Designing with Fusion 360
- Mirko Ravizza
- Sep 21, 2022
- 4 min read
Welcome back to Risen's Blog, today we're going to take a closer look at the Fusion 360 design environment
The interface
The Fusion 360 interface is very intuitive and fully customizable both as visible elements and for the selection of hotkeys. This great flexibility allows each user to have a personalized experience to suit their needs. In the project environment we will have access to numerous options for the creation of our parametric and non-parametric 3D models, with optimization options for production by bending or by plastic molding. A fundamental element of the information shown on the screen is the history of operations; this bar at the bottom of the screen allows you to retrace your steps and reverse the order in which changes were made on the model. Attention, if you import a model from the outside this bar will be deactivated, it is important to remember to activate it with a simple right click on the main element in the project browser to be able to reactivate it. Another convenient function is the presence of information about the selected elements, always clearly visible next to the help button. In this area we will see the diameter of a selected hole, the length of a segment and many other useful information.
La progettazione parametrica
The first tab of tools in the project environment is the one called "solid" here we will find all the tools necessary for modeling with precise dimensions. Like many other CAD programs, the basis of modeling is the 2D drawing from which we can later create a solid by extrusion, revolution, sweep and other similar tools. At the creation of the sketch the view will be immediately rotated perpendicular to the selected plane; the same thing will happen when we go to modify the same sketch at a later time (this option can be modified in the preferences). Once the reference plane has been selected, a hidden tab will open in which we will be able to draw lines and curves, dimension, insert constraints and everything necessary to modify our starting drawing. Convenient feature, the ability to change the reference plane of a sketch when needed. Once our sketch is completed we will be able to carry out the operations that will allow us to expand it in 3 dimensions, with all the appropriate options: create new bodies, join an existing model, cut material, direction of extrusion and draft, extrusion of a thin wall or solid body and much more. After obtaining a basic shape we can begin to modify it through other sketches and subsequent additions / removals or with the numerous functions grouped with the name modification. Here we will be able to add chamfers and fillets, hollow out the inside of a solid, cut our solid with mold joining planes, etc. The latest addition to this work environment is the automatic design, by selecting some reference faces, the software will independently generate a body that connects them with some parameters that we can adjust. Very useful for quickly obtaining a blank to work from and for obtaining geometries that would take a long time manually.
Surface modeling
In order to create objects with organic and more fluid shapes, Fusion 360 offers us the possibility of creating free surfaces, which can be modeled as in a software with artistic purposes. We can start to make our surface, again by creating a sketch, or by creating a shape (even just a plane), and then perform a "fluid" modeling, as if we were manipulating clay. From the faces thus created it is then possible to obtain solids with numerous commands, it is also possible to "paste" different faces, cut them, extend them and transform them freely. The union of this type of modeling with the purely parametric one allows the creation of functional objects, but with ergonomic and dynamic components; this once again demonstrates the strengths of this software, great for both a mechanical designer and a jewelry designer. The bodies obtained, both from solid and surface modeling, can be converted into mesh surfaces, so that they can be used as a basis for the creation of 3D prints, rendering on dedicated software and vice versa inserting objects in the form of meshes in a project.
Special operations
As previously mentioned, the following cards present in the project environment are those specific for the design of parts to be obtained by bending or by injection of plastic. In the tab relating to sheet metal we have tools that allow you to create flanges, sharp bends and other characteristics of this type of object. In addition, we can define the thickness of our sheet metal, minimum bending radius and many other parameters that allow us to create projects that can be carried out in our workshop. These features, combined with the Nest function of the utility card (part of an extension package), allow you to optimize the use of the material when cutting sheet metal or other thin materials. In the plastic section, we can impose rules regarding the type of material we are going to process, such as draft angles and casting thickness. We can also insert typical elements of plastic parts, such as studs for fixing, snap mechanisms and tabs for connection to the sprue channel. The molding of the components thus designed can be verified in the simulation environment, through the injection molding simulation study, recently added to the program.
Conclusions
Fusion 360 demonstrates in design the great flexibility that the name implies. The parametric design is straightforward and easy to approach for users accustomed to using other programs. Surface modeling allows you to create the most disparate shapes in a short time, integrating them into a functional project. All the functions of the program are easy to approach even for beginners, thanks to the intuitive graphics and abundant information material. We will be back to talk about the other work environments offered by Fusion 360 soon, in the meantime you can find some general information about this software in our previous article.
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