Autodesk Fusion 360: A Tutorial Approach, 4th Edition

Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 2: Drawing Sketches for Solid Model

Chapter 3: Adding Constraints and Dimensions to Sketches

Chapter 4: Advanced Modeling-I

Chapter 5: Creating Reference Geometries

Chapter 6: Advanced Modeling-II

Chapter 7: Assembling Components

Chapter 8: Working with Drawing and Animation Workspace

Chapter 9: Working with Sheet Metal Components

Chapter 10: Managing and Collaborating on the Cloud and 3D Printing

Autodesk Fusion 360: A Tutorial Approach

(4th Edition)

CADCIM Technologies

525 St. Andrews Drive

Schererville, IN 46375, USA

(www.cadcim.com)

Contributing Author

Sham Tickoo

Professor

Department of Mechanical Engineering Technology

Purdue University Northwest

Hammond, Indiana, USA

Autodesk Fusion 360: A Tutorial Approach

Sham Tickoo

CADCIM Technologies

525 St Andrews Drive

Schererville, Indiana 46375, USA

www.cadcim.com

Copyright ©2022 by CADCIM Technologies, USA. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in the database or retrieval system without the prior permission of CADCIM Technologies.

ISBN 978-1-64057-167-9

NOTICE TO THE READER

Publisher does not warrant or guarantee any of the products described in the text or perform any independent analysis in connection with any of the product information contained in the text. Publisher does not assume, and expressly disclaims,any obligation to obtain and include information other than that provided to it by the manufacturer.

The reader is expressly warned to consider and adopt all safety precautions that might be indicated by the activities herein and to avoid all potential hazards. By following the instructions contained herein, the reader willingly assumes all risks in connection with such instructions.

The Publisher makes no representation or warranties of any kind, including but not limited to, the warranties of fitness for particular purpose or merchantability, nor are any such representations implied with respect to the material set forth herein, and the publisher takes no responsibility with respect to such material. The publisher shall not be liable for any special, consequential, or exemplary damages resulting, in whole or part, from the reader’s use of, or reliance upon, this material.

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CADCIM Technologies

DEDICATION

To teachers, who make it possible to disseminate knowledge to enlighten the young and curious minds of our future generations

To students, who are dedicated to learning new technologies and making the world a better place to live in

THANKS

To the faculty and students of the MET department of Purdue University Northwest for their cooperation

To employees of CADCIM Technologies for their valuable help

Online Training Program Offered by CADCIM Technologies

CADCIM Technologies provides effective and affordable virtual online training on various software packages including Computer Aided Design, Manufacturing, and Engineering (CAD/CAM/CAE), computer programming languages, animation, architecture, and GIS. The training is delivered ‘live’ via Internet at any time, any place, and at any pace to individuals as well as the students of colleges, universities, and CAD/CAM training centers. The main features of this program are:

Training for Students and Companies in a Classroom Setting

Highly experienced instructors and qualified engineers at CADCIM Technologies conduct the classes under the guidance of Prof. Sham Tickoo of Purdue University Northwest, USA. This team has authored several textbooks that are rated one of the best in their categories and are used in various colleges, universities, and training centers in North America, Europe, and in other parts of the world.

Training for Individuals

CADCIM Technologies with its cost effective and time saving initiative strives to deliver the training in the comfort of your home or work place, thereby relieving you from the hassles of traveling to training centers.

Training Offered on Software Packages

CADCIM provides basic and advanced training on the following software packages:

CAD/CAM/CAE: CATIA, Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire, Creo Parametric, Creo Direct, SOLIDWORKS, Autodesk Inventor, Solid Edge, NX, AutoCAD, AutoCAD LT, AutoCAD Plant 3D, Customizing AutoCAD, EdgeCAM, and ANSYS

Architecture and GIS: Autodesk Revit (Architecture/Structure/MEP), AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD Map 3D, Navisworks, Primavera Project Planner, and Bentley STAAD Pro

Animation and Styling: Autodesk 3ds Max, Autodesk 3ds Max Design, Autodesk Maya, Autodesk Alias, Foundry NukeX, and MAXON CINEMA 4D

Computer Programming: C++, VB.NET, Oracle, AJAX, and Java

For more information, please visit the following link: https://www.cadcim.com

Note

If you are a faculty member, you can register by clicking on the following link to access the teaching resources: https://www.cadcim.com/Registration.aspx. The student resources are available at https://www.cadcim.com. We also provide Live Virtual Online Training on various software packages. For more information, write us at [email protected].

