I use this method in Fusion 360 all the time when designing buildings. I have my window frames as separate components along with a block a few thousands smaller than the frame and then the wall of the building I'm working on. I design the building with blank walls. Then pick a wall type (brick, block, wood) and use the blank wall and the extrude command to cut out a wall from the large wall the same size as the building's wall I'm working on. Then extrude that wall into the blank wall on the building far enough to leave the wall pattern (brick or whatever) on the surface of the blank wall. Next combine them into a single component. Take a block that is a twin of the window frame and position it out past the wall but inline with where you want the window. Use an extrude-cut and cut a hole out of the wall using the block. Move the window frame into the hole and combine it with the wall. Fusion is so fast to use I can do all of that in about the same amount of time as I just spent typing it (well maybe a little longer but not much). Sumner
Cool! I think I am going to add a "void block" button to my window, generate a .stl file of a block just a few thou larger than the outside edge of the window frame. Here's the window page, sans void block right now... https://glenn.pulpitrock.net/customizable_models/doublehung_window/
That might work if you are combining elements/components for printing but using Fusion's 'combine' command in designing I had to do the opposite. If the block was exactly the same size or larger than the frame it wouldn't always 'combine' the two together as one component or body. If I made the block say .006" (can't remember exactly without going and looking) smaller than the frame if would cut a hole .003" smaller that the frame on all sides. Then I would use the 'move' command to move the frame to one corner of the opening (easy, quick to do). Then I would move it .003" into the wall on two axis. Now it is enmeshed with the wall by .003" on all sides of the frame. Then when I used the 'combine' command it would combine the two bodies into one new body. This is easy and quick to do with the mouse and a few clicks. Maybe combining them with a slicing program (is that what you are using?) would need to take the opposite approach? Sumner
Oh, good point, the size of the void will be different depending on whether the window is integrated in CAD or glued in separately. I see what you're doing in Fusion 360, but combining bodies isn't really necessary for 3D printing. All the slicer needs to know is that at a given point, at least one body occupies it. The link I posted to my blog post a couple of posts back (too many posts? ) described such, both where it works and a rather poignant case where it failed when I didn't embed the part...
