From Fusion 360 To Plasticity: Should I Stay Or Should I Go?

[@tensiondriven]

I’ve been trying to love Plasticity, for basic 3D modeling for 3D printing. It’s Plasticity or Blender w/ CAD Sketcher. Your video was a great overview. I keep getting hung up in the details of getting plasticity to go what I want to do. A channel with a focus on Plasticity for solid modeling would be great. Keep it up!

[@redbaronrc]

Thanks for the suggestion!

[@colinhare4722]

Having used several CAD packages including CATIA, Nx and Fusion 360, I agree that Plasticity has an x factor. It's difficult to pin point exactly what it is but I will say that surface modelling in Plasticity is largely an enjoyable, stress free experience compared to many of the big names with their bloated menu's and inflexible commands. In short it feels like a program designed by a single focused body with clear vision rather than a committee trying to please a million customers quirky needs.

[@redbaronrc]

I think that's a great description.

[@MetalGearMk3]

Plasticity for the win! Welcome to the plasticity community.

[@redbaronrc]

Thank you!

[@takerefuge3d]

Nice Video! and Welcome, got a bit of a fright when I was watching this before bed on the TV and my face popped up on the screen!

[@redbaronrc]

Oh, the website scroll! I went back to see. Well, hey you make great videos anyway. Thanks for watching mine.

[@takerefuge3d]

Thanks as do you, subbed as a kiddo I made a lot of balsa wood might be time to turn my 3d printer back on

[@hippie-io7225]

Great discovery and introduction to this program. Is there a design flow where one could scan, use Revopoint Revoscan 5 to clean up the scan; and then import into Plasticity?

[@erickcandanedo3210]

can you do texture in plasticity. like you can in blender?

[@redbaronrc]

You can make some simple materials adjustments but no, it is not a rendering package. This is why they created the plasticity to blender bridge. So that you can harness blenders rendering power.

[@thomaswakefield6889]

you need to do a video on the Plasticity to Blender Bridge where you can do actual live modification updates to designs between the 2 softwares

[@redbaronrc]

Thanks for the suggestion! I'll add it to my list of next video Ideas.

[@gokhanersan8561]

I just discovered Plasticity on Monday. Fiddled with it for 5mins. Made stuff in 5mins I couldn’t in C4D, Fusion360, or Blender for 5 years. I hope Adobe doesn’t buy to kill it. That’s my only concern.

[@redbaronrc]

@@gokhanersan8561 man I hope not too!

[@goldenrich83]

is xnurbs feature just for subcription model ?

[@RunningRunner]

Fun fack if you add a use the hollow tool in plasticity and decides to undo that after a long run just extrude the inside. Remove chamfers? Just click the chamfer face and press x. Yes I'm a long fusion 360 user and now I'm very committed to switching to plasticity.

[@redbaronrc]

Thanks for the tip! Thanks for watching.

[@demowulf1486]

Thank you so much for this review, because i am thinking to get these program for a while. So right now it looks plausible to get it - since i have a history of using blender for a long time and switched to Fusion 360. Again - thank you !

[@bradtallis8968]

You mentioned the "cut" command and wished Fusion had that. In the example you showed in Plasticity, that exists in Fusion as "Split Body" (in the modify menu)

[@redbaronrc]

Thanks for the correction.

[@type93thunder]

This is pretty cool! I mostly use fusion for mechanical things, less smooth surfaces, but I have experienced similar problems while working with meshes/faces/surfaces and can see why someone would make the switch. (P.S fusion does have a cut tool, it's called split face/body, although it may not be as powerful)

[@redbaronrc]

Thanks for the comments! Funny I use that tool all the time, but until this video I have always used it with a plane or object face, not a sketch. Glad to learn this tip. One difference is how easy I found it to set a plane from any camera view with a single click draw my sketch then cut.

[@eddiexx]

is there a chance you could make a tutorial on modeling a Su-27/Su-35 fighter jet? In Plasticiy or Blender for 3d print? (not for lying only display) Have tried and the lines became to difficult for my modeling level. Thanks for a great channel.

