Category Archives: week4

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How powerful software can help you design for an idea

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This past week, Dan Banach, a representative from Autodesk led a hands-on workshop on how to design in Autodesk’s Fusion 360 software. Fusion 360 is a powerful tool that allows individuals to model out their ideas. Models can be shared digitally or designed with the intent to be physically produced. Although I was not able to attend this past week’s session in-person I was able to connect with some of my peers to review what I missed from Dan’s workshop.

Completing the fusion 360 tutorial really helped me gain a better understanding of how to use the software. I was able to first-hand experience the various nuances of the software and functionalities. For me, there was a big learning curve to learn the software because I do not have very many technical skills. This was a nice way to learn another technical skills and reinforced how beneficial it is to have software knowledge.

Here’s what I learned:

I learned to take my time and understand what I was doing. From connecting with my peers who sat in on the workshop and completing the Fusion 360 Youtube tutorial, I learned that it was more important to understand why I was doing what I was doing and its role in creating the end product.  Additionally, the step by step instructions made it extremely easy to follow along and it also strengthened my understanding of the Fusion 360 design process. The neat part about learning from others and engaging in self-learning through instructional videos was that it compelled me to learn something new. By collaborating with my peers, and utilizing broad resources available on the internet, I have been able to develop a new technical skill.

Although I was unable to attend the session in-person, I was still able to learn how to create the ice scraper. It was difficult to piece everything together, but below is what my design ended up looking like.

http://a360.co/2BUCb8b

This week, I watched a tutorial and learned how to build a lampshade. It was exciting to see that I have now developed a base-line understanding of Fusion 360. Although the directions and terminology used in the instructional video I watched differed from another one I saw, I was still able to follow along. The design I created can be found in the link below.

http://a360.co/2Bnu3Mp

 

 

week4

Creative Freedom

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Freedom to create and design are positive attributes pushing 3D printing technology into homes around the world. These attributes are prevalent across the collaborative community platforms we’ve explored in class. It’s fascinating to see the wide range of designs people have published on websites like Spaceway. I have even more respect for these creations having designed my own.

Dan Banach showed us the basics of Autodesk’s Fusion360 design software this week during class. I compliment him for his simple explanations and more importantly an enjoyable experience. His tutorial focused on designing a windshield snow scraper and a phone charging platform. Although these items seem rather simple, designing the scraper took 2 hours. Familiarizing myself with the nuances of the software took time, but by the end of the session I was confident I had them down.

With the number of tools available on Fusion360, the only limitation is your mind. The feeling of limitless creation is elusive after childhood, but while I was tinkering with my design it felt like I was playing with Legos again. I have had few opportunities to instantly conceptualize my ideas in this manner as a business student. These experiences show how powerful the software can be. When 3D printers become common household items, anyone will be able to customize their common household items. The number of new inventions compounds when more people have access to this technology.

One takeaway from this week’s tutorial is the effects different printing materials have on the final product. I was absent from our first 3D print last week because of the flu and thus didn’t get to experience the printing process firsthand. I had been looking forward to seeing the Ultimaker melt various plastics with my own eyes. My interest in the benefits and drawbacks of each material, especially their environmental impact, led me to further research.

In class, we have already established that 3D printers can be greener than traditional manufacturing because they use fewer materials. 3D printing is an additive process that uses exactly enough material. Traditional manufacturing carves the product from a block of larger material, leaving waste. One material mentioned during class that I frequently see mentioned is PLA bio-plastic. It is becoming the most popular option for 3D printing hobbyists. PLA bio-plastic “requires less energy to print (and less energy to manufacture) than ABS plastic; it’s also less toxic, and even has better print quality.” Another example of green technology is a solar tinter that fuses sand into glass using solar energy. I hope researchers focus on sustainability as they continue to innovate. You can read more here.

