Fusion 360 Form Mastery - Part 24 - How To Start Laying Out A Complex Form Shape

In this video we are going to again apply our knowledge and tackle one of the more difficult topics. How do you start a new complex shape? In this example we are going to start laying out a Motorcycle Helmet to learn about controlling the shape with certain edges. This process is the basis to laying out any complex design by focusing on critical areas and control loops.
Here is the dataset at the end of the video. If you want to follow along you can simply hide the form body and start your own.
a360.co/3J9OmwD

[@JuanAdam12]

Matt, this was an excellent tutorial. I like that it was "bite-sized," yet complex enough to incorporate several key points and reminders about how to build a complex shape. I hope you do a follow-up with the helmet to show how you add other features such as the visor, as well as how you handle the somewhat-faceted characteristics of the helmet's design (indentations, creased edges, sharp angles, etc.).

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

I will give it some serious thought! I have some other series to kick off but maybe i can get back to this one soon!

[@lars-sorensen]

Absolutely love this channel! Thank you!

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@jimwsh1]

Advanced tutorial! Thanks a lot!

[@TessierWork]

I really like how you share your thought process and approach to design. These are very valuable tutorial. You are a great teacher. Thank you.

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Thank you so much!

[@WishDragonProps]

Absolutely grateful for this video. I learn things a bit different than other people due to how I have grown up plus a hint of autism, so I am self taught in most programs I use. Its been hard finding good videos on different workflows and processes in fusion and this one has been immensely helpful. For example, a helmet I am making needs to have sharp defined curves and edges on many parts so I opted to make it in fusion compared to zbrush, and no recent video I have found could show different methods of using the sculpt mode in a way that I would be using it. Most of everyone else making videos on this would "teach" you how to make something but it would be a super super basic bike helmet using a primitive sphere, or just "showing off" the workspace by editing a premade primitive object. 2mins in and I now properly know how to alt extrude faces in sculpt mode without having to switch to surface mode.

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Wow thank you for sharing and for the kind words! i am happy the video was helpful. I too learn in a different way so i at least partially understand! These tools can be very tricky so just keep with it and you will get there! There is another video in this series where i work on this helmet some more adding detail so be sure to check that one out as well! Also another tip, if you are extruding an edge and you use ALT + CTRL you will extrude with a crease!

[@robertomartinsdasilva9308]

Just amazing, that was everything that I was looking for!!!

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Thanks Roberto! This helmet had a 2nd part talking about adding more details and changing direction on creases.

[@robertomartinsdasilva9308]

@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign for sure I'll watch this too. I'm developing a paragliding helmet for my friend's dog.

[@TheQuietBeast]

Awesome, just what I needed for my practical use here (a shoe insert, not symmetrical in any way either, really complex)

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Excellent!

[@rallyvintequatro]

Excellent video! Came just on the right moment. I am trying to draw a racing helmet myself. A Simpson Bandit from de 80's. Hope you came back to this helmet with the details.Thanks!

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Very cool! In the late 90s and early 00s I was big into Streetfighters(even had a 1 pager of one of my builds in a magazine), and the Simpson bandit helmets were the goto style for the Euro guys.

[@myaccountyes3175]

Thanks learn a lot !

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Glad to hear that!

[@SHDF14]

Hi, Matt, thanks! I have two question: 1. how to edit surface without other edge / surface moving when you are moving one edge? 2. is there a way to save the form as box view to solid body? thanks!

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Hey There. 1. I am not sure I understand 100% what you are asking, but in forms if you want an edge to stay you can use Freeze. Keep in mind if you freeze an edge and try to move geometry too close to it that you might get a warning saying it has to unfreeze to do what you are asking. 2. Not exactly but there are some tricks. If you crease every edge on a design that will result in every face being flat (usually) and when you finish the form it will look more like that box display. The other thing you can do is right click on the form body in the bodies folder and you can export the control frame as an OBJ. That is what I do when taking a form to say Blender. But that OBJ can be opened in Fusion as a mesh and you can convert the mesh to a prismatic solid. Not ideal but those are the options :)

[@SHDF14]

@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign that's what I was asking, thanks a lot for the help!

[@zsakosbimbo4383]

but after how could you do printable solid stuff????

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

You can either thicken it, or you fill in the openings with surfaces after you finish the form.

[@zsakosbimbo4383]

@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign Thank you letting as know. Do you have a tutorial about this? 🤔

[@orphydiancg7759]

So is this polygon modeling?

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Similar. The workflow of pushing and pulling, trying to keep quads, and general flow is the same. The end result however is a NURBS surface and not a mesh file. The technical term is SubDivided modeling, which is also what Poly modeling falls under. Some people will argue they are the same, but in my mind the surface/solid output from this form of modeling is different than any of the mesh formats like obj/stl/fbx that you would get out of say Blender.

[@orphydiancg7759]

I think 3ds Max has an old Nurbs modeling system as well with patches selection and such@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign

[@guidoperez1226]

Don't understand the Alt+extrude? is it Alt+E?

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

If you are using edit form and you have an edge selected, if you translate or scale that edge while holding down ALT you will extrude the edge. If you do this while holding CTRL + ALT you will extrude it with a crease.

[@guidoperez1226]

@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign Ty! Is there any way that I can contact you? I need help with a form that I do not know how to proceed with it, and the fusion forum isn't helping me

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

@@guidoperez1226 yup you can send me an email. [e-mail]