Fusion 360 Tips From Viewers Like You (maybe you, specifically)

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This week, I just have a couple of cool Fusion 360 tips for you:
- Using the sketch centerline
- Dragging to create tangent constraints
Raw Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/b...
00:00 Intro
00:43 The sketch centerline tool
04:10 Dragging to create tangent constraints
06:55 Conclusion

[@urbanawoodproject3123]

I literally laughed out loud when you said "Yes" to "Is that something that is going to change your life?"

[@gregmoser2086]

Literally same. I often wonder "how on earth do engineers design such crazy parts so quick?" and it's stuff like that to save a bunch of time!

[@JimPudar]

It seriously is going to change my life 😂

[@Bob_Adkins]

@@JimPudar Butterfly effect.

[@Bob_Adkins]

The bar is really low for OC engineer nerds like me.

[@toxxxicvision7400]

You should do more Fusion tutorials.

[@msteele999]

As a maker I appreciate these quick hit videos that make repetitive tasks faster - I encourage you to keep doing these types of videos in conjunction with your longer form ones.

[@lewsdiod]

More of these please! Had no idea about that click drag thing either

[@stevegrise1571]

Does watching James video is going to change my life ? Yes.

[@stephenjohnson6841]

It's crazy how much you can learn from networking/talking with someone that uses a tool or software! Thanks again James and other viewers!

[@tweedrhino]

When inspecting, you can click in the white area (off sketch) to reset instead of clicking the reset button

[@Chris-oj7ro]

Holy shit! Thanks!

[@andywright5198]

Thank you!!

[@Cjarka_]

Thank you so much

[@workingclassinteriors9101]

I came here to say this!!

[@JustTryGambling]

I’m so glad there are others out there that think through every little thing and potential problems before even starting. People think I’m weird for it

[@JCWren]

And for all those fancy features, there's no way to abandon changes to a sketch. Or if you try to move a component that's part of a joint, it'll do everything except actually move it. You'd think they could manage simple error messages like "Can't move because of joint Rigid21 in component XYZ". Then there's my favorite: A sketch that's unconstrained, and seemingly no matter what constraints you try to apply, it then becomes over-constrained. How about telling what it WANTS to be constrained. And yes, I know about the blue lines and the sketch.showunderconstrained command, but it doesn't tell me WHY it's not constrained.

[@kenay1989]

Glad I could help with the tangent line tip, it's about time I gave you something for all of this free content

[@Andrew_Fernie]

👍

[@mpart_woodlathe-stuff]

Wow, great thought here " It's an intellectual process ...". So much better than blaming it on my OCD or anal-retentive tendencies or that I overthink things. It's gems like these that make life that much better. Thank you much James !

[@partsdave8943]

I also use the keyboard shortcut X for construction lines. It’ll be even faster for you.

[@jerrymk6846]

Well… I’m pretty sure he knows, but with a SpaceMouse, you kinda refrain yourself from using the keyboard that much. Fusion also lacks many keyboard shortcuts (like advancing to the next input field for the side panel) so you kinda have to do a ton of mouse movements in this software regardless.

[@jnxmck]

He often says "hit X for a construction line" during his F360 segments

[@jerrymk6846]

@@jnxmck Ahh yes now I remember, he definitely knows 😁. Hit X for construction, and L for line. D for dimension, 55 millimeters.

[@rickmellor]

My life has been changed, once again, just by hanging out in the shop with you. Thanks dude!

[@davidpearson3146]

i still think i have learnt more about fusion from you than i could ever teach you. loving the fusion videos, speeds up my modelling no end. less clicks over time makes a big difference

[@AutoBeta2T]

Super cool tips - thanks to you and your audience 😀

[@MyMGBJourney]

This would be an awesome once a month video! So much to learn there! Thank you!

[@rbrianlindahl5499]

One that I noticed as you were working... if you're dimensioning something where you have a line that's that length (like the bottom line that is 15/30 in your example), just dimension the line instead of clicking on the verticals on either side.

[@JorgTheElder]

That can depend on what you are doing. Many times I know I am going to mess with a line in ways what will invalidate the dimension, so I make sure the dimensions are between features that are not going to be modified in a way that will break the dimension.

[@georgespeake5089]

I will probably never use Fusion 360 but I share your enthusiasm and enjoy all the work and teaching your provide. God bless!

[@d2doctor]

Those are very useful tips. Tangent drag is going to save me so much time :o

[@daniel_s1337]

Very small tip: start a new sketch by clicking on a surface and pressing the R,L,C... sketch shortcuts instead of using the add sketch button

[@johnmessenger7292]

"will this change your life?.......yes, yes it will" Love it

[@scruffy3121]

Love this kind of content mixed in with the other stuff. Keep up the good work!

[@mattglandorf9077]

I love your Fusion videos, I appreciate the help.

[@Noxoreos]

Instead of clicking the "construction line" button, you can just press x on the keyboard to turn this on or off. You can also first draw a normal line and later convert it to a construction line by selecting it (or select multiple lines on the sketch) and then hit x on the keyboard. This saves me a lot of time.

[@Cybernetic_Systems]

This is my favourite shortcut in the sketch workspace!

