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.
Assignment
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
During the next class we’ll set up blog access, and you’ll use images of your model to write your first 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.
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 or the Views presets in the right side toolbar to find some good angles of your beautiful model
- Export several views as PNG images.
- Finally, go to our Google Drive Shared Folder, create a folder for yourself, if you haven’t already, and save your images there.
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!
As much as I found the 3-D modeling frustrating at times, it was really rewarding to finally see my object come to life and be able to personalize it.
It was exciting to try 3D modeling for the first time! There was definitely a learning curve at the start particularly with understanding the three dimensional nature of the objects, but I hope to get more comfortable with this software and others throughout the course.
It was interesting to play round with Fusion 360, but I found it a bit frustrating to use with only trackpad. However, that just made it feel more rewarding when I was able to finish modeling the dice.
The learning curve on Fusion was definitely a bit steep, but reading the documentation was super helpful. Eventually, it got easier to create what I envisioned and I’m happy with what I made!
The online version of Fusion360 lags too much, I couldn’t even turn my perspective around without chops. Modeling a mug was pretty easy, but the beveling on the handle was slightly annoying. I much prefer Blender to Fusion360 even though Fusion360 might be more widely supported. Maybe I just need to get the hang of the controls and download the application instead of using the online version.
It was a fun experience learning new tools! There are a lot of functions and it’s a bit hard to figure out where everything is. I’m still learning how to use the software, particularly how to change the texture & location of the objects by coordinates. Overall I enjoyed it!
The texture was also a huge thing for me too– figuring out how to change the color and get the exact texture I wanted was a challenge for sure.
I definitely am excited to become more skilled with the software. At the moment it is super frustrating though. I feel as though simple actions such as duplicating a sketch are impossible. I hope we have more chances to practice going forward with a little more guidance.
I also found it pretty frustrating, especially struggling to copy and paste parts of different sketches! I know that this is something that will become easier as we get to know the software but it is definitely tedious right now.
I definitely agree with this. There were a couple functions that seemed like they should be so simple, but I could not figure out how to do them. I feel like Fusion360 could be a little more intuitive.
This was my first time doing 3D modeling and I have to admit it was a great challenge. In addition to not being familiar with the software, I used the trackpad of my laptop, which made the task even harder. However, I found many good tutorials online which taught me how to use the tools and features of Fusion 360. What is more, seeing the final result (a 3D dice), was absolutely amazing.
I was constantly comparing the digital modeling software and real world modeling (like playing with clays) when I was doing the assignment. The software has great accuracy of drawing circles and stuff without using a rule. However, it is hard for me to rotate the model I created in the software.
Agreed, rotating can be a bit weird. I hadn’t though about how this might compare to modeling stuff in real life. Virtual modeling is accurate but difficult to customize, whereas real world modeling seems like the opposite.
Agreed. Another example I can find is digital drawing with a mouse. It’s definitely easier to draw with a brush rather than a mouse. But drawing with a pen-like stuff on a screen can make things easier. Probably we just need some better equipment?
I really enjoyed modeling my cassette tape as it was a simple item, but its iconic shape and features make it easily identifiable. Seeing a rectangle sketch transform into a cool object was an amazing feeling!
Your tape is really cool! I was surprised at the level of detail you were able to give it in such a short time.
I liked learning how to use a new application and look forwards to continuing to learn it, but I had a lot of difficulty learning to navigate it and complete certain elements. I also found that the software was laggy and crashed often, but that could be because I am on a mac.
This assignment effectively taught me the basics of 3D modeling and Fusion software. It was a fun experience to craft my favorite mug through this downloadable application and perceive it from many angles while considering what object I could create next. The extent to which I can utilize Fusion in the future to create other 3D objects is intriguing as 3D printing is still a relatively novel field!
I thought making my airpods case was a fun exercise! It was cool to reconstruct something in the digital space (although it was a learning curve).
I kept forgetting to switch to the select tool, which resulted in me accidentally changing my model when I just wanted to move it. Aside from that it was fun!
Before this class I had downloaded blender at home but only spent about an hour messing around, so I went through similar struggles when starting with Fusion. I can tell that the program has limitless possibilities, but the amount of UI needed to make it so powerful is a bit tough to sort through at first. It was challenging but I found that once I had created something it was satisfying to take a look at the product.
It was exciting to try 3D modeling just by looking at the online fusion 360 interface. However, I did not manage to open it as it always throws me an internal server error. Hope it works before the deadline of the lab post…
It was definitely frustrating at times to work Fusion 360 but seeing the outcome of the product is very rewarding. I think the steep learning curve was the biggest challenge but I feel it could be enjoyable as I continue to practice more with it.
I found this lab slightly challenging as I stumbled through learning a new program and a different way of thinking. I am looking forward to becoming more comfortable with the skills and design process associated with 3D modeling.
It’s been a long time since I modeled anything with complicated 3d software, so it took a little while to find my footing. It was fun to learn what the different options mean though, and I look forward to seeing my skills and creations improve over the course of the term.
I’ve used 3D modeling software before, so I did have some familiarity with Fusion 360. That made doing the more basic steps of modeling my glasses pretty simple. That being said, it seems like I need more advanced knowledge to make my model more true to life. I’m excited to become more skilled in 3D modeling.
Learning to use fusion360 was a bit daunting at first, but now that I got the basics, I feel pretty confident. I initially had a lot of trouble using the online version, but using the desktop version eliminated that problem. I also discovered that you play an animation showing the changes you made to your model. Seeing the animation of my model being built was really satisfying.
At first navigating Fusion was slightly frustrating, considering this was my first time using any type of 3D modeling software. However, after playing around on the app, I was able to successfully utilize enough features to create a semi identifiable phone. Despite initial frustrations, the overall experience was enjoyable, and I’m excited to continue 3D modeling.
Although designing a 3d model was time consuming, I really enjoyed learning about some features of fushion 360 like the construction feature. I was able to use the feature to create a 2d plane on my 3d object, then I did some designs on the 2d plane, generated a 3d object out of it and merged that new object with the former 3d object.
Designing my 3-D model in fusion360 took a lot more time than I was expecting because it felt like there was a really steep learning curve. Also, since I was doing this on my laptop, it didn’t feel like I had the best set up for intuitively using the program. Despite this, it was super rewarding to finally see my model come out the way I had wanted it to!