How to construct a twisted sheet metal pattern in Fusion

TinWhisperer · November 21, 2025, 12:25pm

This is about the best workflow I can come up with right now.

Please check it out dissect it and be as critical as possible. Several features of it were clean from this collaboration. Thanks again for everyone getting involved.

Reducing steps and simplification is our goal.

Triangulated twist.f3d (652.9 KB)

someone could get more and more accurate by increasing the amount of construction planes that split up the strake. What I found in my real world applications is that between 3 to 5 splits worked out OK with no discernible gap.

holla2040 · November 21, 2025, 1:00pm

Here’s something to think about from both a practical and geometric perspective. Sheet metal bends because the top and bottom surfaces have different areas. This makes it somewhat hard to model accurately. However if thickness is maintained, modeling with surfaces is fine because the surface is the sheet metal center line. Visualize the center line for a press brake bend.

Also, physically shrinking and stretching change the metal thickness in addition to the top and bottom surfaces having different areas.

Hope this makes sense.

holla2040 · November 21, 2025, 1:05pm

Were you able to tessellate this in fusion’s mesh workspace? Is so, it might be possible to work your way back to a body that can flattened after conversion to sheet metal part.

TinWhisperer · November 21, 2025, 1:08pm

I’m gonna have to check that out I am totally unaware of that feature. Thanks for the tip

TinWhisperer · November 21, 2025, 1:17pm

I’m gonna have to play around with the settings but this definitely is gonna save me some steps once I figure out some of the settings

holla2040 · November 21, 2025, 1:19pm

Tessellate a curved surface to get a mesh of triangles, then convert that back to a surface, then thicken to get a body, then convert to sheet metal part. Might work.

Looking at your triangles, it seems bendable as a series of triangular flanges.

holla2040 · November 21, 2025, 1:24pm

That was fast.

I spent a couple months learning about this very topic working on my shaman sculpture. I tried all sorts of stuff, for my needs Blenders UV unwrapping worked the best. I tried old school metal hammering and tucking but wasn’t patient enough.

TinWhisperer · November 21, 2025, 1:29pm

Here’s a new version with a few less steps thanks to @holla2040 input about the tessellation function in the mesh workspace

again please be critical while dissecting this F3D and if we can reduce steps further, let’s do it.

Triangulated twist Tessellation.f3d (2.0 MB)

That’s what she said.

TinWhisperer · November 21, 2025, 1:31pm

I have used a few of the different flattening programs in the past. But staying within the fusion space is my preference.

I’ve used the mesh workspace quite a few times but I didn’t key into the fact that I could use it to take this compound curve and split it up into flat faces. Brilliant! @holla2040

I think you might be stoked about the next topic I have in mind. It’s gonna push this concept and our rapidly developing skills to their limits. But we need to learn how to walk before we can run.

ChelanJim · November 21, 2025, 2:22pm

Thanks a lot Craig! I just spent half the night thinking about this current problem!!! That’s what I need: a new geometric problem where I am way over my head.