Table of Contents

Dedication iii

Preface vii

Chapter 1

Introduction ........................................................................................................... 1-1

Chapter 2

Drawing Sketches for Solid Models ....................................................................... 2-1

Chapter 3

Adding Constraints and Dimensions to Sketches ................................................... 3-1

Chapter 4

Advance Modeling-I ................................................................................................ 4-1

Chapter 5

Creating Reference Geometries .............................................................................. 5-1

Chapter 6

Advance Modeling-II .............................................................................................. 6-1

Chapter 7

Assembling Components ........................................................................................ 7-1

Chapter 8

Working with Drawing and Animation Workspace ................................................. 8-1

Chapter 9

Working with Sheet Metal Components ................................................................. 9-1

Chapter 10

Managing and Collaborating on the Cloud and 3D Printing................................ 10-1

Preface

Autodesk Fusion 360

Autodesk Fusion 360, developed by Autodesk Inc., is one of the world’s fastest growing cloud based software. It is a parametric feature-based solid modeling tool that not only unites the 3D parametric features with 2D tools but also addresses every design-through-manufacturing process. The adaptive technology of this solid modeling tool allows you to handle extremely large assemblies with tremendous ease.

This solid modeling tool allows you to easily import the AutoCAD, AutoCAD Mechanical, and other related CAD files with an amazing compatibility.

The drawing views that can be generated using this tool include orthographic view, isometric view, section view, detailed view, and so on. You can use predefined drawing standard files for generating the drawing views. Fusion 360 drawing views remain associative to the designs they are created from, implying that the changes made in the design in the model workspace of Autodesk Fusion 360 automatically reflect in drawing as well.

Autodesk Fusion 360: A Tutorial Approach, 4th Edition textbook is written with the intention of helping the readers effectively use the Autodesk Fusion 360 solid modeling tool. The mechanical engineering industry examples and tutorials are used in this textbook to ensure that the users can relate the knowledge of this book with the actual mechanical industry designs. The salient features of this textbook are as follows:

• Tutorial Approach

The author has adopted the tutorial point-of-view and the learn-by-doing approach throughout the textbook. This approach guides the users through the process of creating the models in the tutorials.

• Real-World Projects as Tutorials

The author has used about 40 real-world mechanical engineering projects as tutorials in this book. This enables the readers to relate the tutorials to the models in the mechanical engineering industry. In addition, there are about 20 exercises that are also based on the real-world mechanical engineering projects.

• Tips and Notes

The additional information related to various topics is provided to the users in the form of tips and notes.

• Learning Objectives

The first page of every chapter summarizes the topics that are covered in that chapter.

• Self-Evaluation Test, Review Questions, and Exercises

Every chapter ends with a Self-Evaluation Test so that the users can assess their knowledge of the chapter. The answers to the Self-Evaluation test are given at the end of the chapter. Also, the Review Questions and Exercises are given at the end of each chapter and they can be used by the Instructors as test questions and exercises.

• Software Version

As a cloud-based platform, updates are frequently available for the Autodesk Fusion 360 software. This text book is written based on the software version 2.0.15019 x86_64. If you are using a version later then version 2.0.15019 x86_64, there may be some variances between images and workflows in this student guide and software that you are using.

Symbols Used in the Textbook

Note

Tip

Formatting Conventions Used in the Textbook

Please refer to the following list for the formatting conventions used in this textbook.

Naming Conventions Used in the Textbook

Tool

If you click on an item in a toolbar or a panel of the Ribbon and a command is invoked to create/edit an object or perform some action, then that item is termed as tool, refer to refer to Figure 1.

For example:

To Create: Line tool, Dimension tool, Extrude tool

To Edit: Fillet tool, Draft tool, Chamfer tool

Button

The item in a dialog box that has a 3d shape like a button is termed as Button. For example, OK button, Cancel button, Apply button, and so on.

Dialog Box

In this textbook, different terms are used for referring to the components of a dialog box. Refer to Figure 2 for the terminology used.

Drop-down List

A drop-down list is the one in which a set of options are grouped together. You can set various parameters using these options. You can identify a drop-down list with a down arrow on it. For example, Type drop-down list, Orientation drop-down list, and so on; refer to Figure 3.

Options

Options are the items that are available in shortcut menu, Marking Menu, drop-down list, dialog boxes, and so on. For example, choose the Edit View option from the Marking Menu displayed on right-clicking in the drawing area; select the Distance option from the Extent drop-down list; choose the New Body option from the Orientation area, refer to Figure 4.

Free Companion Website

It has been our constant endeavor to provide you the best textbooks and services at affordable prices. In this endeavor, we have come out with a Free Companion website that will facilitate the process of teaching and learning of Autodesk Fusion 360. If you purchase this textbook, you will get access to the files on the Companion website.

The following resources are available for the faculty and students in this website:

Faculty Resources

• Technical Support

You can get online technical support by contacting [email protected].

• Instructor Guide

Solutions to all review questions in the textbook are provided in this guide to help the faculty members test the skills of the students.

• Part Files

The part files used in illustrations, tutorials, and exercises are available for free download.

• Additional Students Projects

Various projects are provided for the students to practice.

• Additional Learning Resources

You can access additional learning resources by visiting https://allaboutcadcam.blogspot.com.

Student Resources

• Technical Support

You can get online technical support by contacting [email protected].

• Part Files

The part files used in illustrations and tutorials are available for free download.

• Additional Students Projects

Various projects are provided for the students to practice.

• Additional Learning Resources

You can access additional learning resources by visiting https://allaboutcadcam.blogspot.com.

