Learn how to import existing STL, OBJ, or 3MF files as mesh bodies into your parametric designs in Fusion.
Transcript
00:04
If you want to work with existing TL OBJ or three MF design files in fusion 360
00:09
you first need to insert them as mesh bodies in
00:12
the design workspace or open or upload the files directly.
00:17
Lets explore the different options to import a mesh body.
00:21
A stereo
00:22
lithography file or TL is a unit less description of a triangulated 3d surface
00:29
STL files are often used in scanning,
00:32
reverse engineering and rapid prototyping workflows
00:36
on the toolbar, navigate to the mesh tab.
00:39
Then on the create panel, click insert mesh.
00:43
When the open dialogue displays, navigate to the STL file, you want to insert,
00:48
select it,
00:49
then click open
00:51
the insert mesh dialogue displays and the new mesh body displays in the browser
00:56
inside the body's folder within the active component.
00:59
And in the canvas,
01:02
you can set the unit type to control the size of the mesh body.
01:06
For example,
01:07
if you select millimeter,
01:09
then one unit from the original STL file will equal
01:12
one millimeter regardless of the units in the design.
01:16
You can reposition the mesh body by flipping its Y and Z axes,
01:21
centering it on the origin of the active component
01:24
or resting it on the ground plane of the active component.
01:28
If you want to adjust the mesh body any further,
01:31
you can drag the distance and rotation manipulator handles in the canvas
01:35
or enter specific values in the numerical input section of the dialogue.
01:41
When you're finished positioning the mesh body click OK.
01:44
All of the faces are combined into a single face group.
01:49
An OBJ file is a unit less file that describes a 3D surface similar
01:54
to an STL file except it can also reference color and texture information.
01:60
After you use insert mesh to insert an
02:02
OBJ file with associated color and texture information,
02:06
you'll need to turn off face groups in the display settings.
02:09
If you want to see the color and texture,
02:13
A 3D manufacturing format file or three MF
02:17
is an XML based file specifically designed for additive manufacturing.
02:22
It describes the properties of a 3D surface including its vertices,
02:26
triangular faces, units, colors and textures
02:31
because a three MF file includes units in the data.
02:34
You don't need to select the units manually. When you insert it,
02:37
the units are automatically interpreted,
02:41
you can select multiple mesh files of
02:43
different file types and insert them simultaneously.
02:47
If any of the files are STL or BJ,
02:51
you may need to scale the mesh bodies after you insert
02:53
them because you cannot select the units for each file.
02:56
When you insert multiple files at the same time
02:60
unit,
02:60
less files are inserted with one unit from
03:02
the original file equal to one millimeter.
03:05
Regardless of the units in the design,
03:08
each file is inserted as a separate mesh body at the same insertion point.
03:13
You can move the individual mesh bodies after you finish the insert mesh command.
03:19
In addition to the insert mesh command,
03:21
there are two more ways to import STL OBJ or
03:24
three MF files as mesh bodies with a couple of caveats
03:29
in the file menu. Select open,
03:32
click open from my computer.
03:34
Navigate to the file. You want to open,
03:36
select it
03:37
and then click open
03:40
a new fusion design file
03:43
or F 3D
03:44
is created with the same file name as the original file
03:48
and you can save it to a fusion project and folder location.
03:53
Alternatively in the data panel,
03:55
click upload and you can select multiple stlobj or three MF files at once,
04:02
select a project and folder location and the files are uploaded.
04:06
The result is the same for both the open and upload methods.
04:11
The new F 3D file is created in direct modeling mode.
04:14
So if you want the benefits of parametric modeling,
04:17
you'll need to switch the design to parametric modeling mode.
04:21
When you open a unit less file,
04:23
one unit from the original file is interpreted as one centimeter in the new F 3D file.
04:29
So if you open an STL or BJ file of a
04:32
cube that was exported with a one millimeter base unit,
04:36
it is interpreted as a one centimeter cube or 10 millimeters.
04:41
Even if your default units for new designs are set to another unit type
04:45
like millimeters or inches.
04:48
If you open a three MF file which contains unit information,
04:52
the units of the design are automatically set to the units from the three MF file.
04:57
You can always switch the design to parametric modeling mode
05:01
or scale a mesh body after you open or upload it.
05:04
However,
05:05
the insert mesh command can save you some time and frustration when you
05:09
need to import meshes that are scaled properly and ready to be edited.