Check out a fruit holder I made here.

week4

Week 4: Fusion 360 Introduction

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This week in class we had a guest presentation on Fusion 360 from Dan Banach, who has more years of experience with modeling software than most of us have been alive. Although I have some experience with modeling objects on a computer before, Fusion 360 was a completely new software for me and by far the most complex. Going through the process of modeling an object with Dan was incredibly helpful because he showed us how simple it is to create something on Fusion and a lot of tips and tricks that make Fusion much easier to use. His presentation made me a lot more comfortable with my ability to effectively use Fusion.

http://a360.co/2BTNxcA

The ice scrapper we modeled together in class was really cool to go through. For the most part I kept up with Dan as he moved through the steps of creating the object but I did learn that it is easy to make a simple mistake that will essentially stop your progress. As I was creating the 2D shape of the ice scrapper, I forgot to put a restriction on one of the lines and that prevented me from being able to create the thumb grip that goes on top of the ice scrapper. Luckily, due to the ability to go back to previous steps in the design in Fusion, Dan was able to figure out what I did wrong and help me fix it quickly. I also struggled with getting some of the edges to fillet as I kept getting an error telling me it was not possible. Somehow I got it to work although I still don’t know how I got it to work. Overall, this ice scrapper is something I definitely want to print because I can see myself using it a lot.

http://a360.co/2BU36RK

While attempting to make the phone shelf, I struggled with getting the actual shelf to merge to the charger mount. For some reason it kept going into the middle of the mount and would not sit on top. Unfortunately my laptop died before I could finish it so all I have is the shape of the mount.

http://a360.co/2BsHGtA

When thinking of an everyday object to make I immediately thought of a coffee mug because I drink at least 4 cups a day and tend to collect mugs. I also figured it would be relatively easy to model. I’m not sure how effective a 3D printed coffee mug would be but modeling one is great practice.  While making this I used a lot of the steps that Dan showed us and it really made a difference.

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/autocad-forum/view-cube-stops-working/td-p/3026626

While researching some issues I had with Fusion 360, I found that the forums on the Autodesk website are very useful for finding solutions for bugs or other issues. There are hundreds of people out there that use Fusion so if you have a problem there’s a good chance someone else has it and already found a solution.

week4

Real Life Applications

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In class on Wednesday we heard from Dan Banach. Dan showed us how to use Autodesk’s Fusion 360 which I really enjoyed learning about. I have to say, it is my new favorite CAD software. I loved all the functionalities and the fluidity of the application. The software was easy to use and also very useful with an extensive amount of capabilities.

He took us through the steps of making an ice scraper and a phone charger holder. The ice scraper was more complicated by design, but he was a very patient teacher. I loved seeing the design come together and being able to make it my own along the way. I thought it was awesome how you can test the stress and fracture levels of whatever product you’re creating depending on the design and also whatever material you’re using. The program will also tell you how much you’re design weighs so you can use it as a tool to estimate the cost of actually printing the design.

I did not get the chance to actually print my designs, but I hope to find some time this week to make our designs come to life. The products we designed were very useful and it opened my mind to the possibilities that 3D printing and CAD could provide. I want to look for more opportunities in my everyday life to incorporate more 3D printed products like an ice scraper.

week4

Week 4 Reflection

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Class Overview

This week in BADM 395, we spoke with Dan Banach as he guided us through AutoDesk Fusion 360. This lecture gave us a unique insight into custom fabrication of 3D printing objects. When I started this class, I was under the impression that we would be modeling our creations in an AutoCAD like product. I have previous experience with AutoCAD in shop classes. Because of my familiarity with CAD software, I was very eager to work with Dan in designing an ice scraper and iPhone stand. Dan first introduced us to the basics of 3D modeling through a 2D sketch. He showed us how to lock values and angles to produce a symmetrical design. We first produced a 2D sketch of the ice scraper before he taught us how to extrude the drawing into three dimensions. After extruding, we tapered the angle of the scraper to improve functionality. Finally, we used the fillet tool to round off the edges. We did this to improve usability and reduce wear and tear over time. Below is a picture of my finished ice scraper.

