10 tips for Fusion 360 that I wish someone told me sooner.

Summary

In his video on 10 tips for mastering Fusion 360, Austin Shaner emphasizes the importance of understanding and utilizing the software's sketch environment, tool hierarchies, feature hierarchies, and timeline effectively. He encourages users to focus on constraints over dimensions, avoid using 3D sketches unless necessary, and highlights the risks of Fusion 360's "time travel" feature. Shaner also advises maintaining an organized workspace, starting with projects appropriate for one's skill level, and balancing engineering precision with artistic vision. Stay tuned for more practical advice from Austin.

Highlights

• Master the sketch environment to create predictable designs 🎨.
• Use constraints more than dimensions to refine your sketches 📏.
• Avoid 3D sketches to prevent breaking your timeline 🌀.
• Understand the hierarchy of Fusion 360 tool kits and features 🔨.
• Learn to time travel in Fusion 360 to make efficient changes to your model ⏳.
• Stay organized to manage complex designs easily 📁.
• Begin with manageable projects to realistically build your skills 🚀.
• Think like an engineer to prioritize functionality over form 🛠️.

Key Takeaways

• Mastering the sketch environment in Fusion 360 unlocks limitless design capabilities 🎨.
• Use dimensions sparingly; rely heavily on constraints for sketch precision 📏.
• Avoid the complexity of 3D sketches; seek alternative solutions when possible 🌀.
• Understand tool hierarchy to choose the right Fusion 360 features for tasks 🔧.
• Learn timeline management to make seamless model adjustments ⏳.
• Organize your project structure to navigate and edit design elements easily 📂.
• Start with projects that match your skill level but provide a challenge 💪.
• Balance engineering precision with artistic vision for functional and beautiful designs 👩‍🎨.

Overview

Austin Shaner guides us through his top 10 tips for navigating Fusion 360 efficiently, focusing on mastering the sketch environment as a foundational skill. He delves into the significant role sketches play in design framework and advises on utilizing constraints over dimensions for streamlined sketch designs.

He further dissects the complexities of 3D sketches, proposing that users avoid them to maintain a more stable design timeline. Additionally, Shaner expounds on the hierarchy of toolkits and features, aiding users in selecting the appropriate tools for their design needs. His tip on 'time travel' in Fusion 360 is to manage the timeline smartly to facilitate hassle-free modifications without disrupting the workflow.