If you face any problem in accessing these files, please contact the publisher at [email protected] or the author at [email protected] or [email protected].

Video Courses

CADCIM offers video courses in CAD, CAE Simulation, BIM, Civil/GIS, and Animation domains on various e-Learning/Video platforms. To enroll for the video courses, please visit the CADCIM website using the link https://www.cadcim.com/video-courses.

Stay Connected

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Chapter 1

Introduction

Learning Objectives

After completing this chapter, you will be able to:

• Understand different modules of Autodesk Fusion 360

• Understand how to open a new design in Autodesk Fusion 360

• Understand various terms used in workspaces of Autodesk Fusion 360

• Understand the usage of various hotkeys

Introduction to Autodesk Fusion 360

Autodesk Fusion 360 is a cloud-based CAD/CAM/CAE tool which is designed for a collaborative product development. Fusion 360 combines fast and easy organic modeling with precise solid modeling to help you create manufacturable designs, and explore and refine the form of design with the sculpting, modeling, and generative design tools. In addition, you can use its CAM capabilities to generate a toolpath for CNC machining and also you can send your design to a 3D printer for rapid prototyping. Your data is kept safe and secure on the cloud, with unlimited storage and access. It connects your entire product development process in a single cloud-based platform that works on both Mac and PC, with unlimited installs, and users invited by you to your Fusion 360 projects.

Autodesk Fusion 360 is a parametric and feature-based solid modeling tool. It allows you to convert basic two-dimensional (2D) sketch into a solid model using very simple but highly effective modeling options. This solid modeling tool does not restrict its capabilities to the 3D solid output but also extends them to the bidirectional associative drafting. This means that you only need to create the solid model. Its documentation, in the form of the drawing views, is easily done by this software. You just need to specify the required view. This solid modeling tool can be specially used at places where the concept of collaborative engineering is brought into use. Collaborative engineering is a concept that allows more than one user to work on the same design at the same time. This solid modeling package allows more than one user to work simultaneously on the same design.

As a product of Autodesk, this software package allows you to directly open the drawings of the other Autodesk software like AutoCAD, Mechanical Desktop, AutoCAD LT, Inventor, and so on. This interface is not bounded to the Autodesk software only. You can easily import and export the drawings from this software package to any other software package and vice versa.

The Autodesk Fusion 360 software combines the related tools and functions into groups called workspace. This controls the commands that are available and the type of data that is created. There are multiple workspaces that are available in Autodesk Fusion 360 namely Model, Sheet Metal, Patch, Render, Animation, Simulation, CAM, Drawing.

System Requirements

The system requirements to ensure the smooth functioning of Autodesk Fusion 360 on your system are as follows:

• Windows 11, Windows 10 (64-bit) or Windows 8.1 (64-bit)

• Intel or AMD Processor with SSE2 support.

• 4 GB of RAM (integrated graphics recommend 6 GB or more).

• 3 GB of storage

• A certified graphics card and driver.

• Microsoft Office 2007 or later.

• Adobe Acrobat higher than 8.0.7.

• DVD drive and Mouse or any other compatible pointing device.

• Internet Explorer version 8 or higher.

• Good Internet connection.

Getting Started with Autodesk Fusion 360

On installing Autodesk Fusion 360 on your system; a shortcut icon of Autodesk Fusion 360 will automatically be created on the desktop. Double-click on this icon to start Autodesk Fusion 360.

When Autodesk Fusion 360 is started for the first time, the system prepares itself by loading all the required files and the initial interface of Autodesk Fusion 360 will be displayed, as shown in Figure 1-1.

Here, you will learn basics of Sketching, Part modeling, Assembly, Animation, Sculpting, and Drawing through related tutorials.

By using the tools available in the Autodesk Fusion 360, you can view the information related to starting Autodesk Fusion 360, new design, opening an existing design, setting a project, and so on. The Help tool at the extreme right corner of the window enables you to access resources such as Community Forum, Gallery, Product Roadmap. You can also clear user cache data, submit an idea, learn about Fusion 360, and so on.

To start a new design, choose the New Design option from the File menu in the Quick Access toolbar; the new tab gets added to the right side of the previously created tab. This tab is used to create a new design of Autodesk Fusion 360.

It is evident from Figure 1-1 that the interface of Autodesk Fusion 360 is quite user-friendly. Apart from the options shown in Figure 1-1, you are also provided with various shortcut menus which are displayed when you right-click in the graphics window. The type of the shortcut menu and its options depend on where or when you invoke the menu. For example, when a command is active, the options displayed in the shortcut menu will be different from the options displayed when the command is exited.

Quick Access Toolbar

This toolbar is common to all design workspaces of Autodesk Fusion 360 and is located at the top of the Fusion 360 window, as shown in Figure 1-2. The tools available in this toolbar are discussed next.

Select Panel

While creating a sketch, you often need to select some elements. The tools that are required to make these selections are available in the SELECT panel, as shown in Figure 1-3. Some of these tools are Window Selection, Freeform Selection, Paint Selection, and so on. By default, the Window Selection tool