 

 

I tried to use Illini Orange and Blue, however, when the colors rendered, the blue seemed much darker than I remembered. Nonetheless, I was proud of my first creation in AutoDesk. Next, we built an iPhone shelf using the same software. Dan showed us how to shell an object and use midpoints to ensure symmetry. Many of my classmates were able to successfully produce the charger stand, but I was unable to successfully connect the shelf to the charger. I suspect that mistook an axial orientation which caused my shelf to bifurcate instead of rest atop the charger. After seeing my fellow classmates print the 3D charger and shelf, I am somewhat relieved my design failed. Many complained that the dimensions prevented a stable connection between the shell and the charger. Below is my improper attempt at the charger and stand.

 

Everyone who knows me knows that I take pride in my pens and pencils. I always have a handful of Ticonderoga pencils, Pilot G2-07 pens, and Frixion erasable pens on my person. To organize them when at home, I built a holder for my writing utensils. The larger section in the middle is for my fecundity of erasable pens, while the outside compartments are for the permanent pens and pencils. As I progress in BADM 395, I look forward to creating more useful designs. Speaking with Dan gave me a more holistic view of the 3D printing design process.

Jason

week4

Intro to Fusion 360

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Fusion 360 Tutorial

This past week, we had the opportunity to have Dan Banach, a manager of Autodesk, come in and teach us how to use Fusion 360. While the 3D printing tool did seem intimidating at first, Dan was able to give an excellent in-class tutorial on how to use the program helping us create two of our own designs: an iPhone charging stand and an ice scrapper.

A Closer Look

Below is a brief glance of how Fusion 360 looks like. As you can see, there are a lot of things you can do through the program. I was surprised at how useful and accessible some of the functions were.

What I found most interesting during the tutorial was one of the tools inside Fusion 360 that allowed users to change the material and density of a given object. Not only did the program calculate the estimated weight of the object that was to be printed, it gave exact estimations on how long it would take for the object to be printed.

For those that are interested, here’s a video that walks you through the program:

My Own Creation

Here is a link to the iPhone stand we made in class.

Working with the program also inspired me to try to replicate an object that I could print in the future. I wanted to print something on a smaller scale that had a practical use. The creation that I thought would be most helpful was an object where wires and cords could go in and out to better organize an office desk space.

Below is a picture and here is a link for a closer view.

The idea behind this object is quite simple. There are four openings to a filleted rectangle. Cords and wires would enter into one entrance and weave its way through another to exit. This would help wires and cords to not get tangled up against one another.

 

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Learning Fusion 360

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This week in class, I enjoyed getting to learn a new modeling system. Mr. Banach was very knowledgeable about Fusion 360, and his step by step instructions and assistance was very beneficial to my learning. It was pretty amazing that he was able to help us design an ice scraper and also a phone charger shelf in the duration of the class, especially since we missed out on a significant chunk of time when the technology assistance took a long time before arriving. I learned not only how to create circles, rectangles, and other basic shapes, but how to extrude an object to make it three dimensional, how to fillet edges (and what the word “fillet” means), and how to insert holes into objects. Making my own object on this system would have been intimidating without having as in depth of a lesson as we got, but I felt more than comfortable designing on Fusion 360 for this assignment. I designed my very own Chief Illiniwek Koozie to keep drinks cold. I would, however, need to be able to print with some sort of squishy, spongey material in order to have a koozie that successfully insulates a can.

Through my research on Fusion 360, I was most surprised to see how many free instruction articles and full online classes that are offered on the Autodesk website. There are classes on the webpage called “Introduction to CAD and CAE using Fusion 360,” “Fusion 360: Foundational Concepts,” and even “Modeling and Prototyping for Mechanical Engineers.” These classes range from thirty minutes to over three hours long. The length of the one that is three hours and fifteen minutes (entitled Fusion 360: Introduction to CAD, CAM, and CAE) especially surprised me- that seems like it would be an especially thorough class for a free online class. It was also interesting to me that essentially anyone could sign up for three full years of access by saying they were a student; this got me wondering whether a person needed a University email address to sign up for free access, so I tried to sign up with my Gmail account, and it worked! It’s crazy to me how much free access to this product a person can get, even if they’re technically not a student. I know this isn’t really on the “digital making” topic so much, but I think it is something Autodesk may want to look into, in order to capture as much revenue as possible and to have money to put into improving the software when necessary.

