As someone who came from a traditional Engineering background and have always struggled working with anything but solid models, this is a game changer and a lifesaver! I will be using this often, and I was previously wholly unable to successfully convert STLs to anything useful. Thanks much!
Duuuuude, your channel is so beneficial! I completely missed the fact that Fusion360 updated and when I launched it today, I couldn't find any of the BRep to Mesh settings. You're the only person I could find that has done a video on these specific changes. Always crystal clear and excellent tutorials. Thanks man!!
IMPORTANT: The original conversion method, using faceted, is still available to ALL license types. Prismatic is not available on the Personal Use license. *Enter the next 3D Modeling Challenge here* : bit.ly/July3DChallenge *Demo File* ➞ bit.ly/mazePuzzleSTL Thanks to Thangs.com for sponsoring the prizes!
If you guys are having any problems where after you convert your mesh into a Brep, it only acts as a SURFACE body instead of a SOLID body, here is the fix. After you convert it, and it is a surface body, go to the surface ribbon ( next to mesh ). Under modify, click stitch. Then select your object and hit OK. It should be a solid body now.
Hi there, your videos are always nice to follow along with and are easy for fusion 360 noobs like myself. I recently purchased the 1 year plan in order to use prismatic, and I attempted to do exactly what you have done in this video. When I convert mesh (parametric/prismatic), it leaves 3 holes on the maze section. Is there a setting I need to change from the default?
It can be highly dependent on the model. Depending on the holes, it may be something you can fix with the "repair" tool. Before going to convert the mesh body, is there any yellow warning icon next to it?
@@ProductDesignOnline there isn't (only the usual 10k+ triangles warning in the bottom right when converting mesh), and I tried combining faces and it did clear up the holes but it warps the edges into curves that look like they are dented. I hit repair on the face grouped mesh, and it says it is closed, oriented and positive volume. Faceted creates a closed body; Is there a way for me to convert the faceted solid bodies into a parametric (i.e. skipping the select/delete faces)
Great video, but unfortunately, they locked out the hobby users - which are actually those who would use it the most. With this feature one cold easily modify all thingiverse STL. Imagine, which reach Fusion360 would get if unlocked for hobby users. But I feel that large reach for hobby unseres is not in the interest of the company any more.
Autodesk's model is to get people into 3D design and use the free users as beta testers and data collection. Those that do upgrade realize they are still limited by many of the bugs, features, performance/online restrictions being used to push serious users to their real 3D product, Inventor. Customers who take the plunge into that realize it's also far from perfect only now they're so deep in the Autodesk ecosystem they're unlikely to leave.
@@alejandroperez5368 I'm not saying that just to hate on it. It's only because it's frustrating to me how much potential F360 has over typical CAD programs but Autodesk seems set on undercutting it.
@@JJFX- can confirm. Our company wanted to switch from autocad to another software but the licensing, staff training and lost revenue meant we are stuck with autodesk forever
"Prismatic is not included in the free personal or hobby licenses." So, like the people that will actually use the feature? Lol. Great feature and tutorial.
Mesh files are actually used a lot in the commercial space these days. I think this is a misconception with the 3D printing community. Particularly with 3D scan/reverse-engineering workflows, which is one of the main reasons the Mesh tab/environment got all of these updates. They brought in a bunch of technology from Autodesk Netfabb.
@@ProductDesignOnline Yup. I do photogrammetry with a pirated software and a student licence of Fusion360 for reverse engineering. Even with that, it's REALLY difficult to get clean and precise parametric designs (A god scanner, like the Einscan Pro 2x cost 65 full median salary here in Argentina)
It would be helpful for you to continue from the faceted method so that those of us hobbyists can learn to modify STL that do not have a Fusion 360 subscription. Thank you in advance.
I saw some of those tools for simplyfying mesh, and tried to use them. Ended up with some missing facets, that fusion was unable to fix. So hopefully just a few tips will be appreciated.
@@gummispecht Perhaps a useful comment would be to pay for the program if it has something you need it to do. People dont develop these highly complex CAD programs so they can offer it to the world for free. The "free" versions are nothing more than trials of the paid product for people to test so they can decided if the program is worth purchasing the full version. The "free" versions often come with WAY more usability then they really should. Fusion 360 now has an additional addon option for organic conversions where prismatic fails. Faceted conversions are extremely difficult to work with, and there isnt going to be a "how to guide" once they are converted because they will all behave differently. Keep in mind Fusion 360 education if Free and is basically the entire paid for base program. You only need an education based email address to register.
What are the mesh facet limitations, as far as face count? When the mesh tools were in preview, it was around 10k, which is a tiny mesh. Has this been improved?
I have latest version of 360 in Personal setup and my Modify menu is very different. Convert mesh is not on there at all and I can't find the function. Curious if this is because i'm on a non commercial license?
Wish you could have went more in depth about the faceted convert method for those of us that are using the non-commercial version, but you put in enough information for me to be able to work my way through it. Thanks for this video. I am looking forward to watching more of your videos.
