Fusion 360 Form Mastery - Part 2 - Starting with a Form Face or Plane

In this video we will begin diving into how to understand edge divisions, how to insert or remove edges and what that means for our design. We will also note the unique option of creating T points in Fusion 360 that helps us form bad habits!
We are laying the foundation for being able to create and understand edge flow and working towards maintaining 4 sided patches whenever possible.

[@donotcopydobetter1023]

thank you for explaining the basics of t-splines in Fusion. very helpful to understand the concept of t-spline modeling

[@mjhornidge]

This is what I have been looking for. Thank you.

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

You're welcome!

[@ansiaaa]

thanks for these videos! very well explained

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Glad you like them! There are a lot in this series. If it becomes too much I do have an Absolute Beginners Guide to Forms on my site www.LearnEverythingAboutDesign.com

[@ansiaaa]

@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign thank you for the suggestion, but this exactly series is what I was lookin for right now. subscribing to your channel was a very easy choice after I watched a couple of your videos! I'll be sure to visit your website too

[@leronin5755]

Great video! Thanks.

[@GhostOfBraznon]

thank you for helping me learn a new skill that I needed for school and am now doing as a hobby

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

That's great! Have fun!

[@Tarex_]

Will watch it later, just jumped in to like and comment xD the production value is absolutely top notch

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Thank You! I don't have a product idea for this series but wanted to lay the foundation for using these tools on anything. It will likely be car related though ;)

[@Tarex_]

@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign Car related i can relate to xD and despite about 250 own designs in fusion i still wouldn't call myself even intermediate, some tools still baffle me xD I'm sure ideas will come in time and from comments and tangents in the videos, i sure have ideas that ill inevitably write in a comment at some points

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

I was thinking a dash board would be a simple design where we can highlight some of the techniques needed to control edges. Has enough flexibility to add detail where needed and some broad shapes.

[@Tarex_]

@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign i will probably need it to retopologize my 3d scans , haven't been happy with the results yet. The convert mesh option usually crashes

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

@@Tarex_ Convert mesh is a crap shoot sometimes. I just went through this Friday with a mesh that had loads of facets. For bodies that are very prismatic it does great. Retopo takes awhile depending on the level of detail. That is one of the downsides of using photo programs to create meshes vs a production scanner. Cost of entry is way better though ;)

[@ArnoldRowntreeTeachesFusion360]

Hi Mat, I'm 7 months behind here, but my goal is to model ceramic shapes and generate the tooling for them. That's mostly plaster moulds. What I've always been aware of is that extremely subtle changes in form make a significant visual difference. Some critical areas where subtle variations matter most are rims and handles but I'll start with very basic vase shapes with no handles while I'm learning. The internal geometry of vessels doesn't matter nearly as much, in fact the manufacturing process, slip casting, has no internal moulding surfaces once you get away from the rim. These basic vase shapes might be most easily done with surfaces but the form tools in Fusion look like they allow a really neat way to nudge things around by small increments. We'll see.

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

I would be happy to make a video Arnold if you have some hand sketches or pictures of the shapes you are trying to make. just email me [e-mail]

[@burakyldz6677]

Great work!

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Thanks!

[@homemade_vancity]

Very interesting. Being a new Fusion user, there's is a lot to learn. My focus is on guitar design, combining solid modelling with t-spline surfaces to create a a hollow body acoustic/electric guitar. Working with form geometry to create an asymmetrical arched guitar top to fit perfectly with the solid hollowed out body has been a challenge. Your videos explaining the use of form geometry are helping a lot.

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Thanks for sharing! There are pros and cons about using forms. It does give you a lot of freedom but it certainly can be tricky as well. One issue you will have with Forms is that it is a bit of interpolation. If you need a form to exactly fit something that exists as a solid or surface you want to look at the Match tool. I have a few videos on it in this series. There is an Associative option that will link it to the surface/solid so changes "should" update. Also I have at least 1 video talking about guitar modeling and transitions using surfacing tools here. kzbin.info/www/bejne/l3TPipeoop1qq68 if you have any questions feel free to ask.

