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Fusion 360 for woodworking

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Fusion 360 for woodworking

Postby 9fingers » 25 May 2020, 10:27

During lockdown, I've set myself a task of learning Fusion360 as a reasonably capable free CAD package.

I've watched loads of you tube and getting on tolerably well but would like to swap emails and perhaps have a phone chat with someone who might be able to help with guiding me past a few boulders in my path.

Thanks
Bob
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Re: Fusion 360 for woodworking

Postby DaveL » 25 May 2020, 14:09

I have used Fusion 360 to design and cut things on my CNC. The learning curve is very steep! I don't have a great deal of CAD practice, I did do a short Acad course when I worked a college, more to understand the requirements for running it as I was managing the computer network. I have also use Turbo CAD but that is now over 10 years ago.
DaveR did walk me though using SketchUp, which I used to draw up the table I made, a few years ago.
I find F360 very different for some things. When I made the replacement mount for my bandsaw guides, I went round in circles for a day or so until it clicked on how to do it.

If you have a problem give me a shout but a won't have an instant answer.
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Re: Fusion 360 for woodworking

Postby Robert » 25 May 2020, 15:54

Yes... I had that idea too. As I used to use Autocad every day at work I thought I'd have a go at fusion too. It was a research project for how I might use a CNC if I ever got round to getting one.

As said it ain't easy and it ain't Autocad. Just getting to grips with the way it works took ages and seemed so strange. Guess that is years of Sketchup changing the way I think now.

So long story short I have drawn a few things from YouTube tutorials but am a long way from being able to just start it up and create. I'd be interested in any resources you find as i might get back to it with some encouragement.

Oh and YouTube is another problem - there are so many 'how to's' based on old version software and the current version seem greatly changed so you have to find the equivalent command and where it is not just follow the instructions.
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Re: Fusion 360 for woodworking

Postby DaveL » 25 May 2020, 16:09

Robert wrote:Oh and YouTube is another problem - there are so many 'how to's' based on old version software and the current version seem greatly changed so you have to find the equivalent command and where it is not just follow the instructions.


It's not just Youtube! I have done things and been please I figured out how to do it, tried to use the same technique a month or so later and the commands have been renamed and moved on the menus!
The updates are many and generally every month.
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Re: Fusion 360 for woodworking

Postby 9fingers » 25 May 2020, 16:56

@Robert,
Yes the version changes are frustrating when looking at older videos.
However typing S will allow to search for the name of the function and usually find it on the latest UI
As for resources:-
Justin Geis here https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... nzTT6-GRo_
has a number of general videos but also upto about 10 wood related ones that I've found quite good.

Paul McWhorter here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5tp4QXciK4 and his series cover a few basic in a rigourous style mainly around 3D printing.

Lars Christensen has well over a 100 videos that I dip in and out of with the odd wood related ones.

There is also a university of warwick series large aimed at kids and 3d printing but with quite a relaxed style.

All the above have convinced me that I want to follow the Fusion 360 route as a tool for CNC milling (if & when I ever finish my mill conversion - another saga!)

I've never really got into sketchup and had no dealing with autocad so not a case of having to re-learn or unlearn anything.

Thanks for the offer of possible assistance Dave
Now that they are at least two folk following this thread, I feel it might be useful to set out my current project & snags here so that maybe we can all learn a bit.
I have a couple of "how the hell do I do" but the main issue is about how to approach various tasks.
I'll do that in a post later after nosebag is out of the way and I made a few screen grabs to illustrate my project so far.

Cheers
Bob
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Re: Fusion 360 for woodworking

Postby 9fingers » 25 May 2020, 19:35

This is what I'm trying to model.

chest plinth overall.JPG
plinth overall
(125.26 KiB)


Yes I have succeeded but it has been a real struggle.

I drew the profile first and then extruded it to the long side length. Then I cut the mitres on the end.

moulding detail.JPG
profile
(32.43 KiB)


What I expected to be able to do was then copy that and reduce the length but I failed miserably as everything I tried distorted the shape.
I then tried to use offset planes to cut a copy of the long side into three parts, discard the central piece and join the two ends with the mitres on to form a new shorter side. The trouble was that when I deleted the redundant part, I lost the two ends as well.

Consquently I end up creating the four parts one by one and then mitring the 8 ends one at a time.

mitre detail.JPG
(36.02 KiB)


finally a series of point to point moves ended up with the model in the first figure.

