Learn Fusion 360 or Die Trying LESSON 5: Understanding Parametric Design and Modeling

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This lesson presents a tutorial on Parametric design and modelling for the absolute beginner. We focus on showing you how to think through a design project using Design Intent to create models that are easy to customize.
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[@cymeriandesigns]

FYI, if you're having problems entering negative offset values: negative offsets no longer work. A Fusion update switched to a scheme where you have to click a "flip" button in the Offset dialog box to get a negative offset. The value stays positive.

[@DrummerMan52]

I just tried using a negative offset value and not only did it work, it entered the "fx:" part as well. The "flip" function is still there if you want to do it that way. Hooray for updates!

[@vilnisvlc]

Negative offsets still working in 2021

[@MichaelR1975]

@@DrummerMan52 yep same

[@vineetg]

Negative offset is working with parameters.

[@krayfox]

As a HS Math teacher, this makes total sense, is very informative, and great.

[@josemesquita6713]

You ask for a comment, so I can tell you that for someone like me, and as a Hobbiest, I don't see any better explantion about fusion 360. I must tell you that your lessons are so clear, so precise, and easy to follow, that you become responsable for having me glued to my chair hours and hours. My huge admiration for someone that like you, spend your time teaching other without no other reason than simplify our lives. Thanks again.

[@craigrotay3732]

Paul, Your lessons on "Learn Fusion 360 or Die Trying" are fantastic. Your students probably don't realize how lucky they are to have you as their teacher, but they will in a few years. Keep up the excellent work.

[@paulmcwhorter]

Thanks . . . actually I have great students. They work really hard and are polite little ladies and gentlemen. Really blessed by the incredible students I have.

[@a0cdhd]

Mr. McWhorter.... Right... I am now six months ahead of where I was two days ago. I am off to buy my wife a 3D printer for Christmas!

[@timothytaylor6447]

If your having problems understanding Fusion 360 this is the series to watch. I learned more in the 1st hour than I have in watching days of videos from engineers. Only difficulty is that AutoDesk has released a new version and the commands are not always in the same location. Mr. McWhorter provides a slow pace presentation and explains every operation along the way rather than flying through a series of clicks. Must be a wonderful school teacher.

[@aknockn6718]

Paul, your Fusion 360 lessons are without question the best out there, even better than Fusion 360’s tutorials. Your approach is logical, easy to understand and reinforces key concepts in a way that is easy to remember. Keep up the GREAT work. I’m a fan for life. Art

[@paulmcwhorter]

Thanks. I think it helps not being an expert. I struggled to learn it, and I think that helps to teach it.

[@Purrplemon]

Paul you are fantastic! I'm 67 years old and your demeanor and pace is perfect to allow all this information to sink into some pretty stiff gray matter. I am a 3D Maker as well and whenever the subject is broached in my forums as to the best design software I highly recommend Fusion 360 primarily based on the availability of your excellent tutorials. Can't wait for lesson 6! THANK YOU!

[@paulmcwhorter]

Thanks!

[@chungwm]

I am a software developer for many years and watched more than 10 tutorial playlist from youtube/udemy/pluralsight, Paul's teaching style is one of the best. The lessons are well organized; Language to convey the knowledge is articulated, interesting, and sound. He make Fusion 360 so cool and can't wait to finish the whole playlist.

[@nerdsanctuary8307]

Your comments at the beginning on parameters are really analogous proper coding as well. That really helped me to tie my knowledge of one to the other. I was thinking along those lines, but you affirmed my assumption. Thank you so much for these videos. They are priceless.

[@paulmcwhorter]

Thanks for the kind words. Glad these videos are helping you.

[@markhwebster]

Excellent lesson! I love the way you are able to see potential confusing moments from the perspective of a student. Your pauses to explain are priceless. This is a sign of a true teacher. Thanks for building these. The slow progression through basic skills is top notch.

[@sanketss84]

just spectacular , your explanation has so much clarity it leaves no room for ambiguity.

