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 following the guide here.
- You may be asked to create a team when starting the application for the first time: if prompted, simply create a team called “Personal”, and follow the prompts to continue
- Then go directly to the web version 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 here are the main steps
- Create a 2D Sketch of a square on a flat plane
- Extrude the square into a 3D cube
- Sketch circles on the 2D faces
- Extrude them into 3D depressions
- Use the plastic Fillet tool to smooth the edges
- Apply materials to make it look more realistic
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
- Normally, you will submit assignments through moodle by pasting links to your posts on this website. For now, hold tight.
- 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!
I like using Fusion360 for 3D modeling! There are lots of different tools that can be used to help me throughout the process.
I had a little trouble making the dice, but it was fun to try to make it!
Overall I found Fusion 360 to be pretty straightforward and user-friendly. I really enjoyed playing around with the wide variety of tools in the program. It did take me awhile to load it up for the first time, but I have not encountered the issue since. The only complain I would have is that it is hard to maneuver around a 3D environment without a mouse.
I prefer the desktop app more than the browser version. I also found the rectangular and circular pattern tools to be pretty helpful for repeating shapes.
I thought that Fusion 360 was a great introduction to 3D modeling basics. It was a little tough to set it up at first, however once I figured it out it worked well.
Fusion seems very interesting but it is super annoying to do without a mouse. I feel like I can’t move my models at all using a trackpad but I hope I will get better at it.
Fusion has been an interesting platform so far. It has been both fun and challenging to click through the tools in order to try and make it do what I want.
I find Fushion 360 to be an interesting and fun software to explore. As someone who is new to 3D modeling, this is my first opportunity to explore the field, and I am excited to learn more about the tool. Although I find using the trackpad difficult, I am looking forward to familiarizing myself with its features as I continue to use it for the first assignment.
Fusion has been really difficult for me so far, but I’m trying my best to get the hang of it. I appreciate all the resources that have been provided so far, and I hope that with some YouTube tutorials and office hours, I’ll feel more confident soon!
I thought creating the dice was difficult to navigate but fulfilling to finish. Can’t wait to make more stuff!
Using Fusion360 has been an engaging and effective introduction to 3D modeling technology. This being my first time using this type of program, I found the barrier to entry to be quite low, and I’m excited to continue creating.
Modeling with Fusion is actually really fun once you figure out the weird navigation settings! It’s very helpful that there are a lot of resources online to help with modeling, especially the ones made by autodesk!
At first I found Fushion 360 to be pretty confusing, but after messing around with it for a little bit of time, I started feeling familiar with it and found it to be fairly interesting. It is just annoying to use the trackpad on my laptop.
Fusion has been a great introduction to 3D modeling. I did have a few issues with navigating the workspace and figuring out how to create more rounded and organic shapes, but overall, I found myself having a fun time making my 3D model of a coin. I spent two hours just playing around with Fusion and listening to music and had a mostly enjoyable experience besides some of the learning curves I encountered.
The great thing about Blender is that it does everything. The unfortunate thing is that it does everything…
I enjoyed using Fusion 360. I have never tried out 3D modeling before, so it was both exciting and challenging to figure out different ways to use the tool!
I was finding Fusion really interesting to use, but really unintuitive in the controls. I think once I get the hang of things it will be more interesting to use. I’m wondering how easy it is to edit already created 3D models from scans, there are some ones I did for archaeology that I want to improve where the shape wasn’t quite right.
Fusion is impressive! Looking forward to using more digital tools.
Overall, my experience with Fusion 360 has been pretty good. I feel like I have a pretty good understanding of the basics, and now I have to learn how to be more efficient with it. The trackpad experience isn’t too great, but it’s manageable.
I like using Fusion360 since many tools are very useful in 3D modeling. Fusion’s render tools offer great flexibility and can significantly enhance the visual outcome.
Fusion 360 is kind of frustrating to use, but the show must go on. 🙂
I think Fusion is a great place to start my 3D modeling skills. The interface is user-friendly and contains a lot of things to explore. Though I often misclick and have difficulty moving my object around because I was in the wrong mode, I believe I will get better at it.
This is my first trying 3D modeling, and it is really interesting. I enjoy creating something of my own. However, the interface of Fusion is complex. Shortcuts are challenging to use and functions are hard to find. It takes time for me to get familiar with the App.
It’s interesting using Fusion 360 for 3D modeling. I met some problems making the dice in last class, but after spending some time watching tutorial videos, I enjoyed the time with 3D modeling on Fusion 360 and had a lot of fun with it.
At the time of writing this I have not yet finished the lab, however so far it has been a great experience as 3d – modeling is a tool that I have wanted to learn for a long time and the way that it was explained in class was really comprehensive for at least the basics so I am glad that this is a tool we will get to use more often!
I find Fusion 360 to be very user-friendly given its capabilities. Compared to other 3D design programs, like Blender, it is designed to be as simple as possible. Overall, my experience with Fusion 360 was excellent, and I look forward to learning more.