It's actually a pretty easy program, but you ave to learn to think in 3D to create the shapes.
72 3.0 CS 2240344 Restoration
- Thread starter ScottAndrews
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IF you need a volunteer to 3D print and trial the part, let me know. I can print 265*265*265 mm
I'm trying to make the step from TinkerCAD to Fusion360. I just need to practice! What better way to do it then creating BMW parts!
I'm trying to make the step from TinkerCAD to Fusion360. I just need to practice! What better way to do it then creating BMW parts!
OK, I think I am 99% there on this. May go print one and see how well it matches
Sure!!! It measures 220 mm x 170 mm x about 30 mm. I'm sure there will be a few hiccups with he bottom recesses (will need supports - but fortunately they don't show)...And we'll probably need to fiddle withthe density, at least in areas that get screws. Might actually make sense to just through bolt those brackets.
Just realized I put the recesses for the metal brackets on the bottom of the window switch holes. They should be on the top. And I need to add the holes for the aluminum strips.. I'll update that.
Can you work with an STL file? You will need to input that to your slicer.
LMK if you want some Fusion tips. I have been using various CAD programs for 30 years, so I have good familiarity, but Fusion, being 3D was a whole different animal. The key for me was learning to swap between "sketch" and "solid" modes, and learning how to create "planes" on which you "sketch" in different locations and at different angles (other than just X,Y, and Z). This is done using the "construct" option on the tool bar. The other valuable tools are Extrude (extends a profile (a closed form sketch in a plane) in one direction, the other direction or both). The extrusion can be additive (New Body) or subtractive (Cut), and related Sweep (moves a profile along a defined path (defined in an appropriate plane in Sketch mode) or Loft, which morphs between two profiles (either a straight path, like Extrude, or along a defined path like Sweep).
To do the console I sketched the frontal profile of the piece (as if you were in front of it looking back) on the base plane (the horizontal plane that you can select at the start of a sketch - the three orange planes you get when you start a sketch), and then defined a plane 170 mm above that, and sketched the aft profile. These profiles had a block on top where the complicated channels for the aluminum trim plates go. I did a straight loft between these profiles to get a basic base for the console (my console has a flat bottom, which I think should be OK), with a rectangular solid block sitting on the top.
I then sketched two new profiles, again on these same planes, which had the more complex ridges and channels for the top of the console. One profile for the front (on the base plane) and another for the back (on the 170 degree offset plane). I then defined a curved line between the two profiles in the Z plane, and did a Loft between the two profiles along the path, this time using the Cut option, which basically carved away the block on the top of the thing I had just made, creating the channels and the raised area where the shifter boot goes.
Once I had that, I used the Spline command on a base plane co-incedent with he bottom go the piece, to define the shape of the shifter hole, and extruded that up using the Cut option to create the hole. Same thing for the window switch holes and the wiper and lighter holes.
The rounded edges were created using the Modify tool (on the solid toolbar) selecting each edge and invoking the "Fillet" option using a 1mm radius.
Sounds easy enough, but you need to play with it a lot, and watch a lot of YouTube Vids to work out the fine details.
When it is ready, I'll send you the Fusion file, which should have the entire timeline along the bottom of the screen. You can "play that" and see what I did at each step.
I assume your printer as a "slicer" program to convert the STL file into a printable file?
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