How to Use the Loft Tool in Fusion 360

The Loft tool in Fusion 360 is a powerful feature that allows you to create smooth transitions between two or more profiles. This can be used to create a variety of shapes, from simple to complex.

In this post, we will walk you through the basics of using the Loft tool. We will cover the following topics:

• What is the Loft tool?
• How to select profiles for lofting
• How to control the shape of the lofted object
• Tips for using the Loft tool

What is the Loft tool?

The Loft tool is used to create a smooth transition between two or more profiles. Profiles can be 2D sketches or 3D faces.

To use the Loft tool, you will first need to select the profiles that you want to loft. You can select multiple profiles by holding down the Ctrl key while you click.

Once you have selected the profiles, you will need to specify the type of loft you want to create. There are two types of lofts:

• Solid loft: A solid loft creates a solid object between the selected profiles.
• Surface loft: A surface loft creates a surface object between the selected profiles.

How to select profiles for lofting

When selecting profiles for lofting, there are a few things to keep in mind:

• The profiles must be in the same plane.
• The profiles must be connected.
• The profiles must be closed.

If the profiles are not in the same plane, you can use the Move tool to move them into position. If the profiles are not connected, you can use the Connect tool to connect them. If the profiles are not closed, you can use the Close tool to close them.

How to control the shape of the lofted object

There are a few things you can do to control the shape of the lofted object:

• You can specify the number of segments between the profiles. The more segments you specify, the smoother the lofted object will be.
• You can specify the type of loft. A solid loft will create a solid object, while a surface loft will create a surface object.
• You can specify the continuity between the profiles. Continuity controls how the profiles blend together. There are three types of continuity:
  • G1: G1 continuity creates a smooth transition between the profiles.
  • G2: G2 continuity creates a smooth transition between the profiles and also ensures that the curvature of the profiles is the same.
  • G3: G3 continuity creates a smooth transition between the profiles and also ensures that the curvature of the profiles is the same and that the tangents of the profiles are parallel.

Tips for using the Loft tool

Here are a few tips for using the Loft tool:

• Use the preview feature to see how the lofted object will look before you create it.
• Use the Trim tool to trim profiles that you don’t want to loft.
• Use the Intersect tool to create new profiles from existing profiles.
• Use the Mirror tool to mirror profiles across a plane.
• Use the Rotate tool to rotate profiles around an axis.
• Use the Scale tool to scale profiles up or down.

We hope this post has helped you learn how to use the Loft tool in Fusion 360.