How to Design 9 Mens Morris Game in Fusion 360

Nine Men's Morris is an ancient strategy board game that has been played for thousands of years in various parts of the world. The game is also known by other names such as Navakankari, Navakankari Prakriya, Morris, Mill, Merels, and Cowboy Checkers.

The game is played on a board consisting of three concentric squares, each divided into eight equal segments, with lines connecting the points on the grid. Each player has nine game pieces, typically black or white in color. The objective of the game is to form a "mill", which is a row of three pieces placed along one of the board's lines.

The game consists of three phases:

Placement Phase - Each player takes turns placing their pieces onto the board, one at a time, until all nine pieces have been placed.
Movement Phase - Players take turns moving their pieces along the lines on the board to an adjacent point. A piece may only be moved to an empty point, and cannot jump over another piece.
Mill Phase - Once a player has formed a mill, they can remove one of their opponent's pieces from the board, as long as it is not part of a mill. If a player is reduced to two pieces, they may "fly" their pieces to any empty point on the board during their turn.

The game continues until one player is reduced to two pieces, or is unable to make a legal move. The player with the most pieces remaining on the board at the end of the game is the winner.

Nine Men's Morris is a challenging and strategic game that requires players to think ahead and plan their moves carefully. It is a popular game that can be played by people of all ages, and has been enjoyed by many cultures throughout history.

Supplies

3D Printer
Few Different Colored 3D Printing Filaments

Step 1: About Fusion 360 and Free for Students

Fusion 360 is a powerful 3D CAD/CAM software developed by Autodesk. It is a cloud-based design software that allows users to create 3D models, perform simulations, and generate toolpaths for manufacturing. Fusion 360 is widely used by engineers, designers, and manufacturers to design and develop products in various industries such as aerospace, automotive, and consumer goods.

Autodesk offers a free version of Fusion 360 for students and educators called "Fusion 360 for Education". This version includes all the features and functionality of the commercial version of the software, but is limited to educational use only. To be eligible for this program, students and educators must be enrolled in an accredited educational institution.

The Fusion 360 for Education program provides free access to the software for up to three years, and includes all updates and new features during that time. This allows students and educators to learn and use the latest tools and techniques in product design and manufacturing.

Overall, Fusion 360 is a powerful and versatile design software that is widely used in industry, and the free educational version allows students and educators to gain valuable experience in using this software in a real-world setting.

To get the free educational version of Fusion 360, a student needs to follow these steps:

Go to the Autodesk Education Community website at education.autodesk.com and create an account using their school email address or by uploading Student ID.
Verify their email address by clicking on the verification link sent to their email.
Once their account is verified, the student can go to the Fusion 360 for Education page and click on "Download Now".
The student will be prompted to select their operating system (Windows or Mac) and agree to the terms of use.
After accepting the terms of use, the student can begin the download and installation process.
Once installed, the student can log in to the software using their Autodesk Education Community account credentials and start using Fusion 360 for educational purposes.

It is important to note that the free educational version of Fusion 360 is only available for students and educators for non-commercial use. Any commercial use of the software requires a commercial license. Additionally, the free educational version of Fusion 360 is only available for a limited time, usually up to three years, after which the student may need to renew their eligibility or purchase a commercial license.

Step 2: Create Sketch

Fusion 360 is a 3D CAD software that allows you to create sketches, which can then be used to create 3D models. Here are the basics of creating a sketch in Fusion 360:

Start by opening a new design in Fusion 360.
Choose the workspace you want to work in. For creating a sketch, you will need to select the "Model" workspace.
Click on the "Sketch" icon in the toolbar at the top of the screen. This will open a new sketch on the default plane.
Select the plane you want to sketch on. You can choose from the X-Y, X-Z, or Y-Z plane.
Choose the sketch tool you want to use. Fusion 360 offers a range of sketch tools, such as line, rectangle, circle, arc, and spline.
Click on the starting point of the sketch and then drag your mouse to create the desired shape.
Use the sketch constraints to adjust the shape of the sketch. Constraints are used to specify relationships between the different elements of the sketch, such as parallel, perpendicular, or equal distance.
Add dimensions to the sketch. Dimensions specify the exact size of the sketch elements.
Finish the sketch by clicking on the "Finish Sketch" button.

