Crash course in product design with F360

[dragade3789]

Hello!

Totally new to Fusion 360. I understand how to sketch a profile and start to make extruded bodies.  I'm wondering if someone could lay out the basics for how to make a full product.

Say I'm trying to model a floating shelf with a cleat (from various lengths of aluminium strut that lock specifically with the custom cleat).  It sounds like I need to think about components for each of the segments lengths, what I'm wondering is the best way to do this:

1) How can I sketch out segment lengths? (most of the components lay on one plane and could be drawn just in 2D)

2) How do I easily adjust an extruded component? Say I thought the length should be 200mm but it really needs to be 190mm. --- What is also compounding this is that I have a couple of through holes for each strut, so that in a way is doubling my pieces when I create a new strut. Can I just copy and past a given strut, then adjust the length? (the copied strut needs a new extrusion length and orientation yet the through holes will not change)

Overall I'm much more family with Adobe products and the ease of using them vs the Steeeeeeep UX hurdle that Fusion360 has.  I get there are worse CAD products but the ease of making complex parts and visualising them as a whole is not here. (I didnt need much instruction when I first learned Photoshop and Illustrator to feel comfortable messing around with pro design software. Once you started to understand the basics to 2D Adobe products, then you just have to learn the tricks that make them tick. Watching some Fusion tutorials, I feel like this software was designed in the 80s or that OpenCAD would be easier because they give you the expectation to write code to use the software --- I'm not sarcastic saying that. You start thinking about how to code to design which is a horrible design philosophy but it at least how websites were made for 2 decades) 

[davebYYPCU]

What do you want when the Fusion Design model is finished?

Parts list? Workshop drawings? CAM processes?

Renders?, motion study?

The answers dictate how to make the design.

Study Rule No. 1, if using Components.

Make one component of each individual, then copy / pattern, the duplicates, and Assemble them in place, is the more normal workflow, but all rules are meant to be broken.

1. You answer that yourself.

2. Change the Extrude length.

One individual, then copy place.

Might help....

[dragade3789]

@davebYYPCU 

Ultimately I need a cut list but I also want a render of the work (mainly so I can reference it myself but may need to pass that off to a shop to execute some cuts).

The primary purpose of the design (which I would just use graph paper for) is how the shelf exactly seats with the wall mount. That is where the 3D model becomes critical. Otherwise I am happy using pencil and paper to draw in 2D. I thought it be really cool if F360 had an easy parts manipulation methodology, say you are trying to think of parts in the 2D before understanding their 3D relationships.

The main concern that I'm having is creating and moving around 1 component on XY is a headache. Its about 100 times the work than just drawing it on paper. I assume I'm thinking about components incorrectly and the devs me me to use them differently. Thats the knowledge gap that I'm checking in on.

[davebYYPCU]

The main concern that I'm having is creating and moving around 1 component on XY is a headache

No file, picture or Screencast, makes this statement a bit hollow, 

Normally you make the part, and it is either already in place, or is then jointed to the rest of the assembly.

I thought it be really cool if F360 had an easy parts manipulation methodology

One step at a time, can't see the problem you think exists.

Might help.....

[TheCADWhisperer]

---

@dragade3789 wrote:

1) How can I sketch out segment lengths? (most of the components lay on one plane and could be drawn just in 2D)

---

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@dragade3789 wrote:

Its about 100 times the work than just drawing it on paper.  

---

That should make it easy.

Attach image of your graph paper sketch here and one of the experts will demonstrate how to "design differently" - the Fusion way...

[wmhazzard]

Maybe start here and check out his other videos after you get more understanding of the program. Just be aware that some of his videos are with the old user interface so some things are in different places but most things work the same. 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL40d7srwyc_NopbOnJ4IARIvSrTT1pp5m 

[dragade3789]

Here is the body that I'm trying to adjust length after initially setting its length to X. Maybe 1% of the time do I care about reducing or increasing the length by T (tolerance) yet more like 99% of the time do I want to see this part is now a new length of Y.

Or am I not able to use:

0. bind: s (design shortcuts)

1. Move/Extrude to change a body? 

[dragade3789]

Pencilled this out in 5min, made a more finished drawing in a total of 22min.

Areas I'm working on

1) braces - sizing

2) Rear mounting bar - full strut (25.4mm stock) or low profile?

