Before manufacturing any part, CAD is what lets you make mistakes for free — testing, adjusting, and checking fits on screen instead of spending material and shop time.
Introduction to Fusion 360Link to this section
The foundation of Fusion 360 is Sketches (2D drawings with geometric constraints) that later become 3D parts through tools like Extrude. Understanding constraints from the start avoids the classic problem of parts that "break" when edited later.
- Learn the interface and project organization.
- Understand Sketches and constraints.
- Create parts using Extrude and other basic tools.
Project organizationLink to this section
An entire robot modeled as a single part is impossible to edit or maintain. Working with separate Components, connected by Joints (joints that define how the parts move relative to each other), is what allows you to assemble and edit the robot as a set of independent parts.
- Work with Components.
- Create Joints and relationships between parts.
- Organize the robot efficiently.
Modeling for FTCLink to this section
Modeling with real-world measurements, thinking from the start about how that part will be manufactured, avoids the problem of designing something that looks good on screen but is impossible or expensive to produce in practice.
- Model robot parts and components.
- Work with real-world measurements.
- Think about manufacturing from the start of the project.