Thicken command only working in one direction

[Jogle6]

I am attempting to thicken this shape inwardly by .05". I've narrowed down the issue to the topmost portion of the loft, and the issue has something to do with the rails. When I create the loft without any rails, thicken command works. The thicken command also works in the outward direction but not inward.

I'd really like to know where it is failing, or how to better diagnose this issue.

I feel like there is probably some issue with the sketch, I can't figure why some lines dont become constrained and others do even though I've constructed them in the same manner.

Thanks for the help!

[TrippyLighting]

I would create this without rails!

[Jogle6]

That's clever! So you lofted the various surfaces and thickened up the end result instead of lofting a body and hollowing it out, then re-thickening it.

Is this generally the better method for creating complex shapes like this? I don't spend much time in the Surface section of Fusion.

[Jogle6]

Additionally - I was studying your loft's and you had "Keep Tangent Edges" selected during the loft command, this checkbox seems to make all the difference. I went back to my previous file and simply checked that box when lofting with those rails and thicken worked. Although admittedly I think your rail-less model flows more nicely.

Thanks for the help!

[TrippyLighting]

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@Jogle6 wrote:

... you had "Keep Tangent Edges" selected during the loft command, this checkbox seems to make all the difference. 

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Yep, that checkbox should be the default. I've tried for years to get the Fusion team to change that but to no avail.

[TrippyLighting · Accepted solution]

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@Jogle6 wrote:

Is this generally the better method for creating complex shapes like this? I don't spend much time in the Surface section of Fusion.

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I try to start with the simplest loft and see if I like the result. That is why I started at the top with a solid loft between two profiles. 

Here is an explanation :

[Jogle6]

Awesome! This is Super Helpful. I'm going to try this method on subsequent models.

Thanks again for the quick response and informative video.

Best,

Jason

[TrippyLighting]

While playing around with the model, I noticed that the circle on the outlet sketch does not adhere to a construction plane. I guess you moved it with the move tool within the sketch?

That is not a good workflow! 

[Jogle6]

You are correct. I adjusted its position with the move tool. This seemed much simpler than trying to figure out multiple offset planes, especially when I wasn’t entirely sure of where it needed to be. 

I guess once I moved it where I wanted I could make a new plane based on the current location, and recreate an outlet profile on this new plane and loft to it?