 

Attached below is my koozie design.

http://a360.co/2EBmRhJ

Also attached are my ice scraper and phone charger shelf designs.

http://a360.co/2BUMFEJ

http://a360.co/2G7J9F5

week4

Discovering the Beauty of Autodesk Fusion 360

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Overview:
This week we had Dan Banach from the Autodesk 360 company run a workshop introducing Fusion 360 software, the uses for it as well as walk us through creating our own models. We went through and made 2 different items, which I will discuss in detail later, while introducing many different functions and tools within Fusion 360. Dan had a slide discussing the various industries and companies that use Autodesk software, one I was surprised by was the movie industry and special effects. Many films use Autodesk software to design and create special effects. I am absolutely amazed by the capabilities this one software has and look forward to honing my skills in the coming months to be able to better design and create objects of value.

Fusion 360 Creations:

Our first item we designed was an ice scraper. In this workshop we walked through over 20 different tools within the software in order to create the exact look we wanted. One neat feature within Fusion 360 is that you can change the material of your creation. This then allows you to determine the specs, for example how much it weighs, which would then tell you how much it would cost in time and money to 3D print. I was also amazed by how many material options there were to model items in including metals, ceramics, paper, canvas, and even water.

In class we designed 2 items: an ice scraper and an iPhone charging stand. The phone charger I kept as the plastic PET material (since that is typical for 3D printing) thus why it is transparent, while the ice scraper I applied a “paint” layer to color it teal.

Ice scraper: http://a360.co/2snHF7x
Iphone charging stand: http://a360.co/2BpSWas

I thought the iPhone charging stand would be a useful item for my everyday life and was interested in seeing how the fusion file transferred into Cura to 3D print. I ended up printing this model and was excited to try it however, it is not very functional. The section that goes around the charger is too large to stay easily and when you put a phone on the shelf it is thrown off balance and falls to the floor. I was happy that I printed it because I got to see the iterative process, not everything comes out exactly as planned however you are easily able to go back to the drawing board and adjust the design for improvements. 3D printing is a series of trial and errors which makes it that much more exciting when you print something that works exactly as planned.

My Own Fusion Creation:

As for my own creation, I decided to make something to keep my electronic cords organized on my desk. I plug quite a few different cords into an outlet below my desk and have been getting annoyed that they fall off my desk and get tangled thus I’m constantly picking them up. This figure is a way to help keep the charging ends of cords on my desk. I incorporated a small shalf to keep it from sliding all over my desk however I still think it will need to be secured with a command strip. Hope this is of use to others! I’m excited to try printing this this week and will share updates on how it goes!

http://a360.co/2Bov1bl

Resources:

The most useful resource I resorted to throughout this small project is actually Autodesk’s Support & Learning page. They provide wonderful tutorials, explanations and examples of many different tools as well as products that you can use when creating your model. I found the tutorials quite helpful.

http://help.autodesk.com/view/fusion360/ENU/

week4

Week 4 Reflection: Fusion 360

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This week in class we had Dan Banach present to us and host a workshop on using AutoDesk’s software Fusion 360 to create 3D models of objects and things we can later potentially print out on a 3D-Printer. This session was very informative and hands on which I really enjoyed because we all got to fool around with the software and learn its capabilities as well as mess up a lot but having Dan Banach there, we were able to learn how to fix our mistakes which can be very beneficial for our future mistakes that are bound to happen.

 

Ice-Scraper (http://a360.co/2H8bCMj):

One of the objects we worked on in the workshop was an ice scraper for when there is a lot of ice stuck on the windows of your vehicle. This was a very neat object to start with as it had us make use of a lot of different tools within Fusion 360 such as the extrude function, sketch tools, fillet tools, how to make a hole and chamfer tools. Many functions that will be used for a lot of future projects. We even got to mess around with the material type for the object and the colors to show the design as a UIUC Scraper for my object.

