Fusion 360 - My Concept Modeler, Test Station, and Presentation Tool

I'm at the end of the four day Thanksgiving Holiday in the United States, but even on vacation I was busy trying new things.

It's what I do...(Shrug)

For a couple of years, now, I've been hearing the benefits of Fusion 360.  It's portable!  It doesn't require a high power workstation!  It's easy to use, and so on.

My old colleague, Jorge Fernandez, even built a 30 minute presentation on the benefits of Fusion 360!



And don't think I'm a detractor!  I see the benefits, I fully acknowledge them.  But what I haven't truly had yet, was an opportunity to realize those benefits for myself.

Our black cat, Scar, however, remains completely unmoved.

Scar the Kitteh is unimpressed by cloud applications like Fusion 360.
However, he does see immediate ROI in a fresh can of wet food.

This weekend, during the long weekend here in the United States, I had my opportunity to realize my benefits on a level that had a more personal impact.

First, a brief  description of my situation.

I was working on a small cover that had to be light enough to be removed, but strong enough to be walked on.  A constant concern was excessive "oil canning" of the material, where it would "pop" in and out like an old oil can.

If your old enough to remember theses, you know the "Oil Can Effect".

But time at work is precious.  Development time, like anywhere must be kept to a minimum. And while there is value in development, there isn't always the time for development.

Many of us have encountered that before.

I don't mind playing with an idea at home.  I do some of my best thinking at home, in solitude, with a cup of coffee in my hand.

My challenge is, I don't have Inventor at home.  My installation is on a desktop machine, and I don't have a laptop husky enough to run the software currently.

But what I do have, is Fusion 360.

So over the course of my weekend, I built up a quick concept model,and ran a quick FEA to see what the design would do.

The floor model.  There's even a grate texture to simulate perforated metal

The FEA analysis.  I'm looking to see how much the floor deflects. 

Is it a perfect design, no, it's a concept!

But what Fusion 360 allowed me to do was "strike while the iron was hot" when my ideas and inspiration collided in my brain, instead of when I walked into the office after a long weekend.  Now I also have a more fully realized concept that I can share with colleagues.

When I walk in the office after vacation, I can talk about ideas. with a little more confidence, and with a little more visual aid.

This was my use for Fusion, a 3D notepad, repository for ideas, test station, and presenting tool, all in one.

Does this affect you?  Perhaps, perhaps not.  I leave that for you, as an individual to decide.

But do I think it's worth consideration, for my part, I have no doubts.

Oh!  And one last post script.  Here's the file I created, embedded from A360.  I know the design isn't perfect, there's more tweaks I can make.  But remember, it's a concept!



Additional Photo Credits:

photo credit: Oil be darned! via photopin (license)