[@newalla344]

This is why I think you should go back and watch videos you like, after a while as things change. A new understanding of what you knew before and now after reading comments. Thanks again very well done.

[@lukeevasonbarca]

I'd like to say, as a mechanical engineer, in my university they expect us to learn CAD ourselves and I really struggled getting to grips with fusion, but with these videos you've made it sooo easy! Thanks (I've recommended these vids to my entire family too.

[@MarkL410]

Hi Paul, My name is Mick Lyons and I'm new to Fusion 360, I'm finding your lessons extremely helpful and at the moment quite easy to follow; so I just wanted to say a BIG thank you!

[@chaomanUS]

The bug that is mentioned at 16:09 is fixed in version 2.0.12392. Instead of drinking a cup of coffee, I am enjoying a glass of whiskey on St. Patrick's day. Thank you Paul for putting the series of nice Fusion 360 tutorial videos.

[@JonoandMatt]

You know when you get the tingles or chills? I get that in my brain when I watch your lessons lol, and that's how I know I'm learning. Love all your content

[@paulmcwhorter]

Jord, I have remade these lessons, and have a new updated play list. It would be good to move to the new lessons on fusion 360 on this channel.

[@richterxxazula]

It's a good thing that Mr. McWhorter created contents like these, after seeing this and the previous parts of this series of lessons, I've felt that finally after all the previous attempts of learning fusion 360 and failed, I've finally found the path to winning the battle of becoming a successful Fusion 360 user. I feel like I've already won. Thank you Mr. McWhorter for your efforts of putting contents like this online and especially doing it for free.

[@paulmcwhorter]

Wow, thanks!

[@jimbojimbo3d429]

Every time I watch one of your videos I think that they can't get any better, and then the next does! Thank for you doing these!

[@vineetg]

Paul, you are a great teacher. Great style of teaching, and it truly represents what difference a real teacher can make. Kudos to you!

[@paulmcwhorter]

Be sure to check out the new Fusion 360 playlist.

[@rippinross3238]

Every lesson is getting more and more excited about this

[@tobinsexton6246]

I’m so very happy that you have this tutorial series!! I followed your Arduino series, with the intent of controlling parts I designed, but had been struggling with designing parts in Blender. The scaling issues were unending! This program is much better suited to designing functional prototypes, and your teaching method is perfectly suited for a mind like mine!

[@steves835]

This is an absolutely flawless tutorial. The lightbulb in my head was flickering before the lesson, but was completely alit and after. Thanks so much!!

[@paulmcwhorter]

Great to hear!

[@FarmCraft101]

I also found it annoying when the sketch would disappear as soon as you extrude something. If you go to preferences/general/design and uncheck 'autohide sketch on feature creation' it will quit doing that nonsense! Great videos, thank you for your teaching!

[@charleswells9682]

Thanks for this tip. I was approaching the "fold up like a cheap lawn chair" phase.

[@grahamsherwood102]

Great Tip re Autohide Sketch setting - it should default ON !

[@kacpermerkuriusz5642]

Its so nice to see you here! Love your vids!

[@utkf16]

Great tip and also a good reason to make sure we read the comments after each lesson

[@mariocacovich5286]

Best teacher ever - old school ,but too many coffe. I like that

[@RonFloyd]

I'm no F360 expert, but was in manufacturing for many years. I would think two choices might be better: 1. Since this is made for glasses to fit inside, use your INSIDE length, width, and height as the primary dimensions, and drive your outside dimensions through the wall thicknesses. That way, once you find the proper dimensions for a desired fit for the glasses, changing the wall thicknesses won't alter that fit. As drawn now, changing wall thicknesses will affect the way the glasses will fit inside. 2. Use an equation for the corner radii - such as (width+length)/9. That way, the corner radii will always remain proportional in the overall look. Just my 2¢. Thanks for the clear instructions - and especially for repeating and reinforcing each one.

