CAD Basics

Just because you spent hours on a design does not mean it is worth continuing if you have painted yourself into a corner and find it difficult/confusing/impossible to proceed effectively

• Especially when you are first learning CAD, you may spend many minutes/hours/days on a design and be struggling with how to proceed/make changes

• More often than not, if you start completely fresh with a new file and redesign what you've done, you will take significantly less time to get back to where you were, and do it more efficiently (with less features/mistakes)

Wiki: "Sunk Cost - Fallacy Effect"

Before even creating your first Component, we recommend saving the file

• Try to organize all your files within Fusion 360. For example, maybe create a Project/Folder for anything you model in for course, called "CAD-DFM"

Any time you adjust your design - especially major changes - we recommend saving a new version, and naming the versions in a way that describes exactly what was done at each change

• Video: "Bodies vs Components", by Product Design Online (15:26)

"Components" are how objects and design history are organized within a CAD file in Fusion 360

Components can be individual objects or multiple objects

Components can also be nested within other components, which is how you organize multi-object assemblies, subassemblies, etc. (think Systems Approach: System → Module → Component)

Name all your sketches, features, bodies, components, planes, etc. with names that are intuitive and make sense for anyone looking at your CAD file

• This not only helps you when you are trying to understand or adjust your designs, but also others who may look at your designs (subcontractors, customers, etc.)