& Construction
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Integrated BIM tools, including Revit, AutoCAD, and Civil 3D
& Manufacturing
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Professional CAD/CAM tools built on Inventor and AutoCAD
Integrated BIM tools, including Revit, AutoCAD, and Civil 3D
Professional CAD/CAM tools built on Inventor and AutoCAD
Transcript
00:02
Identify bodies and components.
00:05
After completing this video,
00:06
you'll be able to
00:08
identify a body,
00:09
identify a component,
00:11
create a component,
00:12
identify ground to parent,
00:13
and use copy and paste new.
00:17
To get started in Fusion,
00:18
we want to open the supplied data set Bodies and Components.
00:21
F3D.
00:23
Inside this design we have a browser that contains one component called Tyre,
00:28
and if we expand the body's folder,
00:29
we've got one body called RIM.
00:32
When we think about bodies and components in fusion,
00:35
it's important to understand the difference and why it matters.
00:39
So,
00:39
first,
00:39
anytime we create a new sketch or a new feature,
00:42
by default,
00:43
it's going to be created as a body.
00:46
Bodies are inherently linked and fixed to the top level of our design.
00:50
The top level of our design contains its own coordinate system.
00:54
When we have components in a design,
00:56
each component will have its own coordinate system
00:59
and the ability to contain its own bodies,
01:01
sketches,
01:01
and other information.
01:03
As we move components about,
01:05
the coordinate systems will go with them.
01:08
Fusion keeps track of these coordinate systems based
01:10
on where they are inside of our design.
01:13
This is how we can use joints to create mechanical motion.
01:17
Fusion will ask us if we need to revert that position
01:19
back to where it came from or capture its new location.
01:23
Reverting and capturing positions is a great way
01:25
to identify different positions of a design.
01:29
In this case,
01:29
we're gonna revert back to its original position.
01:33
If we want to create an empty component,
01:35
we can start by going to our assemble menu and selecting new component.
01:39
Components can be either internal to an assembly or external.
01:44
External components will be linked externally,
01:46
we can still edit them using tools like edit in place,
01:49
but they will have their own design file.
01:52
Internal components will be saved in the context of the current assembly.
01:56
We also have the ability to convert
01:58
bodies to components.
02:00
When we create a new component,
02:02
we have the ability to activate it.
02:04
For right now,
02:04
let's simply say OK to create a new component.
02:07
If we want to convert a body to a component,
02:10
we can follow that same method or we can simply right
02:12
click on the body and select Create components from bodies.
02:16
This will automatically inherit the name of the body
02:18
and create it as a new component.
02:21
Once the rim is a component,
02:22
now it's free to move about because it has its own coordinate system.
02:27
There are going to be some best practices with when
02:29
you create components and when you stick with bodies,
02:32
and that's a fairly big topic on its own.
02:35
But in general,
02:36
it's important to note and identify that if you're dealing with mechanical motion,
02:40
if you need to make exploded view animations in the animation workspace,
02:44
and if you're dealing with downstream data like
02:46
drawings with bill of materials or parts lists,
02:49
then you likely want to stick with working in components.
02:52
When we activate a component,
02:54
any features that were used during the creation of that component
02:57
will be seen in the timeline.
02:59
This is also another great benefit to using components because it gives us
03:03
the ability to create geometry and simplify what we're seeing in the timeline.
03:08
When we go back to the top level of our design,
03:10
this is going to allow us to see every
03:13
timeline feature that's included in the entire design.
03:17
Let's go ahead and hide the default origin,
03:19
and let's also hide the origin inside the tire.
03:22
One other aspect of dealing with components inside of an assembly
03:26
is understanding how they can be fixed to the environment.
03:29
If we right click on the tire,
03:31
there's an option to ground to parent.
03:34
Grounding to parent makes this a child component
03:36
and it'll basically fix it in this environment.
03:39
We can see that there is now an icon at the top left of the cube.
03:44
Anytime we create a new design,
03:46
and we start by creating a new component,
03:49
the new component will automatically be ground to parent unless you
03:52
go into your user preferences and turn that option off.
03:56
We have the ability to right click and unground from parent if we want.
04:00
It is important to note that there are some slight differences between
04:04
ground to parent and pinning a component.
04:07
Pinning a component will put the component in its current location
04:11
and lock it in place.
04:13
Grounding to parent has a little bit more of an effect on the
04:16
original position of a component when it was inserted into a design.
04:21
So if we make adjustments to,
04:22
let's say the RIM position
04:24
and we capture its position,
04:26
then we come back and decide to ground it to parent,
04:29
it wants to ask us if we need to update the initial position
04:32
or if we want to ground to parent.
04:35
Keep in mind that grounding to parent is going
04:37
to put it back in its original location.
04:40
Let's go ahead and undo that last step,
04:43
right click and select ground to parent once more.
04:46
In this case,
04:46
we can say,
04:47
update the initial position,
04:49
and it'll take a look at its current position and then ground it to parent in that
04:53
specific spot.
