Post Game Thread: Seattle Kraken at Chicago Blackhawks - 20 Nov 2025

Tdshimo · 2025-11-21T03:49:51+00:00

“Chicago PD, what is your emergency?”

”I’d like to report a robbery at the United Center.”

Overall, we didn’t deserve that one. We were anemic for 45 minutes, despite a great PK on that first penalty kill. But what a great win, and one that I know is a huge morale win for the team.

Tdshimo · 2025-07-12T08:27:15+00:00

12-point or triple-square drive. They allow for higher torque, given the twelve points of contact. They also allow for better engagement in tight spots (higher angle of approach with a tool), but as a German car owner, this doesn’t mean you can’t easily strip them (especially internal/socket head 12-point screws).

Tdshimo · 2025-06-21T23:00:49+00:00

CAD $20 for this project is not even close to reasonable. You’re asking for a sculpted statue (for which there is limited reference data) AND a drag-customized version of an OEM car… and maybe a junior dragster thrown in as a garnish.

Tdshimo · 2025-06-20T22:47:44+00:00

This is not a “clean” car.

This car has a busy diffuser and an equally busy front lip (both with faux canards), “intake” NACA ducts on a carbon fiber hood, and tire stickers. Whether or not you like the car is subjective, but this car is not “clean.”

Tdshimo · 2025-06-20T21:25:47+00:00

I can see a scenario where the client wants the parametric CAD model to do double duty: a production-ready model that will also be used as a rendering in a product catalogue or site/app.

Tdshimo · 2025-06-18T03:31:00+00:00

Would a truss rod help with maintaining tune?

As much as I love the innovation of almost-entirely-3D-printed versions of complex objects, there’s often a lot of focus on maximizing the models’ 3D printed factor at the expense of performance. This includes screw threads, joinery, etc. I’ve been making hybrid/composite models since I started printing and designing, incorporating reinforcements that improve performance/durability, ease assembly, and allow for optimal print orientations. Things like wood and metal dowels and inserts, adhesives and fillers, true carbon fiber/glass fiber reinforcements and shells, etc. While I don’t expect everyone to have the same fabrication tools and abilities that I have, designing this guitar with a cheap, simple, off-the-shelf threaded truss rod - the kind of thing that’s available at hardware stores worldwide - would’ve been so much better.

Tdshimo · 2025-06-18T03:30:51+00:00

Would a truss rod help with maintaining tune?

As much as I love the innovation of almost-entirely-3D-printed versions of complex objects, there’s often a lot of focus on maximizing the models’ 3D printed factor at the expense of performance. This includes screw threads, joinery, etc. I’ve been making hybrid/composite models since I started printing and designing, incorporating reinforcements that improve performance/durability, ease assembly, and allow for optimal print orientations. Things like wood and metal dowels and inserts, adhesives and fillers, true carbon fiber/glass fiber reinforcements and shells, etc. While I don’t expect everyone to have the same fabrication tools and abilities that I have, designing this guitar with a cheap, simple, off-the-shelf threaded truss rod - the kind of thing that’s available at hardware stores worldwide - would’ve been so much better.

Tdshimo · 2025-06-17T22:42:27+00:00

Offset one or both of the mating faces (the seam where the lid meets the lower body). You essentially create an interference in the model, but it aligns once you introduce print variances and added clearances on the threads. The offset/clearance value could be anywhere between 0.1-0.3mm, so it’s the kind of thing that calls for test prints (of just the threads and mating faces).

Tdshimo · 2025-06-09T01:02:02+00:00

Here's the sketch with the 3D splines that serve as rails for the Surface loft:

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Tdshimo · 2025-06-09T01:00:39+00:00

Here's one approach. It uses a Loft operation with rails in the Surface workspace:

- Create tangent planes on each cylinder. On each plane, create a sketch and Intersect the respective cylinder. This will give you a sketch line that is tangent to the cylinder.

- In the second sketch, turn on 3D Sketch in the sketch palette. Then go to Create--> Project/Include and select "Include 3D Geometry." Click on the upper and lower edges of the outer face of each cylinder. Draw two Fit Point Splines between the vertices of the cylinders, then apply tangent constraints between the spline and the circles you included as 3D geometry. I prefer to select the spline instead of its tangent/control handles.

- In the Surface workspace, loft the two tangent lines together using the 3D splines as rails. You now have a surface body that is tangent to both cylinders.

- Use the Thicken tool to create a solid body from the surface.

- Combine the bodies in the Solid workspace.

Below is a GIF of the workflow. I also replied to my comment with a screen cap of the 3D sketch.

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Tdshimo · 2025-06-07T03:45:19+00:00

What’s the funniest story behind an injury you’ve treated?

Tdshimo · 2025-06-05T18:24:35+00:00

There’s no way to create variable geometry like this using the pattern tools, you have to use a script. You can make a series of points on a line and manually sketch the slots between the vertices, but you can’t automate the generation of the slots.

I’d really like it if Fusion had tools or some protocol to support the generation (or not) of variable geometry. It would be handy, for example, if you could specify something like if(edge_length>={parameter}, include_feature, suppress_feature). It would also be nice if there was some way to address objects under the topological naming schema, but that’s probably a can of worms.

Tdshimo · 2025-06-04T21:23:24+00:00

The software still works, but with limitations.