In terms of project management, Shaner emphasizes organization and starting with projects that align with your current skill level but push you slightly beyond. Lastly, balancing the engineering precision with artistic creativity is key in Fusion 360, ensuring functionality is never compromised while achieving inspiring designs. These insights provide a solid base for users to enhance their Fusion 360 experience.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Master the Sketch Environment The chapter titled 'Master the Sketch Environment' emphasizes the importance of sketching in Fusion 360. It introduces the concept that if you can sketch it, you can build it, highlighting the sketch environment as a fundamental skill to master. Sketches form the foundation and framework of any design, defining and connecting the shapes to be created while setting the rules for modeling tools. Mastery in sketching ensures predictability in design outcomes.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Dimension Only What You Care About and Constrain the Rest The chapter emphasizes the importance of precise sketching in design, particularly when using software like Fusion. It notes that issues often stem from inaccuracies in sketches, and thus, it’s crucial to dedicate time to crafting them correctly. This involves efficiently creating and constraining planes, construction geometry, and projections. By doing so, Fusion becomes easier and more enjoyable to use. The chapter also introduces a second tip: focus on dimensioning only the critical aspects of your design and use constraints to manage the rest.
• 01:00 - 01:30: Avoid the 3D Sketch Trap The chapter 'Avoid the 3D Sketch Trap' discusses a common mistake in 3D sketching: using too many dimensions and not enough constraints. It emphasizes the importance of using constraints, which define relationships between sketch elements (like making lines parallel or perpendicular), over merely applying dimensions without clear necessity or understanding. Proper use of constraints is highlighted as crucial for effective sketching and accurate scaling.
• 02:00 - 02:30: Hierarchy of Tool Kits The chapter 'Hierarchy of Tool Kits' discusses the importance of letting design constraints manage as many tasks as possible in the design process. It advises to dimension spaces only when necessary to meet specific design requirements. The chapter also cautions against overusing the 3D sketch feature, which, while tempting, should be approached with care to avoid drawing complications. This feature allows drawing in multiple directions, breaking the limitations of a single plane.
• 03:00 - 03:30: Hierarchy of Features The chapter discusses the complications and limitations associated with using 3D sketches in design workflows. It highlights that 3D sketches are not only difficult to manage and adjust, but they also tend to disrupt timelines during design modifications. It suggests that relying on 3D sketches might indicate a suboptimal workflow choice and advises using alternative techniques, like extruding a cut through a surface from two directions, to achieve desired outcomes.
• 05:30 - 06:00: Learn to Time Travel In the chapter titled "Learn to Time Travel," the discussion focuses on advanced techniques and functionalities within a 3D modeling software, likely Fusion 360. The session highlights specific features like 'split face' and 'intersection curve,' which operate on a principle that allows users to create the necessary sketches from two different perspectives, enabling the software to compute the third dimension automatically, enhancing 3D sketching efficiency. Another critical point mentioned is the 'hierarchy of tool kits,' emphasizing the diversity of modeling toolkits available in Fusion, such as solid, surface, form, and mesh modeling. Each toolkit possesses unique advantages and limitations, providing users various options to tailor their modeling approach effectively.
• 07:00 - 07:30: Dangers of Time Travel This chapter discusses the decision-making process involved in selecting the appropriate tools for different tasks, particularly focusing on the use of solid or sheet metal kits. It suggests these kits for their robust and stable features for primary geometry. However, it also advises that if these kits aren't practical or adequate for the task, one should consider using surface or form tools.
• 08:00 - 08:30: Stay Organized The chapter titled 'Stay Organized' discusses different design tools and their uses. It indicates that while some tools, especially mesh tools, provide a higher degree of control for modifying existing designs, they can be complex and require careful handling when making changes. Mesh tools, in particular, are not ideal for generating new designs but are valuable for adjusting existing ones sourced online or imported from other software. The recommended order of operations when using these tools is to start with solid and sheet metal tools, followed by surface tools, form tools, and finally mesh tools.
• 09:00 - 10:00: Start with Simple Projects You Care About This chapter emphasizes the importance of starting with simple projects that you are passionate about. It introduces the concept of a 'hierarchy of features' which suggests that certain modeling features should be prioritized over others. Specifically, it advises using extrude and revolve as primary tools, followed by sweep, loft, and then patch. While acknowledging that many more features are available, it suggests that these core tools are sufficient for a majority of modeling tasks, accounting for approximately 90% of modeling work.
• 10:30 - 12:00: Think Like an Engineer Before an Artist The chapter titled 'Think Like an Engineer Before an Artist' discusses different modeling techniques used in engineering to achieve optimal surface quality with minimal complexity. It highlights the limitations of using a single axis and sketch profile, and introduces Sweep and Loft as advanced modeling methods. Sweep allows extrusion off-axis along a defined path but may result in undesired surface qualities. Loft, on the other hand, offers more flexibility by enabling geometry construction along a path while allowing profile changes.