04:55
So there are some different implications when using ground to parent,
04:59
but keep in mind that this is slightly different than using the pin tool
05:03
because pin is going to simply put it in the current location.
05:07
Another aspect of design that we should understand
05:10
is the ability to copy and paste components.
05:13
If we needed a couple of variations of this tire,
05:15
for example,
05:16
we have the ability to right click on it
05:18
and we can select copy.
05:20
If we were to go to the top level,
05:22
right click and say paste,
05:25
what this is going to do is create a second instance of this tire.
05:29
The 2nd instance will always remain linked and be exactly the same as the 1st.
05:34
However,
05:34
if we right click and use paste new,
05:37
what we're doing is we're creating a duplicate,
05:39
a copy of it that is remaining by itself unlinked to the original design.
05:44
So for example,
05:45
if I use Move copy and on the keyboard to move this,
05:49
we can make any changes we want to this new copy of the tire
05:52
because it's not linked to the original.
05:55
When you're taking a look inside of the browser,
05:57
you can identify multiple versions of the same part
06:01
by taking a look after the colon.
06:03
Tyre colon 1 means that's the first instance of that tire.
06:08
Tyre colon 2 means it's the second instance.
06:11
These will always remain identical,
06:13
so any changes to one will also make changes to the other.
06:16
This version here,
06:17
in brackets,
06:18
there's a one,
06:19
but then after the colon is a one.
06:22
This means that it's a unique copy of that original assembly component.
06:26
This can be a little tricky and really comes through practice,
06:30
playing around,
06:30
creating and generating your own assemblies and figuring out how these tools work.
06:35
Just keep in mind that there are some benefits
06:37
to creating components early in the design process,
06:40
mainly in the fact that we can organize our timelines
06:43
and simplify what we're looking at.
06:45
Another aspect of assemblies that's very helpful
06:48
is going to inspect and turning on component colors.
06:52
This will help us identify not only the components in the browser,
06:56
their color on the screen and the canvas area,
06:58
but also any features used to create them in the timeline.
07:02
We can see that this version of the tire,
07:04
the pink one,
07:05
all of its features are listed here in the timeline.
07:09
This means that if we need to quickly and easily
07:12
find a feature that belongs to one of our components,
07:15
we can identify that this color
07:17
is identified here,
07:18
and we can go in and we can make adjustments to one of its features.
07:23
For now,
07:24
I suggest that you go in and play around with your own assemblies.
07:27
Toggling on and off component color cycling can help,
07:30
but mainly understanding the differences between bodies and components,
07:34
how to use ground to parent,
07:36
and also how to use copy and paste new.
07:39
These will be important topics as you begin to build your own assemblies.
Video transcript
00:02
Identify bodies and components.
00:05
After completing this video,
00:06
you'll be able to
00:08
identify a body,
00:09
identify a component,
00:11
create a component,
00:12
identify ground to parent,
00:13
and use copy and paste new.
00:17
To get started in Fusion,
00:18
we want to open the supplied data set Bodies and Components.
00:21
F3D.
00:23
Inside this design we have a browser that contains one component called Tyre,
00:28
and if we expand the body's folder,
00:29
we've got one body called RIM.
00:32
When we think about bodies and components in fusion,
00:35
it's important to understand the difference and why it matters.
00:39
So,
00:39
first,
00:39
anytime we create a new sketch or a new feature,
00:42
by default,
00:43
it's going to be created as a body.
00:46
Bodies are inherently linked and fixed to the top level of our design.
00:50
The top level of our design contains its own coordinate system.
00:54
When we have components in a design,
00:56
each component will have its own coordinate system
00:59
and the ability to contain its own bodies,
01:01
sketches,
01:01
and other information.
01:03
As we move components about,
01:05
the coordinate systems will go with them.
01:08
Fusion keeps track of these coordinate systems based
01:10
on where they are inside of our design.
01:13
This is how we can use joints to create mechanical motion.
01:17
Fusion will ask us if we need to revert that position
01:19
back to where it came from or capture its new location.
01:23
Reverting and capturing positions is a great way
01:25
to identify different positions of a design.
01:29
In this case,
01:29
we're gonna revert back to its original position.
01:33
If we want to create an empty component,
01:35
we can start by going to our assemble menu and selecting new component.
01:39
Components can be either internal to an assembly or external.
01:44
External components will be linked externally,
01:46
we can still edit them using tools like edit in place,
01:49
but they will have their own design file.
01:52
Internal components will be saved in the context of the current assembly.
01:56
We also have the ability to convert
01:58
bodies to components.
02:00
When we create a new component,
02:02
we have the ability to activate it.
02:04
For right now,
02:04
let's simply say OK to create a new component.
02:07
If we want to convert a body to a component,
02:10
we can follow that same method or we can simply right
02:12
click on the body and select Create components from bodies.
02:16
This will automatically inherit the name of the body
02:18
and create it as a new component.
02:21
Once the rim is a component,
02:22
now it's free to move about because it has its own coordinate system.
