Creating User Parameters in Fusion 360 - Handy!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 มิ.ย. 2024
- In this video I'll show you how to create User Parameters in Fusion 360 so you can easily and quickly change your entire design when needed for 3D Printing, with just a single command!
Changing clearances, part sizes and even grid counts is easy with parameters, and well worth trying out!
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This is great. I just tweeted you over the weekend asking for a video about clearance and tolerances. Idk if this was a coincidence with how quick it popped up but thank you so much!
I enjoyed your explanation on parametric design. It helps me to tap into the Fusion GUI where there is a huge potential to avoid redesigning/modeling anything made with hard dimensioned geometry. The tolerance varies so much with 3D printing and is so finicky that this is invaluable for the maker to utilize, and the explanation (and reasons for their use) of parameters that you give here is a perfect introduction into this topic for my purposes. Thank you!
AWESOME! This is exactly what I was looking for. I was printing small jig with real small tolerance and do to shrinkage of the PLA I had to tweek the sketch and print. Now I can add a tolerance and change that in 1 shot! and print. Thanks for this great video. I am a noob in Fusion 360, tricks like this makes life really easy!
Yes! I didn't know F360 had this, and it is exactly what I've been looking for. Thank you so much!
This is awesome Angus! I'm so glad you pointed the user parameters feature out! Somehow I never stumbled across it, so I was running into issues all the time trying to reference driven dimensions (spoiler: you can't do that) or using long expressions all over my sketches. This has made designing in Fusion360 so much less frustrating, faster and more flexible. Thank you!
Yes! This is a fantastic topic for any fusion user! Thanks for covering this!
This is some high quality content, can't wait to see more of it.
Thanks Jack! Really appreciate it.
It's cool to learn about features like this in Fusion that I had never heard about. I was working on a design with inter-moving parts recently and I definitely could have saved some time with this feature. Thanks for pointing this out!
You've discovered the power of variables in programming. This is what I like about OpenCAD. (I come from a programming background.) It's nice to learn that variables are available in Fusion 360. Thank you.
I never quite clicked with programming but now it's visual... it's starting to all come together for me. Cheers!
Yes, been waiting for this tutorial
Finally!! I could never figure out why you have never used them before, they make life so much easier.
Yes, indeed, this tip is very handy, thanks so much for sharing Angus !
Thank you very much Angus, this was a very useful tutorial that will improve my 3D printing design methods a lot
Freaking sweet! I am so watching the CAD playlist!! Thank you so much for these!!!!!
I’ve been working with this as well. Designed my own printer using square tubing and 3D printed joints. I’ve set the parameters so that I only enter the build volume and the whole assembly updates. All you have to do is cut the pieces to the calculation. Comments tell you how many of each (even the belts). Quick and easy BOM! Thanks for the info on no units. Definitely going in the next evolution.
You're right, that is very handy. This video is up there in helpfulness. Keep this up!
Parameters are very handy :) I use them quite a bit, and demonstrated using them to create a beveled gear in one of my videos. Honestly one of the best ways to do some complex geo.
Being able to store formulas in parameters is by far the most useful and time saving thing though.
great explanation of parameters! Thanks!!!
What a great tip! Awesome powerful!
Nice to see the 15 cube puzzle working a lot better than the 16 cube one :-) Great video and nice to see somebody using parameters properly. It was the one thing that made me "take" fusion seriously coming from Inventor. Having "clearance" on hand saves a ton of time
Man, this is going to help so much. Thanks!
Brilliant! More videos of this kind please.
Thanks Angus, very useful content.
Wow, there power in that program. I decided to pick it up instead of starting in TinkerCAD and then jumping to the more powerful tool. Might as well hit the deep end. Just done some fiddling around. Maker's coin. Vases (who doesn't make vases?) and some real world parts such as a spool center for a filament reel. Baby steps, but I'm learning thanks to folks like you and Joel.
Thanks for all you do!
Great to hear! Thanks for the kind words.
Maker's Muse I guess you allowed her to use your content right? th-cam.com/video/CzsY4F6z9u0/w-d-xo.html
Protected under fair use, but yes she asked before posting. Totally fine!
OH well, no. sorry thats a reupload. my bad, no not allowed.