@@RoamGaming for simple enough models the free faceted workflow works just fine and allows to change plenty of dimensions without any problem, I've used it to change dimensions on camera mounts and other small pieces
@@maxiu.. i've used it as well. but in this case "simple enough" means very very simple. Any model with complicated surfaces (pretty much anything beyond modeling a bracket) fails quickly.
THANK YOU for this video. I hadn't run Fusion in a week or so and was stunned when the Mesh->Brep was not where I expected to find it - an artifact of silent, push upgrades. Without your help I would have had to struggle with Autodesk documention, I find obtuse to say the least... Thanks again!
Thank you Kevin, I very much appreciate your detailed explanations. I have a paid version and every time, regardless of the methods used I get compute failed or the conversion does not show all of the parts Is my computer at fault? Perhaps too slow to do the required calculations, I have had it for a few years. Thank you.
This is great stuff. I have been looking for this feature for a long time. Not sure if you can answer this question but why would Fusion completely lock up when converting a mesh with over 10K triangles? How do you know when you have reduced it enough and why is it not able to compute?
i need help with the hobbyist licence the free version to convert stl to body after doing that im getting the weird lines and i can't select the whole body how to do that?
Man, you're great....I was attempting to alter an STL I found for my security cam...I remember seeing your video for STL's and had that in the back of my head for when I needed it. So, I'm watching it, and following along in Fusion, and I get to the point to right click, and Convert to BREP or whatever that means....and it's not there. I'm looking everywhere, trying all kinds of things, and all I really needed to do was take a closer look at your video, because right under your video, you had a link to think even stating 2022 Version! So awesome, because minutes after i noticed that, I had my model to print. I really wish the Prismatic feature was available, but I totally get it. They already allow almost anyone to use Fusion for free, so its hard to complain. Great video, thanks a lot. Huge fan of your tutorials, and still getting through them as I find the time. They've helped me tremendously (professionally/at work & at home playing with designs to print) I can't wait until I get to your videos on how to model things specifically for 3d printing, but I am watching them all in order as you put them up. Cheers!
Thanks, John! Glad to hear you found the '22 version. I wish it was easier to call out the newer versions as folks often don't see that. Nonetheless, best of luck with your projects!
Thank you so much for this tutorial. I didn't know about the generate face groups command and once i saw that my mesh was converted to the solid body super nicely. Great video.
Would like to update a comment I made before. On Free Fusion Hobby version and editing STL's is actually very easy. I found a very nice stl for Ipad Mini holder for my DJI Mini drone. So both are mini... haha. The original design was for a Huawei Tablet and I have IPad Mini 5 that my wife gave me to use with drone app from DJI. When in Fusion insert the Mesh first. Then Get into Mesh mode at top. I needed to cut the holder and add about 28 mm to enlarge the holder. Cut mesh convert mesh to Solid to add the square and then extruded the square piece to fit the holder to extend it. When extruding the square to holder then easy Extrude Join. Then When holder is correct dimension I check I measure, to measure that holder is correct for Ipad Mini 5. Then can go convert back to Mesh, again easy, to do. So now I find best to get the Stl ready for Cura or Prusaslicer, just go export and save it as Obj file. You can also just output direct to Cura and also check preview the stl so you can see that model is ok. Sounds hard, but once you do one it will be easy. I like to save the stl as obj so can use in other programs like blender and use diffrent slicers. Can send it to Meshmixer or Meshlab. When cutting the holder also remember that at the cut Plane it will leave non manifold edges on the cut pieces. Those need to be fixed. Fusion can fix those also. I think in cutting plane adjust setting to close edges. Can't remember . But take time and not hard to figure out.
Any Idea why when I do coverrt mesh I get Not all facegroups of the mesh body could be converted. The generated solid or surface body is not complete. Try a different method for conversion or adjust the face groups to correspond better to geometric features of the mesh.
Thank you for this excellent explanation of the mesh-prismatic conversion. It really does look like an incredible tool, especially for working with a lot of 'Thingiverse' STL models.
Thank-you. New to fusion 360. I recently downloaded a stl file that was 'mesh'. I wanted to edit it and was used to using Tinkercad. In the end I used tinkercad but good to know I can now use Fusion 360.
The tutorial is excellent and very timely. It helped me personally enormously but fact that prismatic isn’t available on the free licence IMHO doesn’t make sense. I completely understand why it isn’t available but I’d have thought that the file size is enormously smaller to store and processing is less involved once it’s been converted. Therefore IMHO it would actually be sensible to allow it to go on the free licence esp if there are large numbers of STLs being stored in the translated form with thousands of triangles etc. I’m still very grateful to Autodesk for being able to use it etc. I’d be struggling royally without that. It’s just an observation.
