Geometry Features

[al.whatmough]

I'll keep this short as I am traveling back from the UK today.

That said, as many of you know, we have an insider program that allows users to register to get access to early builds of Fusion 360.   Sign up here  https://feedback.autodesk.com/key/Fusion360Insider 

Some of those insiders reached out asking if they could start making videos early for geometry features.   Geometry features is an exciting update to how we make sections in Manufacturing to allow for selection methods to be accessible in all operations, provide lists of selections with greater control and to allow selections to be accessible between operations.

While all the same muscle memories will be the same, it is a new experience in an area of the product that 100% of CAM users use.    So, to those insiders, let this thread be a starting point to share your Geometry features knowledge while being able publically to point to me being the one that first shared this. 

[DarthBane55]

Suggestion for future implementation:

It would be cool to enable, as an option, a specific lead-in/out on 1 geometry group from the list.  So have the generic lead-in/out, but if a 1 element needs a different lead-in/out, have an option to specify it for this element only.  

I think it would push this in the same direction, with the goal to combine multiple operations into a single one.

[officeH2UH8]

I'm using fusion more than 5 years. I like many changes in this program since you do but new tool library and this contour settings are terrbile for me. I have many issues with this new feature and my "old" programs, some contours where bad calculated and can do seriously damage when i put this to machine. 

If you wanna do changes like this please give an "old" users capability to use it like an option itself. Everyone should have a choice between old and new version. Now I feel forced to use new version and it should make me smile but it isn't, i really hate it. Maybe its time for looking for new, more stable CAM.

[peterv9PQZ4]

With this update it is now seriously time consuming to remove a 2D contour. I have more than 100 nested parts each with a simple 2D contour around them to cut them out. Now I no longer wish to cut one of them out in a particular 2D Contour process. In the past I would easily select the contour that's highlighted in blue around the part, and then select the bin icon. Now the bin icon is gone...I must now try and find which one of the 100+ "chains" in the geometry window is the one I want to remove (by painfully selecting each "chain" and seeing if it highlights the chain in the worskpace I am after) , so that i can select the remove 'x' in the dialog window. PLEASE put the bin icon back when selecting a contour from within the workspace.

[mattdlr89]

@peterv9PQZ4 

You can de-select them by holding Control + clicking the contour (On windows anyway I guess Mac might be Command and click??).

I didn't know this until an Autodesk employee told me. I think Autodesk really need a bit more documentation with this new feature...

[peterv9PQZ4]

Ah great thank you so much!

Feel a little silly for not knowing that after having used Fusion for so long. I guess there's no need for that bin icon then after all. 

[sean]

Whoa, that is a HUGE problem.  Almost every part we do here requires editing tangential extensions to get the toolpaths dialed in properly.  This will be a major disruption for us if we have to go back and re-think the extensions for every single 2d contour of every single part we make.  It is insane to me that the extension data would not be retained.  Do the developers at Fusion not realize that the software is used by more than just hobbyists?  This will translate to many hours of lost time for us in the coming weeks.  

[sean]

Whoa this is going to be a HUGE problem for us.  Almost every part we make requires editing the tangential extensions of multiple 2d contour toolpaths to get the program to do what we need.  This will mean we have to go back and re-think every single contour toolpath of every single part we made in the past.  I cannot believe that data would not be retained.  This is going to result in many hours of lost time for us.  Do the developers at Fusion have any idea that their software is used by more than just hobbyists?  It is so frustrating when they just push changes like this that drastically alter the cam workflow.  

[jbisme]

What You Need To Know About Geometry Selections in Fusion 360  

[Koch612]

The new function is great. I would wish that I could save and rename the contours/pockets in a own dropdown menu. Best would be to sort them by the tool orientation. So that I have only acces to the contours that I previously saved and namend in that exact tool orientation. Top notch would be to also save and name the tool orientations. Those are the only things that I really miss in Fusion, and the option to use Fusion without the cloud...

[jbisme]

Why a drop down menu? Why not always right in front of you?

[Koch612]

Most of my jobs have at least 50 Operations and more than ten Tool Orientations. Just think about the mess that would be produced by lets say 50 contours or more all over your Screen all the time. The Idea I brought would also be nice for drill positions to save them and rename then linked to the tool orientation. 

If you can't imagine what I mean, just look at an other CAM manufacturer with the patented "Adaptive Clearing" that calculates feeds and speeds on its own. They have done a real nice job with Tool Orientation and Contour savings. 

And another thing to consider: its annoying that I always have to push a Button to get access to my templates. Just make a small Window that can be activated to stay on all the time where I click on the template an drag it on the surface where it should be calculated.

I mean, Fusion starts to get really powerfull, but please improve the bread and butter things first that make programming much faster instead of releasing toolpath jobs that I need once a week. And please consider to make an offline version. Some people propably, like me, would pay more for it if I could get rid of that cloud thing.

[jbisme]

"Just make a small Window that can be activated to stay on all the time"

I've previously suggested exactly this by adding at least one dockable tree to Fusion 360 in a panel.

hyperMILL, Esprit, etc. use multiple trees as can be seen in my screen grab below. The multiple trees are in panels that can be docked anywhere or added to other tree's resulting in tabs. They also can be closed and not used.

There is already way too much in the single Fusion 360 tree. For example, no way should Named Views be in a tree. Named Views should be a separate button with the other buttons on the bottom.

The bottom line is that Fusion 360 Geometry Features need to be accessed from the graphics area and not hidden in a dropdown menu in a tabbed dialog box. 

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[Koch612]

Yeah exactly what I mean! I like Fusion but that is a thing with the problem if that cloud thing to consider switching to some thing else. I know many people who think the same

[rochester_rabbit]

I can see where the new geometry selection could be great, but it is making say very bad words. I have a laser nest that I need to machine away tabs from 4 rectangle parts in a very specific order. I checked preserve order then held alt and selected the contour edges in the order I need them machined. Things were going  and fusion decided that I probably wanted a closed chain instead of following my choices.  So what, I have to create an open chain 16 times with all the extra tabs etc.  Definitely need some way to work with contours in batch/bulk too.

[Cbyrdtopper]

It broke Trace.  I'm currently trying to figure out how to change the direction of my trace toolpaths.

I cannot make it start from the other end of my trace line.  It is plunging into unmachined stock.

[DarthBane55]

Hi, @seth.madore posted a quick fix yesterday about this: Switch your comp from center to left or right, the little arrow will appear, change it to the direction you need, then switch it back to center.  That should work, and is temporary until they release the next update which is supposed to fix this issue.

[Cbyrdtopper]

Thanks for the reply.  
There is in the geometry selection under the selected contour a "reverse" option.  That did the trick as well.

Personally I really REALLY don't like the new UI.  I've read a lot of people like it, I think it is cumbersome, un-intuitive, slow, and not very flexible.  The fact that it brings up dialogue boxes that I'm supposed to be able to add stuff to but on some toolpaths everything is grayed out???  I don't understand that.  Also, I can select multiple contours with these extra dialogue boxes popped up but won't let me select "OK" but I can hit enter to accept my changes.

I've had to modify a couple of my designs to be able to have the correct adaptive toolpath selection with open ended pockets.  

[cncXEPJ3]

Ever since this update came out it does not recognize tangential extensions on wrapped contours where as it used to. I have some very complicated parts to program that require this option. please advise on a fix or a work around. 

Thanks 

[seth.madore]

@cncXEPJ3 for now, all we have for a workaround is the Pass Extension that's on the Passes tab