Hi,
There are a few things that the forum commonly recommends and for good reason. Some of
it is because it is best practice, some because of work arounds of known bugs or ideosyncrasies
of fusion, an sometimes it is the preferred method for certain groups doing certain design work.
One of the things about fusion is that it is parametric software and has the very powerful timeline
for a user to use. Yes, the timeline will affect performance in complex designs, but in many cases
it is the timeline that can save hours, days, weeks or months of redesign if you get to a position
in your design where you are stuck, and the only way to fix it is to go back in time. For this reason
it is NOT common to disable the timeline in Professional settings. Even for relatively simple designs
it is always better to keep the timeline on and learn how to use it properly. If your performance
is degrading significantly then there may be several underlying reasons and the timeline can give
you notice that these problems exist and need to be fixed. "The Red and Yellow flags in the timeline
should keep you awake at night" is a common mantra told to beginners because it says that your
design has problems and they need to be fixed. If you are not using the timeline and have turned it
off, how do you know there are none of these problems in your design? Ultimately if you have severe
performance issues in fusion then there is a reason. Sometimes those reasons are multiple complex
assemblies imported from several different sources, but often performance is affected by bad
workflow. There are many large and complex designs that work perfectly fine in fusion with good
workflow, so maybe your performance problem can be fixed with more grunt (processor, memory and
graphics) on your desk top.
DO NOT USE MOVE unless you THOROUGHLY understand it in fusion. The Move command exists and is
useful WHEN USED PROPERLY, but many users do not actually have a clue when they should use move.
If you have multiple Components and or Assemblies/sub-assemblies then you should ALWAYS use a Joint,
or in SOME circumstances use Group. One of the biggest issues beginners run into is that they move
bodies and components into place with the Move command and then think that they are joined together.
They are NOT joined together without Join or Group. There are specific times a designer should use the
Group command and knowing when only comes with experience. In almost all other circumstances you
should be using Joint. One of the major issues with using the Move command is that it causes fusion to
do a full recalculation of the design for EVERY Move. If you have one or two this is trivial, but if you have
several in a row it hammers performance. If you have several moves in a complex design then performance
will slow to almost zero. If you need two things joined then Join them. If you just want to move things
around because you cannot see what you are doing (one of the most common reasons beginners use move)
then use the Visibility icons in the Browser tree. Without actual Joints, all you have is a bunch of things
floating in space in your design and one of the most useful things in fusion and modelling is checking that
the design will actually work. If that should be a Rigid joint - make the joint. If it should be a Sliding Joint
then make the joint and Test it. A design that is correctly modelled, no matter how complex, should work
if you have designed it properly and have the correct joints in place. Joints will be Expected in industry level
design unless there are known circumstances that you know about in advance.
All components need an Origin if you actually want to fabricate the design. Where those Origins are do not
matter but a design needs to be in relation to some known point to be useful. There are two methods of
design that are in common use. There are no hard and fast rules which one to use, often it is a matter of
personal preference and sometimes it is an industry standard. Some designers stick to one method and some
will only use a certain method under specific circumstances. Other designers will mix and match. Whatever
method you use there is only really one rule - be logical and consistant so that others can follow your design
at a later date.
In general terms, most designers start at the easiest component in their design and place it with reference
to THE Origin. This is not always the case, sometimes there are reasons to set an Origin of the part at a
different place, however this different place will ALWAYS be in relation to THE Origin and set up first. From this
starting point the designer makes a choice as to which method to use. The designer can use the Origin for ALL
of the components in the design and join them together in the correct place with Joints. Or the designer can
create new origins based on one or more components and design the new component In Place. The designer
can also mix and match these two methods. The only way to know which method to use will come with
experience. There are certain times when using one method will make things much more difficult than using
the other. There are times you can mix and match and times you should NEVER do so. The only way to know
will be with experience. My advice would be that when you start, use the method that is most familiar to
you, but also teach yourself the other method for when you need it. Find out if your industry has a preferred
method or ask people in your design team if there is a preferred method or an actual Design Standard. As a
designer it is good to be flexible and adaptable. Sometimes there are no specific rules and sometimes the rules
are written in stone, and in some cases blood (depending on the industry).
Hope this helps answer your questions.
Cheers
Andrew