05:12
Parametric.
00:04
If you want to work with existing TL OBJ or three MF design files in fusion 360
00:09
you first need to insert them as mesh bodies in
00:12
the design workspace or open or upload the files directly.
00:17
Lets explore the different options to import a mesh body.
00:21
A stereo
00:22
lithography file or TL is a unit less description of a triangulated 3d surface
00:29
STL files are often used in scanning,
00:32
reverse engineering and rapid prototyping workflows
00:36
on the toolbar, navigate to the mesh tab.
00:39
Then on the create panel, click insert mesh.
00:43
When the open dialogue displays, navigate to the STL file, you want to insert,
00:48
select it,
00:49
then click open
00:51
the insert mesh dialogue displays and the new mesh body displays in the browser
00:56
inside the body's folder within the active component.
00:59
And in the canvas,
01:02
you can set the unit type to control the size of the mesh body.
01:06
For example,
01:07
if you select millimeter,
01:09
then one unit from the original STL file will equal
01:12
one millimeter regardless of the units in the design.
01:16
You can reposition the mesh body by flipping its Y and Z axes,
01:21
centering it on the origin of the active component
01:24
or resting it on the ground plane of the active component.
01:28
If you want to adjust the mesh body any further,
01:31
you can drag the distance and rotation manipulator handles in the canvas
01:35
or enter specific values in the numerical input section of the dialogue.
01:41
When you're finished positioning the mesh body click OK.
01:44
All of the faces are combined into a single face group.
01:49
An OBJ file is a unit less file that describes a 3D surface similar
01:54
to an STL file except it can also reference color and texture information.
01:60
After you use insert mesh to insert an
02:02
OBJ file with associated color and texture information,
02:06
you'll need to turn off face groups in the display settings.
02:09
If you want to see the color and texture,
02:13
A 3D manufacturing format file or three MF
02:17
is an XML based file specifically designed for additive manufacturing.
02:22
It describes the properties of a 3D surface including its vertices,
02:26
triangular faces, units, colors and textures
02:31
because a three MF file includes units in the data.
02:34
You don't need to select the units manually. When you insert it,
02:37
the units are automatically interpreted,
02:41
you can select multiple mesh files of
02:43
different file types and insert them simultaneously.
02:47
If any of the files are STL or BJ,
02:51
you may need to scale the mesh bodies after you insert
02:53
them because you cannot select the units for each file.
02:56
When you insert multiple files at the same time
02:60
unit,
02:60
less files are inserted with one unit from
03:02
the original file equal to one millimeter.
03:05
Regardless of the units in the design,
03:08
each file is inserted as a separate mesh body at the same insertion point.
03:13
You can move the individual mesh bodies after you finish the insert mesh command.
03:19
In addition to the insert mesh command,
03:21
there are two more ways to import STL OBJ or
03:24
three MF files as mesh bodies with a couple of caveats
03:29
in the file menu. Select open,
03:32
click open from my computer.
03:34
Navigate to the file. You want to open,
03:36
select it
03:37
and then click open
03:40
a new fusion design file
03:43
or F 3D
03:44
is created with the same file name as the original file
03:48
and you can save it to a fusion project and folder location.
03:53
Alternatively in the data panel,
03:55
click upload and you can select multiple stlobj or three MF files at once,
04:02
select a project and folder location and the files are uploaded.
04:06
The result is the same for both the open and upload methods.
04:11
The new F 3D file is created in direct modeling mode.
04:14
So if you want the benefits of parametric modeling,
04:17
you'll need to switch the design to parametric modeling mode.
04:21
When you open a unit less file,
04:23
one unit from the original file is interpreted as one centimeter in the new F 3D file.
04:29
So if you open an STL or BJ file of a
04:32
cube that was exported with a one millimeter base unit,
04:36
it is interpreted as a one centimeter cube or 10 millimeters.
04:41
Even if your default units for new designs are set to another unit type
04:45
like millimeters or inches.
04:48
If you open a three MF file which contains unit information,
04:52
the units of the design are automatically set to the units from the three MF file.
04:57
You can always switch the design to parametric modeling mode
05:01
or scale a mesh body after you open or upload it.
05:04
However,
05:05
the insert mesh command can save you some time and frustration when you
05:09
need to import meshes that are scaled properly and ready to be edited.
05:12
Parametric.