@@ProductDesignOnlineYeah I noticed. I been seeing some of your videos and it been helping me out so thank you and that's why I asked and was hoping you had a video of setting on Ultimate. Im dealing with PLA PETg and TPU and barely learning about this. I just wanted setting for them for perfect printing.
@@smokey5882420 Thanks for the additional info! What printer(s) do you have? It will also depend on that quite a bit. Once you get them dialed in, shouldn't have to change them much. PLA should be the eastist to get primed in. Try printing a Benchy or some other test blocks using the default settings and a .1mm layer height. That's usually a good starting point where you can start to troubleshoot what could be improved. For TPU, you'll need to make sure the tmep is higher. I typically use 235c, but it does depend on the printer. Some printers - or different brands of TPU for that matter - require 240-250c. It's one of the pickier filaments to get dialed in.
Great question! Those don't apply in that case, as it's really only for the software to better define the prismatic conversion (at this moment anyway).
What?? You can still convert via the normal (faceted) way that was always available to everyone. Only the Prismatic feature/conversion is not available, which was never a thing until July 2021 update. Don't get me wrong, I'm annoyed it's not available to everyone as well, just want to be clear that the 'regular' way of converting is still available.
@@ProductDesignOnline i use to be able to right click on my m esh insert and convert to "body" its no longer like that. your way helped me find how to do it again... not sure.. my program is the free version so maybe thats why? sorry for the confusement
Very helpfull video . If may i ask my 3d desing STL file is a wheel rim after i convert with prismatic missing all the center . Do you know the reason for that?
There is likely a hole/geometry issue near the center then. It's hard to say without seeing the file. You may be able to patch it and get it to return to a solid 🙂
I'm a little confused. Some are saying that it is only included in the paid version, but it shows up and works with my hobby version. Have they added it to the free version?
Oh. My. God. THANK YOU! This was the perfect video I needed. Also, in the most recent version, Fusion 360 also takes OpenSCAD models, and has an "Organic" Method when doing Convert Mesh.
On the hobby license, you will use the faceted approach. You can then clean up the triangles using these 3 tricks: th-cam.com/video/CeMHqa9Pxn8/w-d-xo.htmlsi=RwtnxbVa7wJ372Vv
Did they remove some of the features for this? I can no longer convert mesh to bodies after the first step. As a hobby/small business person, they seem to be doing all they can to push me away from using it.
This "STL to Solid" workflow is most used to reverse-engineer and/or alter preexisting parts from sites like Thangs, Thingiverse, etc. That said, having a solid file and using Fusion 360's additive setup will be a huge advantage in the future, as you'll no longer need to convert your file to a mesh, losing the parametric nature.
Does the prismatic method make circles actually be circles with which joints can be aligned to their centre? When using the faceted conversion method, how can I get circular holes to be actual circles in the solid body, with centre points usable for joints?
Yes! Prismatic makes the circles/cylinders usable (normal) geometry that can be used with Joints and other features. With Faceted, you would need to clean up the facets by removing them and use the Surface tools to recreate the surface.
Hello Fellow folks; if the Convert Mesh option isn't present, make sure you're not in Direct Edit mode for the mesh (Instead, you want to be in Mesh mode directly, from the top row, [Solid, Surface, Mesh...etc])
Looks like we need some more videos on the subject matter herein: "'fork in the road' where you choose between Faceted vs Prismatic." Thank you, Kevin.
I wish I had watched this before spending a couple of hours trying to clean up a model I converted from stl to step in FreeCad, rather than after I had given up on that. Not sure why, but the prismatic conversion works perfectly for me with a free hobby license.
Just stumbled across this video. You now have a new Subscriber. Great video and was something I actually needed know and will save me a lot of time and effort.
Your tutorials are awesome! Thanks to you, I know the basics of using Fusion which is completely awesome! One quick question about the new prismatic conversion availability. Is it included with the education license? 🤞
@@ProductDesignOnline Just switched to educational version and prismatic is still blocked. You also marked a post which says that prismatic conversion is not availible in the educational version, what is correct?
Ive been learning 360 and went to try insert mesh, and noticed that prismatic is grayed out. Wanted to do a little modification to a model. Probably going to use mesh mixer or something similar until I learn to do my own designing.
Just for people like me, that were unable to see the "Mesh" tab and were always right clicking the mesh and entering "direct edit" or "edit feature": You will switch to mesh mode, yes but you won't get the convert mesh feature here. So import the mesh, then in the top tabs switch to mesh and you have it.
I tried this and it worked pretty well, but I do have 3 bodies which are from the mesh as a result of the generate face groups and then convert mesh. I have added solids to this model but they are treated as separate bodies and combine does not work. This means you can't "filet" between the mesh that was converted to your new solids.. (I was adding a divider to a box, the box was a mesh and the divider create two compartments, but I can't create filets between the two)
I make the face groups, convert to a prismatic base feature but it generates an incomplete solid; “try a different method for conversion or adjust the face groups to correspond better to geometric features of the mesh”. I tried fast instead of accurate in the face groups instead and got the same result with a partial solid.. 🧐
Can you link to the file you're trying to convert? It may be something specific to the geometry, but I can try on my end and see if I get the same result.
hello, thanks for this awesome video, however Im facing a little problem. Im not sure how to fix this issue but it seems like its taking too long for my mesh to turn into solid body this way. I know this may be the only way but could you give me advice on how to speed up the process? its still loading as I type this comment, and iv been waiting for 20 minutes..
