ZW3D vs Fusion 360 Lesson 17

I would do a video, but I really am not good at it. So I will show you step by step. I will try and get ZW3D support to create one. They are very good.

These have actually turned these into exercises in modeling techniques as compared to showing a more productive CAD systems. Again, I say there are many different ways to model a part. I see with my exposure to direct edit modelers like CADKEY, I rarely sketch like you see the Fusion 360 fellow doing. I have always created my basic sketches by mostly creating offsets and extending and trimming. It seems to be much easier. I never put in a fillet that can be created later. What do you think? Of course, this take a good understanding of descriptive geometry.

Creating this model without using a sheet metal module would be a snap if someone understood you just don't dimension parts for the sheet metal module. So lets get started.

We select new file and select Part/Assembly since this is a single file. ZW3D offers a Multi-Object environment to do top down or in context design

We will name this Lesson 17

Here is ZW3D. My default is inches, so we will set the units to mm. Let's get started.

We create a sketch on the YZ plane

The Fusion 360 fellow made a mistake. Notice the dimension in the Iso drawing are from OML to OML. You have to dimension to the OML to be able to inspect the part. This was a problem in the old day when creating the part drawing. I will show you how to avoid these problems.

Another problem with this drawing is it comes from a center line that is not tied to a feature, hole or edge. This is a no, no because it creates another level of tolerance. You will see my AID (drawing) below showing the correct way to dimension this part for inspection. Even though drawings in the past defined the part, they also were used for inspection. We used to say "You can make the part anyway you want as long as it matches the drawing."

This is how you have to develop this part. Look at the 42 dimension it goes to the bottom OML and 32 dimension goes to the top OML. These points do not connect. You have to create a circle the thickness of the sheet metal and create a tangent. I will just sketch the bent feature. Showing the geometry necessary to develop the cross section from the drawing.

The dimensions are only shown for clarity. I do not use constraints in my sketching.

Here is the complete sketch I will put the fillets in later. Using standard sketching tools like mirroring and offsets.

We exit the sketch and extrude the profile.

Create the fillets. You shouldn't sketch fillet unless absolutely necessary

We shell the shape. This is how I have designed sheet metal since the introduction to solids in 1995!

We insert a primitive cylinder locate, size it and set it to add.

We now will pattern the tabs.

We insert a hole in one of the tabs

We pattern them

We create the sketch for the cutout.

Exit the sketch and extrude remove.

We just mirror the cutout and we are ready for the hard part.

Now for the fillets! I turned in to wireframe to make the selection easier.

There you go. Go back and watch the poor Fusion 360 jump through so many hoops. Sometime I just don't know why he makes it so hard.

ZW3D is one of the few 3D CAD systems that has integrated AID (drawings) you just select 2D sheet and create your documentation. With its multi-object environment you can do complete projects in one file.

While ISO AIDs are a bit easier to understand, they leave much to be desired to truly define the part. I expect all engineering professionals to be able to understand a drawing, if you can't you will be out the door.

Now we will detail the part correctly. Of course, we cannot really detail a part by itself. We need to have the assembly so we can define relationships of the features so both or more mating parts align. So I will just defined the part so it can be understood by manufacturing and those that may want to create the model.

When converting drawings to 3D you have to re-detail the part to assure it is the same as the drawing.

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