[@homemade_vancity]

@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign That's awesome info, and thanks for the link (I haven't scoured over your entire channel yet). I've been learning Fusion for a little more than a month now and while I've gone through many of the solid and surface tools and functions, it's not quite doing what I need it to do ... so now on to forms tools and seeing how I can combine it all into a finished product. The challenge with designing an asymmetrical drop-in arch top for a body that wants a flat top .. I think I need to approach it by creating the critical centre arch, then sides and cut aways seperately and welding them together ... just an exercise in logistical planning for a newbie. :)

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

@@homemade_vancity There are some tools that would make this easier for you as well. Tools Like Replace Face. You can make a complex shape face and then use that as a replacement for a planar face. Forms are easier when they are square. when you start pushing them into odd shapes it takes a lot of practice to get them right but you can make some cool designs!

[@sadhucat4476]

You mentioned a whole series of traditional poly modeling packages towards the end . I assume they allow for greater control in some way, but what are the main pluses and minuses of T-Spline modelling?

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Hey Sadhu, I cover this in other videos, specifically a video on Fusion vs Blender for Car modeling, but the main thing is that Blender is for modeling mesh bodies, and Fusion Tspline bodies get converted to BREP which is a true CAD surface/solid. It really depends on what the end goal is. If you are looking to just make designs for renders, animation, games, movies then poly modeling is typically the way you would go. Maya, Cinema4D, Blender and so on. If your goal is to manufacture something and/or you need more precise features then a true CAD tool like Fusion would be best. I have several videos talking about how to get designs into Blender and how to get them back to Fusion and back to BREP models. I will be releasing a Blender for CAD users series learning how to model in blender and trying to draw some similarities in the workflow we have been developing. Hopefully that answers your question.

[@kajpaget3180]

❤

[@jclements007]

I am wanting to french a can shape into the rear fender of a 1942 Willys Coupe to mount a tail light from a '58 Cadillac. I am able to define X-Y-Z coordinate points from the actual fender that I have in my shop. Which of your videos do you recommend I study to to convert these points into a 3D curved surface?

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Hey There! There are a lot of videos that could help, this playlist goes over building a fender shape off a scan. kzbin.info/aero/PLBDfGh8A8kXWeZ6Q2C8P9xPw5oMUEEEWZ it is more of a rough approximation because of the intent there but a good start. I have a few other videos that might be applicable. MX5 brake duct, spoiler, reverse engineering a dash panel. There are various workflows talking about mesh section sketches, freeform, surfaces etc. The "easiest" method is if the mesh you have can be converted to a clean Quad Mesh before it gets into Fusion. Then all you have to do is convert it to a form and bada bing bada boom!

[@wheke]

Thanks for showing us how to use forms better, I am trying to learn to design better models and this has helped a lot. One thing though, when I am creating the form in the video, using the smooth display does not do anything. Any idea how to fix this?

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Do you mean it stays on a box display even when trying to make it smooth? This is likely caused by an error point or possibly an overlap in your form. Try running the Repair utility to see if it can fix itself. If not you need to look around for any overlaps

[@wheke]

@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign that fixed it, thanks so much

[@jonhogan1272]

I've been trying to design the B2 Spirit Stealth bomber. At first glance from afar the shape looks like an easy parametric design. However, when taking a closer look there are some very subtle yet important curvatures to the design. Do you have any advice on how you would use the form design to model this?

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Hi Jon, definitely start in box mode and work with symmetry and figure out the "shadow" shape from the top looking down. That is probably how I would start it. Then i would begin to bump up geometry. When I have a moment I will give it a try. If you can find "drawings" of it showing a true side/top/front view you can now use the MATCH tool to get a good match to a sketch for those sections.

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Jon, I just gave the B2 stealth bomber shape a try and recorded the process(no audio). I will put up a speed through video tomorrow. Its not perfect by any means but maybe it will help you out. To get the sharp edges you need a lot of control which is counter to the standard workflow. a360.co/3KvAle2

[@jonhogan1272]

Thank you very much! That is awesome, I love your series and I am learning a lot from you. Much appreciated!

[@jonhogan1272]

I love it, that is really good!

