Delve into the world of Fusion 360, understanding intricately the difference between bodies and components and how they function in 3D modeling. Adopt the most efficient workflow in Fusion 360 by organizing your file into a series of components rather than parts or assemblies.
Key Insights
- Bodies in Fusion 360 are 3D geometries built using the model workspace and should not be mistaken for parts; they are the most basic sense of 3D geometry.
- Components are Fusion 360's approach to parts and assemblies found in other 3D software, with the software focusing entirely on components rather than differentiating various file types like other software.
- To optimise your work in Fusion 360, always build your bodies in components and regularly rename your components for easy organization and efficiency.
In this video, we will look at components and other object types in Fusion 360. You will see that I am in my lamp-assemble file, and if we open up our bodies dropdown, you will see that our model is built using 10 bodies.
Bodies in Fusion 360 are 3D geometry that has been built using our model workspace. All bodies have a 3D cylinder as their icon. Bodies should not be thought of as parts, but in the most basic sense, 3D geometry.
Components are Fusion 360's adaptation of parts and assemblies found in other 3D software. For a basic component, you will see a cube icon, and you will see that my file itself is actually a component. This is because Fusion 360 does not differentiate between parts or assemblies or other various file types found in other software.
But instead, focuses only on components. If I would like to create components from my bodies, I can find one or more of my bodies, and here I will select 3,4, and 5, right-click, create components from bodies. I can now double-click to rename my new components, and you will notice as I look at my lamp-assemble file, the icon has changed.
The icon now shows three cubes stacked together. This is still a component. This has not changed to an assembly or a different type of object.
Learn CAD
- Nationally accredited
- Create your own portfolio
- Free student software
- Learn at your convenience
- Authorized Autodesk training center
It is just showing that this component has components nested inside. If I right-click new component, this creates an empty component with no geometry. I will rename this base, and select body 1 and body 2, and click and drag them into the base component.
This moves the objects into this component. When I created my new component, I also made it active. I can go to my lamp-assemble and click here to activate, or right-click on any component that I would like to activate and hit activate.
Let's activate our lamp-assemble one last time, and right-click new component. I will rename this component lamp-shade-arm-assembly, and again I will move these bodies into this component. Organizing your file into a series of components is the most efficient workflow in Fusion 360.
Components are required for assembling your drawing using joints and as-built joints, and they are also required to create 2D drawings. When working in Fusion 360, it is always important to remember rule number one, which is always be building your bodies in components, which is closely followed by rule number two, always be renaming your components for easy organization. I will see you in the next video