I dont know if it has changed - yet again - but I have a paid version of this and I had to do it a completly different way. FIrst I saved the project. Then I turned off the timeline history (as usual). I had to go to the very top (above the icons) and select MESH to go into the mesh workspace. Then I could go to modify / convert mesh / and do the conversion. Painful.
@@muhammadaimanbinzakaria2584 Thanks for confirming. It should be available on the EDU license. Did you also use the 'generate face groups' option before trying to convert?
@@ProductDesignOnline Yes sir, I did. However, even the mesh display option where I can hide the face groups is not available. I ignore that since it's only to hide the face groups. However, when I'm trying to convert the mesh, I can't select the operation like you did
As someone who came from a traditional Engineering background and have always struggled working with anything but solid models, this is a game changer and a lifesaver! I will be using this often, and I was previously wholly unable to successfully convert STLs to anything useful.
Thanks much!
Thanks for your support! Glad it was helpful 😊
Duuuuude, your channel is so beneficial! I completely missed the fact that Fusion360 updated and when I launched it today, I couldn't find any of the BRep to Mesh settings. You're the only person I could find that has done a video on these specific changes. Always crystal clear and excellent tutorials. Thanks man!!
Glad to hear it was helpful! I do my best to release the videos asap when changes happen :)
Prismatic is not included in hobby license... booooooo, what a let down, I was so excited for this
Agreed... I was pretty bummed when I learned this while testing the feature :(
@@ProductDesignOnline Despite this, the rest of the mesh workflow is fantastic. Maybe blender + fusion will be a work around for us hobbyists.
@@ProductDesignOnline But you still waited until 6:40 to mention it. That is really frustrating.
....it shows up for me...am I just not able to use it?
@@chuckycheesetouchedme7434yep that's right. I tried just now after following this workflow and it shows a prompt that it's only for paid subs.
Thanks
Sorry I'm just seeing this. Thanks for your support! Much appreciated
As always, a crystal-clear explanation, spoken at the correct pace, and easily followed. Your channel should be promoted by Autodesk!
IMPORTANT: The original conversion method, using faceted, is still available to ALL license types. Prismatic is not available on the Personal Use license.
*Enter the next 3D Modeling Challenge here* : bit.ly/July3DChallenge
*Demo File* ➞ bit.ly/mazePuzzleSTL
Thanks to Thangs.com for sponsoring the prizes!
Valeu!
Thanks for your support, Thiago! Much appreciated :)
If you guys are having any problems where after you convert your mesh into a Brep, it only acts as a SURFACE body instead of a SOLID body, here is the fix. After you convert it, and it is a surface body, go to the surface ribbon ( next to mesh ). Under modify, click stitch. Then select your object and hit OK. It should be a solid body now.
Thanks
Thanks
Thanks
Beautiful tutorial. Some other tutorials are never clear enough and do things without explaining. Your video is great, thank you!
I have searched for MONTHS for this... thank God for you bro. Subscribed!!!
Hi there, your videos are always nice to follow along with and are easy for fusion 360 noobs like myself. I recently purchased the 1 year plan in order to use prismatic, and I attempted to do exactly what you have done in this video. When I convert mesh (parametric/prismatic), it leaves 3 holes on the maze section. Is there a setting I need to change from the default?
It can be highly dependent on the model. Depending on the holes, it may be something you can fix with the "repair" tool.
Before going to convert the mesh body, is there any yellow warning icon next to it?
@@ProductDesignOnline there isn't (only the usual 10k+ triangles warning in the bottom right when converting mesh), and I tried combining faces and it did clear up the holes but it warps the edges into curves that look like they are dented. I hit repair on the face grouped mesh, and it says it is closed, oriented and positive volume. Faceted creates a closed body; Is there a way for me to convert the faceted solid bodies into a parametric (i.e. skipping the select/delete faces)
You have no idea how much i struggled with this trying to do it on my own. YOU ARE MY HERO!!
is it possible to convert the mesh body without paid license of the fusion 360?
Everybody suffers with this program. There's a YT video that an engineer made. He had problems with it too.
Great video, but unfortunately, they locked out the hobby users - which are actually those who would use it the most. With this feature one cold easily modify all thingiverse STL. Imagine, which reach Fusion360 would get if unlocked for hobby users. But I feel that large reach for hobby unseres is not in the interest of the company any more.