Oh mah gawd i've been wondering how an advanced software like Fusion 360 doesn't have simple functions like these that can easily be found in C programming. Really wanted to know if Fusion 360 had this ability and this video was *exactly* it. Thanks for enlightening me Angus 😇
awesome videos man keep it up
Angus:
I found an easier and faster work-around for the glitch. When the number and parameter are equal and you want to change the number to the parameter, just change the number to something random, wait for your model to update, and then change it to the parameter. I've found that Fusion 360 is then able to keep the parameter.
Good tip! Thanks :)
I tend to change it to something like parameter+1, then to parameter. btw, Angus, you can use parameter in arithmetics as well : )
Awesome, This will let me create parametrizable prints :O
I didn't know you could do that, but thats pretty cool.
I have been following Maker's Muse for some time and I am on my 3rd year of using Fusion 360. I have learned a few interesting things watching these videos. I have a request, many of my models use embossed or engraved features and I have figured out how to get aesthetically pleasing engraves, embosses (
I love working with parameters like the only thing I found with working like this (as goes for many other cases) you really need to think before you start. Implementing these halfway trough your design is a hassle at best. If you implement these right from the start I have found these to be extremely useful yes, especially in combination with the fact you can use math and functions everywhere you need a measurement.
If used correctly your design basically becomes something from openscad or the thingiverse customizer.
Very helpful. Thanks!
Im using this to make animations in catia, like if you want to make a spring u can make the length of the print to a basic parameter and the pitch could be the length divedid by something so if you want to press the spring you should only modify the lentgh and the pitch will be bigger or smaller. That's a really cool thing to use in manifacturing.
Cheers Angus, very useful :)
If you are designing anything for 3D printing, then using parameters is a game changer. Tweaking your model is all done in 1 spot and takes seconds vs trying to find a specific sketch, extrude, etc to make the change.
In addition, I don't know if you noticed but you can even make calculations with the variables. For example if you want 2 cylinders to fit in each others, you can specify a variable for the diameter of the internal cylinder (like internalCylinder=10mm) then you can set the diameter of the external cylinder as "internalCylinder + clearance *2" (with a variable clearance=0.1mm for example).
Anyway, very usefull video and feature. Didn't know it.
Angus, when you return to this topic: 1. User parameters feature should be added to the shortcuts popup. 2. You can use expressions both in the sketch and in the parameters table. Example: big_diameter = 1.5 * medium_diameter (shorter version: big_dia = 1.5 * med_dia).
Great video, Angus! Perhaps it is easier to understand the concept of parameters if you do programming stuff, since the concept is the same as variables.
In my design flow, parameters come even earlier than CAD. When I think of how to design something I draw a very simple sketch to see what are the possible parameters and how/if they can be correlated to each other. Then I go to CAD software and make the CAD design. Some people think is weird because I sketch almost without numbers :P
Nice! I've taken the concept of user parameters and combined them with an addon so I can import shrinkage values (I call them "Filament Shrinkage Offsets" (FSOs)) whenever I create a new model (see "Tip: 'Global' User Parameters in Fusion 360" on my channel).
Nice so it's global variables. I love it.
could you make more fusion360 videos like this?
well there's the play list, but yes. More in future.
very cool
I used it in my Geneva mechanism generator. Using 'No Unit' as distances you need to multiply them with 1mm. Also 'No Units' are needed for some mathematical calculations...again by multiply those with 1mm gives me the distance option.
Brilliant
hey angus can you please use your presence online to ask the devs to make the parameters window dockable, so for a lot of parameters its easy to see them all and ease of editing them as ya go along. the window disapears all the time and the addons suck.
My workaround for now is to just add a custom keybind to the parameter window. If you go to the Modify dropdown menu and hover your mouse over the change parameters menu point you'll see the meatball-menu (the three vertical dots). Click on the dots, and you can assign a custom key-bind to the command (change keyboard command...).
Hey Angus, I see that it says "Enter Expression" there where you were entering numbers. I take it that since it says "Expression" that you can use an already entered User Parameter and use some math on it to get dimensions to scale off one base unit? Such as "CubeSize * 0.5" to make something scale to 50% of the overall size.
Yes absolutely, for my rubik's cube I'm entering things like PuzzleWidth/3 for the internal spherical cut-outs and such. It all works perfectly. :)
Yes, you can use other parameters and pretty much any mathematical expression.
That's been my favorite thing to do with parameters. One little change can update a whole array of features.