I'm pretty certain there ought be a more efficient way so I wonder how I should have approached this.

I'd expect to be able reuse the profile, put the mitres on once, then change the lengths.

Specific problems include when trying to make copies, using move/copy, sometime the copy tick box is greyed out and I've not found out a reliable way of copying.
There are more problems but I'll stop for now.

Bob
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Re: Fusion 360 for woodworking

Postby DaveL » 25 May 2020, 19:52

Erm yes I have found the copy to be let's say problematic (is that the right word?)
It definitely should be much easier to produce copies of a part.
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Re: Fusion 360 for woodworking

Postby 9fingers » 25 May 2020, 21:01

Assuming that I've managed to make my copy parts, any thoughts on how I can change the length of one on my sides once the mitres have been cut?

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Re: Fusion 360 for woodworking

Postby DaveL » 25 May 2020, 21:59

You need to of made the part, I think is called a component and then when it's selected there should be little square handles. If you find the right one you should be able to drag it and change the length.
Other way that might work is to put a dimension on the length, then select the size shown and over type with the required new size.

Neither of these ideas carry any sort of guarantee to work or not break your drawing.
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Re: Fusion 360 for woodworking

Postby 9fingers » 25 May 2020, 22:02

DaveL wrote:You need to of made the part, I think is called a component and then when it's selected there should be little square handles. If you find the right one you should be able to drag it and change the length.
Other way that might work is to put a dimension on the length, then select the size shown and over type with the required new size.

Neither of these ideas carry any sort of guarantee to work or not break your drawing.


Thanks Dave, I'll give that a go tomorrow. Sounds plausible!
Bob
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Re: Fusion 360 for woodworking

Postby Malc2098 » 25 May 2020, 22:18

Sounds like you boys are talking Sketchup! :D
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Re: Fusion 360 for woodworking

Postby Robert » 25 May 2020, 22:38

I'd say we are talking headaches :)

Think the 'for woodworking' is a bit of a red herring. What I need is to understand the software and how to draw what is in my head. I drew our house extension in sketchup years ago and the other week I drew a wooden cabinet. I could do that because I understand how it works.

So far I feel I barely grasp the concept of how 360 goes about things. I've not touched it for over a month now so I'd better fire it up again soon so I can stay in the loop here.
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Re: Fusion 360 for woodworking

Postby Doug » 26 May 2020, 09:05

I’ve never had these problems with the back of a fag packet I usually get off builders :eusa-think: ;)
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Re: Fusion 360 for woodworking

Postby droogs » 26 May 2020, 09:22

I find fusion 260 an excellent packagge to use, but you have to use it in its natural organic flow so to speak. It is slightly unintuitive if you don't know how it "works and thinks". I find the best approach is not to think of Fusion as a drawing package but a production design package. By this it excels once you know what the dimensions are then you are good to go,

As hgas been mentioned components are your friends they make everything easy. Making a component list with its various dimensions and component names is the very first thing you need to do in fusion (sort of like a cut list). Once that is done it is just a matter of calling these parts up onto the model and then chopping away at the basic part until you have what you want. The best part about using the components properly is that you only need to change the dimension of one part of a component for the entire model to be adjusted where needed on the fly.

Lars, who you have already mentioned has a couple of excellent videos at the start of his series aimed at woodworkers and using the system.

I find it useful to write out the parts list and and a quick fag packet sketch and then start using Fusion

hth Bob

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Re: Fusion 360 for woodworking

Postby 9fingers » 26 May 2020, 10:35

Hi Droogs,
Thanks for your reply and trying to help but for me it has not given me a guide to solving my current problem.
I'm sure you are right that if I knew how it works internally, I'd be in a better position.

I'd be most grateful if you could take me through your approach to the piece below as I think it might be my workflow at the root of the problem.

mitred piece.JPG
(31.26 KiB)


Here is my starting point made by sketching a rectangle 50 x100, push/pulling it to 20mm. Then sketching on the bottom face two diagonal lines and using extrude to cut the mitres. I've made it into a component using create component from body.
I've looked though all the modify options and right clicked on the item and see nothing about re-sizing it.

Know that I would need to resize, should i have drawn it differently perhaps?
On another design, I've used parameters extensively and am comfortable with that so far - is that the way to go?

I've really value your steer please.

