Creating a design with solid modeling - Fusion 360 Tutorial

- [Woman] Solid Modeling is a type of 3D software. Let's walk through the basic concepts and discuss when and why Solid Modeling is a good choice for developing 3D designs. In Solid Modeling, the designs you create will always have volume and that's great for 3D printing because it means the designs will always be watertight, manifold and ready for 3D printing. It's common for today's 3D software to include more than one workflow. Autocad, SOLIDWORKS, Inventor, Fusion 360 and Tinkercad are some examples of software programs with robust, Solid Modeling tools. Solids can be modeled in two ways, direct modeling and parametric modeling. In direct modeling, the designer adds and modifies geometry freely. In parametric modeling, the design is created by defining relationships between objects with variables and constraints. Parametric modeling allows dynamic change, but it takes more time to set up. Many programs use both methods, you can take advantage of direct modeling and then use parametric modeling where it matters most. Let's explore some common Solid Modeling workflows so you know what it looks like. Solid models are made by combining 3D primitives like a box, cylinder, sphere, torus or pyramid. Many programs also support 2D sketches, this is a sketch in Fusion 360 which can be extruded into 3D. Here are some other common ways of creating solids. Revolve a shape around an axis. Sweep a shape along a path. Loft a 3D solid between two or more 2D shapes. Fillets and chamfers refine the edges of a design. To build a design in a solid modeler, you can combine your objects in three ways; these are called Boolean Operations. First is a union or addition, this combines the two 3D objects into one by adding them together. Next is a subtraction, this subtracts the geometry of one object from the other. With these objects, there's actually two possible combinations, can you visualize what the second option would look like? Then finally, there is intersection, this option creates a solid where both objects overlap. To build the design, use a combination of techniques, adding, taking away and refining until the design is finished. So, why use Solid Modeling? Solid modelers are a great choice for any type of design work that starts with 2D sketches and 3D primitives. By combining other 3D forms like revolves, sweeps and lofts, you can achieve organic results but there's a limit. Surface and mesh workflows are better suited for fluid or complex shapes. Onscreen in a Solid Modeling program, a sphere is perfectly rounded but exported, rounded shapes become a triangulated mesh. Most CAD programs give you control over the number of triangles or resolution when you export. Solid modelers are great for beginners because the resulting designs will be watertight and require very little repair prior to 3D printing. Most solid modelers are also great for applications that require precision, originally designed for industries like manufacturing and architecture, this software workflow works well for 3D printed products that need precision and accuracy. So if Solid Modeling is right for you, take a look at the LinkedIn Library for other courses to start building your skills.