Intro

I've been invited by underwater engeneering company Hydrobot as an expert to embrace Generative Design technology in one of their solutions.

My role in this project is to redesign one of the parts of their underwater robotic system in order to improve reliability while reducing its weight and exploring material alternatives.

This project is going to engage Fusion 360 Generative Design solution to its full potential in order to design part to the expected loads while maintaining geometry consistent with the rest of the system.

Simplification

First step in nearly every project involving imported geometry is model simplification.

It's an important step that helps both focus on substantial features and ease further geometry processing.

Under the hood it looks like a pure deletion of fillets and holes, etc. However it must be held with great care and understanding what goes next.

Whenever simplified geometry should then be included in assembly it's crucial to preserve anchor features for joints. It's often performed by making sketches and joint origins before feature deletion.

I usually do this in non-parametric modeling in Fusion 360 as it has all the tools needed. In order to preserve initial geometry in case something goes wrong I make a copy in a separate component. That helps me to introduce like another "layer" of geometry while keeping the source intact.

Simplified part explained

On the screenshot above you can see the structure of design that will be used in assembly and then further processed to become a part of geometry context for Generative Design study.

You can find (1) separate component containig simplified geometry as well as a (2) component with original imported part. Both held together with global origin (or root component) using (3) RigidGroup joint.

You can also see (4) four joint origins which then will be used in assembly as joints anchor points. Joint origins can be placed using sketches or original geometry as a reference in case their corresponding holes or features destroyed during simplification.

The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2022 (#JESC2022) held in Yerevan, Armenia, has come and gone, leaving behind a legacy of dazzling performances and show-stopping displays.

However, what makes this event much more than just a singing contest is the elaborate stage design that forms the centerpiece of the show.

I had the opportunity to participate in the creation of the stage for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2022 and in this article I reveal some of the features of this unique object.

Creating a stage for a major event like JESC2022 requires more than just standard solutions and knowledge. It requires creativity, innovation, and the ability to adapt to unique project requirements.

The stage is a creative visual representation of the official artwork. The centre stage is the spinning top surrounded by strings of light that represent the ‘spinning’. These colourful strings are also reflected above the stage and radiate the energy from every single performance. While being minimalist, yet technologically advanced, the stage design offers multiple staging possibilities for all of the performers. David Tserunyan, Executive Producer of Junior Eurovision 2022

Part of the stage were light beams built on two tiers, around the stage and above it. The beams themselves were made up as a combination of linear lights of 0.5 and 1 meter long and were pretty easy to implement.

However, this seemingly simple concept presented a nightmare to design as each beam of the lower tier should had its own unique stand, taking into account the number of lights in the beam, the height, and tilt of the beam.

As you could already guess I was assigned a task of designing beam racks and stands in order to put the beams in to their exact places in accordance with the design idea so that all beams form a solid lighting pattern.

According to stage design each of the 72 lower tier beams has defined length and had to be placed at an exact azimuth angle, incline, and height above the floor. The beams positions started from a horizontal at stage level on the left and the right of the stage and gradually descended and tilted towards the center.

On the other hand, the upper tier was simplier to design, with 62 co-planar beams of different lengths. However, upper tier rack design involved another challenges - (1) racks had to be pre-assembled on ground, (2) racks should be identical to simplify production, and (3) racks had to span over several adjacent beams to facilitate alignment after lifting.

The design was done in Fusion 360 and took several days to implement. It involved a lot of challenges and brought invaluable experience. It was surely one of the largest scale projects I was involved into.

Before starting the work I set myself a challenge to make the model as parametric and flexible as possible allowing for changes to be made without the need to rebuild everything by hand. Some of the inputs considered were stage height and diameter and beams distribution. Failing to make parametric model could have resulted in the need to rebuild the whole model in case of design variations.

Modern realities require flexibility, including the ability to clarify tasks during the work process.

Each beam of the lower tier has the unique support rack - it was designed taking into account the number of lighting fixtures in the beam, the height, and tilt angle of the beam. This was the most complex part of the work, where each rack should be configured using parameters based on formulas depending on its number.

There were also some parameters common to all racks - the maximum angle, the height of the fixture in the central part of stage, and the parameters of the distribution law. Thanks to parametric model, it was possible to rebuild the entire lower tier by changing two or three parameters of the model and it payed out once or twice during the project.

In order to properly assemble all the racks around the stage the spacers were designed. They aid setting beam angle and spacing and help holding racks upright. Compared to racks design spacers design was truly a piece of cake, since they were all identical and based on model common parameters.

Upper tier mount design was relatively simple as well. Mounting consisted of inner and outer circles of 16 frames each. Each frame covered a sector of three light beams and allowed for pre-assemble prior to lifting.

There is redundancy that could be noticed on pic below - some of the shorter beams did not require fullsize outer frames. However significant production and assembly efficiency was achieved by using identical frames in upper tier mount.

As a result a model was designed and it was primarily used to manufacture all the mounts but for visualising as well. Having a digital model of the stage and lighting allowed to visualize object, make changes if needed and plan production and assemble beforehand.

Some assembly photos and conclusions follow

Project Conclusions:

1. Planning the assembly structure and estimating the parameters beforehand help streamline the design process. I choosed to compose and debug some of the formulas in Excel before implementing them in Fusion 360.
2. While creating a large number of unique components was rather chalenging it was still possible to handle. However it is desirable to estimate project structure in advance with project and tool limitations in mind.
3. Fusion 360 Assembly Joints I relied on worked as intended. Joints are perfect tool to place each part of a parametric assembly where it belongs.
4. If one plans to make a large array of components and use Copy — Paste New to make them unique - it is somewhat correct direction, but it involves some caveats and disruption in parametric model. I can't wait for the Make Unique Component parametric feature, which could help solve such a tasks much easier.
5. A project with 1000 internal components is bit challenging to handle for Fusion 360. There are better approaches to big assemblies than was implemented in this project. However in this case, it was important to be able to work with each part of assembly in place.
6. Recently implemented "Automatic Update" checkbox in the parameter panel — a feature to disable design auto-update after changing parameters — should significantly speed up work with such models. As I had to edit lot of unique components changning one or two parameters in each I had to wait for model rebuild after changing each parameter. If I could change them with auto-update disabled I could easily save several hours or even a day of design time.

