Twist & Connect: Mastering 3D-splines in Fusion 360

Take your connector design skills to the next level with this tutorial! Learn how to create unique and functional twisted connectors using powerful tools in Fusion 360. I will guide you through
drawing 3d-splines, constraining spline handles with colinear edge relations, and employing those splines as rails for a solid loft.
No prior advanced skills needed! This tutorial is perfect for anyone who wants to add a touch of creativity and functionality to their connector designs.
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[@drewsmith3443]

Excellent tutorial, constraining the bezier handles with equals❤

[@cademist]

Glad you liked it!

[@jean-philippecassar9633]

Great tutorial, save me a lot of thinking!

[@cademist]

Glad to hear it!

[@RichPenn]

Watching you build the model in Fusion 360, and the previous build you did in Onshape, is a wonderful opportunity to see how different systems work. Thank you..

[@cademist]

Well Richard, thanks for taking the time to go through both of them :-)

[@gillesker]

Thank you for this useful video. I’m trying to make a piece which looks like this one and don’t really know fusion360. It will helps me.

[@cademist]

You are welcome!

[@jezcoates]

Considerably better than my solution of designing and printing flat, then using a heat gun to twist. Earned a subscriber!!😂😂😂

[@cademist]

I hadn't thought of your technique, must try that! Thanks for subscribing.

[@jamesthompson4062]

Really helpful video, thanks for posting 😎

[@cademist]

My pleasure!

[@garycullen1241]

I thought this was going to be fast, but I can not apply the collinear constraint to the first spline. It wont let me selct the line on the body. Then I tried the project command on the two corners before I drew the spline. That worked, but it snaps to the center line of the sketch before the extrude was done. After 2 hours of this, I've had enough! Can you tell me why it wont let me select the line on the body to apply the constraint please? Irritating hobby I'm trying to learn at age 71. I've made parts in my own machine shop, for 43 years but the new age computers are a different animal! I could have made 1,000 of these parts, from a sketch, drawn with a pencil on a piece of toilet paper, in the time I've spent just trying to draw it on a computer in Fusion 360! I have always wanted to learnn CAD, so I keep learning, even if I will probably never use it.

[@cademist]

Hi Gary, I'm sorry to read about these issues, at the same time I'm impressed that you start learning CAD at 71! I started drawing on paper but found a liking in this. Now, about those splines: at the very end of those they got handles, you need to click in the vicinity of the endpoint and they appear. Once visible you can apply the appropriate constraint. I hope this helps.

[@garycullen1241]

@cademist I followed you exactly, several times, 12 hours ago. That didn't work! I noticed you had the colored origin appear when you clicked on the first spline point. I thought about the settings in preferences. I went in and checked the box: "Allow 3D sketches of lines and splices." I was able to finish the drawing after I checked that box. Was I correct? I never quit! I'm getting good at figuring out problems ! LOL I like CAD drawing too. I had to make hundreds of sketches and reverse engineer parts so I could make them, and then a month later, make them again from my sketch. You have to make sure you don't miss any dimensions or your in trouble when you have to make the part from your sketch. I taught myself machining, welding, electronics, and how to run a successful business for 43 years, all without any help, or the internet. I look forward for more of your videos!

[@garycullen1241]

I started over and redrew the part from memory in 7 minutes without looking at your video! I'm proud of myself. When you learn the hard way, you retain more, has been my experience. I seldom make the same mistakes, I make new ones but learn each time. Thank you for the excellent video! I learned a lot from this one!

[@cademist]

Great that you figured that out with the 3d-sketch. in Fusion you are not constrained to a sketch plane, they are just there to help you orient yourself.