Hey Angus! Love this! Is there a way to import a .obj file and add clearances into the parts? I'm trying to print a model I made in Blender but it's hard to add clearances in Blender since it's not parametric and tbh isn't all that "smart" for stuff like this. lol otherwise I'd love to know how to maybe model a car in Fusion? lol that's always daunted me!
Nice
FUTURE VIDEO REQUEST: Angus, can you please make a video addressing this whole "3D Printed Gun" controversy in the USA? Most people are ignorant of how 3D printing methods even work (ie. Policy Makers), so I am extremely interested in a video that could possibly educate the masses based around this trending topic. Thank you.
Interesting!
are user parameters independent for each workspace? or are they saved to be used for later on in other designs? would be good to be able to save your clearance for each printer so when ever your designing something in the future you can think ahead of what printer your going to use and just pick the necessary clearance.... that way you wont need to remember clearances for each printer
50th view, how satisfying
Angus, regarding the bug, another (faster) workaround could be to only make changes in the Edit of the Feature, instead of going into your parameters multiple times? E.g. change your dimensions in the Edit of the feature to something that is not equal to the Cubesize, then accept; en then go back into the Edit feature and change your temporary made up value back to 'Cubesize'. This way, you don't even have to go into the Parameter menu if your CubeSize is already the value you've wanted. Hope it's clear.
In SolidWorks these are called Variables and work fairly similar
Have you seen the Crane color 3d printer? What do you think about it?
How did you do that BoreAngle? what I mean, is in the drawing did you draw a line across the circle and extruded or is this a feature I haven't noticed in Fusion 360.
Your clearance is actually 0.2, because your doing it from each face that is parallel to each other. Which is an important detail that deserves mentioning, but you did say that this was a more advanced tutorial and that detail may not be obvious to all.
True that, something I should have mentioned.
I used parameters in a different way when I was modeling Kepler's Mysterium Cosmographicum. It's hard to explain in words, but here's what it is:
Sphere 1 (S1) is inscribed in a regular octahedron (R1).
S2 is circumscribed around R1 and is inscribed in a regular icosahedron (R2)
S3 is circumscribed around R2 and is inscribed in a regular dodecahedron (R3)
S4 is circumscribed around R3 and is inscribed in a regular tetrahedron (R4)
S5 is circumscribed around R4 and is inscribed in a cube (R5).
S6 is circumscribed around R5.
I used formulas from Wikipedia to calculate the side lengths of each regular polyhedron and the radii of the spheres. I created parameters for them so that I didn't have to write a parametric formula for all of them.
Angus -- I'm at work during my lunch break, so can't test now... BUT can you do in-place relative modifications to user parameters. e.g. "cubesize" for one dimension and then "cubesize - 3" for the other to make a scaleable rectangular cube that can be modified with a single parameter. That would be even **more** powerful. ... ahh someone else already asked. Answer is yes,.. Nice!!
Yep, that works well I am using that approach for elements of my Rubik's Cube design.
Parameters are awesome. Can Fusion also handle formulas? I use Solid Edge and at some cases I use formulas adding or multiplying different measurments. It even can handle things like round to make integers for patterns from more complex formulas.
wuerfel schmied Yeah, man. the "expression" value of a parameter can be a formula of other parameters and numbers. (edit: haven't tried rounding to an integer in a parameter expression, though, myself)
Thanks for the vids... great work! Yes, Fusion Parameters are great. Wait until you get to equations and functions! Best of all, it's all (relatively) easy to use!!
PARAMETER DIRECTION/SIGN:
Where a negative parameter value is potentially confusing - ie. Clearance = -0.1mm (imo lol) - set the reference to the parameter as negative instead (i.e. " -Clearance "). That is, set the direction (+/- prefix) in the dimension itself, not the paramater list. That way, you can also use the same Parameter in different (ie. most appropriate) directions in the design (i.e. "-Clearance" on outer surfaces, "Clearance" on inner surfaces). This may also avoid multiple parameters too!
(Mmh... I am wondering if the 'Flip' buttons work with parameters?!?).
Being able to rename the auto-named dimensions (d1, d2, etc. etc.) is also very useful, especially as you can then reference them within other dimensions. Though it can often be clearer to have a single User Parameter driving multiple dimensions etc. As mentioned, planning is required to avoid confusing cross-referencing etc.