[@MakenModify]

Optimizing workflows when working with (software) tools is something I also enjoy. Here is one more to switch between construction and normal line just hit "x" on the keyboard... (I think... Its been a while since switching away from F360]

[@azenginerd9498]

I make my living driving CAD every day (not F360) and yes, the little things add up tremendously! They help reduce the tedious parts and keep you working on the magic you are creating. ...is that what I do for a living? Doesn't feel like magic.

[@matthewjacobs3952]

Similar to the tangent trick, you can draw a line perpendicular to a circle by drawing a line coincident to the circle, and somewhat perpendicular then hold shift, a perpendicular constraint appears

[@satchelsieniewicz5824]

love your videos so much! keep up the work you are an inspiration!

[@chiparooo]

Those are great! Thanks to you and all that shared!

[@Ideasite]

Thank you so much for these videos. I don['t use Fusion on a daily basis and I know there are shortcuts. I can't tell you how much I appreciate this video. More of the same!

[@UncleKennysPlace]

I discover new stuff every time I use Fusion 360. I learned on two different programs, so there was the learning curve, but 360 has so many features that seem to read my mind! Small projects (in complexity, not size) take minutes (such as the adapter I printed yesterday to hold my large solar filter on my 600mm lens for the eclipse.)

[@Rollie396]

A couple of real aha moments there,thanks!

[@joell439]

My absolute bane in life is that I too MUST think through everything BEFORE I START. And since my mind never stops thinking about what-if’s, I have very few ‘what I did’ to show for it 😢.

[@XcaroTenes]

James has mad Fusion skilz, and his videography and explanations are just as good. Just wanted to comment that the tangent example could have been just a tiny bit faster/more efficient - he could have used a centerline and mirrored the upper tangent line, yes? I don’t have Fusion with me at the moment, but I’m thinking you’d also get a free equal constraint that way too.

[@alangraham8926]

Your knowledge and humility are exceptional, thank you for sharing.

[@ronwilkins5727]

For the line (the icon for which is actually AutoCAD's polyline hinting at lines and arcs) it depends on your initial movement from the end of the line. It depends on which quadrant you initially move the mouse. If you accidentally move in the wrong direction, just move the mouse back to the lines end point, then move in a different direction.

[@robertsharpe9898]

Both of those tips are OUTSTANDING !! Very useful !! Thanks for sharing!

[@SmithyScotland]

Great tips.

[@smellslikeupdog80]

please more of this. this is excellent. drag and drop is a great quality of life feature I just learned about.

[@rickpalechuk4411]

These tips also apply to Inventor as well 😀 This should be a regular segment of your channel as tips like these helps us all to be productive Cheers

[@edwardaloftis6705]

Cool stuff James.

[@pukkimi]

I work as a software engineer/project manager/software architect. I also train some newcomers in our company. I have adopted now a one hour session for programming IDE shrotcuts and Windows hotkeys. I also share nifty commandline/powershell/shell commands that could help with the workload. The new employees have thanked me greatly and some say they have become more efficient for that short training. And they can focus better at the task at hand.

[@Marorrai]

As a newbie and casual user i really appreciate this tips!

[@mazchen]

Super helpful! I noticed the introduction of the centerline some time ago. But I had no idea of the benefits 😮

[@RobertBrown-lf8yq]

Wow‼️ I’ve been using F360 for years…. but sporadically…. I knew about the centreline option….. but you’ve now shown me WHY… when I try to dimension a parallel line off a ‘centreline’, I’ve been getting a ‘double’ dimension . F360 assumes the second line is a ‘diameter’ 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Now I know why…. I probably should have use a ‘construction’ line instead of a ‘centreline’. Thanks James…. and thanks to the commenter that raised the ‘centreline’ aspect. Regards Robert

[@JustTryGambling]

If you sketch on a surface, you don’t need to project that surface. The projection is made when you sketch to the surface 👍🏻

[@autonoob]

Thank you. These are great tips. 👍

[@dartsportduster]

Love these short and effective videos 💪🏼💪🏼👍

[@123232ism]

Thanks for sharing the tips! Really appreciate your videos and especially your attention to details. Best regards...

[@tonybell1597]

Brilliant, great tips! Thanks

[@jaydenthatcher5243]

Great video, I always see great intermediate tips from your videos

[@wafflecart]

Not having them in components and saved triggered my OCD 🤣Please do more fusion tutorials! The dragging a line thing could have saved me a lot of time if I knew it a week a go.

[@grantdavies6081]

Awesome video, would love more tips!

[@mrtnsnp]

Inefficiency is often caused by "death by a thousand pinpricks". So the reverse makes sense as well: efficiency caused by many small things.

[@jimruddy6083]

So clever and I love clever.

[@RoboCNCnl]

very nice one !!

[@MrSneakyGunz]

Love it as per usual.

[@anniebooo]

Thank you. More videos like this! Thanks

[@conglomeration59]

Thank you! You helped me as well with these tips. I am at the very beginning of using Fusion360

[@mkegadgets4380]

A great little video. I use Fusion 360. I love to learn more things. I use a centerline when I do a mirror. Then you don’t have the geometry line in the middle of it. Look forward to your next video.