[@Graham_Wideman]

@Blondie SL A rather delayed response, but basically yes. Ron is saying that if you're going to capture the intent of the design, then in this example the intent is for the case to fit around the glasses. So the underlying info is the dimensions of the (folded) glasses. Those would be an irregular shape, so the next best is the dimension of the smallest rectangular box that can fit around the glasses. We can use those dimensions for the interior of the case. Then for the exterior dimensions add the thickness of the wall (itself a parameter). You would need to add double the wall thickness to each dimension, since there are two walls, one on each side, in any direction. So OutsideWidth = InsideWidth + 2 * WallThickness, and so on.

[@omy2295]

Paul, I can't tell you how much I appreciate you. You are one selfless individual that loves people and loves what he is doing (gets satisfaction from both). I like your enthusiasm and dedication to uncovering the hidden keys to learning anything from Arduino, Raspberry Pi and now Fusion 360. Keep going man, you are doing a fantastic work!!

[@jeffjones1986]

Paul's a great instructor. He knows it, we all know it. After a certain point though the "thank you for being great" comments get in the way of folks that might have what I think he's actually looking for which is specific feedback about specific things he touched upon in the specific video. If you are thankful, and want him to know then click the heart icon above that says "THANKS" next to it and show him you appreciate him with real support. $10 or $20 would be nice. If you're just looking for a quick feel-good fix, then do what 1000 others have and leave a pointless thank you message here.

[@PaulLemars01]

Thanks for your guidance Paul. Lesson 5 complete and it's given me enough of a clue to use parameters in my design work. I've also modified you design a scootch on the cap to increase itself a bit so that it fits over the base easily. No 3D printer is perfectly accurate and line squish will oversize an object by about 0.1mm or so. This causes the cap to bind up so I added another parameter in the model called SquishComp which over sizes the cap by that amount. It's an absolute value since the squish isn't cumulative. Onto the next lesson. Once again thank you sir.

[@Graham_Wideman]

I would have thought that the slicer software in conjunction with the printer's profile would take care of this properly. After all, the slicer output G-code is not going to instruct the nozzle to extrude centered along a wall boundary line, it will be offset to one side by half the estimated width of the filament extrusion. That said, it is good to be aware that clearance can be addressed in the design tool like Fusion, and indeed is made easier by making clearance a parameter. Of course, all bets are off if you want to print the two parts assembled :-).

[@TheCerealHobbyist]

Paul - EVERY video gets me more jazzed to get more out of my 3d printer than just stuff I find on Thingiverse. I've understood the /idea/ of parametric CAD, but now I understand the POWER of it. Seriously, thank you. Your teaching style is just fantastic.

[@robjdrum]

Thank you so much for this series! Excellent teacher! I'm 46 and this series is making me miss my school days. :) Most KZbin videos that try to teach are done by someone who is a pro at the subject yet far too many are not great teachers. It's so nice that your series comes from someone who is a teacher first. It takes a special person to be a great teacher. I've programmed all my life and this video REALLY got me excited about 360. Nothing better than variables! :) Thank you.

[@arizonalockandsafe6626]

Mr. McWhorter I wish I would have had you as my math teacher in high school. I probably would have had a much different trajectory in my life. You are an excellent teacher and I am learning a ton from both your Fusion 360 and Arduino videos. I sincerely thank you.

[@1607rosie]

I didn't get to learn parameters , man your reaching us right , giving us a sound base.

[@stansmiley9271]

I *really* wish I had watched this as my first beginner Fusion tutorial series. Absolutely full of "cut to the chase" *have* to know information. Thank you!

[@GRainwater13]

Absolutely brilliant! Thank you so much!!! You have my vote for teacher of the decade!

[@tcape72]

This Lesson was totally awesome! After following this I went back and created a round container using the same parameterization methods. Thanks, your teaching style is very understandable.

[@paulmcwhorter]

Great job!

