Design Project · 4 weeks ·
Modular desk lamp
A four-week build that combines three processes in one product. Students mill a hardwood base, vacuum form a shade over a mould they make themselves, and print the joint that connects the two.
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Fusion CAD
Modelling in Autodesk Fusion: sketches, constraints, parameters, and manufacturing prep.
Design Project · 1 lesson ·
Laser-cut phone stand
A one-lesson project. Model a two-piece slot-together stand in Fusion and cut it from 3 mm plywood so the slots hold without glue.
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Kerf, explained
The laser removes a sliver of material on every cut. Here is how to measure it on your machine and design joints that account for it.
Design Project · 5 weeks ·
Wayfinding model of the school
Build a scale model of the campus that helps a new student find their way. Each group makes one building from plans; the class assembles the site. Labels, colour and a legend make it a map, not just a model.
Design Project · 4 weeks ·
Trophies and awards
Design an award for a real event at the school and make a run of them, combining laser-cut structure, a 3D-printed figure or feature, and a UV-printed plate. A product, not a one-off.
Design Project · 2 weeks ·
Reverse engineering a product
Take a product apart down to its base components, knoll every part on a sheet, photograph it, and document what each part is, what it is made of, how it was made, and what it does.
Design Project · 3 weeks ·
Parametric laser-cut panels
Each student designs one panel under 12" × 12" from a parametric pattern in Fusion. Together the panels become an installation. Change a number, get a new panel.
Design Project · 5 weeks ·
Outdoor seating from 2×4s
Design and build outdoor benches, seats and small structures from construction lumber for an outdoor learning space. Ergonomics, exterior fasteners and finishes, and a build that survives a Canadian winter.
Design Project · 6 weeks ·
Build a mini-putt hole
In a group of three or four, design and build one themed, ready-to-play mini-putt hole from lumber and plywood. Four individual checkpoints track your work from the first pencil sketch to a reflection after play testing.
Design Project · 3 weeks ·
3D-printed bike accessory
Design a part that fits a real bike and does a real job, model it in Fusion from your own measurements, print it, and prove it survives use. Mounts, clips, guards, holders, tools.
Design Project · 3 weeks ·
Artifact display, curated
Mount one object on the wall the way a museum would. A 3D-printed mount designed around the object, a cut-vinyl label beside it, and a composition that makes people stop and read.
Design Project · 4 weeks ·
Acoustic panels
Design and build a wall panel that absorbs sound and looks like it belongs in the room. Test the material choice, not just the look, and write a spec sheet for the result.
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Sweep, revolve and extrude
Extrude pushes a profile in a straight line. Sweep drags it along a path. Revolve spins it around an axis. An organic bench and Fusion's trumpet sample show all three.
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Slicing and lamination
Split any solid into layers the thickness of your sheet, arrange them on the material and cut. Bigger than a 3D printer can manage, and every layer is one flat outline.
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Rotational slicing in Fusion
Draw one section, revolve two discs, pattern the section around an axis and cut every slot with one Combine. A vase, a lampshade or a sculpture from a single sheet.
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A parametric piping bag tip
A 3D-printable icing nozzle where the number of teeth, the wall thickness and the diameter are all parameters. Loft, thicken, emboss, circular pattern, pipe.
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3D-printed gears for 1" pegboard
Any gear you add to a pegboard has to mesh with the ones already there and land on a 1" hole. Here is the arithmetic, the Spur Gear add-in settings, and a motion link to prove it.
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A parametric photo frame
Five user parameters drive a 3D-printable frame. Change the width and height and the frame rebuilds for a 4×6, an 8×10 or a 200 mm square without touching the sketch.
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Modelling from sketches, the rocker arm
Fusion's Model from Sketch sample, step by step. Two-sided extrude to an object, symmetric extrude from the mid-plane, projecting a circle onto a face, mirroring a feature, and a fillet.
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Half-lap intersecting slices
Two flat profiles, a slot in each, and they slide together into a 3D form. The fastest way to get a solid-looking object out of sheet material.
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Finger-joint boxes with MakerCase and Fusion
Let MakerCase generate the box, then bring the DXF into Fusion, extrude the panels and snap them together with Align. You end up with a box you can modify in 3D and still cut flat.
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CAD practice: a modular desk organizer
Modelling a tray and a phone stand in the style of Ugmonk's Gather system. Sketch, extrude, cut, project, and a lot of fillets.
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Adding joints by hand, the clamp example
Fusion's toggle clamp sample, assembled from six parts with revolute, cylindrical, ball and rigid joints, then given motion limits so the handle stops where a real one would.
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As-built joints on the piston linkage
The parts are already in place, so tell Fusion how they move. Revolute and slider as-built joints, a sub-assembly you can copy, and limits so the motion stays real.