 

Wall Outlet Shelf (http://a360.co/2H8cWyL):

The second object we worked on during the workshop was a wall outlet shelf that you get to use when you are charging something small like a phone, you attach this object on your wall charger, then you have a shelf located directly on top of the charger for you to lay your phone or other small device that’s charging. I really likes this object because it taught us about the shell function in Fusion that was really interesting. I also thought it was funny that this object was chosen since I originally wrote about this one from the pinshape website on an earlier reflection.

Dog Bone Cookie Cutter (http://a360.co/2G2wcfq):

This object was one that I worked on individually after the workshop. This is a dog bone cookie cutter. I thought it was something fun for me to make that would not be too complicated as I am still new to this but also let me explore how to make rounder objects and taught me how to use the arc functions under sketch and further practice the shell functions.

 

Fusion Shortcuts

Link: http://help.autodesk.com/view/fusion360/ENU/?guid=GUID-F0491540-0324-470A-B651-2238D0EFAC30

I found this article from the AutoDesk Website that can help make using this software a lot more simple/time efficient with the use of keyboard shortcuts. I personally find the use of keyboard shortcuts very beneficial and I hope others find this link as helpful as I did.

 

week4

3D Modeling with Fusion 360

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Another software has been learned!

This week, our class focused on gaining the skillset and an understanding of the Fusion 360 software. We did this by watching beginners tutorials and learning the interface of Fusion before class which made it easier to follow the guest lecturer Dan Banach. Dan is an instructor  from Autodesk and he is very much experienced with this software. He did a great job at explaining the locations of each function, shortcuts to reach them, the purpose of each tool, as well as providing an understanding of the capabilities that Fusion has to offer. Fusion is the first 3D CAD, CAM, and CAE tool of its kind. It connects your entire product development process in a single cloud-based platform that works on both Mac and PC. ( I recommend using a mouse, I assume it’s easier than my touchpad).

Now, onto the fun stuff! Dan displayed two objects that we would be creating in class: An ice scrapper, and a wall outlet shelf. At first, I didn’t think it was going to be possible to create two objects given the time constraint, but I’m glad to say that we were able to design, test, and fabricate them both.

Ice Scrapper 

The Ice Scrapper was the first object we created and I was very proud of myself for how it came out! I ran into one complication designing it since I created the object on the wrong plane. With assistance from Dan, and a little arithmetic, the ice scrapper is on par and  ready to get 3D Printed.

Wall Outlet Shelf

As for the Wall Outlet Shelf, I had much more difficulties creating it and unfortunately did not complete it. But, I do have an image on what it was intended to be. The shelf fits around most standard outlet charger adopters but it can be customized on Fusion. It is a very clever design with a practical benefit.

The Making of The Martian

One thing that stood out to me during Dan’s lecture was when he mentioned how the film, The Martian incorporated Fusion.  Apparently, there were work flow challenges in creating the stereo 3D world of The Martian which was  fixed using Fusion Studio!

“The shots would come from our artists as EXRs, and we would then run them through our Fusion script which would bake in a new color grade and a heavy sharpen. This meant I could view not only the plate version as provided by the client, but also a heavily graded and heavily sharpened version in the theatre, so I could easily identify any of these small edges. What we produced really hit the nail on the head for the client.”

–Prime Focus World, the company tasked with creating post 3D conversions for the film.

Fusion is a very powerful software that I never thought I would learn, but I’m glad that I did. I hope you enjoyed reading,

See you next week!

week4

Learning Autodesk Fusion 360

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Overview

Hello! This week we learned how to use Autodesk Fusion 360. I originally thought that Tinkercad online was the coolest software, but now I understand how much more superior Fusion 360 is in comparison. While both of these programs are owned by the same company, I was ecstatic to jump into Fusion 360 because of the extended capabilities within the program.

