Best Practices? Design help? New Category?

When I started down the road of personal laser ownership, I was going to just do everything in Illustrator. But seeing some of the awesome things people are doing in Fusion 360° I thought I should give it it try. It is really giving me a better idea of how to build things. I am seeing things I would have missed designing in 2D.

So in the design I am working on, I am wondering if this is the best way to build it. Would this be a good place to post and get feedback and hints? Instead of an “Intructables” site a “Suggestables”.

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I think so. I got lots of help when I first tried to do an OnShape build. It made quite a difference. There are some good Fusion 360 experts here. Reminds me that I just got the email from Autodesk to re-up my subscription to the free version. It’s been a year since I first downloaded it after seeing what people were doing with it. I’ll probably keep it up just to try out some designs that people post, but I’ve settled on OnShape. It does help for constructions, definitely. I’m still faster in Inkscape, and definitely for flat objects that have text, but 3D is a big help otherwise. But I do have to block out a lot more time since I’m still learning.

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Post away! Be sure to check out the Free Designs section of this forum too. There’s a few Fusion models posted (I’ve tagged my shares with “Fusion” so they’re easy to find). You can open those up, play with them, take a peek at the parameters and object dimensions to see how they’re set up to maintain relativity to each other.

Also, for folks that may be thinking about Fusion360, right now the software is a local installation, but they’re also working on an online browser option to be released in the near future, so you’ll have access from any device or location too.

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I hope I’ve been part of that inspiration but if not, I’m glad whoever did inspire you did so.

This is SO TRUE, I use it even for things I’ll be building with “dumb” tools. saves a lot of wood to see in 3d how something doesn’t work and fix it before the first cut.

Here or in Q&A, I love “suggestibles” great name.

I’m no expert but I alway try to help with F360 things as it makes me better.
I am working in the other direction as I am trying to learn CorelDraw for things that F360 can’t do like intricate art things.

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That’s a great idea to launch a new category for design help! So many of us will need or want help finding solutions to design challenges, and we’ve already seen how many helpful and knowledgable forum members are willing to rise to the occasion. Pinging @dan - would it be possible to implement this idea?

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Maybe I should have started with a box. :slightly_smiling_face:

It is one of those nightstand phone caddies. I wanted one for my Apple watch and a nice area to engrave.

So one of my questions, any tips on glueing? I planning on using two sheets of 5mm birch plywood. Do I just glue and clamp? I was hoping to have four pieces but with the wire channels I might need to “split” one. Which I fear might make it more difficult to glue up.

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If I am seeing correctly from the snapshot, You have three pieces of wood there?

You might want to include some finger joints, that would make glue up a snap.

You might want to model your cord, at least the end, to make sure it will snake into place.

I really like it.

EDIT: oh, as to gluing, CA for wood! I am a recent convert, it is plenty strong and saves SO much time.

I love the stuff from Fastcap but there are several out there that work very well.

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Two sections, two pieces thick.

I was avoiding the cord :sweat:

But, that’s why I like to make a “real” project to learn with. I think you really learn a program that way.

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Oh, cool, seeing the exploded view you can just glue but if you want extra credit, design locks so you just slide it together and it clicks, then if you ever need to take it apart, you just push the locks in and slide.

The material along the bottom of the lower side of the slot that the base/shelf pass through seems thin.Maybe, I am too cautious?
My intuition is telling me that the thin horizontal structure might easily break at the mid point of the slot, or just past where the feet transition to the horizontal structure that is along the bottom of the slot.

It might, especially if the grain goes in that direction. I had thinned it to allow the cable to pass underneath.

Maybe, there is a way to add a few vertical structures within the slot with corresponding features cut out of the base and shelf parts that lock the parts together? I am thinking along the lines of those 3D puzzles made of wood.

http://kubiyagames.com/3d-puzzles/interlocking-puzzles.html

that looks great!

My only suggestion is on the pieces that you are laminating together, you may include a couple alignment holes you can insert some dowels into, to help hold alignment while gluing and avoid having to do too much clean-up/finish work around the edges.

The thin horizontal section, I wouldnt worry too much about. Any load is going to be transferred out to the edges right above the feet. However, if you glue those two pieces together the full length of the slot, you remove any risk of it breaking.

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A little ashamed to admit that Fusion 360 is the only piece of S/W I have ever used that is just kicking my butt. Not because of any 3D or parametric concepts, those are easy, just because of the little nit-noid commands that I can’t seem to get used to. It’s like when a PC person goes from Windows to a Mac. The commands and motions might be easier and make perfect sense but retraining the brain takes just a bit of effort.

I spend a couple hours learning how to do something, it’s not difficult, but then don’t go back again for a month and have forgotten how to do something as simple as pan, select and rotate. I have too many squirrels running around the house to stay on it for the 2 days it will take to become comfortable. Yeah, Illustrator, Inkscape, even Sketchup has quirks but for some reason wasn’t as big a leap. Guess I’ll just have to wait for a project that I truly need Fusion for and bite the bullet.

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Or get a CNC that uses Fusion for it’s design tool like the ShopBot. Then you have to get good at it (or you’ll only end up making signs :smiling_face:).

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I am so glad I was no deeper into SketchUp than I was when I converted!

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I’m kind of in the same boat. I really tried to learn F360, did all of @markevans36301 tutorials as well as Lynda.com training. Just couldn’t wrap my mind around it. So I thought I’d give OnShape a go. For some reason it is making more sense to me. No doubt something weird about how my mind works. In addition, the training videos from OnShape and also Lynda.com are really good–they just click for me. You might want to give it a try.

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Have an XCarve. Understanding Fusion is no problem. Learning it’s interface means I have to stop drinking beer for a day or so.

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Well the heck with that. Fusion can wait :slight_smile:

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OH! That’s just the wonder of AutoDESK interface design. Sometimes it just never makes sense. :smiley: Works for me though because after 25 years with AutoCAD, Fusion360 is like buttah… and I prefer it over Geomagic Design, Inventor, and Pro/E (and that’s a biiiig one).

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