Bob
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Re: Fusion 360 for woodworking

Postby droogs » 26 May 2020, 23:38

yes parameter are the heart of 360. It is a pain in the but to sit and think of them all and to create that list at the start before you start to draw but that step is the very essence of creating a 360 "intuitive" workflow that will let you draw anything you want.

So components are your friends but parameters first is the key. will give you a pm in the Am to chat further if you want. not fully conversant with it all myself but once i got that concept into my head it just started to flow so much easier
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Re: Fusion 360 for woodworking

Postby Dave R » 01 Jun 2020, 23:07

Interesting discussion. I've looked at Fusion 360 and didn't see anything worth changing my workflow for but that's just me. The robotics team I volunteer with uses OnShape for their CAD work and I've had to learn a little of it. Although like Fusion 360 it is a paramteric modeler, I find the modeling process to be tedious and it feels like it shouldn't be as much work as it is to get something done. I watch the team's coach work in OnShape (he's very knowledgeable in the use of it) and I feel exhausted because I could have had what he did finished in SketchUp and been on to something else.

Maybe the whole process works better for some people than for others but I don't see changing any time soon.

I would be interested in seeing a completed furniture project modeled in Fusion360 sometime.
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Re: Fusion 360 for woodworking

Postby DaveL » 02 Jun 2020, 08:16

Hi Dave,

I have only used F360 as a means of generating G code for my CNC.
The only full plans I have drawn are for the table a few years ago produced in SketchUp, referring back to you tutorial I got from Fine Woodworking.
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Re: Fusion 360 for woodworking

Postby 9fingers » 02 Jun 2020, 09:36

DaveL wrote:Hi Dave,

I have only used F360 as a means of generating G code for my CNC.
The only full plans I have drawn are for the table a few years ago produced in SketchUp, referring back to you tutorial I got from Fine Woodworking.


That is exactly my reason for trying to learn F360 too. I am "slowly" building a cnc metal milling machine and will need G code to feed that so in the meantime using woodwork projects to try and learn how to use this package.
With encouragement from Droogs, I am making some progress and will post a pic soon.

Bob
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Re: Fusion 360 for woodworking

Postby 9fingers » 02 Jun 2020, 11:02

Here is my progress to date in f360.

Still a few bodges in there but getting towards what I want it to show.

2F61B0E6-6FE7-492C-A609-EEFB17F1E7EC.jpeg
(438.89 KiB)


Yes I know the bottom is missing. :D

Bob
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Re: Fusion 360 for woodworking

Postby DaveL » 02 Jun 2020, 11:14

9fingers wrote:
Yes I know the bottom is missing. :D



That just increases the about of stuff you put in the box.
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Re: Fusion 360 for woodworking

Postby Andyp » 02 Jun 2020, 11:26

Is it me or is the perspective a little out too? The far end looks a little odd.

Hats off to you learn something new BTW. Last time I used I think sketchup it took me longer to draw than to make the the poject!
I do not think therefore I do not am.

cheers
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Re: Fusion 360 for woodworking

Postby 9fingers » 02 Jun 2020, 11:55

Andyp wrote:Is it me or is the perspective a little out too? The far end looks a little odd.

Hats off to you learn something new BTW. Last time I used I think sketchup it took me longer to draw than to make the the poject!


In f360 model window there is a granny button to give a perspective view but when you export to a drawing from a design you can move the iso view all over the plane and yet to find a similar correction button
The drawing view is meant to be an engineering drawing just with a little iso view in the corner to help visualise the object. I blew it up full screen to take a photo of it.

Is this any better?

BFD95122-9425-4246-96A9-0419184D2E9C.jpeg
(491.41 KiB)


It was taken from the modelling view with granny button applied.
Bob
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Re: Fusion 360 for woodworking

Postby Robert » 02 Jun 2020, 12:09

Perspective still looks wrong to me but that doesn't matter does it.

Well done on getting that far. I've not got back to it yet but I will.

I have got back to my cutting boards now and just ordered some feet to finish them off. So I'll be out of excuses for not getting to Fusion soon.
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Re: Fusion 360 for woodworking

Postby 9fingers » 02 Jun 2020, 12:25

There is a possibility of some sort of issue with my monitor and graphics card? I did not take it any further about looking for a bigger monitor from a few weeks back.
However it passes my basic test of circles as drawn are display as round.

Bob
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