Autodesk's model is to get people into 3D design and use the free users as beta testers and data collection. Those that do upgrade realize they are still limited by many of the bugs, features, performance/online restrictions being used to push serious users to their real 3D product, Inventor. Customers who take the plunge into that realize it's also far from perfect only now they're so deep in the Autodesk ecosystem they're unlikely to leave.
@@JJFX- Ok, go back to using Freecad if you don't like it. LOL
@@alejandroperez5368 I'm not saying that just to hate on it. It's only because it's frustrating to me how much potential F360 has over typical CAD programs but Autodesk seems set on undercutting it.
@@JJFX- can confirm. Our company wanted to switch from autocad to another software but the licensing, staff training and lost revenue meant we are stuck with autodesk forever
@@alejandroperez5368 ah yes, im banned from using something cause of pointing out how it could improve
This is a godsent, I didn't know about the new prismatic feature, I have been searching for an effective workflow to deal with stl, I hope this is it
Thank you - this helped me (a beginner in Fusion 360) overcome a roadblock in a project which had stumped me for days!
"Prismatic is not included in the free personal or hobby licenses." So, like the people that will actually use the feature? Lol.
Great feature and tutorial.
Mesh files are actually used a lot in the commercial space these days. I think this is a misconception with the 3D printing community. Particularly with 3D scan/reverse-engineering workflows, which is one of the main reasons the Mesh tab/environment got all of these updates. They brought in a bunch of technology from Autodesk Netfabb.
@@ProductDesignOnline Yup. I do photogrammetry with a pirated software and a student licence of Fusion360 for reverse engineering. Even with that, it's REALLY difficult to get clean and precise parametric designs
(A god scanner, like the Einscan Pro 2x cost 65 full median salary here in Argentina)
I do 🤷♂️
I wish I could like this more than once! I'm sorry for the people that don't have the paid version, but this is what I have been looking for!
Any guidance on what to do if the convert results are a surface body as opposed to a solid body?
It would be helpful for you to continue from the faceted method so that those of us hobbyists can learn to modify STL that do not have a Fusion 360 subscription. Thank you in advance.
Hey, thanks for the suggestion! I do plan to cover some more of the facets techniques and new mesh tools soon :)
I saw some of those tools for simplyfying mesh, and tried to use them. Ended up with some missing facets, that fusion was unable to fix. So hopefully just a few tips will be appreciated.
Instep Studio :)
@@techiejam useless comment, InStep is also NOT free with full functionality.
@@gummispecht Perhaps a useful comment would be to pay for the program if it has something you need it to do. People dont develop these highly complex CAD programs so they can offer it to the world for free. The "free" versions are nothing more than trials of the paid product for people to test so they can decided if the program is worth purchasing the full version. The "free" versions often come with WAY more usability then they really should.
Fusion 360 now has an additional addon option for organic conversions where prismatic fails. Faceted conversions are extremely difficult to work with, and there isnt going to be a "how to guide" once they are converted because they will all behave differently.
Keep in mind Fusion 360 education if Free and is basically the entire paid for base program. You only need an education based email address to register.
What are the mesh facet limitations, as far as face count? When the mesh tools were in preview, it was around 10k, which is a tiny mesh. Has this been improved?
I'm not sure if they've released an 'official' limit. I've had some success with 50K facets, but it really depends on the shape/type of model.
I tried a 9766 poly count mesh. It failed each time. Then made face groups and still failed to convert to solid.
A much clear video on how to convert mesh into a solid.💯 Good work👏
Glad you enjoyed it! appreciate you!
worked as a charm, thank you!
I have latest version of 360 in Personal setup and my Modify menu is very different. Convert mesh is not on there at all and I can't find the function. Curious if this is because i'm on a non commercial license?
Wish you could have went more in depth about the faceted convert method for those of us that are using the non-commercial version, but you put in enough information for me to be able to work my way through it. Thanks for this video. I am looking forward to watching more of your videos.
Have many videos on the topic. Kindly see this one next: th-cam.com/video/CeMHqa9Pxn8/w-d-xo.html
This is game changer, now you can access the immense ocean of mesh files.
only if you have a paid license.
@@RoamGaming for simple enough models the free faceted workflow works just fine and allows to change plenty of dimensions without any problem, I've used it to change dimensions on camera mounts and other small pieces
@@maxiu.. i've used it as well. but in this case "simple enough" means very very simple. Any model with complicated surfaces (pretty much anything beyond modeling a bracket) fails quickly.
This tutorial is my go to. Thanks so much for taking your time to make this video.
Is there a way to modify the face groups if it appears to make a mistake in the auto creation?
THANK YOU for this video. I hadn't run Fusion in a week or so and was stunned when the Mesh->Brep was not where I expected to find it - an artifact of silent, push upgrades. Without your help I would have had to struggle with Autodesk documention, I find obtuse to say the least... Thanks again!
You're welcome! They definitely push out software updates faster than documentation :D
Thank you Kevin, I very much appreciate your detailed explanations. I have a paid version and every time, regardless of the methods used I get compute failed or the conversion does not show all of the parts
Is my computer at fault? Perhaps too slow to do the required calculations, I have had it for a few years.