3) Tolerances. Major shelf width needs a sliding fit and minor shelf depth, nesting tolerance depth should be 220.000mm yet need some material from the front facing bar (~2.2098mm shaved off of the sides)

4) Count of T-nuts (likely 16 a side so 32 + 4 for rear brace + centre post may be redundant material+ 2 guide T-nuts for strut on strut sliding fit)

[davebYYPCU]

Rule No 1 is recommended in this case.

Make a Component.

Sketch Profile in the active component

Extrude profile to required length.

Move Tool is not recommended.

Ground this Component.

Edit Feature to change Extrude length.

Make New Component, and repeat.

When second Component is created, Use Joint To position it.

Might help....

[dragade3789]

Steps:

1) right click on face

2) Edit Feature

3) opens EF dialogue

I'm still seeing a relative change from the initial Extrude length. Also I'm not able to confirm this. Error: "Error: No target body found to cut or intersect!"  

Next step: I did change the operation from Cut to Join and was able to confirm the change from initial length. However I cannot access Edit Feature.  See the attached, that I just select the entire component and Edit Feature doesnt open.

[davebYYPCU]

Edit Feature - 

You made the bar with Extrude (feature)

Edit feature by right click menu on the Extrude Icon in the timeline, because you need to edit that feature.  Change details in the dialogue box, hit ok.

Clicking on the component will do other things but not allow edit feature to occur.

Might help...

[dragade3789]

Ah. Thus Edit Feature is an options menu for whatever you wanted to edit. Cool! They could have called Options/Properties.

I'm still not able to set the thickness to an exact number, say "1.000 mm" looks to be this long, which clearly is not 1mm (see the attachment).

[davebYYPCU]

Picture is not telling full story, 

Dialogue says, 

Profile plane, one side, 1mm to join, but there should be a bright blue "selected" profile showing.

Sketch is over there, not highlighted, so are you using Press Pull?

Sketch is at Origin, pulled face is at 11mm.

Extrude 1mm confirmed in 3 places. Window, text box, and dialogue.

Extrude icon in timeline is not highlighted either.

Not much else I can get out of the pic.

[TheCADWhisperer]

As you progress with Fusion (or any parametric MCAD software) you will want to use the following techniques:

1. Blue lines should keep you awake at night.  Indication that the geometry is not fully defined.

2. White dots should keep you awake at night.  Indication of missing coincident constraints.

3. Pattern features, not sketch elements.

4. Use symmetry about the origin to your advantage when possible and practical.

Can you File>Export your *.f3d file to your local drive and then Attach it here to a Reply?

[TheCADWhisperer]

Although this sketch might mean something to you - that is only because you have your Design Intent in your mind.

My crystal ball is in the shop for repair and I cannot read your Design Intent.

I could decipher some of the intent, but this would not constitute a proper engineering design document (the purpose of using Fusion or other CAD software).  Let's start with the framing profile - Attach that file here.

I am confused by this 560mm dimension in your sketch.

Did you really intend for this to go to the outside on the right side?

[dragade3789]

I havent tried to sort out the errors of the profile yet. It would have been nice if the devs had a set of warnings rather than rendering something that looks like it was a working shape lol

[dragade3789]

So updating the profile, I was able to clean up the open circles and the bold blue lines. Tried to look for any other error yet none to be had that the profile was not complete.

Re-extruded the updated profile.  Is there a faster way of adjusting an extrusion's length than hunting for it on the timeline? There is no organisation there.  I did finally get to see a view that let me set a new limit for the extrusion, but this appears to be the only way, that you hunt for the part in the timeline.  Having several components means your timeline is meaningless long. Just imagine if thats how you were supposed to use Photoshop/Illustrator/etc  creating an adjustment layer, then having to go back (10 or 100 steps) and finding the correct adjustment layer to right click, edit, change, confirm.

This is madness lol. Surprised pros dont rebel against Autodesk

[dragade3789]

Sorry its not as clear in the photo vs the paper, the edge piece is notched to accept struts that but into it. Basically a modified half lap. The overall width is 560.000mm. The ID should be 509.200mm (interior width of the outside frame) if the strut is 25.400mm.

[TheCADWhisperer]

Turn on your sound and >>click here<<.

You will want to learn how to fully define your sketches.

I can create video for you on how to easily create this sketch.

Do not duplicate work - get lazy!