Add ability to define user-defined parameters 'on the fly'.

[MarqueIV]

When editing a dimension, you can enter in a known value, a formula, a parameter or any combination of the above.  However, if you want to create a new parameter, you have to go to the parameters window, add it there, then go back and use it in your sketch.  

My suggestion is to instead allow the user to type something like 'CornerRadius=4' instead of just '4', which will create a new user-defined parameter called 'CornerRadius', set it's value to 4, then set that particular dimension equal to 'CornerRadius'  We'd have all the benefits of user-defined parameters without the need to visit the Parameters dialog making parameter-driven sketching much faster and more intuitive.

An additional/alternate way to implement this would be when you select the dropdown to pick from existing dimensions, add a textbox where you specify a new parameter name. If you enter one, then it creates it and associates whatever you have typed/selected for the regular value to it, again setting the final dimension to your variable.

[KootenayTech]

I would love to see this. It would be a start to making up for not being able to keep the parameters window open while modeling. Hopefully they can get some parameter solutions to us soon. Then I just might not have to keep an excell file open on my second screen with my parameters while modeling.

[oomclintmidas]

 Migrating from Inventor, this is an absolute must have!

[promm]

Thank you for your idea, this is getting changed to future consideration.  This item is in our backlog and when work is started it will be changed to accepted.

Cheers,

Mike Prom

Internal tracking FUS-17331

[JBerns]

Fusion 360 Team,

While you are improving the use of User Parameters, please consider adding an 'Apply' button to the Add User Parameter dialog box. This would make it much easier to create several user parameters. Closing and reopening the dialog box repeatedly can be tedious. Plus the extra mouse movement to pick the add button (small green plus) could be eliminated.

Regards,

Jerry

[bejoscha]

Exactly what I was going to suggest as well. I even mocked up a screenshot already

I like your suggestions of just entering a "new" name plus equation. (Although " newName := " might be a better - less ambiguous - syntax.)

But I would even settle with just a little drop-box entry. When selected, one gets the regular "Add parameter" dialog.

[d-autodesk.com]

are there any news regarding the implementation of this? i would really love to see this. and i think the method the OP has proposed, of just entering mynewvar=20mm is also intuitive, as this was what i've tried doing it this way myself before googling and finally posting this comment 🙂

I saw that on the web-experince i can enter an expression like this which is then saved to the expression column but the variable name still remains "d1" or similar.

[alexwbakker]

While I love the drop down with a box as a rule, I'd love to see this as Inline like the original comments, too. "shelf_corner_radius =  4in" would be a wonderful command when designing on-the-fly

[vbonnetT756D]

Is there still no implementation of this simple feature ? That would make the design flow much faster and avoids going back and forth to the parameter window.

[hansmbakker]

I found several topics that have a similar idea like this. Please upvote these topics, hopefully it will lead to more visibility of our request:

• https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/fusion-360-ideastation/add-ability-to-define-user-defined-parameters-...
• https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/fusion-360-ideastation/quick-on-the-fly-parameter-definition/idi-p/63...
• https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/fusion-360-ideastation/defining-parameter-values-and-names-on-the-fly...
• https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/fusion-360-ideastation/quick-parameters/idi-p/7974380
• https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/fusion-360-ideastation/user-parameters-show-quick-link-to-user-create...
• https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/fusion-360-ideastation/parameter-generation-when-writing-dimesions-us...
• https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/fusion-360-ideastation/define-parameters-on-dimension/idi-p/5224433

[I_B_Jones]

Hi AUTODESK !

I hope you are noticing the interest in this request. As hansmbakker 's post of 10/02/2019 lists, there are several requests basically for the same capability. That's collectively quite a few Votes. And an incredibly powerful little addition.

Parameters are really useful - a core concept to good designing in my view and experience. And a real time saver when dimensions or parameter functions change.

It's important that 'good design practice' like using parameters is promoted by the system. Not made hard to use so that people maybe avoid them.

The concept of defining a Parameter during a entering a dimension's value ought not to be too hard to achieve. However, there's a bit more to it than "just" accepting ParameterName=Value during the value input. E.g.

- The ability to define multiple new Parameters during a dimension's value entry.

- The ability to use the newly defined Parameter later in the Value definition.

- The ability to define a new Parameter using another new Parameter. (e.g. RectDiagonal=SQRT( RectLength=5cm*RectLength + RectWidth=3cm*RectWidth)  ).

This may need other than trivial embedded parameter definitions to be parenthesized. So the above example might need to be say: RectDiagonal=SQRT( [RectLength=5cm]*RectLength + [RectWidth=3cm]*RectWidth)  .

Or you could just "float" the Parameter entry form so that one can do on-the-fly Parameter definition in it and immediately use new Parameters in the dimension value you're currently specifying. Not quite as handy, but usable.

[disneytoy]

Wow, this has been on the table since 2015. I guess it won't be implemented any time soon?

[denyerec]

Well we're now in the future (2020 for pity's sake, it's been 5 years!) and this still doesn't exist and parameters and that bloody modal dialog are still a complete pain.