There should be an Auto 2D Drawing dimensioning function in Fusion 360.

[CLmoss]

There should be a Auto 2D Drawing dimensioning function in Fusion 360.  I mean, if we designed it already in Fusion, then the dimensions are all there in the files, even in the STEP files.   We have to design the project twice to get a set of dimensioned Drawings. A true automated system would do this for you.

If it exists then I have not found it.  Point me to it.

[daniel_lyall]

it was about 3 days, it's getting released to everyone around July 24th give or take a week or two. I tagged promm so he will see this and know that you need it, he has to manually add a person in.

[CLmoss]

Great! Thanks!  

[CLmoss]

It's been a few days now.  I don't think the Gods are smiling on me.  Do I need to have my Fusion Preferences set to a certain way?  I never received an email from promm. 

[CLmoss]

Hey Danial, I am in!  I just got an email from promm and he let me know that I was included in the Sheet Metal Preview. Great!  I haven't opened it yet. 

I have a question.  When you create  flat metal file of a component, can you fold it up and check that it still fits in the 3D Model?  How is that done?  

j

[daniel_lyall]

That's good news

It quite simple for a panel like what you posted, you sketch the bottom to size stop sketch, then you click on flange select the sketch just click on it, it will make that part.

Then when you do the sides you just click flange then pick the edges that are going to be the same height, then repeat and set the rest.

Then after that you can unfold it's in the Modify menu, you just select the bottom as the stationary entity then pick what side you wont flat by picking them or tick unfold all bends, then to refold it you just click on refold faces.

Now you have the sheet metal panel made you can insert into current designs from the tree straight into it and position the bits that you wont to go into the panel then project the outlines or bolt holes straight onto the panel bottom and sides and extrude cut or extrude join or make a new body, you can do this folded or unfolded.

You can work on it in all but the cam work spaces for now, to use it in cam you will have to pull a .dxf of it, what is simple as mud to do.

You can do custom bends as well.

It's to easy to use, but you do need to know the rules K factor and all that, what I don't yet.

[CLmoss]

Daniel, 

are there any videos on how to get started with Sheet Metal?   I opened up the file I sent you.  The selected Sheet Metal and nothing changed...  I am not sure how this environment works.  I thought I was going to open a new Sheet Metal component.  If we just look at your first 3 steps.

1) you sketch the bottom to size stop sketch,

( do you sketch the bottom including the flange area or up to the flange area?)

2) then you click on flange  

(I found Flange menu option, but do I create a bottom area including the flange area to start with? Then specify where the flange begins or grow a flange from the bottom sketch?)

3) select the sketch just click on it, it will make that part.

If there was a video that would answer these questions.  You must have learned this from a video.

[daniel_lyall]

Nup I just tried what I saw and read in the sheet metal blog post.

This one https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/blog/fusion-360-sheet-metal-status-update/

I will do a screencast it quite easy.

[CLmoss]

I think I made a bend, following your instructions.  The original is blue.  However, you said to sketch the bottom of the part.  Maybe I need to extrude the sketch a little bit, like 0.090", then turn off the original because what I just did made the flange to the wrong direction.  Otherwise, it was pretty easy.   Looking at this screen capture it looks like there was some thickness given to it.  I didn't do it.   I defined the flange in the flange dialog box.  That is about it.    Yeah, if you can produce a screencast I am sure you will be helping many.  By the way, thanks for your help. 

I made the flange 0.65" instead of 0.50".  I found that the PEM nut holes are too near the deck area.  So I will need to move those away from the deck which is up higher on the flange.  When I put STEP file PEM nuts in, they were right up against the flat deck section.  Not good. 

[daniel_lyall]

The screencast is uploading at the moment.

One thing you need to do before you send the file to a shop is find out what the K factor is for a material you wont them to use, they should be able to give you this if they don't fire them. 

You can change the settings on the fly quite easily the only thing you can't do yet is take the flat to the cam environment you will have to pull a dxf of it with the drawing to go with it. 

[daniel_lyall]

Here you go,

If you wont the flange to go up pick the top edge

If you wont it to go down pick the bottom edge

Straight out is picking the faces,

If you wont it on a angle you set that when you do the flange

You can go back at anytime and change a flanges height and angle  

The vid is a bit flakey fusion does not play well with screencast on my laptop 

[CLmoss]

I thought the DFX output on Fusion didn't work?   Can you out put a STEP file of it?

Jim 

[daniel_lyall]

Yer doing a dxf liked I showed has always worked most of the time lately it has gotten a lot better, I did it slightly wrong I did not project the bend lines easy fix.

Yep .step worked I opened it in inventor and converted it to a inventor sheet metal and it worked as it should. If one of the shops you use can covert from different programs I think fusion will be fine for you for this sort of things.

With the sheet metal in fusion I think they are doing what the customers wont, not what they think we need, well so far so good.

I have not had a fail yet when someone wont an example of something, I did a chair all done in sheet metal it was 2 parts and it worked well.

[CLmoss]

OK, I will give it a try.  Thanks again!

Jim

[CLmoss]

Wait, did I miss something here.  Where did you set the k factor?  Corner relief? Which is the bend distance, right?  I didn't see it go by.  

For example. Can we select this? 

 

[CLmoss]

OK, I see.  This is fromthe notes sent to me by Mike 

4         Corner Reliefs - These are automatically added to maintain a bend shape when flanges are formed.

Then I saw your question on Preview Functionality.  I get it. Thanks. 

Jim

[daniel_lyall]

I did not know what rules you are useing so I did not show it, I was just going to suggest to you to ask Mike.

I found the attached cheat sheet, it has all the formulas in it to work out the the k factor and some other useful info. 

[CLmoss]

Yes, thanks for the cheat sheet, but where in Sheet Metal do we have the ability to adjust these settings?  I don't think it exists for us yet.  Maybe I am wrong.  Can you adjust the k and corner relief?  Maybe we just do this by hand with a hole punch or something.  

[daniel_lyall]

We can change all that now it was added last week, I will do a screencast.

[daniel_lyall]

Here's the vid I could not find a decent inch cheat sheet so it's in mm, but it's pretty much the same