The stage design for JESC2022 was a complex and challenging project, but it was also an excellent learning experience.

PS. title photo represents trial performance of Mariam Bigvava, a contestant from Georgia who took third place this year 💗

At the first stage contour blocks without infill are printed.

Here we use Fusion 360 as a slicer. We import models into Fusion 360 then generate G-code using Manufacture workspace. The G-code is then transferred to RobotStudio where the RAPID code is generated.

With Fusion 360 it was possible to do both layer-by-layer printing and continuous seamless nozzle lift.

This guide is current as of March 2022.

Agree on correct naming first

All the licenses currently available are:

• Subscription (a.k.a. Commercial)
• Startup
• Personal
• Education

None of them is called «free», so let’s agree we name them correctly when talking about.

You can find your license using Help -> About window, it’s in Active Plan.

How do you choose a license

One should consider following points when choosing a license

1. What licenses are available for you and how easy they are to obtain
2. What do you plan to use Fusion 360 for
3. What Fusion 360 features do you need

According to availability and ease of obtaining licenses fall into two groups

• Subscription and Personal are available to everyone. One can easily acquire one or another. A Subscription can be purchased through an official reseller (in most countries), or you can get a Personal license for free on the Autodesk website.
• Second group licenses are available to eligible users. These are Education and Startup. You have to be a student or an educator in order to obtain an Education license. Or you have to fill out an application form and wait for an approval from Autodesk to get a Startup one. Autodesk can support your project by issuing you a free startup license.

In case we look into how it is allowed to use Fusion 360, then the licenses line up as follows

• First is a Subscription. You can use Fusion 360 virtually as you like, including business.
• In the second place is a Startup license, which is almost as good as the Subscription, but has a restriction on business volume. Your income must not be over $100,000 per year. An additional condition of the startup license is that you agree to share certain information about your project with Autodesk.
• Third comes a Personal license. It suits any hobby and personal activities. Commercial use is prohibited (anything over $1,000 a year is considered to be a commercial use). Any enterprise and team usage are not allowed also. In case you are a hobbyist / maker and do projects for yourself, this should not be too restrictive for you.
• Educational license comes last. It's the most limited in possible uses. Actually, you can only use Fusion 360 to learn it. No business or production activity is allowed as well.

N.B.! A Startup license doesn't force you into sharing your projects with Autodesk! You don't have to transfer your models, but rather agree to tell about your project. Ex., if you work on SpaceX-killer project then Autodesk would definitely like to tell everyone about it. You agree on that beforehand.

The last ranking is in features decreasing

• First goes an Education license, oddly enough. Autodesk makes sure future engineers learn Fusion 360 thoroughly, so the education version has all the features, including unlimited cloud rendering and simulation.
• Then we have Subscription and Startup. They’re identical in features. Everything offered by the program is available. You only need to pay for additional features such as Extensions, generative design studies, and cloud rendering and simulation if you need them. Same on both.
• Last is Personal license. It has limitations on features available. According to Autodesk they should clearly define hobby use vs business. Most CAD/CAM features are available, except for team collaboration 5-axis machining with automatic tool change and some others. If you make models for 3d printing, you’ll likely not notice any restrictions at all.

Summary

In fact, the choice comes down to Subscription or Personal licenses in most cases.

It’s simple to choose right one:

• if you plan any CAD/CAM related business and/or wish to invest into comprehensive tool, then a Subscription will likely be your choice.
• if you don't, then a Personal license should be great for you.

More details

More details on what is included in each license you can find on the link below https://dadapasha.ru/fusion360-license (only in Russian yet)

DISCLAIMER: The information there taken from various sources. I do my best for it to be correct and up to date but it’s possible I miss something, and/or license terms could change without my notice. Always use official information, ask official resellers and rely on yourself while making decision on the purchase.

Q&A

Is it true there are no free Fusion 360 licenses anymore?

No, that's not true. There are three free licenses with different terms of use - Personal, Startup and Education. Choose according to your case.

My Education license expired (or I'm required to confirm eligibility), what should I do?

• If you are still eligible, submit the documents required and continue to use the software by obtaining a new or renewing your Education license.
• If you are not, there are options available:
• Buy a Subscription and go on.
• Export all your projects, register a new account, get a Personal license and forget about the old account.
• Contact support https://www.autodesk.com/education/support asking to remove all education licenses from your account. Then get a Personal license.

How to get a Personal license?

Step-by-step guide is down the link https://dadapasha.ru/fusion360-free (only in Russian yet)

TL;DR just google "fusion 360 personal" and follow first link to Autodesk website

How to get Fusion 360 from torrent? Where to get the crack?

There’re no cracked versions. Fusion 360 installer is the same for all cases (with the exception of education institution deployment, but that’s another story). You can just download it from the official website. It's free and legal. Fusion 360 features are determined by the license, not by the software version.

Personal license has features limited, why?

Personal license has limited features in ways that should clearly distinguish hobby use from business. It’s inconvenient and inefficient to use Personal for business. That’s the idea.

I’ve got Personal license. Will I have to buy a Subscription after a year?

Most licenses, including Personal, last one year. After it expires you have to make a new decision and choose from licenses available. If you need a personal license again, just get it once more.

(c) 2022, Pavel Medvedev, CAD Confident

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