[@SethKotta]

These tips are so tasty! Keep them coming

[@blessdstry]

Love the videos!

[@Cybernetic_Systems]

Great video, I had no idea I could use those functions that way!

[@seanwolfe9321]

Us guys that are having to learn F360 in a trial by fire manner, these helpers are awesome, but what I’ve learned from you James has been almost “life changing”?

[@EZ_shop]

good tips James. Ciao, Marco.

[@MCEngineeringInc]

Great tips 👍🏻

[@WatchWesWork]

It's hilarious that they have carried over the keyboard commands from the ancient command line version of AutoCAD.

[@erik_dk842]

Much faster than moving the mouse. Much better ergonomics, too

[@davidapp3730]

I don't use Fusion 360 but it is interesting seeing tips like that because it may work in other cad programs.

[@chartle1]

So much better then what I do. I pound the keyboard with my fists and yell at the mouse until I get sort of what I want. 🤣

[@johnjohn-ed9qt]

I enjoy the tips for Fusion, though it is not my primary design tool. I gotta say, though, that they keep hammering in that the documentation is terrible. I have done the autodesk training (for certifiacation, whatever that is worth) for several products, and some of the basic features you use are never touched. You have been a wonderful funnel for the features of Fusion. Keep up the good work.

[@frigzy3748]

To deselect everything in measure mode, just click on any empty space outside of the model.

[@RandomSmith]

when using L for starting a line, double click to end a line is one I use a lot

[@garnergc]

I saw in the last week that Autodesk dropped the 360 out of Fusion 360. Now lets see people nitpick about the name

[@biglouie69]

I am surprised at how few times the Parametric modeling methods are used. Dimensioning with parametric modeling makes it sooooo easy to change dimensions in a part while prototyping.

[@tomsko863]

7:15 - I also need to plan everything out, especially when using Fusion360. I know that Fusion360 is a parametric system, but I have the hardest time not completely blowing-up my model when I have to go back and edit a feature that I didn't expect to have to edit in some way. It's so much easier in Catia and Solidworks. So every trick and tip helps me alot.

[@pmcquay1]

One of my least favourite things about fusion is how awful it is about actually telling you whats wrong. As a software developer, I want it to stop me from doing anything else, and give me a dialog that lets me fix the problem, as soon as something is not 100% obvious to it. Most of the time it just pops up a warning that is barely enough to go on, and then only sometimes can I fix something. God forbid I break a component copy or something else like that. It doesnt let you fix those at all.

[@danw8404]

😊​@@pmcquay1

[@sanketss84]

First two and half minutes i watched till the moment you did that revolve and a round object was created. I was like whaat i did not know that we can do this too.

[@dennismatovich8411]

Well done, subd for more just like this!

[@urbanawoodproject3123]

I'm someone who has been a bit bothered in the past when you've devoted large portions of video to Fusion rather than machining. However, I really liked this shorter tips variant that let me absorb some tricks without the video getting overly long. I hope you'll do more like this.

[@Chris-oj7ro]

I agree! The video was short but it was a perfect brain morsel. Do a bunch like this and then make a playlist of them for people who can't get enough.

[@urbanawoodproject3123]

@@Chris-oj7ro Perfect "brain morsel". I like that!

[@mattwerner523]

I had read about drawing tangent lines somewhere but the words didn't make sense. Thanks for the visual!

[@cromag141]

Cool

[@davidhofman4341]

I learned Inventor before Solid works and some Fusion 360. Inventor was easiest to dimension . When you add a value to a line, you can click on that value and use it modified other places. Inventor likes the origin to be the center of the object. You create a template with a point locked on the origin. All dimensions were number and could be renamed or modified in a pull down list.

[@rbrianlindahl5499]

You can do the same thing (clicking on dimensions to use them in math in other dimensions) in Fusion

[@rods87175]

Good tips that I will use! BTW, as of January 2024, Fusion 360 is now known as just "Fusion".

[@volkcncmachine2818]

5 year Fusion user watching the tangent line and tangent arc trick: "WHAT!?!"

[@Andrew_Fernie]

These are proper tips. Not some 20 step thing you will never remember. Just a simple "click this button and everything will be better".

[@miguelfernandez2325]

It's the little things that really matter.

[@BrilliantDesignOnline]

Quote from Galaxy Quest, beaming the Rock Monster aboard the ship...

[@Diehard754]

😮🤯😃

[@platin2148]

Hmm i’m searching for a way to make a sketch Round as in wrap to a Cylinder anyone some idea how i could do it?

[@AlexAlexanderIII]

Im still convinced this is Louis C.K.'s brother.

[@drpainnuk3d]

LOL I do both these mistakes

[@jimdean7335]

I’m a changed man….

[@MSM5500]

It's better to stay away from Fusion and use some proper industrial CAD/CAM/CAE solutions instead.

[@Clough42]

Better in what way? Better for what applications? Better for which users?

[@jacevincent2574]

Oooo I haven't watched the video yet but I use F360 professionally as an engineer so hopefully I can learn something new or leave some more pointers 🫡