How To Start Designing RC Airplanes in Fusion 360 Tutorial [Episode 1]

Have you ever wanted to design a RC airplane but don't know where to start? Do you want to design scaled airplane plans that can then be used for cutting out foam, balsa, plywood, or carbon fiber with a laser or CNC Machine? Then learning how to use Fusion 360 is a great place to start, especially if you want to take scratch building airplanes to the next level! You don't have to be an expert, even a beginner RC enthusiast can learn. I'd love to show you how I got started.

In this episode, I introduce you to some of the basics you'll need to know to get started using Fusion 360 (CAD software). It's the software I used to go from a blank workspace, to a fully framed, ready for CNC and Laser cutting in order to build an RC scale airliner. The RC model I am working on is the classic and ground breaking L-1011 Airliner.

Checkout some high resolution 3D Renderings of the L-1011 RC scale airliner model I've been working on here:

Keep up with the progress of designing, building, and eventually the maiden flight of the L-1011!

--- Episode Outline ---

✔️ Learn 3D Modeling Basics by understanding the Origin and construction planes
✔️ I show you how to use Fusion 360's canvas feature to serve as your guide when creating the shape of your airplane model
✔️ Learn to use the sketch feature in combination with canvas to define the shapes within your design
✔️ I show you how to use sketch 2D Shapes like Circles and lines, then use the extrusion tool to start creating the 3D shapes that will make up your RC airplane
✔️ Using patterns to speed up the modeling process when you have multiple bodies that will be the same.
✔️ Last but not least, I show you how to changing existing bodies

0:00 Welcome to RC CAD2VR
1:00 Understanding Axis and 3D Workspace - X Y Z
2:18 Set Up Your Airplane Diagrams Using Canvases
7:21 Start the Fuselage using Sketch Feature
11:11 Extrude a Fuselage Former from a Sketch Shape
13:41 Create Center Fuselage with Patter Tool
16:14 Modify an Existing Body
18:52 Setting up Center Construction (For Symmetry)
20:19 Using Mirror Tool with a Construction Plane
23:04 Next Episode Teaser

--- Credits ---
Music:
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported
- Sun and Clouds by FSM Team

Edited with DaVinci Resolve.

#HowTo #RCAirplane #Fusion360

[ajschwartz]

The fact that you did this and made a video to help people impressed me. But after watching you do this on a trackpad and not with a mouse is actually amazing and my hat is off to you sir.

[LarsBaeter]

For decades I have been working more bad than right in 2D and have made countless attempts to learn the design in 3D. Today everyone prints in 3D or creates parts on portal mills ... and I want to be able to do that too. All my attempts with Rhino, Freecad or Turbocad always failed but with your channel I finally dare to hope. Getting started with Fusion 360 is not as hard as I thought, you explain absolutely great, your tutorials are perfect, exactly what I want to do and for the first time I'm making progress. It will take time, but finally I see a chance to design my childhood dream .. a C-119 Boxcar ... and that before my retirement ;-) Thank you so much for sharing your skills and I sincerely hope that you will produce many more videos like this.

[hamletgomes]

Absolutely love the fact you are documenting everything and will to share.

[perotekku]

There are many good tutorials on the internet and YouTube, but this was a cut above the rest.

Excellent work, excited to binge the series! Most helpful for me was that you were using Fusion360, and modelling a scale RC aircraft.

[ChristopherHall-bi]

Best Fusion Tutorial I have seen yet. Thank you!

[crashrr]

This is a magnificent series. I just built a Mig15 from an old, inaccurate plan, and I had to spend an age, figuring out a ton of stuff and guestimating it. Now I can use this to get it absolutely correct. top marks, Sir!

[emmanuelsab]

hello; thanks for all your work!! as a french, i really appreciate the way you speak, i mean slowly. it's very important for french videos are very helpful

[ravebrave]

I already design build & fly rc planes but always wanted to design planes in 3D, few years back I had installed the Fusion 360 but never got started..I hope to start now... your video is very helpful.. good job

[rainasajid]

Loved the video and the way you talk and explain! Very few people have this skill of keeping the audience hooked! Thank you for taking out time to make this playlist!

[alvarovalledasilva]

I work with naval design, but your video is helping me a lot with this tool. Thank you very much

[nonenone]

holy ghost can teach like this . buddy very patient and spoken slowly and well. excellent teaching method. amen .thank you.

[ringelderland]

Just what the doctor ordered!

Kidding aside, I am designing a CL-415 and was trying to use FreeCAD, but as helpful as that community is, having a good set of introductory material is simply more efficient. And then I discovered your video's. So Fusion360 it is ;-)

Thanks for taking a huge chunk out of the learning curve!

[simonetaormina]

Just found you, it’s refreshing to see true engineering. This is the hobby, today’s foam cup planes has made everyone a pilot. And the whole five screws the use makes them flight specialists. All these video’s praising foam planes was making sick. Excellent work, I’m watching every episode to see how she comes out. Beautiful I’m sure. 😊

[pbraswell]

This is really, really amazing! I'm by no means a F 360 expert but I do know of a better way to build and extrude those fuselage formers/bulkheads. I traced out the sketch just like Terrence but I used the trim tool on the sketch to get rid of all the intersecting lines. After that you can select the whole shape without having to select each piece of the model to extrude it.

[topitop]

I love you my brother. Thats exactly what i am looking for. As i understande by first video that tutorial is magnificent.

[markaddison]

Absolutely loving these videos, so so helpful. I've been looking for a new CAD program for designing my rc aircraft for a while now. Seeing you explaining each step is saving me hours of research and fascinating to watch. Great work, please please keep them coming 👍

[EProductions]

Thank you so much for making these. Just downloaded the program and three views for possible projects!

[motionsic]

Great start to the series! Watched it in entirety and motivated to download Fusion 360 and apply steps learned. Looking forward to the next one!

[SpinStar]

SUBSCRIBED!!!
I’ve even in the past searched for RC F360 stuff and never got recommended your channel.
Really appreciate you doing this as I want to scratch-build a plane and use F360, 3-D printing and balsa/ply to build it.
Also hoping to get my small UV-diode laser, to if-not cut the wood, at least mark it and make it easy for an X-acto blade to follow.
So, pretty jazzed about what you’re doing 😊 Thanks!

[dustinwhitrock]

U are a mad genius and thank you I have been wanting to learn fusion to build a sport jet “turbine”