10 tips for Fusion 360 that I wish someone told me sooner. Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 all right so tip number one is Master the sketch environment Fusion 360 is essentially a if you can sketch it you can build it kind of software so mastering the sketch environment is arguably the most important skill you can possibly learn sketches are the foundation and framework of your entire design not only do they Define and connect the shapes you're trying to create they set the rules for all of the other modeling tools and make their results more predictable it's no wonder that when something in
• 00:30 - 01:00 your design isn't working as you expect it almost always has something to do with one of your sketches so spend a lot of time getting your sketches right learn how to create the planes the construction geometry the constraints and projections that you need in an efficient and methodical way and I promise you that Fusion will become a much more forgiving and enjoyable program to use while we're on the topic of sketches tip number two is dimension only what you care about and constrain the rest
• 01:00 - 01:30 one of the most common mistakes I see is way too many dimensions and not enough constraints constraints are the relationships that you give to your sketch geometry such as I need these lines to be connected or parallel or perpendicular to each other while Dimensions specify the size and scale of that constrained geometry you almost never want to apply a dimension unless you actually know what that Dimension is supposed to be and it's one that you actually care about so
• 01:30 - 02:00 let constraints do as much of the heavy lifting as possible and then only Dimension the areas that specify your specific design criteria and lastly on sketches tip number three is don't fall into the 3D sketch trap the 3D sketch checkbox is very tempting to use when you find yourself needing to create or maybe connect geometry that can't be drawn from a single plane this feature allows you to break through those single plane restrictions and draw in just about any direction you want
• 02:00 - 02:30 however and this is a big deal not only are they very difficult to use and can't be fully constrained they almost always break your timeline when trying to make changes to your design but more importantly when you find yourself reaching for the 3D sketch it usually is a sign that you haven't deployed the right workflow for that geometry and need to be using a different technique for example extruding a cut through a surface from two different directions can often generate the same result
• 02:30 - 03:00 other features like split face or intersection curve work on the same principles where if you can sketch what you need from at least two different orientations you can let Fusion do the heavy lifting and calculate the third AKA a 3D sketch tip number four is hierarchy of tool kits now there are many different modeling toolkits in Fusion each with their own pros and cons such as solid or Surface modeling as well as form and even mesh
• 03:00 - 03:30 tools but when should you use each one and should one maybe be prioritized over the other well yes and no a general rule that you should follow is attempting to use the solid or sheet metal kits first as those contain the most robust and stable features for your primary geometry however sometimes neither of those are either practical or have the tools you actually need to get the job done so if you find yourself in that situation you should either reach for the surface or form tools they give you
• 03:30 - 04:00 a higher degree of control over specific aspects of your design but generally are more complicated to use and can be very finicky when making changes to your design lastly the mesh tools aren't particularly useful for generating new designs but they can be a lifesaver when needing to modify an existing design that you found online or imported from another software so again the order should be solid and Sheet Metal then surface then form and then finally mesh
• 04:00 - 04:30 tip number five is hierarchy of features there's also a hierarchy of features you should use similar to the more generic toolkits I just mentioned extrude and revolve for example should always be used first when appropriate then sweep then Loft and then patch now of course those are not all of the features available and there are many many more but those features generally are responsible for about 90 percent of your modeling extrude and revolve
• 04:30 - 05:00 generate the highest surface quality with the least modeling complexity but the big downside is they are only limited to a single axis and a single sketch profile now this is where sweep and Loft really start to shine sweep allows you to go off axis by extruding a profile along a path however depending on the path sweep can sometimes generate unwanted surface qualities now loft is the big monster here similar to sweep it allows you to build geometry along a path but it also lets you change
• 05:00 - 05:30 the shape at any point along that path with additional sketch profiles it offers the most control over the surface quality but you have to be very careful and very deliberate with how you set up your sketches in order to be successful now lastly patch like the name suggests fills in the gaps that the other features leave behind sometimes there are areas of your design where just none of the other tools seem to work so patch is like laying a blanket over that area
• 05:30 - 06:00 and matching it to the neighboring surfaces patch can be an absolute Lifesaver but again should only be used when the other tools can't do what you need tip number six is learn to time travel Fusion 360 is a parametric software this means that as you start modeling Fusion stores a timeline of your sketches and features and each time you want to make changes to your design Fusion rebuilds that timeline in the order it was created this is the fusion 360
