Makerspace

A introduction to 3D modeling through Computer Aided Design (CAD). Learn the basics of creating 3D objects from scratch using Autodesk's Fusion 360. In this workshop you'll design a custom fidget spinner toy, ready for 3D printing! This workshop is a pre-requisite to the "3D Printing w/ Ultimaker" workshop. Refer to the makerspace calendar to find when this workshop is offered.

You will learn:
 - Fusion 360 (3D CAD Software)
 - The essentials of 3D CAD 
 - To save custom STL files

Before Attending this Workshop:
 - Create an Autodesk account with your email@coastal.edu (free for educational use)
 - Download Fusion 360 to your laptop
 - Register to attend the workshop

- Tool bar (changes based on the current task)

- Browser - A tree-like structure with folders to organize all the features of the 3D model, (Sketches, origin planes, components, bodies)

- Timeline - Keeps track of all user inputs allowing you to undo an action, or go back and view the model before a certain change was made.

Navigation

- Pan: Scroll wheel click and drag the scroll wheel. Or select the hand icon in the center bottom of the screen.

- Orbit: Shift + scroll wheel click and drag. Or click and drag the view cube in the top right corner. Or select the orbit tool at the bottom of the screen.

- Zoom: Scroll wheel in and out. Or select the magnifying glass icon at the bottom of the screen.

Typical Workflow

1. Determine how many components make up your design

2. For each component, determine a 2D face to start your sketch.

3. Draw the 2D face using sketching tools

4. Bring your design into the 3rd dimension using a "create" or "modify" tool.

5. Repeat for all components

Components

Before starting a sketch it is a good practice to first determine how many components the object is composed of. In other words, how many separate parts of pieces make up the object. You should create a new component when you need:

- Moving parts such as a hinge

- Multiple instances (copies) of a component that all update together

Starting a Sketch

A sketch is a 2D drawing which we use to help build 3D models. Sketches define the shape and dimensions of an object from a single view/face. The more complex your 3D model, the more sketches you'll need.

To start a sketch...

Click "Create Sketch" at the top left. Then select a plane or construction face to sketch on. The camera will rotate so that you are looking at a top-down view of the plane. You may also notice that our toolbar has changed, indicating that we are in sketching mode. Additionally, you may have noticed the "Sketch Palette" which appears on the right side of the screen.

From here, use the sketching tools to design the first face of your object. When you finish designing the face click "Finish Sketch" in the Sketch Palette. If you need to make changes to sketch after you've hit finish, simply open the "Sketches" folder from the browser, right-click the sketch and select "Edit Sketch".

Creating Bodies

After you have made a sketch defining a face of the model, you can bring the face into the 3rd dimension by creating a body. To create a body, determine what action needs to be done.

Common actions to bring sketching into 3D

- Extrude - Adds depth 

- Revolve

- Loft

- Sweep - Extrudes the face along an arbitrary path

[INSERT ANIMATIONS FOR 3D]

Construction Lines/Planes

Steps

1. Create a new sketch. 
2. Draw a circular hole just big enough for the bearing (22.1mm)
3. Select the "Offset" tool located under "Modify". Now click the circle and create an offset. This is the start of the spinner body.
4. We will use metal nuts as to give our spinner weight. Create a hole for the nut by selecting Create > Polygon > Circumscribed Polygon and drawing a hexagon with a radius of 9.6mm directly above the hole for the bearing.
5. Use the Offset tool on the hexagon. This starts the body of spinner's first arm.
6. Connect the bearing body to the arm body by drawing arcs (Create > Arc > 3-Point Arc). To draw an arc click where to start the arc on the outer hexagon, then select where the arc will end on the outer circle, finally move the mouse around to change the curvature and click to confirm. 
7. Let's bring our single-arm spinner into the third dimension. Click "Finish Sketch". Now select "Extrude" under "Create". Holding shift, click to select our three body sections, now extrude the body out the thickness of the bearing (8mm).
8. Finally let's add more arms to our spinner. Find Fusion's Circular pattern tool, Create > Pattern > Circular Pattern. This should have opened a new window. Next to "Objects" click "Select" and select our entire spinner body. Next, click "Select" next to "Axis". Select the axis that run through the center of our bearing (you may have to adjust the camera angle). Now adjust the quantity until you find the amount of arms you like.

Save your Model

If you plan to 3D print the model, make sure to save it as an STL. Do this by navigating to File > Export... then choose STL from the file extension list. Make sure to save the project file as well. Fusion 360 uses a proprietary file format (.f3d) to save your timeline, construction lines and other data that will be useful if you ever need to make modifications.