Simplified export?

[MatsNorway1]

So i work with Inventor and recieve the models that silly fusion 360 creates whenever we export from it. However we also use the PCB design add on (previously Eagle) which does work well.

But, is there a simplified export option? I do not need the PCB traces, or a ipt for every single part. I just need the board with the physcial dimentions. Ideally i need one lump called "The PCB"

[matt.berggren · Accepted solution]

Hi,

Yes there are simplified models for the board...  A few approaches you might consider -

• Firstly when the 3D PCB is generated from Fusion (just a fusion F3D file) the EE or PCB Designer can elect to create the 3D PCB using only decals (image files for copper) by unchecking many of the options in the 2D/3D PCB Generation in Fusion...
• The configuration options will pop up on the right and the options that will create a heavy file are anything Copper or Polygon related (think of Polygon as a filled area of copper on the board) and the Stop Layer Geometry (that is another sizable polygon extrusion that shows the areas where solder mask covers / exposes pads on the PCB by outlining the objects and then extruding -Z to the surface of the board to cover all of the objects except the areas where copper will be exposed for soldering).  

(The surface solids are not as heavy as you might think because they are bundled below individual nodes in the tree - if they are turned off then you may see a performance gain but Text can be expensive and thus we use an image file for the text.  If there is text on a Copper layer we allow this to be generated.)

You can also tweak these option from the 3D PCB using the Config menu ->

My recommendation would be to try the Presets at the top of the Command dialog starting first with Fastest.  This drops about 90% of the surface solid geometry.  If all you wanted was the outline, then you could generate a Fusion file that uses a Derived sketch (associative) or a non-associative sketch into / from board file in the 3D workspace.  

The flow deriving the sketch into the 3D PCB (inheriting from a some other Geometry) would be ->

1. Create a 3D doc in Fusion, use Create PCB and pick one of the options below (in this scenario there is only a relationship to a Fusion 3D doc of one sort so inventor and the PCB tools are working with this intermediate asset)

The other alternative (and there are more options but I want to give you some food for thought and let you ask questions) is to create a Fusion asset that is Driven from the PCB and use that as a "shell" of the board outline.  

Again, it would be a Fusion 3D file but in this case, use Insert>Derive and Select the sketch from the 3D PCB doc and insert that.  Kind of a crude approach because it is only an outline but it might get the job done and will reduce overhead in Inventor at the expense of having to use Get Latest in a few places to keep things up to date.  That, again, would be associative geometry and function as an intermediate file which is handy to protect the source but comes with the price of not seeing the components, etc.

Hope this helps!

Matt - Autodesk