[@redbaronrc]

I'll be happy to take a look

[@eddiexx]

@@redbaronrc oh, fantastic, hope you find it interesting, they are the most beautiful jets ive ever seen. The 27 is the original from the 90s and then newer generations that have kept the same design profile, like the Su-35. (the SU-34 broke the classic figure and is not as interesting/elegant) Regards

[@dudule1232]

after watching your video, I feel like plasticity is currently inferior to rhino3d. do you have a thought on that ?

[@redbaronrc]

I've honestly never used Rhino but have been very curious about it.

[@dudule1232]

@@redbaronrc I'm a rhino power user so here are some strong selling points : 1 : it's a one time purchase, and is even cheaper than plasticity studio. 2 : it's a command based program, meaning you don't have to look for the tool, you just type the beginning of the word and rhino auto-fills th rest (kinda like plasticity as I can see) 3 : it's PACKED with features, not only for CAD (you can do pretty much anything) but is also capable of producing technical plans and doing basic rendering 4 : the list of supported formats for import and export is so long I'd be incapable of citing even 30%. 5 : it's highly dimension oriented, meaning you can do very precise work. 6 : it has a separate tool called "grasshopper" making rhino capable of doing parametric modelling. It has the capability of creating extremely complex geometries 7 : you can write scripts ! there is an internal tool just for that

[@Waffle4569]

It'd be amazing if you did a Plasticity tutorial for the F16, there's not a lot of tutorials for real world aircraft.

[@redbaronrc]

That was a tough first project but I'll consider it.

[@Waffle4569]

@@redbaronrc You don't have to go in depth or be very complete, but quickly going over how you made the patches would help a lot. Most people in Plasticity only work with solids so there's less examples of this

[@aeywyn5230]

Seems like it would fit in just below Rhino with the nurbs surfacing? Doesn't change much if you work with styling models, you do the styling in a program thats actually good at surfacing (which fusion is not :D, nor is SW or Inventor) and then do the CAD part in Fusion, SW, SE or Inventor.

[@redbaronrc]

I think that might become my workflow.

[@TAH1712]

@@redbaronrc it might become the workflow of many - but the downside is another program to buy / learn with the necessity to go back and forth between each program importing / exporting new bits for old bits. I'm not fully convinced on that workflow. For sure the shapes creation in Plasticity is incredible for the $$$.

[@stratos2]

Plasticity seems powerful for sketching. But, having learned true parametric design, it is extremely hard for me to go back to any program with a destructive workflow. It is just so frustrating to do a thing, do ten other things, and then realize that first thing was wrong and being unable to go back. Sadly making parametric design truly reliable and versatile is quite tough, and something I haven't fully mastered despite countless hours of learning. Some things may not even be possible in Fusion as is, for example quickly swapping out an aircraft wing profile from one to another.

[@redbaronrc]

Agree difficult but so cool when it actually works. Did a custom camera mount last week for a Beechcraft Baron. Had mount points wrong late in the job. Went back to original sketch to adjust. It cleanly updated all the way through the timeline. That's worth something for sure.

[@Todestelzer]

When I change anything after 2-4h of work on the beginning of the timeline, I’m sitting the next 30min on it to fix all the errors fusion throws on me 😂

[@stratos2]

@@TodestelzerIt's a skill to know how to use all of fusion's inbuilt features to avoid janky abuse of unintended features. If done right it can be awesome, but it certainly takes work learning how to get there.

[@TAH1712]

@@stratos2 same with any associated linked geometry system.

[@babyitsnatural]

Thanks sir. Can you please publish some tutorials ;)

[@redbaronrc]

Thanks for watching I have every intention of doing many.

[@wildguardian]

Hey there, what a great video.. as someone who knows a bit of plasticity now and I'm 3d printing stuff.. I got a important question.. if I am, let's say, quoting a piece for CNC milling, would exporting a STEP file from plasticity be of any help for those manufacturing/quoting them for me? Or would that be completely useless, and I have somehow the need to send the step/stp file modelled in.. solidworks, or fusion, for them to be able to analyze the file for a quote? If the answer is "yes, it's useful" then I don't have a immediate need for learning or using solidworks or fusion 360. Of course, I'm talking about parts that are machinable.. solid forms that are feasable in cnc milling etc.. like gears.. or say, something like a fidget spinner.. modelled in plasticity.. not a airplane model..