We were fortunate to have Dan Banach come talk to our class and walk us through creating a few designs (shown in the next section). Dan is an instructor from Autodesk,  and he was extremely knowledgeable and helpful as we learned this (to most of us, completely-new) program. One of the neatest things I learned from Dan is that Fusion 360 is used by many large movie production companies to add in animations and special effects to films. As someone who would love to work in the entertainment industry someday, I found this extremely interesting. I think it is so neat that a company can essentially create a character within this program, animate it, and make it come to life in a film. I plan to dive deeper into the animation aspect of this software as I gain more expertise in designing objects. Check out some of the designs I’ve created over the past week in the next section!

 

Autodesk Fusion 360 Designs

Valentine’s Day Paperweight – I created this when I was playing around with Fusion 360 because I figured that with Valentine’s Day coming up, some of my peers might find it useful. As a college student, it’s easy to let holidays creep up on us. Thus, I thought it’d be useful to share this idea with the class incase they would like to print a Valentine’s Day 2018 heart paperweight for their significant other: http://a360.co/2FVSKP6

 

Ice Scraper – This was the first object that we created with Dan. He walked us through each and every step, so we were able to learn a lot of crucial details right off the bat. This design essentially consists of two shapes: a long T-shape on the bottom and a rectangle block on top. We used the fillet tool, used the chamfer tool, and created a hole. It was also neat to learn how to apply paint to the object. This skill will definitely come in handy when using this program to create objects and present to clients/managers! http://a360.co/2GTF1JP

 

iPhone Charging Holder – This was another one of the designs that we created in class with Dan. It was surprisingly simple to make after extruding the rectangle on the bottom, putting a hole in it, and then extruding a rectangle on the top. With some minor tweaks with the fillet tool and some additional details, we were able to come up with the following design: http://a360.co/2EqneLX

 

Pen Holder (Everyday Object) – For my everyday object assignment, I chose to create a pen holder. I chose this object because I was looking at my desk and brainstorming what I could use on it. With many pens/pencils laying around, it was a no-brainer. I began by extruding a square (2” x 2”) up by 3”. I used the fillet tool to smooth out the side corners, and then extruded a smaller square from the top of this block down towards the bottom (thus creating the open space within the pen holder). I stopped extruding before I hit the bottom so that this object would not be open the entire way through; I used the fillet tool once more to smooth out the inside walls and was left with the following object: http://a360.co/2G3LQHJ

 

 

Further Thoughts

Overall, the skills I have learned over the past week have been very useful in my path to becoming a better creator. My plan is to stay fresh with the content that I have learned and continue creating more in-depth/complex objects.

Since I noted how interested I am in this software being used for animations in movies, I found the following video that shows how animations work (for beginners) in Fusion 360. Definitely check out this short video because it shows how simply we can now animate the designs that we create: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJkI6N8VAiY

Thank you for taking the time to read my post. I hope you are having a great day, and I look forward to checking back in with you in a week!

 

-Scott Provenzano

week4

Fusion 360: A Handy Tool for Just About Anyone

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This week, we learned how to use Fusion 360, a CAD design software created by Autodesk. Dan Banach from the Education group at Autodesk was really helpful in showing us the ropes and walking us through two designs using the tool. We had the chance to build a custom Illini ice scraper, as well as a really handy iPhone charging tool—I was able to build upon my knowledge of Fusion 360 shortcuts and I also got a sense of how to go about designing from scratch, which is what I really wanted to learn. One of the coolest features of the software is its ability to conduct stress testing—while I didn’t get the chance to actually implement this tool, I’m sure that it will be useful in the future.

The iphone tool I created
My ice scraper ended up looking a bit different from the original model, but it’s still functional

With this newfound confidence, I attempted to recreate one of the design ideas I had seen on Thingiverse. I made a simple heart cookie cutter- even though it wasn’t that complex, it still gave me an opportunity to apply the skills I learned during the workshop. I started with the line and arc tools to create the basic heart shape, and then used the extrude and shell tools to create the hollowed out cookie cutter form.

