Learning Fusion 360

Some advice please from users of Fusion 360. I have a small CNC milling machine which I have only used so far for a bit of 2D engraving. I’d like to teach myself Fusion 360 so I can get a bit more adventurous and produce some 3D work.

I am aware of the tutorials that accompany the prog and of various people producing vids on the like of YouTube. I have also noticed a number of books published on the subject.

So, for those that have gone this route already, have you found any of the books available worth buying or would I just as well rely on the video tutorials? Thanks in advance.

Rik

I just looked at the CAM ones from Lars, there are 5 or 6 in the beginners series. I use Alibre for the actual drawing of the parts and just use a STEP file for teh CAM

I haven’t read any books on fusion probably because the manual for turbo cad 17 was 3 inches thick so it sort of put me off books on cad .

The other problem with books especially ones for fusion is that the programme is constantly being tweaked so a book written 2 years ago won’t give you any info about the changes made after it was written .

I started off watching Lars Christensen on Youtube then discovered another guy called Brad Tallis and between the two of those channels i have learned enough to get me where i want to go , the beauty of video is you can set up a phone , ipad or another computer to watch the person on YouTube as you follow along in fusion at the same time - if you miss something or don’t understand something you simply rewind the video a little and try again.

For those who have never used a CAD programme of any kind before the beginners tutorial by Paul mcworter is a good intro to fusion 360 and his Arduino tutorials are second to none imho.

I've started to learn Fusion 360 and the first 3 videos by Lars Christiensen helped get me on the right track.

My next project after the present one is to build a 1 1/2" scale Fowell-Box Patent Jackshaft Engine, having built a 3" version many years ago.

I still have all the drawings (produced with pencil and paper) and I wanted to redraw everything and adjust material sizes, where necessary, to make obtaining materials easier.

I'm using these drawings to redesign things, starting with simple components to learn hoe the program works and to make sure that they will fit.

The online help from the people at Fusion 360 is excellent if you get stuck (as I have on a number of occasions).

I might add that I am 73 years young with virtually no 3D drawing experience but it actually helps if you start with no previous experience because you don't have to forget how it used to be done.

Bian

Hi Rik

I started watching the Lars tutorials but found that they assumed too much prior knowledge. After much searching I eventually found the Youtube channel of Paul McWhorter who has 13 tutorials on 'Learn Fusion 360 or Die Trying'. They start right with the basics and I was able to produce 3D drawings for 3D printing with ease afterwards.

Hywel

+1 for McWhorter

Edited By ANDY CAWLEY on 04/07/2019 15:23:04

+2 for McWhorter

Fusion 360 has now got one of those infuriating splashes on the “can” declaring “NEW, IMPROVED”. To explain, I have just watched a Fusion 360 vid about the NEW UI toolbar vs. the old one. I am quite pleased that I have not spent too much time learning about the old version because listening to the two vid presenters, the new toolbar is the way to go and I plan to go that way also.

Only problem is that much of the currently available tutorials / vids cater for the inferior taste of the old and not the delicious “NEW, IMPROVED”

**LINK**

Rik

After about 14 years of using TurboCAD I enrolled for a free one day course about SolidWorks. I was sold. It was so much better than TCAD, but there was no way I could justify the astronomical price. And there was no concession for REMAP usage. Then, in 2016, I heard about F360, which appeared to be very similar in many ways.

I downloaded and tried the built-in tutorials but, without any good documentation, found progress slow and painful. F360 documentation leaves a lot to be desired.

I then discovered the series of videos by John Saunders **LINK** to be rather useful and learnt a lot. When his series started to concentrate on CNC I looked elsewhere and discovered the series by Lars Christensen **LINK** which I also found to be very useful. That's where I learnt how to do stress analysis.

I've found that I tend to make most progress from having to finish a personal project rather than by following tutorials. I then discovered the Autodesk Community of the Philippines **LINK** This was quite different. It's actually a series of 10 or so monthly challenges designed with the aim of awarding a certificate to those who register and complete the series. It's not necessary to register in order to see each challenge - I didn't. Each challenge is a bite-sized project designed to introduce one or two new concepts. If, like me, you don't register, you have to wait for the end of the month to see the challenge and it's solution, which is presented in a very clear manner, with each keypress fully described. Challenges from earlier years are a good source of information.

I've now switched to F360 for just about all my CAD work, but resort to TCAD for quick 2D drawings. F360 isn't very good for 2D drawings - it can create the normal orthographic drawings from 3D models, but 2D is not what it's all about.

Edited By Gary Wooding on 18/07/2019 17:14:10

Edited By Gary Wooding on 18/07/2019 17:15:19