Docs / Model
Sketching
Build stable profiles with relations, driving dimensions, and clear design intent.
Constrain intent, not the picture
A sketch should explain how geometry may move. Start with relations—coincident, horizontal, vertical, parallel, tangent, equal—then add only the dimensions needed to set size and position.
Use the origin and reference geometry whenever the part is naturally symmetric. Mirroring half a profile is usually more stable than dimensioning two nearly identical sides.
Read sketch state
The sketch status reports remaining degrees of freedom and conflicting constraints. Drag under-defined geometry gently to reveal what can still move. If the sketch is over-defined, remove the newest redundant relation rather than suppressing the warning.
Choose the feature that follows
- Closed planar profile → Extrude or Revolve
- Cross-sections on several planes → Loft
- Profile following a path → Sweep
- Repeated geometry → build one instance, then Pattern
Keep sketches simple. Several focused sketches are easier to revise than one drawing that controls the entire part.