• 06:00 - 06:30 equivalent of time travel now why is this important well let's say you get halfway through your model only to realize you made a big mistake instead of losing all that progress and having to delete your features and maybe start again you can simply go back to that section of the timeline make a few changes and all of your future features that you had made will update accordingly but you can also get really creative with this because sometimes you don't exactly know how to model
• 06:30 - 07:00 something or what the size of something should be so you can start building what you do know and discover what is required for the rest as you go along and make changes so it kind of becomes an iterative process where the past informs the future and the future informs the past so utilizing the timeline correctly can both save you a headache down the road but also help you model correctly in the first place tip number seven is that time travel is dangerous
• 07:00 - 07:30 while using the timeline correctly is essential like I mentioned before it does come with some dangers the downside to being able to time travel in Fusion 360 is that each feature you add to the timeline the model becomes a little bit more complex a little harder for your computer to manage and generally more temperamental think of the timeline like a series of chains if one of the chain links breaks any link that was reliant on that may collapse in other words any changes to a
• 07:30 - 08:00 feature earlier in your timeline May negatively impact how other features that relied on that feature will respond this is why sometimes Fusion throws a lot of Errors across the entire timeline when you make a change now one way to combat this is to try to make the timeline as short as possible the less links that there are in the chain the less opportunity for failure you can also mitigate this by using as few of projections as possible and modeling each component separately with
• 08:00 - 08:30 basically no references to each other but that often makes the modeling process more tedious and difficult so learning how to model in the least amount of steps possible with the least amount of codependencies will not only speed up your design process but make your model more responsive and reliable tip number eight is stay organized it's very easy for a project to become an unruly mess of bodies components sketches features and planes
• 08:30 - 09:00 staying organized may not help all that much with a very simple model but when you start getting into assemblies with a large number of components it becomes pretty much Essential the best way to start getting organized is to create new components for every separate item in your design think of this like the folder structure in Windows you want to be able to quickly identify and navigate to the items you're trying to edit another benefit of doing everything as separate components is it also allows you to create joints between those
• 09:00 - 09:30 components rather than simply drawing them in place you can draw them at the origin point and then later move them to where they actually need to be another important way to stay organized is to always name your sketches and features as you go when you create a new sketch name it something that will tell you exactly what it is when you need to find it later down the road you can also do this two items in your timeline as well for when you need to track down let's say a misbehaving Loft lastly if you're ever going to share
• 09:30 - 10:00 your model online or maybe with a co-worker or a friend keeping a nicely organized model will definitely help keep them on your good side tip number nine is start with simple projects that you actually care about too often I see people taking on projects that are either way too hard for their skill level or not pushing themselves Enough by doing simple projects that they'll never actually use projects that are too hard can often feel overwhelming take way too long and
• 10:00 - 10:30 possibly cause you to lose motivation altogether and projects that are too simple won't really help you grow as a designer so the best way to build your skill in Fusion is to always take on projects that are slightly above your skill level but something you really care about completing this way you'll have to learn new techniques to be successful but you'll actually stay motivated enough to see it through in the end it's all about getting better
• 10:30 - 11:00 and having fun while you're doing it so challenge yourself but don't shoot for the moon unless you're prepared for a long journey and lastly tip number 10 is Think Like An engineer before you think like an artist Fusion 360 was designed with engineering and product development teams in mind this is evident at almost every level of the software a good example of this is that sketches are much more akin to a Precision schematic rather than a digital painting
• 11:00 - 11:30 you create and Define functional geometry rather than just free form drawing now don't get me wrong having an artistic eye is extremely useful When developing high quality models but the old adage function over form comes to mind you see people will put up with a screwdriver that is ugly or maybe uncomfortable so long as it actually does its job but nobody wants to use a screwdriver that can't tighten or loosen anything simply because it looks and feels great
• 11:30 - 12:00 in reality both aspects are important so think like an engineer and consider the function the tolerances the ergonomics and the manufacturability of your designs then use that artistic eye to truly make it something inspiring to behold this is why I love designing guitars they to me are the epitome of what happens when you combine critical functionality meticulous precision and artistic vision
• 12:00 - 12:30 if you'd like to support the channel and help me continue to make videos like this the best way to do that is a donation at patreon.com forward slash Austin Shaner if you'd like to join an amazing community of hobbyists luthiers Engineers and designers from all over the world you should consider joining our Discord server links will be in the description below but that's it for this video thank you for coming this is Austin signing out