Fusion 10

It has been quite a while since I last posted, but I’m really excited to share my first official project created in Fusion 360! This marks my very first completed design using CAD software, and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. For this project, I decided to go with the first assignment option, a simple and meaningful task that allowed me to explore the fundamentals of 3D modelling, constraints, and precision design within Fusion.

Before diving into the details, I want to make an important disclaimer: I did not use any form of AI assistance in the creation of this project. Every sketch, extrusion, constraint, and adjustment was made manually by me. I wanted to rely solely on my own skills and understanding of CAD design principles to truly learn and develop some major points in my designing area. The goal was to create something that reflects both my personal effort and my growing comfort with Fusion 360 as a modelling tool.

For my first project, I decided to model a moving box with a fitted lid, something functional but still detailed enough to challenge me. I started by drawing out the base of the box, then extruded the base upward to form the drawn section. Then, on a separate assembly, I worked on creating a smaller upper piece that would act as the lid.

The key part of my design was ensuring that the lid and box could interlock properly. To achieve this, I made sure that the extrusion of the first part was exactly the right size to fit into the indentation of the other part. This design choice allows the two components to slide together smoothly, forming what is essentially an airtight seal.

One of the most interesting and enjoyable parts of the design process was using slider mates to simulate how the two parts would interact in motion. This feature allowed me to show that the box and its lid could slide together naturally, replicating how they would behave if they were physically manufactured. I also made use of the parallel constraint, which ensured that the lid remained aligned with the box during motion and didn’t accidentally phase through the walls of the container. It’s a small detail, but it gave the model a very realistic feel, which was one of my proudest moments figuring it out.

Honestly, I think that alignment feature might be the part of my project that I’m most proud of. It gave the box a sense of realism that makes it look like something that I could actually touch in real life. Seeing the simulation of the lid sliding on perfectly and locking into place was a very satisfying moment. It really made all the earlier sketching and dimensioning work feel worth it.

After completing the modelling phase, I moved on to the technical drawing portion of the project. This step allowed me to document the box in a 2D format, complete with dimensions from all the important views. Translating a 3D design into a proper technical drawing gave me a much better appreciation for how engineers communicate design intent. While working on this stage, I noticed that a few parts of my box weren’t perfectly symmetrical. Some lines and edges were slightly off on the inside, likely because of minor inconsistencies in my original sketch dimensions. Even though it was a bit frustrating to spot those imperfections, I see it as a valuable learning experience. It reminded me just how important it is to plan and double-check constraints early in the process. However, the CAD software managed to “solve” this issue in the assembly part, which was nice to see.

Coming back to CAD after not doing it since grade 8 was honestly really nostalgic. It’s cool how something I learned years ago manages to connect to what I’m doing now, just with more patience and a stronger rig.

Looking back, I’m very proud of the final product, although it does look simple. I learned how to manage sketches, control constraints, and use assembly motion tools to test functionality, all within a single project. Even small details, like understanding how the “parallel” and “slider” constraints interact, made me feel like a true designer.

As I continue improving this design, my next goal is to fix the minor symmetry issues, and maybe, far off into the future, I would like to have a go at designing an F1 car.

This may only be a small project, but it feels like a big achievement for me personally. It shows that with patience, curiosity, and resilience, I can re-learn the fundamentals of design and apply them after years of not using this software. For now, though, I’m genuinely happy with how this simple moving box turned out, and I’m looking forward to sharing even more progress in the future.

Stay tuned!

Here is the link to view my project

https://sgs.onshape.com/documents/b8b518f08341ba4ab622405e/w/3d5bac8fe6bf8bffee515d99/e/bd93993d1864058e1f4670f4

Bonjourno everyone!

this is my first coding project in fusion, and I’ve made a number guessing game with the help of google Gemini!

Here is the link to the project if you do want to try it out yourself

Here is the link to the transcript between me and Google Gemini

Here is the line by line code explanation

import random

This line imports Python’s built-in random module, which allows the program to generate random numbers. We need it to pick a secret number for the guessing game.

secret_number = random.randint(1, 100)

Here, we use random.randint(1, 100) to generate a random integer between 1 and 100 (inclusive). This number is stored in secret_number and is what the player needs to guess.

guess = 0

print(” I’m thinking of a number between 1 and 100.”)
print(“Can you guess what it is?”)

These lines display a message to the player, explaining the game and prompting them to guess a number.

while guess != secret_number:
while True:
player_input = input(“Enter your guess: “)
try:
guess = int(player_input)
break
except ValueError:
print(“That’s not a valid number. Please enter an integer.”)

while guess != secret_number:

This while loop keeps the game running as long as the player’s guess is not equal to the secret number. Once the guess matches the secret number, the loop stops.

player_input = input(“Enter your guess: “)
guess = int(player_input)

The program asks the player to enter a guess. Since input() returns a string, we convert it to an integer using int() so we can compare it to the secret number numerically.

if guess < secret_number: print(“Too low! Try again.”) elif guess > secret_number:
print(“Too high! Try again.”)

These lines check the player’s guess:

If it’s smaller than the secret number, the program says “Too low!”

If it’s larger, it says “Too high!”
This feedback helps the player adjust their next guess.

print(f”🎉 You got it! The secret number was{secret_number}.”)

Once the loop ends (meaning the player guessed correctly), the program congratulates the player and reveals the secret number. The f before the string lets us insert the value of secret_number directly into the message.

and here is the thoght process I took while coding this, in a flowchart

Thanks for reading!