In the spirit of learning by making and diving in head first, we are starting with some relatively easy 3D modeling. This course’s collective projects in the past have revolved around Carleton’s built environment and building histories, and fabricating an interactive reproduction of it in 3D. We are modeling objects this year and will be discussing the theoretical implications of such a project throughout the term, but since the skills required to model in 3D are complex, we will begin practicing in week one.
There are MANY different tools for 3D modeling, and which you use depends not only on price and availability, but also on the intended output. Modeling for architecture you might use SketchUp, which we have used extensively in this class for modeling buildings in the past. For computer graphics usage, e.g. for making a video game or animated movie, you might use Maya or the free and open source Blender. When modeling real world objects, there are also laser and photographic methods of scanning to produce high fidelity models, which we’ll get to later in the course.
The 3D software that our school’s MakerSpace has chosen to support is Autodesk Fusion360. It is almost as easy to use as SketchUp but optimized for engineering usage and so makes parts that can be 3D printed effectively. Most importantly, it is free for educational use, and our MakerSpace director, Aaron, has created some excellent introductory tutorials for using the software that will help you get up and running.
Getting Started with Fusion 360
- Go to the Autodesk website and create an educational account, if you don’t already have one.
- Then go directly to the webversion of Fusion360 at https://fusion.online.autodesk.com/ and Take the Tour to get oriented to the interface
There is a downloadable version that you are welcome to install on your computer as well, but the online account allows you to switch between lab and personal machines more easily.
We will start by modeling a simple die to get a feel for the software. Check out this example from user tnRaro posted on Sketchfab, a popular 3D model sharing site.
- What basic shapes make up the die?
- How are the pips oriented?
- What else might you need to know to model such a thing accurately?
We will walk through the basic steps of modeling this together in class, but Aaron has put up a great series of Fusion 360 tutorial videos on the makerspace website that you can check out for more advanced tips and tricks.
Lab Assignment (Due Sunday)
Your assignment is to use the techniques you just learned to make a model of an object you know very well that has some meaning for you. Don’t worry about photo-realistic accuracy, just try to get the basic features in place, so that someone who knows the object could recognize it. We’re just trying to get a practical understanding of the ways you need to look at an object differently when you need to understand how all its parts fit together.
When you are happy with your model, SAVE IT to your Autodesk account and DON’T FORGET YOUR PASSWORD
Export
- Go to https://fusion.online.autodesk.com/ and log in to your account
- On the home screen, open the saved file so that you can find some views to export
- Use the Orbit tool in the bottom toolbar to find some good angles of your beautiful model
- Export several views as PNG images by going to File > Capture Image…
- Finally, go to our Google Drive Shared Folder create a folder for yourself, if you haven’t already, and save your images there.
Submit
- In Moodle, go to the Lab Assignment for Week 1 and paste in the sharing link to your google drive folder.
- During the next class we’ll set up blog access, and you’ll use images of your model to write your first lab assignment post along with some thoughts on your process.
As you model, think about…
- how easy/hard it was,
- what elements particularly bogged you down,
- what compromises you had to make,
- what technique or tool that you wish you had figured out sooner so that you can provide a tip for other novice users and share your knowledge.
Resources
There are lots of Fusion360 tutorials available online (just google Fusion360 + what-you-want-to-do and you’ll be overwhelmed with options), but here are a few list of resources to get you started.
- Fusion 360 tutorial videos on the makerspace website from our own Aaron Heidgarten-Green
- Fusion 360 Self Paced Learning tutorials from Autodesk
Feel free to leave a comment if you’re having trouble, or if you discover something really great, and feel free to respond if you know the answer to a question.
Happy modeling!
How do you change the color of something on fusion?
I was struggling with this too.
Here is a YouTube link I found that helped.
https://youtu.be/KUltxhnV90c?feature=shared
The video shows that you can select the shape that you want to change color. Then, right-click or double-click and select “Appearance” to change the color. It will display a wide range of ‘Fusion 360 Appearances’ in the Library section, you can look through the various materials ranging from glass, metal, to plastic. It was interesting to try out the different materials that generate different colors.