Thank you.
I watched 3 other videos on this topic. Thank you for getting it done right. Excellent. Subscribed - thumbs up.
Thank you so much, this is the exact information I needed to fix my imported STL mesh to help with the creation of fillets.
Thank you so much Kev!!!! Much needed... I was so lost earlier until I found ya!!!! 💙💛💙💛
Amazing step by step video .Thank you Very much.
This is great stuff. I have been looking for this feature for a long time. Not sure if you can answer this question but why would Fusion completely lock up when converting a mesh with over 10K triangles? How do you know when you have reduced it enough and why is it not able to compute?
Usually 50k and under should convert. What computer are you using? Is it older? It will be somewhat dependant on that.
i need help with the hobbyist licence the free version to convert stl to body after doing that im getting the weird lines and i can't select the whole body how to do that?
Great video I tried with a file of mine and I end up with multiple meshes. Any thoughts?
Man, you're great....I was attempting to alter an STL I found for my security cam...I remember seeing your video for STL's and had that in the back of my head for when I needed it. So, I'm watching it, and following along in Fusion, and I get to the point to right click, and Convert to BREP or whatever that means....and it's not there. I'm looking everywhere, trying all kinds of things, and all I really needed to do was take a closer look at your video, because right under your video, you had a link to think even stating 2022 Version! So awesome, because minutes after i noticed that, I had my model to print. I really wish the Prismatic feature was available, but I totally get it. They already allow almost anyone to use Fusion for free, so its hard to complain. Great video, thanks a lot. Huge fan of your tutorials, and still getting through them as I find the time. They've helped me tremendously (professionally/at work & at home playing with designs to print) I can't wait until I get to your videos on how to model things specifically for 3d printing, but I am watching them all in order as you put them up. Cheers!
Thanks, John! Glad to hear you found the '22 version. I wish it was easier to call out the newer versions as folks often don't see that. Nonetheless, best of luck with your projects!
This is a life saving video, Amazingggggg!!!!!!
Thank you so much for this tutorial. I didn't know about the generate face groups command and once i saw that my mesh was converted to the solid body super nicely. Great video.
Would like to update a comment I made before. On Free Fusion Hobby version and editing STL's is actually very easy. I found a very nice stl for Ipad Mini holder for my DJI Mini drone. So both are mini... haha. The original design was for a Huawei Tablet and I have IPad Mini 5 that my wife gave me to use with drone app from DJI. When in Fusion insert the Mesh first. Then Get into Mesh mode at top. I needed to cut the holder and add about 28 mm to enlarge the holder. Cut mesh convert mesh to Solid to add the square and then extruded the square piece to fit the holder to extend it. When extruding the square to holder then easy Extrude Join. Then When holder is correct dimension I check I measure, to measure that holder is correct for Ipad Mini 5. Then can go convert back to Mesh, again easy, to do. So now I find best to get the Stl ready for Cura or Prusaslicer, just go export and save it as Obj file. You can also just output direct to Cura and also check preview the stl so you can see that model is ok. Sounds hard, but once you do one it will be easy. I like to save the stl as obj so can use in other programs like blender and use diffrent slicers. Can send it to Meshmixer or Meshlab. When cutting the holder also remember that at the cut Plane it will leave non manifold edges on the cut pieces. Those need to be fixed. Fusion can fix those also. I think in cutting plane adjust setting to close edges. Can't remember . But take time and not hard to figure out.
video or it never happened bro
Any Idea why when I do coverrt mesh I get Not all facegroups of the mesh body could be converted. The generated solid or surface body is not complete. Try a different method for conversion or adjust the face groups to correspond better to geometric features of the mesh.
what file/object are you working with?
Thank you for this excellent explanation of the mesh-prismatic conversion. It really does look like an incredible tool, especially for working with a lot of 'Thingiverse' STL models.
Indeed, looks incredible. Too bad it's priced out of my hobby budget.
Thank-you. New to fusion 360. I recently downloaded a stl file that was 'mesh'. I wanted to edit it and was used to using Tinkercad. In the end I used tinkercad but good to know I can now use Fusion 360.
Another Excellent Video Kevin!
Thanks, Michael!
The tutorial is excellent and very timely. It helped me personally enormously but fact that prismatic isn’t available on the free licence IMHO doesn’t make sense. I completely understand why it isn’t available but I’d have thought that the file size is enormously smaller to store and processing is less involved once it’s been converted. Therefore IMHO it would actually be sensible to allow it to go on the free licence esp if there are large numbers of STLs being stored in the translated form with thousands of triangles etc. I’m still very grateful to Autodesk for being able to use it etc. I’d be struggling royally without that. It’s just an observation.
Do you have a video of showing your setup for Ultimaker cura for PLA?