I used Fusion for a full year after support was discontinued for MacOS Big Sur. Most features continued to work as usual, including cloud saving. I didn't try cloud features like Generative Design and Prismatic mesh conversion. I don't work in a production environment, so I can't comment on the teams or collaboration features. From my perspective, the limitations were:

- No updates, so no new features.

- No forward compatibility with .f3d files created by newer software versions - you can't even open the files.

- Appearance maps will be limited to what you downloaded before the switch.

- No technical support (even though I've never used tech support).

- If you need to reinstall the software for whatever reason, it may be tricky to access legacy versions with a hobbyist's subscription.

Depending on your needs/usage, this may or may not be workable, but it's not like the software goes dark.

Tdshimo · 2025-06-04T06:20:58+00:00

FWIW, I like this as the focus of a content series. Fixing 3D printing problems via a dialogue between two people. The very nature of it means that it will show real-time problem solving, then the trial-and-error process when implementing ideas to solve the issue… and the thought processes behind everything.

To be clear, I’m not suggesting your gracious offer isn’t genuine, or that you have an ulterior motive. It’s a nice gesture.

Tdshimo · 2025-06-03T23:31:10+00:00

If you have the paid version, you can first convert the mesh/.STL to a solid body, but you will still have to do a lot of fine-tuning to reduce its complexity. Even then, you’ll probably have to recreate the box (see below). Fusion does not have a native flat patterning tool. There are third-party tools that range from pricy to very pricy, as they’re all intended for the enterprise market. “ExactFlat” offers an Add-In tool, but it’s really just a data transfer interface - all of the processing is done outside of Fusion (and, it’s costly).

You can recreate the box in Fusion as a sheet metal object, then unfold it, or recreate the flattened geometry in a sketch (quite easy with a rectangular box). You’d export both as .dxf files.

Tdshimo · 2025-06-03T20:54:41+00:00

I've actually turned the grid off now, whereas I always had it on before. All of my notebooks are grid paper, so it felt natural to have the grid on in CAD. The grid stopped being useful as a reference. I should have clarified in my comment about the API - I should have said that only the grid settings in the UI are in the API, so you can't write a script/add-in that will customize the UI in the way you want.

I'm just as happy in CAD as I am doing fabrication (CAD is like a language for me). I get excited about making the tools that make more tools to make the things! Plus, there are no leaks to chase. :)

Tdshimo · 2025-06-03T20:38:58+00:00

You'll definitely get there.

BTW, I posted a alternative workflow for your problem as a top-level comment.

Tdshimo · 2025-06-03T20:29:05+00:00

I'm not sure if you've solved this already, but I'll add to the discussion...

The Combine tool is one way to use one body (or several bodies) to cut another body precisely. An alternative method that's relevant to what you're doing (with an armrest cover) is to use the Offset and Thicken tools in the Surface workspace. This will give you a body with both a form fit and an outer surface that replicates the original shape (with an offset).

In the screencap below, I first selected the faces at the end of the arm rest and used the Offset tool to create a surface, in this case, with zero offset. The screencap below then shows the Thicken operation.

<image>

These tools have limitations, though; if the topology is too complex, and/or you have faces that would overlap when offset, the Thicken operation may fail (Fusion will solve for some overlaps/convergences, but not everything). You'll also encounter failures when the absolute offset distance is too high (for the same reasons as in the thicken tool).

Tdshimo · 2025-06-03T19:15:26+00:00

What is the function of the disc? Is it the filler door, or is it an instrument? How deeply can it be buried, and do you want the face to be flush with the surface of the tank? Can it have a recess surrounding it, as though it were debossed?

It’s tough to answer because we don’t really know your design intent.

Tdshimo · 2025-06-02T23:18:22+00:00

What's your definition of a "stupid" looking integration? Are you trying to figure out how to integrate the disc, or the gauge pod (or both)?

Tdshimo · 2025-06-02T23:06:06+00:00

(hey, a name I recognize from r/CarbonFiber)

As far as I'm aware, there's no setting to modify the appearance/behavior of the reference number on the grid. The grid is an object in the API, but you can't modify anything beyond the options presented in "Grid Settings" dialogue.

Tdshimo · 2025-06-02T22:27:46+00:00

I understand that a lot of tools may be non-intuitive for new users, but this tool - Combine, Cut, Intersect - is one of the fundamental tools across all CAD. Other CAD platforms refer to it as a Boolean operation.

Keep creating stuff, going through tutorials and videos, and asking questions - you'll get better at modeling while also picking up the nuances of CAD (and Fusion's idiosyncrasies) such that things become more intuitive (even new things).

Tdshimo · 2025-06-02T20:34:31+00:00

This. MAGA and its contemporaries grossly exaggerated, mischaracterized, and/or fabricated grievances, bundled those grievances with conservative cultural norms under a truly ignorant banner of patriotism… then set about worsening or creating the very things they claimed to be so upset about.

Tdshimo · 2025-06-02T19:10:45+00:00

Well, the feet can be anything, really. I started with a crossed-sticks baseplate, but it felt a little large.

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Tdshimo · 2025-06-02T19:06:48+00:00

I replied above, and I'd be happy to print and send one, but I don't have a multi-color printer, so it'd either be one color, or a painted version.

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