NAMING PARAMETERS:
Also, when you have lots of Parameters (think 'variables' in code!), you'll start to need a naming convention that allows specific parameters to be quickly found. Sounds like overkill, but it's a good habit to have - esp if working with others (or you forget stuff after a few sleeps)! There's various conventions, but I build categories into names, starting with either the 'purpose' of the parameter (diamBaseHoles, LenLidOuter, DepthLidRecess) or using product structure (e.g. BaseHoleUpperDiam, LidOuterLength, LidRecessDepth). It depends on the project - and how ya brain works! However, as you are entering a parameter name, you know it's purpose, so the former naming convention is what usually works best for me.
FEATURE REQUEST?
I only wish the Parameters list was non-modal, so that it allowed modelling whilst its open!! That way, you could continue designing whilst viewing parameters, selecting them, and ideally adding them as you go, all whilst the modelling window remains active. (If anyone knows how to enter a new parameter name whilst say, entering a dimension, that be very useful. NB: I haven't searched for this yet so it might already be on its way :)
I am a newcomer to Fusion and I've realised there's one massive problem with Fusion 360: it's such fun to learn, that I'm not getting any work done! Cheers
i would like to learn parametric design.
So is this Fusion 360 parameter option simplified (beginner friendly) version of Autodesk Dynamo or?
@9:10 if you set up another parameter (say of a size not used in the model i.e. BugFix = 12.3456mm) and switched distance to it, will that update correctly? and then if you switch back to CubeSize, is the correct value displayed? (Don't have access to Fusion on my Linux machine to test it ) :'(
I’m completely new to 360, but I’ve been coding in many languages for ages, and the parameters just seem like a variable in code which can be referenced later on
Ooh using fusion 360 without all those numbers that make my brain scream. I may just have to do the things!
Immediately I want to be able to use formulae in the parameters. Can you do this? Can I for example set the BoreAngle to be the distance from the origin modulo CubeSize, so that over the pattern, the orientation of those holes changes in a predictable pattern? That sort of thing would begin to be enormously powerful, especially if the formulae can be kept in another table somewhere and be complex, or even programmatic, or recursive.
That would be cool. I wouldn't be surprised if Autodesk intentionally left something like this out, since they seem less than excited about anything recursive happening in Fusion 360. They don't even allow referencing driven dimensions in other dimension expressions because it could recurse.
Recently found a book for F360 on Amazon by Make magazine. Haven't gotten far in it, so I don't know if it covers this but you might want to check it out.
Currency could be used to sell models sized by price. The size or some other features would then change depending on how much the customer is paying for.
Hello, I was wondering if you cold tell me which recording software are you using to make those videos. I try OBS but it create an error recording Fusion 360 screen! It hide the entire tool bar in the top, the history and the Browser with the components, bodies and sketches! Thanks, and great job with your channel, it's really usefull! - and Hi from Brazil :)
I use OBS and the screen is a display capture. Works great, though I do have a dedicated GPU. Just a GTX760.
I use solidworks and I’ve been looking for some feature like this. Any idea how to find it in solidworks?
As I was following your example, why is it that as soon as I select all the faces of the cube to the clearance feature, it only allows me to do one face at a time and not like in your video?
is it possible to add parmeters to exsiting drawing ?
@7:30 how does the cube know to change the offset when you change the perimiter value?
Sounds like "Parameters" work like "Variables" in computer programing.
Have you ever tried to cheat on clearances by using "Silicon Spray"? It works amazing.
I was wondering what you think of multi material printers like the M3D crane quad? Do you think we will see a rise in hybridized materials soon?
I think the M3D marketing is a load of hype they're claiming its the first full color 3D Printer which is not true. It will print multicolour but you're not going to get much multi material through it because of temperature variations.
Maker's Muse that's a good point. Thanks very much keep up the good work mate
How can I make "user parameters" which are local only available for a model?
So that I could copy this model and change the parameters to a different value to only effect the new (copy) model?
You could do the clearance another way
You can use functions
So you could have cube size - clearance
thinfourth This is what I do.
I use blender to draft parts of various kinds for 3d printing. It does pretty much what fusion seems to but with a little different approach. What advantages does fusion have over blender considering blender's capabilities and being free? Anyone's thoughts are welcome...
Atomkey Sinclair Fusion360 has a free license available if your a hobbyist (I think small businesses, too.) Blender seems to be better for organic modeling, though I'm not very familiar with the Sculpt workspace in Fusion 360 myself, so I may be missing something.