[@TheMinishKid]

I don't know why, but at 6:27 when Paul whips the top of that box out of nowhere, it makes me laugh so hard! Oh, yeah, I'm loving these tutorials. Excellent job Paul, I'm learning so much!!

[@paulmcwhorter]

You did not see that one coming did you? Appreciate the kind words.

[@terryk3118]

Learned so much from this video. Thank you for your efforts. Expertly explained and I learned things by accident that you weren't even trying to present.

[@kensdc]

Paul, I cannot thank you enough for these videos! excellent material & excellent help, cheers!!

[@Jick_Channel]

I love parameter, once you learn it, you don't want to be a wild man again. You will set parameter to all your design!

[@ainik20]

I cannot believe this video it's already more than 2 years ago! This has been super helpful, very easy to follow, and much easier to understand than other videos that I was trying to follow! You taught this program like it is not a program, but a logical thinking process which can be easily translated to others! Thank you so much!!

[@sridharsathya8719]

Glad that I stumbled upon this playlist. Even though the video is about 4 years old it's one of the most valuable lessons for Fusion 360.

[@yagookie]

Brand new to this Paul, and I would like to thank you very much for making this powerful program so much more understandable and fun

[@tmccash]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I just started learning today. I am almost done with lesson 5 and I am way ahead of people that I know who have been using fusion 360 for months!

[@jwalsho93]

thanks Paul another great video. i appreciate this lesson, the power of parameters is bountiful!

[@forestine_]

Thanks, Paul! Your teaching style really works with my brain.

[@mcpojack]

The light bulb has come on!! Outstanding lesson!!

[@paulmcwhorter]

Great! Lets all use parametric design from now on.

[@marcoswalsh]

Thank you Paul! Every lesson is fantastic!

[@populistparty2010]

I LOVE your method of teaching. It is just perfect for my "older" neural network! Some of the concepts and nuances of Fusion 360 (I cut my teeth on Sketchup) that I have struggled with for the past 6 weeks have been brilliantly cleared up in about 6 hours of your videos. Thank you so much for this quality content.

[@marinoagallo]

great start to my 360 learning curve … thanks! already shared with a few others and they're digging it too … looking forward to the rest of the series …

[@JuanAdam12]

Super-powerful and fundamental lesson. Thank you!

[@sarahcotterill1323]

I just love your lessons with fusion 360, so well explained its giving me so much pleasure learning this new skill. Thank you.

[@lesliejames5722]

What a truly fantastic lesson, thanks Paul.

[@idontseeit]

Thank you so much for all these incredible videos!!

[@keitharnold7383]

Paul thank you so much for these great Fusion 360 tutorials! I'm a home hobbyist and was delighted to find a free CAD application with so much learn-once-use-forever power under the hood. But after days of watching KZbin tutorials of various smart people showing off Fusion 360 capabilities, I was still struggling to get my head in the game and continuously tying myself up in knots. Your emphasis on mastering 2D sketching with the foundational principles around dimension, position & constraints (along with the value of using parameters) has radically changed that, and while I've got a lot to learn there is now forward movement and "or die trying" seems less of a likely outcome!

[@mikelaser6180]

Wow! these videos have been so much help. Thank you.

[@Tony770jr]

Makes sense... Helpful. Thanks Paul, keep them coming!

[@paulmcwhorter]

OK, appreciate the feedback.

[@DavidLeibs]

Wow, for me this is the lesson that really sells Fusion 360. This is how programmers think!

[@paulmcwhorter]

And engineers. The truly great ones think like this. Unfortunately, there are many programmers and engineers that dont think clearly now days.

[@thewoodmaster]

I learn programs very quickly but Fusion has been kicking my you know what. Your videos have been so informative and to the point that I was able to work a model eye case from this video, I get excited when I come across videos on KZbin that hit the nail on the head.I know I will be able to master this program now, Thank you

[@MrFegro]

Hi Paul, I agree, that we are privileged to have you tutoring us. I am gaining so much out of it, Thanks!