[@redbaronrc]

I can take a step file from plasticity and import it into fusion 360. Once in fusion I can edit it as if it was a native file format. That means that I could then create a manufacturing routine in fusion for cnc milling. If that helps you get better quotes then the answer is yes. I will say that fusion has some awesome plug ins for gear design, or better yet for me, I can just download from mcmaster car library into fusion any gear they sell. Which means that you could also download their files and insert them into your plasticity models by going directly to their website........ Hmmmmmmm I think another quick video how to is in order.

[@wildguardian]

@@redbaronrc that's awesome.. thanks.. it indeed works for me

[@vegasdealer777]

Thanks for the video. BTW ... I've loaded quite a few 500-pound bombs on those A6 Intruder B1RDs I'm seeing on your opening screen.

[@redbaronrc]

Thanks for watching! I did not know at the outset, but from the comments I've gotten that is quite a loved airplane by many people!

[@Strider1122]

Best answer stick to both that's THE only answer for me. Maybe about 2 years down the line who knows where Plasticity is going to be? I'm not keen on its userface I'm afraid, it is an absolutely awesome tool but I think it can do with a makeover. That's just my silly opinion. Fusions just too cool, I'm just a concept artist so I use it for different reasons and a totally different way I don't necessarily do parametric modelling I'm more free form so that's why plasticity is so cool but again I just don't like it ui lol. I'm also a ZBrush user so all three of them combined with blender or Keyshot (for rendering), really cool. Yep ui for plasticity gets my head knocking against the wall. Don't know how many times I can say it lol

[@redbaronrc]

@@Strider1122 yes I'm still using both. The interface doesn't bother me but I get what you are saying. It will be interesting to see how this program grows up over the next few years.

[@nikita.kapustin]

Very very good video👍

[@redbaronrc]

Thanks for watching!

[@redbaronrc]

Love your videos! Thanks for the education!

[@jacksons.9382]

Very nice, I think I'll give it a go now

[@redbaronrc]

You'll love it.

[@GonkOrange]

Actually looks like rhino lite :D

[@lucasmontec]

No timeline, no deal. No parameters, no deal.

[@redbaronrc]

Thanks for watching

[@TAH1712]

Plasticity great for shape, shape, shape...other than that? Early days though.

[@redbaronrc]

True. I can always import it back in to fusion though.

[@thelightsarebroken]

finding it really hard to unlearn fusion 360 to use Plasticity fluidly.

[@redbaronrc]

@@thelightsarebroken I understand. Done different approaches for sure but worth the effort.

[@gmuk101]

Fusion for macOS is worse than windows version. Do you use plasticity on Mac?

[@redbaronrc]

I have not tried the Mac version.

[@Kuechmeister]

Cool video

[@redbaronrc]

Thank you!

[@jacksons.9382]

I love the idea of no subscriptions!

[@redbaronrc]

Yeah I've grown tired of the software rental model.

[@TAH1712]

and you love the purchasing requirement if wanting the next version? OK, you have the choice I agree.

[@thomaswakefield6889]

I stopped using Fusion 360 the moment Autodesk screwed over hobbyists and small businesses with their restrictive bullshit and went to subscription theft. I know so many engineering companies that have completely stopped using Autodesk products and no longer support their monopoly in the industry.

[@redbaronrc]

I understand your frustration.

[@Sirsoyuz]

I work in Inventor for a living and I personally had a Fusion 360 license the past five years. But now its too much,..€700+ for a single license, last year I paid €390...so expensive!

[@Strider1122]

But fusion still has a personal licence I know without cam etc but it's still cool

[@unkatom]

@@Strider1122 No assemblies on the “free” fusion program

[@StephenBoyd21]

Is this a skinned version of Blender? It looks like one.

[@redbaronrc]

It shares a few similarities but the modeling approach is quite different.

[@terryd8692]

It's nothing like Blender to be honest

[@TheWhisleblower]

Fusion is free plasticity will cost me

[@redbaronrc]

Yeah, they have a free version. Unfortunately I make money with mine. It's in no way free anymore. Thanks for the comment.

[@almonster2066]

The lack of a timeline in Placticity is a deal breaker. It's basically Blender+plugins.

[@redbaronrc]

Thanks for watching.