7:56: Thought he said "patents". :-)
Have you tried designspark mechanical it's free and similar to fusion 360? The only thing I found is it doesn't have the smooth make thread function as Fusion 360.
I'm a big fan of FreeCAD, because it's open source. FreeCAD doesn't have a thread function either, so I create a Helix path (which Fusion 360 unfortunately doesn't seem to have), then Sweep a thread profile along the path, with the mysteriously-name "frenet" option on to keep the profile from rolling as it follows the helix. One tip: FreeCAD doesn't warn about self-intersecting threads like Fusion 360 does, so a self-intersecting thread will just behave strangely when you try to, for example, join it to a cylinder.
DSM helix can make good threads, but I prefer Fusion 360, even just on the ability in Fusion to go back in the history and change a feature or sketch from early in the design and it adjusts. So many times I've had to scrap a complex DSM project and start over to change a minor detail, and the worst case in fusion for me after editing an early sketch in the history of a project has been to go through and re-select edges for filets if the number of edges in the geometry changed.
Bradford Needham Helix paths in fusion 360 can be done by making a square profile coil, and only using one of it's edges. Not exactly straightforward, but it is a viable workaround. FreeCAD tends to crash on me, or bail out of operations with a thread trace; otherwise, I'd probably use it more, since it isn't tied to cloud storage.
Ao they are like variables in a programming language?
John Michael Stock Yes, quite a bit like variables in a way, but I think they come with the assurance that they will not recalculate mid-render. For example, a variable in a program might be used as a counter increasing by one everytime it is used, so at different points during the program it has different values. User parameter appear to be calculated all at once, so at all different points within the model they are consistent. (Of course you can change the values, but it would consistently change everywhere the parameter is used.)
Programming is my comfort zone, and designing in Fusion360 definitely feels more like programming when I'm using parameters than before I knew about them.
Angus, please try framing your shot with less empty space above your head. I feel it will look better. For some reason it really bothers me. Maybe I'm the only one.
10:07 Can't you just type 12mm and type type CubeSize?
In my new Fusion 360 personal (2.0.7463) I cant find Parameters enywhere. Not even in Shorcutwindow sercing for it.
Can somebody help.
I found the problem: Design history has to be on !!
an easier fix might be to change the size from 10 to a value different than cube size and not have to navigate to the parameters.
Is there a quick way of entering user parameters instead of reaching up to press the + button every time?
F360 is powerful and all, but LAWD they do everything in their power to make it slow to use.
Angus why have you not answered any of my Magewesley emails!
It appears that if you create an offset plane so you can draw, you can't use a parameter to define the distance... Which is Nucking Futs. = Update, You have to make them Global, you can't define them in one sketch and use them in another, When I made it a user parameter it worked... Fusion 360 could sure use some descriptive errors - instead of just not working. (more for other things than this)
I've been trying to get Fusion 360 to run on my HP Elitebook8770w. The guys from Fusion 360 pestered me for 2 weeks trying various things to get it to run. Eventually they gave up! Has anyone else had an issue running it on your machine? I actually can't even run 123D either. The program try's to start then just dies & disappears from my task list! So! Fusion 360, for me, Absolutely Sucks!
4th
1:35 for the lazy
Still running windows 7...
Angus, I've seen a lot of YT videos by talented people, but they do not use any parameters, which makes every design a "work of art" (one off) instead of a reusable design.
I'm sure that's fantastic for a lot of design work - but I wouldn't be keen to redesign puzzles just to change clearances!
Maker's Muse , it looks like you may have missed my point entirely. Have you read my second comment? I try to develop a habit of using at least a few parameters in all my designs. Btw., I am not a professional designer.
What do you think about my country's (USA) legally printable guns? The law (or whatever) passed today! I don't see how they keep that info off the web in Australia? You guys have different laws. Maybe this is okay there? I know it's kinda heavy but I'm dying to know what someone who does printing all the time thinks of this Cody Wilson guy.
So basically it's a template system.
Hey Angus I know you like printing funny weird things, search for: "Gömböc"
Where is the parameter for the fillet or the number of likes? what a newbie...
Fusion still has a lot of bugs, that is why not too much people use it.
You know a program has a crappy UI when you have to watch an 11 minute video to find the damned dialog box.