[@gweliver]

I feel as if I’m finally getting it, GREAT JOB. Lesson 3 on Constraints was right on! This is an area just like you stated, when not aware of the rule it causes great confusion that reminds me of a software problem or “locking-up”! Thanks Gary

[@philnewman1110]

Paul, this is my second episode tonight! I must be getting really hooked, this made complete sense to me, i would never of thought of using this method to manufacture something until watching this. Great video as always, well done!

[@KB-tec01]

Just started watching your series with Fusion 360 and a big thumbs up - Thank You! :)

[@rlhunt2]

This is my second time around on your 360 lessons. I appreciate what you have done and I hope more of your knowledge sticks with me better and longer this time. You are a great teacher. Thank you

[@Rctdcttecededtef]

Your vids have been immensely helpful, thank you

[@ernestasvaikasas6528]

Thank you, these lessons are very helpful!

[@sheetskooter1]

I will tell you, I just downloaded Fusion 360 2 days ago. I needed to make something simple so I played around by myself. I have never designed or worked with much in 2d but I got it done in a couple hours because there was just thickness for the 3rd dimension. I have since wanted to design something more complex. I am glad I found your lessons. They go just slow enough to understand and do along with, but not too slow where you are waiting. I didn't understand how amazing this program was. Now in just these 5 videos I think I could take off running. I will however choose to learn more from the other ones.

[@paulmcwhorter]

Thanks for the kind words. Glad it is working for you.

[@frugalhobbyist7404]

WOW... a Fusion 360 video series with understandable and orderly presentation. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[@karstenulrikviby]

Thank you! I was searching for absolute beginners stuff, and people started throwing words like parametric design around, without bothering to explain this. At least now so I understood it. This is very usefull! On to the next episode!

[@h.ostling5177]

Your lessons have been excellent and really got me through the confusion. Well done and please keep 'em coming.

[@SpinStar1956]

Probably one of the most important videos--you're a great teacher. Really enjoyable content!

[@froggie5]

Just want to say how thankful and grateful I am for you taking the time to teach fusion 360. As a non digital organic person your videos have made something that seemed impossible much easier to understand and utilize. It is thrilling to begin to be able to use this tool, and understand this foreign language bit by bit. A heavy cloud has been lifted and I am so excited to learn and begin using this knowledge. It become very comfy sitting down to watch another tutorial with my cup of cocoa and feel good by the end, and not frustrated. Thank you sir.

[@sashamuller9743]

I love your methodological approach to teaching

[@robmedi44]

Great lesson Paul. Very helpful and easy to follow.

[@philnewman1110]

Brilliant video as always Paul, really enjoying this series and much more i actually believe i am learning some really good stuff from it, i have to watch each video a couple of times to grasp every lesson but it is getting clearer by the minute. Thanks very much!

[@creativebobbo]

Awesome video. I can see this being a HUGE time saver. Your lessons are phenomenal. Your ability to bypass the fluff and go right to the meat and potatoes is amazing. Thank you for posting these lessons.

[@TheWordlesswonder]

My PLTW course switched from Inventor to Fusion 360--I am so thankful I found you Paul! You are a lifesaver with these instructional videos that show how to get the most benefits out of the Fusion program, and doing so in such a concise manner. I can't wait for my students to benefit from your sharing!

[@davelewis3963]

Great Lesson Paul. I really appreciate the time and effort that you put into making these videos. It comes across that you are really passionate about teaching this and we are the beneficiaries!

[@wallymurray620]

Super lesson, this is great info. Thanks again Paul.

[@antonellostella8544]

From Italy, you are great teacher

[@marcusgallagher1723]

Thank you for this series. I just created my first design without following along to a video. A simple 1-2-3 block from the machining world. I was surprised at how easy it was to do after following along for the first 4 videos. Now I'm back to keep learning some more. Thanks again!

[@waynehughes6967]

Paul thank you so much, Great video as always!

[@colehawkins6623]

Exactl video Paul. You have brought me from nothing too actually knowing have to somewhat navigate fusion. Thanks so much.