I had a lot of fun creating mine!
same!
Even though it was pretty frustrating to figure out at first, it was really interesting to learn how to use Fusion360. I was having difficulty in separating and selecting the shapes that I was putting together, but when I discovered the left side menu that allowed me to select full objects and have the options to hide them, it made the process much easier, and I felt like I was developing a much better grasp on how to create shapes and connect them to eachother.
I agree with you, Ethan! I unfortunately did not work with multiple shapes as I only Extruded or revolved the sphere I started with so did not experience the struggle you did. However, after looking at your rubrics cube project, I was able to find how difficult it must have been with so many shapes to separate and select. I also used the left-side menu for selecting planes and faces instead of shapes and they were very helpful. Just like you did I learned a lot from this lab and hope to learn more!
I enjoyed the assignment a lot, I thought it was gonna be a lot harder than it was but it ended up being more simple than I thought. The only thing that stumped me was coloring my project and putting words on it those were the two things I looked up tutorials on the internet for but that was it.
I also enjoyed this assignment a lot too. For my project I also wanted to add words to my object and I was able to do this with one the built in functions fusion 360 that let me write text on objects, but I saw that you made your text a different way by creating blocks which adds a nice touch and looks great.
I did better than I thought I would with this assignment, but there were some issues that I was not able to resolve. I made a mug, and I had trouble smoothing out the connections between the handle and the cup part of the mug. I also thought it was hard to move around the handle after joining it to the cup.
I also had the same problem of connecting objects in the beginning. But there is an option in the menu that says “join” which smoothly merges two objects together! But after joining them together, I also found it hard to individually move the objects.
In the beginning I also had the same problem of connecting objects when trying to 3D model my lip balm. But there is an option in the menu that says “join” which smoothly merges two objects together! But after joining them together, I also found it hard to individually move the objects.
I really liked this first assignment. It took me a couple of hours to get used to the Fusion360 software and I had to watch a couple of tutorial videos but I was able to eventually get used to the software. I don’t think my water bottle is photo realistic but I think I did a good enough job.
I found this assignment really frustrating because I was too stubborn to watch the tutorials at first. However, once I watched some tutorials I was able to become a bit more confident, though the program was still a bit difficult to navigate.
I agree, and I think I will try to find more tutorials in the future as well!
I had a good time with this lab. It was a bit tricky to figure out the software, but I was able to figure out how to do most things that I wanted to.
Rose (+)
At least there are plenty of online tutorial because the internet is a connective organism. I for one wanted to model something super simple on my shelf: a cup. And proceeded to follow a tutorial for a bowl because I wanted to start at least somewhere but not be entirely carried.
Unrelated, the tutorial had a stock image drawing of a guy with the voice of a Text to Speech voice model that pointed and “lipsynced”. They did not have to go this far in production but I find it myself horribly homical.
Thorn (-)
It was pretty frustrating as a person with Maya and blender experience. Not that I am a professional but learning a user interface that isn’t as new user friendly had to take a little getting used to. Mostly in terms of tool usage and when I can or cannot use them and then the result from using said tool.
The way they handle vertices is kind of weird, such as trying to extrude from an object vs sketching then placing 3D properties onto said sketch.
Bud (0)
I initially wanted to make a basic computer mouse as my first model but then I felt so lost that I brainstormed another object so I wouldn’t spend so much time in perfection mode. The dice made in class gave me a false sense of security in the ease of use, oh how I am a fool.
Everyone should learn the shortcuts/tool usage one way or another. Like rotation of camera in space and around the object. While writing this I don’t think I remember how to do it but maybe it was the ALT key and right click? I wouldn’t ask myself for help.
Also I forgot to texture my object, go learn to texture your object!
It was hard to navigate the different dimensions in 3D perspective and find the correct plane on which I wanted to build something.
I also had this issue at first, but it helped me to hover over the different planes to see which to select, or you could always guess and check!
