and draw in the lines that are only on one side?

---

That sounds fine. You MIGHT want to organize it by mirrored versus non-mirrored, but that is up to you and ought to work fine either way.

One correction though: Like I said before, you shouldn't be trying mirror sketch LINES in this case. You should be mirroring the pipe Components.