How to Animate a Screw in a Fusion Assembly

When your need to animate a Fusion assembly that required the rotation of a screw, you notice one big limitation in the software.  You will find it is impossible to drive the rotation of a Revolve or Cylindrical joint more than 360 degrees without it resetting the linear motion of the screw.  In this video I demonstrate a process for driving one, or multiple, screws using another assembly joint, in this case a Slider joint.

The process requires the entry of a hidden Fusion text command which is shown in the video but I will list it here to make sure you can read it.  It is "Fusion.JointAnimationTime 25" (without the quotes) where the number represents the number of seconds you desire.  The default Fusion value is three.  This variable is returned to default when the application is restarted.

 

Setting Joint Limits Graphically in Fusion

 A very common practice in Fusion is setting up Joint Limits.  Often is is hard to come up with the right values to use for the joint limit values but this process can be made a lot easier using the joint limits graphical interface.  In this video I go over this method plus a few other joint tricks to make this job a snap.

Top Down Modeling in Autodesk Fusion 360

Top down modeling in Fusion 360 has many advantages.  

• The assembly components are modeled associative to other components so changes to one updates related components.
• Components can use sketches and features from other components similar to using  the derived process of modeling
• Components are normally modeled "in place" allow the use of As-Built Joints to join them together.
• Designs are easier to visualize since components are modeling in direct relationship to other components.

In this video I created a lidded box with seal using top down modeling which I hope to demonstrate this effective modeling method.

 NOTE: This modeling method is not available to Fusion 360 Personal License users since the Edit in Place functionality is not present.

How to Curve a Graphic Sketch in Fusion 360

There are times when you have a model that requires a logo or design that in not linear in shape but all you can find is a logo that is linear.  In this short video I step through one process of taking an existing graphic and curving it to match my model.  I used a SVG file but any sketch that can be extruded can be used.  This includes simple text. 

Simple Editing in Fusion 360

When editing complex models in Fusion 360 it can often be a challenge to find the feature profile sketch or the feature you want to edit.  This can be in your models or models created by others you need to edit.  In this short video I want to introduce you to the Edit Profile Sketch and Edit Feature command located on the right click context menu.

Changing the Title Block of An Existing Drawing in Fusion 360

You have a finished a set of 2D drawings that need to be re-issued with a new title block.  You do not want to have to recreate the drawing on a new template, the title block is the only thing you need to change.  In this short video, I will show you the process of changing an existing title block with a few short steps.

NOTE: This process is not possible if you are using a Fusion 360 Personal License.

I would like to thank Guenther Andresen for sharing this tip.

 

Creating Lofts Using Mapped Points in Fusion 360

Lofting can often be a tedious and challenging process.  There are two traditional methods of lofting between two planes, using a center line or rails.  In this short video I would like to show you a method that is not so familiar, Lofting using mapped points.  I must emphasize this method does not work well when lofting between three or more planes but for two parallel or close to parallel, it is fast and easy.