How to Simplify your designs in Fusion

Have you ever needed to clean up a complex 3D model? Maybe you're preparing a part for a simulation. Or perhaps you just want your technical drawings to be clearer. Complex models can slow down your computer. They can also make simulations take forever. That's where Fusion's Simplify command comes in handy. It's a powerful tool that lets you quickly remove or change model features. Let's dive into how this command can make your life easier.

Introduction: The Need for CAD Model Simplification

There are many reasons why you might need to simplify a CAD model. Preparing a model for finite element analysis (FEA) is a common one. FEA simulations often work best with simpler geometry. Small details like fillets and chamfers can sometimes slow down the analysis. You might also want to make your drawings easier to understand. Removing unnecessary features can declutter your technical drawings. This makes them quicker to create and read.

Fusion offers a dedicated Simplify command to tackle these issues. It's designed to efficiently remove or alter model features. This command can save you a lot of time and effort. It gives you control over what gets simplified. You can remove specific features, delete entire faces, or even replace complex shapes with basic primitives. Understanding these options will help you optimize your models for various purposes.

Mastering the "Remove Features" Option

The "Remove Features" option is your go-to for stripping away unwanted geometric details. You can find this tool within the "Modify" menu in Fusion. It's designed to help you clean up models, especially imported ones that lack a construction history.

The real magic of "Remove Features" lies in its feature size slider. This slider lets you dynamically select features based on their size. You can drag it from left to right to go from small to large. Starting with the slider all the way to the left targets the smallest features first. As you move it to the right, it begins to select larger features. This allows for very precise control over what gets removed.

You can remove common features like fillets, holes, and chamfers. For example, imagine you have an imported model with many small fillets. You can select the "Fillet" option and adjust the slider until only the small fillets are highlighted. Then, a quick click on the delete icon removes them. You can do the same for chamfers. You might find that you only want to remove the tiny chamfers, not the larger ones. The slider makes this easy.

Efficiently Removing Faces with the Simplify Command

Sometimes, you need to remove specific areas of a model directly. The "Remove Faces" function within the Simplify command lets you do just that. It works much like a direct delete operation, allowing you to target geometry precisely. You can select individual faces or even multiple faces at once.

For instance, if there's a slot you want to eliminate, you can simply select the faces that make up that slot. A click of the delete button will remove that geometry. This is a very quick way to clean up unwanted elements.

Using "Remove Faces" is a great strategy for quick, targeted geometry cleanup. It’s perfect for when you know exactly which surfaces you want gone. It helps streamline your design without affecting other parts of the model.

Replacing Complex Geometry with Primitives

Another powerful option within the Simplify command is "Replace with Primitives." This is ideal for simplifying complicated shapes into basic geometric forms. You can replace complex geometry with cylinders, boxes, or spheres. This is particularly useful for imported models that might have intricate details you don't need.

Imagine you have a model with many complex features, like tool changers. You can select these features and choose to replace them with primitive cylinders. You can then adjust the cylinder's size to match the original feature's dimensions. This process significantly simplifies the model's overall complexity. It replaces intricate shapes with much simpler forms. This can drastically improve performance.

Simplifying Imported Models for Drawings and Analysis

Imported models can be a real challenge. Often, they come as a single solid body. This means there's no feature history to easily edit. A common example is an imported electronic board, like a Raspberry Pi. These boards are covered in tiny components, holes, and fillets. All these details can slow down your computer. They make creating drawings or running simulations very difficult.

Let's walk through simplifying such a model. First, we’ll use "Remove Features" to get rid of small holes. Select the "Hole" option and use the size slider. Drag it to select all the small holes on the board. Click delete. This might take a bit of time, but it cleans up a lot of clutter.

Next, we can tackle other small features. Use the "Remove Features" option again, but this time select "Extrude." Adjust the slider to target small fillets and other extruded details. Be careful not to remove anything essential. You might need to go back and forth with the slider. Click delete. This process can also take several minutes depending on the model's complexity.

Sometimes, the automatic selection isn't perfect. You might want more control. The "Manual Features" selection within Simplify is great for this. You can click on individual faces or features you want to remove. This is much more precise. For example, you can selectively remove small details without affecting larger components like USB ports or pin headers. This manual approach ensures you keep the critical elements of your design.

After these steps, you'll have a much simpler model. It will retain important features like mounting holes and connectors. However, it will be free of the tiny details that slow everything down. This simplified model is perfect for generating drawings faster. It also improves performance when rotating or manipulating the model. You can even send simplified models to customers. This can protect your proprietary design information.

Conclusion: Unleash the Power of Simplification

The Simplify command in Fusion is an incredibly valuable tool. It helps you create cleaner, more efficient models. You can speed up simulations, declutter drawings, and improve overall model performance. Remember its three main functions: Remove Features, Remove Faces, and Replace with Primitives. The feature size slider offers granular control for precise removal.

You should use Simplify whenever you need to prepare a model for FEA. It's also great for simplifying imported models or making technical drawings easier to read. Don't be afraid to experiment with the tool. The more you use it, the better you'll become at optimizing your designs. Give it a try on your next complex model!