I do not. What settings would you like to know? 😎
@@ProductDesignOnlineYeah I noticed. I been seeing some of your videos and it been helping me out so thank you and that's why I asked and was hoping you had a video of setting on Ultimate. Im dealing with PLA PETg and TPU and barely learning about this. I just wanted setting for them for perfect printing.
@@smokey5882420 Thanks for the additional info!
What printer(s) do you have? It will also depend on that quite a bit. Once you get them dialed in, shouldn't have to change them much.
PLA should be the eastist to get primed in. Try printing a Benchy or some other test blocks using the default settings and a .1mm layer height. That's usually a good starting point where you can start to troubleshoot what could be improved.
For TPU, you'll need to make sure the tmep is higher. I typically use 235c, but it does depend on the printer. Some printers - or different brands of TPU for that matter - require 240-250c. It's one of the pickier filaments to get dialed in.
Very helpful, thanks so much!
What purpose do face groups serve if you're on the free version (i.e. no prismatic)?
Great question! Those don't apply in that case, as it's really only for the software to better define the prismatic conversion (at this moment anyway).
Thank you for this video. In less than 24 hours the program updated and I was lost on my usual way of converting mesh to body.
What?? You can still convert via the normal (faceted) way that was always available to everyone. Only the Prismatic feature/conversion is not available, which was never a thing until July 2021 update. Don't get me wrong, I'm annoyed it's not available to everyone as well, just want to be clear that the 'regular' way of converting is still available.
@@ProductDesignOnline i use to be able to right click on my m esh insert and convert to "body" its no longer like that. your way helped me find how to do it again... not sure.. my program is the free version so maybe thats why?
sorry for the confusement
This deserves more than 10 likes from each person that will like this tutorial
Thank you!
It's very helpful. I couldn't do it well before.
Very helpfull video . If may i ask my 3d desing STL file is a wheel rim after i convert with prismatic missing all the center . Do you know the reason for that?
There is likely a hole/geometry issue near the center then. It's hard to say without seeing the file. You may be able to patch it and get it to return to a solid 🙂
@@ProductDesignOnline Hello i upload them to WeTransfer website if you want take a look. Tell me your email to send you the link.
I'm a little confused. Some are saying that it is only included in the paid version, but it shows up and works with my hobby version. Have they added it to the free version?
clear and precise, thank you!
Very fast and helpful, THX
Oh. My. God. THANK YOU! This was the perfect video I needed.
Also, in the most recent version, Fusion 360 also takes OpenSCAD models, and has an "Organic" Method when doing Convert Mesh.
Great tip! The 'Organic' method is pretty slick. May have to do a separate video on that :)
so unless you have the paid version of fusion this is sadly not possible... could you show how to do it whit the hoppy licens ?
On the hobby license, you will use the faceted approach. You can then clean up the triangles using these 3 tricks: th-cam.com/video/CeMHqa9Pxn8/w-d-xo.htmlsi=RwtnxbVa7wJ372Vv
Thank You! @@ProductDesignOnline
Did they remove some of the features for this? I can no longer convert mesh to bodies after the first step. As a hobby/small business person, they seem to be doing all they can to push me away from using it.
Top Notch Fusion 360 Instruction. Thanks!
Thank you!
Forgot to ask what does creating a solid copy for 3D printing do for the printing process?
This "STL to Solid" workflow is most used to reverse-engineer and/or alter preexisting parts from sites like Thangs, Thingiverse, etc. That said, having a solid file and using Fusion 360's additive setup will be a huge advantage in the future, as you'll no longer need to convert your file to a mesh, losing the parametric nature.
@@ProductDesignOnline is there an existing video on how to carry out what you are describing? I would certinainly to go back and try that out.
@@MaxGoddur Sure is! - th-cam.com/video/E6hFaC6dDlM/w-d-xo.html
Does the prismatic method make circles actually be circles with which joints can be aligned to their centre? When using the faceted conversion method, how can I get circular holes to be actual circles in the solid body, with centre points usable for joints?
Yes! Prismatic makes the circles/cylinders usable (normal) geometry that can be used with Joints and other features. With Faceted, you would need to clean up the facets by removing them and use the Surface tools to recreate the surface.
The prismatic option seems to only be available in paid versions
Excellent thanks ! However, you know a way i could edit the lenght/size of the object (without using scale funciton) ?
Hello Fellow folks; if the Convert Mesh option isn't present, make sure you're not in Direct Edit mode for the mesh (Instead, you want to be in Mesh mode directly, from the top row, [Solid, Surface, Mesh...etc])
tHANKS THIS SAVED ME ALOT OF TROUBLE.- i FOUND UT I NEED TO PAY TO USE THIS FEATURE
Brilliant!!
Looks like we need some more videos on the subject matter herein: "'fork in the road' where you choose between Faceted vs Prismatic."
Thank you, Kevin.
Fair point! A follow up showing additional details per Faceted would be helpful
is there an equivalent feature like this in solidworks?
Is there a different app that can do a conversion similar to prismatic for presonal use?