[@RBurwell]

Thank you so much for these tutorials. They are perfect for beginners. So relaxed. You truley are the Bob Ross of Fusion 360.

[@tomcresle706]

Paul- Thanks for this series!! You are an educator par excellance! After each lessonI have been able to design something to print with my 3D printer, and after the next lesson I have learned several ways to make my design better next time. these videos really are a gift. Thank you!

[@mr27lee]

Brilliant! I love how you focus on working smart, and Im a parameter-guy myself, and this is very helpfull!

[@ianbertenshaw4350]

That just made my life so much easier ! I was using( struggling with ) turbocad and have decided to try fusion as it has cam capability for my engraver .By using parameters i can design cases for my Arduino projects and change the size with ease ! There many other uses like patterns for cast flywheels etc and the list goes on . Thanks Paul !

[@sz72909]

If you want a parametric box for glasses, I suggest making the INSIDE rectangle fit the glasses, so when you OFFSET out (not in), or change the wall thickness, then any size of glasses will fit.

[@oszkarnagy4673]

I love your tutorials. Exactly what I was looking for. Thanks very much...

[@JCBoss76]

Its been 5 years since you made these videos and there have been some improvements and some changes to the user interface but these videos have really helped me master the concepts and user interface. I have also viewed Kevin Kennedy's videos which are very good but he really goes too fast and glosses over basic user interface. The combination of the two video series are really pretty complimentary. I would start with Paul's series at least through the first 5 and then if you want more technical approach, Kevin's series will be much easier to follow as you will now have a firm foundation on the basics. One best practice that you should follow from the beginning that Kevin stresses is to save your files and name all sketches and components as you go so when you have a more complex design of many sketches and components, you can navigate easily to the correct place.

[@seanarmstrong9875]

These lessons are absolutely fantastic, thank you so much. Please keep it up

[@johndiy6420]

Paul, Thankyou for these tutorials. I am really enjoying them and this last lesson was really great. Ive just tweaked the spec case into a business card holder. I am beginning to see the importance of thinking through a design before diving into the software. In many ways its like the old carpenter's statement "Measure twice and cut once". Thanks a lot. Now on to the next one in the series!

[@jacobnusz955]

It is so cool to make parameters! This makes it a lot easier when making changes as you said. Fusion 360 is packed with all kinds of interesting and neat tools to use. Thank you for the video. It was very helpful as usual.

[@MrEngineer_]

Wow...i gained a lot of clarity!!Thank you Paul!!

Sr. you a wonderful teacher!! Thanks from Mexico 😃

[@cookiessewingstudio]

Super helpful. So glad I found your site.

[@aoates2249]

Hi Paul from Sheffield, England, UK........ This is definitely the best episode so far in your Fusion series. A Brilliant tutorial demonstrating how important variables and parameters really are in any design process, be it modelling or say coding...I love how everything learnt just simply fell into place with the example dimension changes right at the end of your video...Brilliantly done :) With you holding the torch my fear of CAD has taken a back seat ..Thank You :) Andy

[@petert101]

Been following your tutorials, very good! I have not heard 'welllllllllllllll the probleeeeeeeeemmmmmmmmmmmmmm is.....' once. What a relief. And your tutorials are way better anyway. Thanks for your troubles.

[@davesworkplace1616]

Best teacher...ever! Thanks Paul for saving my Fusion experience. I took a beginner course on Udemy and that left me so frustrated (although I finished it), that I was worried about learning Fusion. In the course, the simple projects had numerous sketches in the list and I would lose all my stuff and not know where it went. And even when following the tutorials exactly, my screen looked different that theirs and the constraints were different from the get go. And for a beginner course it was way too fast. Your videos are the correct pace to let it soak in to the brain and remember it. I am starting lesson 6 here shortly and 1-5 were excellent. Keep up the great work. :)

[@vladsemenenko1499]

very good tutorial, thank you!