Generative Stool and Shelf in Autodesk Fusion 360

In this project I explored generative design using Autodesk Fusion 360. This was done as a part of Dr. Jennifer Jacobs Computational Fabrication course at University of California Santa Barbara.

In creating these designs, there were a few struggles which I got through with the help of some resources:

• The generative design workflow is explained quite well in this video:

• LinkedIn Learning's Fusion 360: Generative Design course was great for learning about the process.
  

  https://www.linkedin.com/learning-login/share?acco...

• LinkedIn Learning's Fusion 360: Essential Training got me up and running fairly quickly to get comfortable with the interface.

  https://www.linkedin.com/learning-login/share?acco...

If you would benefit from access to LinkedIn Learning, many public library cards provide free access. I'm accessing mine through the Los Angeles Public Library.

Autodesk Fusion 360

A 3D Printer for output

One of the most important things is coming up with a baseline design that makes sense for generative design. Generative design uses physical forces to determine a design that has the optimal performance with the least amount of material.

In general, you must define where the pressure will be put onto the materials and where the fixed points of the object are.

With a stool this is easy, which makes it a great one to start with. My fixed points are the faces or edges that are on the ground and the most force will be applied downward in the Y direction on the seat.

My initial design was very simple. I used a rounded circular seat base and a ring for the "legs."

The red cylinder is obstacle geometry. Fusion 360's generative design really benefits from the maximum number of constraints you give it. Obstacle geometry is telling the program not to fill that space with anything. This comes in handy for areas like the underside of a stool or also any areas where you need clearance for things like screws or ready-made parts that may attach to the object you are designing.

When I simulated this design using the local preview mode, I was getting a lot of variations on a very simple cup, so I decided to add some complexity to the legs by dividing my ring into 4 parts and offsetting them.

Not pictured here is the additional obstacle geometry I created to ensure that no additional material was added to the seat of the stool. This involved creating a new body cube shape that was directly adjacent to the seat.

It's important to note that the option to preview within Fusion 360 (as opposed to their cloud-based solver) produces radically different results, so use it to give a very general idea of what the first steps of an outcome might be, but understand that the cloud-based solver will remove much more material.

After solving for about 5 hours, my generative geometry completed processing and I was given 6 options to choose from. I chose the one that appealed to me aesthetically and produced a mesh from it.

The print is currently printing and will take about 2 days to complete. I ended up deciding to print it with a raft and with full supports. I've had a lot of success printing this way with the Ender 3 Pro I'm using.

After I was finished with my stool, I learned so much that I decided to create a shelf for our wall that could sustain 10 lbs for tchotchkes I find out in the world or for our keys when we come in from outside.

I haven't printed it yet, but when I do print it, I will be printing this in solid plastic so that it can sustain real weight and be usable as a real shelf, since the studies in Fusion 360 assume solid mass.