02:27
There are going to be some best practices with when
02:29
you create components and when you stick with bodies,
02:32
and that's a fairly big topic on its own.
02:35
But in general,
02:36
it's important to note and identify that if you're dealing with mechanical motion,
02:40
if you need to make exploded view animations in the animation workspace,
02:44
and if you're dealing with downstream data like
02:46
drawings with bill of materials or parts lists,
02:49
then you likely want to stick with working in components.
02:52
When we activate a component,
02:54
any features that were used during the creation of that component
02:57
will be seen in the timeline.
02:59
This is also another great benefit to using components because it gives us
03:03
the ability to create geometry and simplify what we're seeing in the timeline.
03:08
When we go back to the top level of our design,
03:10
this is going to allow us to see every
03:13
timeline feature that's included in the entire design.
03:17
Let's go ahead and hide the default origin,
03:19
and let's also hide the origin inside the tire.
03:22
One other aspect of dealing with components inside of an assembly
03:26
is understanding how they can be fixed to the environment.
03:29
If we right click on the tire,
03:31
there's an option to ground to parent.
03:34
Grounding to parent makes this a child component
03:36
and it'll basically fix it in this environment.
03:39
We can see that there is now an icon at the top left of the cube.
03:44
Anytime we create a new design,
03:46
and we start by creating a new component,
03:49
the new component will automatically be ground to parent unless you
03:52
go into your user preferences and turn that option off.
03:56
We have the ability to right click and unground from parent if we want.
04:00
It is important to note that there are some slight differences between
04:04
ground to parent and pinning a component.
04:07
Pinning a component will put the component in its current location
04:11
and lock it in place.
04:13
Grounding to parent has a little bit more of an effect on the
04:16
original position of a component when it was inserted into a design.
04:21
So if we make adjustments to,
04:22
let's say the RIM position
04:24
and we capture its position,
04:26
then we come back and decide to ground it to parent,
04:29
it wants to ask us if we need to update the initial position
04:32
or if we want to ground to parent.
04:35
Keep in mind that grounding to parent is going
04:37
to put it back in its original location.
04:40
Let's go ahead and undo that last step,
04:43
right click and select ground to parent once more.
04:46
In this case,
04:46
we can say,
04:47
update the initial position,
04:49
and it'll take a look at its current position and then ground it to parent in that
04:53
specific spot.
04:55
So there are some different implications when using ground to parent,
04:59
but keep in mind that this is slightly different than using the pin tool
05:03
because pin is going to simply put it in the current location.
05:07
Another aspect of design that we should understand
05:10
is the ability to copy and paste components.
05:13
If we needed a couple of variations of this tire,
05:15
for example,
05:16
we have the ability to right click on it
05:18
and we can select copy.
05:20
If we were to go to the top level,
05:22
right click and say paste,
05:25
what this is going to do is create a second instance of this tire.
05:29
The 2nd instance will always remain linked and be exactly the same as the 1st.
05:34
However,
05:34
if we right click and use paste new,
05:37
what we're doing is we're creating a duplicate,
05:39
a copy of it that is remaining by itself unlinked to the original design.
05:44
So for example,
05:45
if I use Move copy and on the keyboard to move this,
05:49
we can make any changes we want to this new copy of the tire
05:52
because it's not linked to the original.
05:55
When you're taking a look inside of the browser,
05:57
you can identify multiple versions of the same part
06:01
by taking a look after the colon.
06:03
Tyre colon 1 means that's the first instance of that tire.
06:08
Tyre colon 2 means it's the second instance.
06:11
These will always remain identical,
06:13
so any changes to one will also make changes to the other.
06:16
This version here,
06:17
in brackets,
06:18
there's a one,
06:19
but then after the colon is a one.
06:22
This means that it's a unique copy of that original assembly component.
06:26
This can be a little tricky and really comes through practice,
06:30
playing around,
06:30
creating and generating your own assemblies and figuring out how these tools work.
06:35
Just keep in mind that there are some benefits
06:37
to creating components early in the design process,
06:40
mainly in the fact that we can organize our timelines
06:43
and simplify what we're looking at.
06:45
Another aspect of assemblies that's very helpful
06:48
is going to inspect and turning on component colors.
06:52
This will help us identify not only the components in the browser,
06:56
their color on the screen and the canvas area,
06:58
but also any features used to create them in the timeline.
07:02
We can see that this version of the tire,
07:04
the pink one,
07:05
all of its features are listed here in the timeline.
07:09
This means that if we need to quickly and easily
07:12
find a feature that belongs to one of our components,
07:15
we can identify that this color
07:17
is identified here,
07:18
and we can go in and we can make adjustments to one of its features.
07:23
For now,
07:24
I suggest that you go in and play around with your own assemblies.
07:27
Toggling on and off component color cycling can help,
07:30
but mainly understanding the differences between bodies and components,
07:34
how to use ground to parent,
07:36
and also how to use copy and paste new.
07:39
These will be important topics as you begin to build your own assemblies.
After completing this video, you’ll be able to:
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