Once you have created a sketch, you can use it to create a 3D model by extruding, revolving, or sweeping it.

Now Lets create base sketch for our Morris Board

Draw a 200mm x 200mm Center Rectangle in the center of the plain.

Step 3: Convert 2D Sketch Into 3D Object

After creating a sketch in Fusion 360, there are several options available to you, depending on what you want to achieve. Here are some possible next steps:

Extrude the sketch: This option allows you to take your 2D sketch and turn it into a 3D object by "pulling" it up or down in the Z-axis. To do this, select the sketch you want to extrude, click on the "Create" button in the toolbar, and choose "Extrude." Then, select the sketch and specify the amount and direction of the extrusion.
Revolve the sketch: This option allows you to create a 3D object by revolving your sketch around an axis. To do this, select the sketch you want to revolve, click on the "Create" button in the toolbar, and choose "Revolve." Then, select the sketch and specify the axis and angle of the revolve.
Sweep the sketch: This option allows you to create a 3D object by sweeping your sketch along a path. To do this, select the sketch you want to sweep, click on the "Create" button in the toolbar, and choose "Sweep." Then, select the sketch and the path, and specify any additional settings.
Edit the sketch: If you need to make changes to your sketch, you can do so by selecting it and clicking on the "Edit Sketch" button in the toolbar. This will allow you to modify the sketch and any constraints or dimensions you previously added.
Use the sketch as a reference: If you don't want to create a 3D object directly from your sketch, you can still use it as a reference for other features or sketches. For example, you could create a new sketch on top of your existing sketch, or use it to define a cut or pattern.

These are just a few examples of what you can do after creating a sketch in Fusion 360. The software offers a wide range of tools and options for creating and modifying 3D models, so the possibilities are virtually endless.

Select the base sketch face and click on Extrude or Press Pull option.
Now enter the dimension or drag the arrow to 10mm height.
By pressing Ctl key and select all 4 corners of the base, click on fillet and enter enter the dimension as 10 mm.
Select the top face of the base and again click on fillet and enter or use arrow to drag to 5mm.

Step 4: Design Game Paths and Stop Points

Again select the top face of the base object and click on create sketch.
I have drawn 6 Rectangles of size
160, 156mm for outer
120, 116mm for middle
80, 76mm for inner.
Also we have to draw 24, 10mm circles as shown.
Now select all the faces as shown and extrude/press them to -2mm.

Step 5: Convert Image to Design Sketch

You can use .svg image as sketch.
SVG stands for Scalable Vector Graphics, which is a file format for 2D vector graphics. Unlike raster images, such as JPEG or PNG, SVG images are resolution-independent, meaning they can be scaled up or down without losing quality. This is because SVG files are made up of mathematical descriptions of the shapes and paths that make up the image, rather than a grid of pixels like raster images.

Download or create any image as shown above.
You can convert the any image into svg using various tools, Click to convert image to .svg
Now insert the svg file into the fuion 360 design by selecting the top fac of the base object, resize the image as per the object size and position it in the center.
Now select the faces that you want to press and press them to -2mm.

design.svg
Download

Step 6: Coloring

Now just select any face of the object and right click to navigate to Appearances window, here you will find different colors, materials just drag and drop on the object and faces that you want to color.
You can change the color or setting by double clicking on it.

Step 7: Designing Simple Markers

Draw a 9 or 9.5mm circle on the bottom plain and extrude it to 10mm.
Apply fillet of 2mm on the top edge to make it round from the top.
Apply any color of your choice.
We can move and duplicate the object by right clicking.
Refer the above images.
Make 17 duplicates of the marker and move to deafferent random positions and color them accordingly(9 orange and 9 purple).

And That it you just designed your first Board Game.

Click to See My 9 Mens Morris Design You can directly view my design in your browser and modify the same in Fusion 360 Software.

Step 8: 3D Printing

For 3D Printing we need .stl file extract the .stl file or .3mf file by right clicking the body -> Save as Mesh and save as .stl file or .3mf file.
For slicing I used UltiMaker Cura Software.

3D Printer: Creality Ender-3

Settings:

2mm Layer height
20% Infill
80mm Speed

Step 9: Multi Color 3D Prints

We can change the different color filament to get multiple colors in between, But this has to be done carefully.
We also have to print 18 Markers 9 in one and other 9 in other color.