Heart shaped cookie cutter
I adjusted the thickness to make the shape more suitable for cutting into dough

After doing more research on Fusion 360, I read about how other people used the software to bring their ideas to life. One of the most interesting articles I found was on Fusion 360’s own blog, and it profiled Calvin Lee, who designs kid’s plush toy pillows for Brookstone. He talked about how the software made it simple to sketch soft forms in 3D, and how he planned to use it to design Brookstone’s signature massage chairs as well. The versatility of the software not only allows designers to sketch the electronic or mechanical components with ease, but also enables them to create more ergonomic shapes.

I’d like to experiment with different applications of Fusion 360 further in my semester project, if possible. I’m still getting a hang of the software, but I look forward to discovering more of its infinite capabilities and learning as I go!

week4

Putting Skills Behind The Idea (Week 4)

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What happened this week?

This week, Dan Banach from Autodesk led a workshop on Autodesk’s Fusion 360. Fusion 360 is a 3D CAD, CAM, and CAE tool. The software allows modeling for both on and off-screen objects – you can create an onscreen model to share across the cloud or create a model intended to become a physical reality. I’ve used a couple of simple CAD software before, but Fusion 360 has a lot more capabilities than Sketch Up or other beginner CAD programs.

 

What did I learn?

The workshop was indeed helpful. Sometimes students just need someone to go through the material slowly and work the problem all the way through. This is exactly what Dan did when he taught us how to make an ice scraper and phone charger/holder. Throughout my college experience, I’ve found that there is little I can’t learn myself if I have the material. But as a student in several classes, a member of RSOs, and a student worker, I know I do NOT have the time to teach myself everything I’d like to know! That’s why Dan’s workshop was so effective for me. I technically could have sat down and learned all the beginning commands for Fusion 360 by myself (and I did a bit through looking at the prep videos), but having an instructor take you through step by step kind of forces you to learn it. I have so many programs and things I want to learn about myself, but I never seem to get to it. I guess this commentary lends to the overarching reason I’m taking this class – not only does Vishal and his speakers, students workers, and lab resources provide me with incredible learning tools, it forces me to confront this interest of mine and actually do something about it.

 

That being said, my ice scraper turned out perfectly, but my phone charger/holder very much did not. I spent the last 15 minutes of class trying to figure out how to change the plane my rectangle (to become the phone rest part) was on. I’ll attach the pictures of both designs below. As you can see, the ice scraper is pretty cool, but my phone charger/holder is not finished. I’ll need to figure out how to move that plane and finish my design, so I know what to do when that problem pops up again in the future. Unfortunately, I do not own a car and when I do get a car this summer when I begin work, I won’t need one (I’ll be in L.A. where it never snows)! So, I won’t waste the material and print out my ice scraper, but I hope to design something I can use out in L.A. in the future.

 

So what?

Truth be told, I was really inspired by Jeff Ginger’s talk last week and am still thinking about the incredible work he and the FabLab does. The past two weeks, I’ve been more focused on “how can I use 3D printing and the making world to create a job for myself and help others”. But this week was really about adding to my technical skills, so I can make that a reality in the future. I realize I am not an engineer and don’t have the base-level technical skills many people in entrepreneurship and the more technical making world have. So, while I will continue to think about my big, long-term business ideas, I’ll shift more of my focus to adding to my technical skills so I can actually carry out those ideas.

 

Now what?

My group needs to start narrowing down our product ideas in the next couple weeks. As we learn more about the printers and design programs, it’s becoming clearer which of our ideas can and can’t become realities based off our current capabilities. Next week, our class is centered on design thinking, something I’ve covered in a T&M product design class before. I’m excited to hear about how the 3D printing and making world changes the framework of this lesson.

Learn More about Fusion 360:

Why 360 over other softwares?

https://www.solidsmack.com/cad/the-5-things-that-made-me-take-another-look-at-fusion-360/

Beginner Projects for Fusion 360:

https://gallery.autodesk.com/fusion360/projects/beginner-project

 

Fusion 360 Assignment

I used a tutorial to make a lampshade for a cord and light kit I have. Here is the shared link: http://a360.co/2G3q2vS.

I learned how to create a circular pattern, how to insert planes, and how to rotate a parameter to create a 3D image. I hope I can actually print this!