Autodesk Fusion 360 | Tutorial: Bodies vs Components

In this Autodesk Fusion 360 YouTube video, we will cover bodies and components. On the screen is a basic assembly. In Fusion 360, there are a few different ways to define three dimensional objects. For example, if you were to extrude a sketch, that would create a body; if you were to add fillets to that body, they would just be part of the body. If you placed a whole feature on that body, it is still just one body. However, to work in the context of an assembly and to make drawings of individual parts, those bodies have to be contained within a component. A component is another tier up and it's so important that many people will tell you that rule one for using Fusion 360 is to create a component FIRST, before you start creating any sort of geometry. For the people that follow that tenet, this design would be a poor example because when this design was created, a sketch was made, and then a body was extruded without creating a component.

Let's take a look at the browser and understand what the structure looks like and understand what a component's structure looks like. So, every design in Fusion 360 to another design is a component. So, at the top, we have a V-block clamp and, looking at the icon, it shows me that there is more than one component inside of this design. A component is easy to spot because it has its own origin and can contain its own sketches, bodies, joints, and a number of different elements. If this design only contained bodies, you would not be able to apply assembly joints between just the bodies.

Looking down the browser, we see the sketches that were used and then we see a component. It too has multiple components within it. When we expand it, we see that it has its own origin folder, a joints folder, and two more components. Components can not only contain bodies, joints, and sketches, but they can also contain other components. If we expand one of those components, we'll see that it has its own origin, its own bodies, and its own sketches. Looking to the browser is a great first step in understanding how your design is structured and whether or not everything is made into a component or, as in this design, you have a body that is sitting at the top level that has limited assembly functions because it's only a body.

Another important feature of components is it makes it easier to work in the context of your design. For example: if I want to make a modification to the clamp yoke, rather than trying to find which features made up the clamp yoke, I can activate the clamp yoke by selecting the activation button on the right and the timeline will limit itself to only show the features that are owned by that clamp yoke. If I were to switch over to the thumbscrew, you'll see that the feature set changes. The icons will appear the same but there are different sketches and different extrusions. Reactivating the top level of the design will take us back to the overall timeline.

A body is going to be anything that's generating 3d geometry. Whether that body is a solid body, a freeform body, a mesh body, it will be making the 3d geometry. To really leverage that body, you need to have it inside of a component.

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[PiefacePete]

I have been using Fusion 360 for a year or two now, at "Bumble" level. I am currently working on the largest design I have tried, and this video has made a number of things that I was becoming aware of click into focus.
I am going to start a new design this morning, just so I can work through some features while replaying this video. Thank you so much!
(Being allowed the use of Fusion 360 at hobby level is the greatest privilege I could be given... I cannot express my appreciation enough.)

[sloancrossley]

I have been learning and designing using Fusion 360 for over a year and I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to use Fusion 360 on a hobby level. Without that free access I would not have been able to afford its use. It has opened up so many opportunities that very soon I hope to be in a position to become a full subscriber, but never stop learning.

[Bartetmedia]

I understand now, thank you! I love this cad program now that I know much more since I started a year and half ago. I thought I would never get to learn so much but the layout is so well put together, it didn't discourage me from using it as much as I though I wouldn't in the beginning. I will definitely buy the paid version in the future.

[TheGuyWhoAsked]

Damn bruh I’ve been only using bodies for 3 years

[Tayls-tnux]

I have been using Fusion 360 for a few weeks, under the Startup package which has given me 1 year's access to the software which I am very grateful for. There's a few things to get used to compared to working with Solidworks (which I have used for 10+ years), however the more I use Fusion the more I'm starting to prefer it over SW. Also- this is a very helpful video.

[kevin]

It seems to me that components are solid objects and therefore should prevent other components from entering into their mass. I have seen this is not the case but I imagine I just didn't setup my component correctly. Is that true. Can you prevent components from colliding?

[gamergoohoo]

how do you create those folders for organization

[skysport]

Thank you. I am new to Fusion and this was helpful!

[shayarsalim]

Thanks for the video?. Is it possible to rearrange the components once it is made?

[anthonydomanico]

I’ve been trying to learn Fusion 360 for about a week now and my head is spinning. I’ve found a few problems trying to learn the software. One, either the video is too simple or too difficult for the level I’m at. Two, Autodesk has made changes rendering many tutorials obsolete.

I still can’t wrap my head around the concepts in this video. Maybe it would help me if I understood in concrete terms the advantage(s) of having bodies and components. In other words, the why of having this design philosophy.

In any case, when can the average person with no prior CAD experience expect to be competent enough to be able to make complex projects in Fusion 360?

[martybadboy]

My noob takeaway point 3:25: timeline changes when you select the component. I had noticed it changing but had not figured out why. Now I know. 👍

[sonofsun]

OK...the searchable database fro learning doesn't bring any results searching for Body or component definition. After watching this vieo I still do nit understand how to convert body into a component.

[iuriimtl]

is it idea from kind of official traditional courses or school ?

[klausguckraus]

I downoaded the files especially to see how the knurling on the screw was done... but the file is without the pattern. Can anybody help me? :)

[guilhermelourencao]

Wanna overcome the component nightmare where you try to change a body u copied without changing the original after making it a component? mirror it instead of copying it, the new body will be independent

[dragade]

Nice intro but this isnt a how this is just an abstract