[@MaeLSTRoM1997]

Hello, What is the 'correct' way to impose measurements when designing out of form? For example in the shape manipulated in this particular video, if I wanted to set the height of the blob according to some measurement, and maybe come back to change it to a different height?

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

The only way to do that is to use the Match tool with the Associative option checked. This can snap to the edge of a solid or surface so building those features first before you get into forms is the key. I did a few videos later in this series about the match tool with Associative option and things to watch out for. kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4DcnaGmqKxmh8U

[@MaeLSTRoM1997]

@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign Thanks, I'll watch that video.

[@minravex9919]

Sir I have been following your tutorial....but I'm learning it for something....for layered design So after getting a particular irregular form...I want to be able to slice it into parts that when cut and stack it together will form the shape....please am I learning the right workbench? ❤️ 😍

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Hi Minra. You can certainly slice up a design. You would most likely want it to be a solid and not a surface though. It depends a little on how you plan to build it. If you are trying to stack material that is 10mm thick for example, then slicing it every 10mm and making a sketch off that face to make a DXF you can laser cut is possible, but very time consuming. i don't know if there are any "slicer" programs that would automate that for you.

[@minravex9919]

@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign how about slicing it into a separate component and cut each so that when stack together it forms the shape

[@TG-kf4ci]

Hi LEAD! Do you answer specific questions? I need help with a specific form.

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Of course. feel free to email me [e-mail] and I will see what I can do.

[@prathamrajulwar9620]

when i weld two vertices then how to go back to smooth display from box display i am pressing alt +2 ,alt+3 and alt+1

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

smooth is ALT+3 but if you only weld 2 verts together it might not be possible to see a smooth display until more are welded. If you had two areas connected only by a point it can't calculate the smooth untiil a common edge is made.

[@prathamrajulwar9620]

@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign thanks 😊

[@metronom_81]

I cant multiply faces lilke you did in 6:00

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

What happens when you try? It can be picky sometimes if you have things like selecting through the body turned on.

[@PineView80]

Is it just me or would Blender have done all that and then some? I find this Form stuff in Fusion inferior so far. Lots of menus hidden away with tons of clicks required. Not sure if I should continue learning about it. I like solid and surface modeling in Fusion opposed to Blender cause I can just sketch essential details, then loft it together or whatever it needs, a lot of the in-between steps are handled by Fusion. Thats what I disliked in Blender and got me to switch. But now I need a very organic shape, yet everything kinda needs to be tangent and flow into one another. And some areas about it have to be exact in terms of dimension and placement. With Solid/Surface I run into the problem that I just can't seem to blend so much curvature together nicely. I basically need sweeps on top of sweeps on top of lofted surfaces ect.. you get the idea. I look at your videos cause my shape is similar to a car, it basically has all the same features in terms of design, just put together more organically and less uniformity to it. Curves fading in and out of eachother. Easiest would be to sculpt it in blender but then it looks too hand made and can't be controlled at all.

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

well Blender vs Fusion depends on the end goal. Blenders end result is a mesh. Fusions end result of a form is a NURBS Surface. If you are just 3d printing or rendering and the geometry is easier in Blender, there isn't much of a need to use Fusion. But if you need true solid/surface geometry then a CAD program is needed(or to convert a quad mesh to a solid/surface). As far as tool access, in my videos I also show where the tools are so new users know where to find it, something I find incredibly frustrating about Blender tutorials is the rapid and frequent hotkey usage. Blender has way more menus and commands but everyone uses hotkeys(which is fine once you know them). With Fusion you can speed up the workflow by using hotkeys, the right click marking menu(which is contextual), and/or the S key which is a shortcut menu that you can customize with any tools you want. When you hit S you can also start typing to find a command, when you do the 3 dots to the right has an option to Pin to toolbar or Pin to shortcut. If you pin to shortcut it will show up on the S key press.

[@markg1531]

I don’t know why you would do that instead of simply inserting edges or subdividing a panel. Why this complex to do with inserting points?

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Depends on the geometry and intent. This video was meant to show/highlight workflows and problems. I get a lot of questions and sent a lot of tspline bodies with issues and i was trying to capture some of that.

[@markg1531]

@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign Thank you.