Ed,

I wondered that myself and Googled it. Apparently, .f3d is a Fusion 360 drawing file and .f3z is a Fusion zip file. I tried double clicking the Lightning f3d file and it opened ok in Fusion but the Mirage f3z file didn't do anything. It opened in Winzip but the files didn't make any sense. It appears that Fusion creates a . f3z file if components from other drawings are imported. I deleted the imported components (Wemotec fan unit) and Fusion re-exported the drawing as .f3d.

I have e-mailed that to you.

I'm afraid that I have no options for exporting different versions of .skp files.

Here is my latest go at modeling in Rhino.
This will be an EDF so the exhaust area has been enlarged a bit.
Something out of the ordinary!
Paul

That was a very pretty plane. Nice simple shape without any lumps and bumps on it - meant to go fast and do nothing else.

How are you going to do the intake?

Probably thru the canopy as was suggested earlier in this thread.
It’s a nice subject for a newbie at cad.

Cut the file on the router. I need to do more drawing!
Paul

Working out the retracts.

From the CAD model I laser cut the gear formers and printed some retract parts.
I’m not sure if I can use any printed parts on the flying model but at least I have patterns for making them in metal.
Paul

Looking good. I'm impressed!

Thanks!

Nice work Paul.
Eric B.

Thanks Eric. I think I’m getting the hang of this...
Paul

My latest project. A small suitcase travel plank flying wing glider with plug in tail fin, plug in wings and nose cone.

CAD originally done in Rhino a few years back and ported to Fusion for CAM before cutting on my CNC.

Fusion's built in CAM is really sweet. I have pretty much completely moved away from Rhino except for complicated surface stuff which I rarely ever have the need to mess with.

Andrew

www.canuckengineering.com

Amazing work Andrew

I was recently sent some old William Wylam drawings of several engines by Stephen M (long story) so I have been spending some of my spare time drawing up the Mercedes DIII engine in 1/5 scale. The Wylam drawings were pretty good so I've got the engine reasonably well detailed and have done a couple of check prints to see how well it would come out. After doing the prints, I made a couple of changes to the .stl files (for example, I split the inlet manifold into two parts to improve the surface finish) and added infill to all the prints so that the top surfaces didn’t “collapse”. Inevitably, this increased the weight slightly.
The entire engine would be too big to put into a model since it would take up the space where the motor, battery and esc would sit but I modelled it all anyway. There are also problems printing the crankcase and sump unit unless they are printed with a lot of infill. The entire printed engine would weigh around 250grams and this is too much weight for a 1/5 scale model to carry for no benefit so I made a modified version of only the cylinders which would be useable on most scale models as it is only that part of the engine that is exposed.

I haven't included an exhaust system in the design as these varied enormously from model to model but if anyone wants to model a specific aircraft and can provide details of the exhaust, I would be happy to model that.

The test print was done on a Creality Ender 3 and the six cylinders were too big to fit on the bed so the cylinders have been split into banks of three.

The stl files are posted on Thingiverse: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4661707

Hey guys

i have a question about Rhino vs. Fusion 360

im wondering if there is a consensus yet - on where each software fits best within the workflow of this hobby.

im a long-time rhino user, i think just over 20 years now (holy crap lol). ive learned and used many CAD systems over the years. Rhino is just my comfort zone.

i just got a new job, and the company does most if not all of their modeling in Fusion 360, which for the types of products we produce, is totally fine.

Ive gotten bit ambitious i think and decided to try and learn how to design airframes in fusion - starting by modeling the OML of the entire aircraft and then going to work on the internal components...

But im having a pretty hard time getting fusion to surface fuselage shapes and wings.

I think a reasonable workflow would be to design the airframe OML in Rhino first, get it perfect / watertight with good clean surfacing, then export it out as a .STEP or something and then go to work on it in Fusion 360.

does this seem like a reasonable workflow, and is this a consensus that others have already arrived at? or am i asking for trouble trying to start with a geometry originated in a different software?

thanks for your thoughts. life is a bit more complicated now and i have less time for hobbies... so if you can save me from wasting time on a futile effort, that would be much appreciated...

thanks

-david