I also had this issue at first, but it helped me to hover over the different planes to see which to select, or you could always guess and check! You could also try out the orbit tool because that helped me figure out what all the different sides of my shape looked like and where I wanted to put all my design elements!
I think fusion360 is definitely a new and useful tool to learn. I had trouble with the basics and I could solve most of them by googling a tutorial. Overall the user face is bit confusing at first but I can get used to it with more practice and it’s fun.
I agree with you a 100%, i think that Fusion is a great tool and it can go a long way when trying to recreate something or just in general, build something. However, the user interface is definitely new to us and there are a lot of useful tutorials out there that can help us navigate our way through it.
First assignment was fun but also challenging considering it was a new software for me and I had to make a new 3d model due to my first one disappearing into thin air for not saving it. Overall, I still made something that looked fine and learned a lot about the software itself.
I agree with you! I have never used Fusion 360 before so it was a bit difficult to grasp at first but the more I played around with the various tools, the more comfortable I got with using them. I also had to make a new 3D model of my object since I thought it would autosave, but it did not. But now I know what to do and what not to do for the next time I use this software!
This project was fun to complete I had a little difficulty trying to find out what each tool did, but I was able to figure it out in the end. Who knows maybe with time I’ll be able to create whole structures!
I was struggling to understand the Fusion 360 workflow. I can already see a few advantages it has over Blender, the software I have much more experience with, but I am definitely still grasping the basics. I would appreciate more keyboard shortcuts (although it looks like you can set those up for yourself). I think this software is much stronger for making things that are going into some for of production while blender is much more focused on having a render as a final product.
The website was a bit frustrating to use in the beginning, but once I learned how everything worked I enjoyed this project and the creativity aspect behind it.
Yes, I agree with you, Wesley! I struggled with selecting the correct plane and with all the different features of fusion360. In addition, I am still unable to log into my account as I had to borrow Will’s account. I am both frustrated and worried so hopefully, I can fix that. However, just like you did, I enjoyed the project and hoped to get more opportunities to explore this.
The assignment is pretty interesting but also hard to me because this is the first time that I use Fusion 360 and I have never done 3D modeling before. I think zooming in and out as well as switching from a different perspective is a bit inconvenient, and I wonder if there is any shortcut that I can use for this.
I was definitely struggling with zooming in and out until I found out about “Pan” and “Zoom” functions at the bottom.
The pan mode allows you to move around without shifting any of your shapes. Before being in the zoom mode, whenever I moved with the mouse pad my model would take me somewhere in the graphic plane. Although Fusion360 provides that mode, I agree that there could be better ways to zoom in and out.
This lab was very cool as this was a new activity I have never done. I am hoping to learn more about fusion360 so I can make something cooler and more complicating. However, I am currently still struggling to log in to fusion 360 so I am hoping I can get that fixed to improve my experience with this application and able to do my assignments
I think you made some very good points. This was also a new activity for me and I struggled in the beginning but I look forward to being able to use Fusion 360 in the future. I struggled with drawing out the images and editing the forms that I made at first. Good luck with the login.
I enjoyed making a basic 3D model of my phone. I struggled to move and scale the model around at first, however, I found the hand icon and zoom functions to navigate. There are many other functions I would like to explore like changing the materials and moving certain faces or components around.
I had a similar experience with having trouble moving and scaling my design, but I also found that although it was a little annoying to switch back and forth between the hand icon, the orbit icon, and the actual creation tools, those tools helped me see all the sides of my model. Glad you figured that out too!
I thought this assignment was overall pretty easy to create the basic shapes of my object, but it was more difficult for me to get it to look realistic. I think in the future, I will look up some more tutorials to learn from someone else’s experience.
I really liked using Fusion 360 since it wasn’t very difficult to use. I was able to get my object to look the way I wanted by trying out all the different tools which was also fun! But I would definitely follow a guide or some instructions to learn how to properly use the tools and get a better understanding of them.
I liked using Fusion 360. I think it’s a pretty cool platform where if mastered you could do some cool things! I would love to gather a better understanding of all the tools and how to navigate through it.