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Custom Sketches

Custom Sketches

Custom sketches are the counterpart to primitive sketches → they don’t have parameters like width or radius because you create the sketch from scratch using lines and arcs. Closed sketches become surfaces that be extruded into 3D elements.
 

Sketch Mode

You can enter sketch mode via the line tool or the arc tool. In both cases as soon as you place your first point the toolbar will change to indicate that you’re in sketch mode. You can alternate between lines and arcs within sketch mode to create custom shapes.
 

Using the line tool

The line tool is used to create straight segments in a custom sketch. To create lines:
  1. Click the line button in the Design tab of the toolbar. If the line tool is not currently active in the button, click the down arrow beside the button and select Line from the dropdown. Alternatively you can use shortcut L.
  1. Click anywhere in your project to place the first point of the line segment. Notice that the toolbar changes to indicate that you are in sketch mode.
  1. Click anywhere on the same plane to place the second point of the line segment. You can edit the distance or angle inputs that are shown to specify the exact length of the segment and its angle relative to the preceding segment (press Enter or click after you enter a distance to create the point).
  1. Continue adding points to add more segments to the chain. Press Escape if you want to stop adding to a chain and create a new segment somewhere else in your sketch.
  1. Click the Done button in the toolbar or press Escape twice (once to stop adding to segment, once to commit the sketch) to exit sketch mode.
 
 

Using the arc tool

To create arcs:
  1. Click the arc button in the Design tab of the toolbar. If the arc tool is not currently active in the button, click the down arrow beside the button and select Arc from the dropdown. Alternatively you can use shortcut A.
  1. Click anywhere in your project to place the first point of the arc segment. Notice that the toolbar changes to indicate that you are in sketch mode.
  1. Click anywhere on the same plane to place to second point of the arc segment. You can edit the distance or angle inputs that are shown to specify the exact length of the segment and its angle relative to the preceding segment (press Enter or click after you enter a distance to create the point).
  1. Click to place the radius distance. You can edit the distance input that is shown to specify the exact radius (press Enter or click after you enter a distance to set the radius).
  1. Click to start placing another arc segment if you want.
  1. Click the Done button in the toolbar or press Escape twice (once to stop adding to segment, once to commit the sketch) to exit sketch mode.
 
 

Editing a sketch

To edit a sketch you can double click on the sketch in the scene or select the sketch and click the edit button that appears in the contextual menu when the sketch is selected. While editing a sketch you can drag the control points or edges the shape.