I wish I had watched this before spending a couple of hours trying to clean up a model I converted from stl to step in FreeCad, rather than after I had given up on that.
Not sure why, but the prismatic conversion works perfectly for me with a free hobby license.
Excellent instructional video! Thank you!
Just stumbled across this video. You now have a new Subscriber. Great video and was something I actually needed know and will save me a lot of time and effort.
Glad you enjoyed it/learned a lot!
Thanks so much for clearly explaining the process and not going a million miles an hour haha!
I can't find mesh display in the Display Setting drop down menu. Did they change it since this video was made?
Neve mind I found it. The moved it to the inspection menu
thank you so much! most files i use are stl and i can get accurate files because its a mesh. very grateful for this tutorial
Great explanation, easy to follow. I'm on the free version, and modifying even a simple stl is burdensome.
Amazing explanation
Your tutorials are awesome! Thanks to you, I know the basics of using Fusion which is completely awesome! One quick question about the new prismatic conversion availability. Is it included with the education license? 🤞
Yes! It is available on the EDU license.
@@ProductDesignOnline Just switched to educational version and prismatic is still blocked. You also marked a post which says that prismatic conversion is not availible in the educational version, what is correct?
Ive been learning 360 and went to try insert mesh, and noticed that prismatic is grayed out. Wanted to do a little modification to a model. Probably going to use mesh mixer or something similar until I learn to do my own designing.
Yes it is included in the EDU license. I just used the function yesterday on my education account.
Just for people like me, that were unable to see the "Mesh" tab and were always right clicking the mesh and entering "direct edit" or "edit feature": You will switch to mesh mode, yes but you won't get the convert mesh feature here.
So import the mesh, then in the top tabs switch to mesh and you have it.
what type of processor do you need to convert these files
I tried this and it worked pretty well, but I do have 3 bodies which are from the mesh as a result of the generate face groups and then convert mesh. I have added solids to this model but they are treated as separate bodies and combine does not work. This means you can't "filet" between the mesh that was converted to your new solids.. (I was adding a divider to a box, the box was a mesh and the divider create two compartments, but I can't create filets between the two)
This is utterly amazing thank you so much, everyone is so confusing
Is this still valid for todays F360, July 2022. If I get stumped can you look at a mesh? Dennis
Yes, the workflow still works! You can post questions in the community space: community.productdesignonline.com/
I make the face groups, convert to a prismatic base feature but it generates an incomplete solid; “try a different method for conversion or adjust the face groups to correspond better to geometric features of the mesh”. I tried fast instead of accurate in the face groups instead and got the same result with a partial solid.. 🧐
Can you link to the file you're trying to convert? It may be something specific to the geometry, but I can try on my end and see if I get the same result.
@@ProductDesignOnline I tried pasting a drive link but it keeps disappearing
This, is, friggin, AWESOME.
How can these same results (Prismatic) be obtained in solidworks or similar software?
Very helpful thanks
Excellent coverage of additional Fusion 360 functionality. Thanks for the video and to your sponsor, checking out their website now.
Thanks, Craig! Be sure to check out the July 3D Modeling challenge (open to everyone) - bit.ly/July3DChallenge
Thank's! Very qualitative tutorial! Helped me out a lot!
hello, thanks for this awesome video, however Im facing a little problem. Im not sure how to fix this issue but it seems like its taking too long for my mesh to turn into solid body this way. I know this may be the only way but could you give me advice on how to speed up the process? its still loading as I type this comment, and iv been waiting for 20 minutes..
Very informative and, as always, very clearly presented.
great video. Thanks for your time!
Thanks for watching. Appreciate you!
after converting mesh , it wont let me export the model , and also wont let me repair face groups ? any ideas.
thanks worked great
I dont know if it has changed - yet again - but I have a paid version of this and I had to do it a completly different way. FIrst I saved the project. Then I turned off the timeline history (as usual). I had to go to the very top (above the icons) and select MESH to go into the mesh workspace. Then I could go to modify / convert mesh / and do the conversion. Painful.
You don't have to turn off Design History to access Mesh features/conversion anymore. Mesh is now parametric.
thank you Sir, you save my time a lot
Thanks for watching! :)
Helps a lot!! Thanks!
I do t have that pop-up box you keep clicking things in. How do I get that?
Excellent lesson.
This is a good video. However, why can I not select the operation when I am using the convert mesh option ?
Thanks! Which Fusion 360 license are you on?
@@ProductDesignOnline I am currently using education license. Does that affect anything ?
@@muhammadaimanbinzakaria2584 Thanks for confirming. It should be available on the EDU license. Did you also use the 'generate face groups' option before trying to convert?
@@ProductDesignOnline Yes sir, I did. However, even the mesh display option where I can hide the face groups is not available. I ignore that since it's only to hide the face groups. However, when I'm trying to convert the mesh, I can't select the operation like you did
You are the best Thanks
Absolutely perfect video. Thank you!