3D Exercise 125
- Breno Cruz
- 3 days ago
- 1 min read
In this CAD tutorial we'll use the features:
1. Surface Loft
This is where you define the complex, organic outer "skin" of your design.
The Profiles: You start with two or more 2D cross-sections floating in space (e.g., an ellipse at the bottom and a small circle at the top). The Surface Loft stretches a zero-thickness mathematical boundary between them.
Guide Curves (or Rails): To control exactly how the surface transitions between those profiles, you draw 3D splines connecting them. The lofted surface is forced to follow these rails, allowing you to create highly specific, flowing contours that a standard extrude or revolve could never achieve.
2. Thicken
A surface loft looks great, but because it has zero thickness, it cannot be 3D printed, machined, or analyzed for mass properties. The Thicken command gives it physical reality.
The Conversion: You select the zero-thickness surface body you just lofted and specify a material thickness (e.g., 3mm). The software automatically offsets the complex contours and fills the gap, converting it instantly into a Solid Body.
Directional Control: You typically have three options: thicken entirely to the inside (preserving your carefully sculpted outer dimensions), thicken to the outside, or thicken symmetrically in both directions from the original surface.
All dimensions are in mm/g/s/ISO
3D Sketch
Exercise 125 - 3D practice drawing for all CAD software ( AutoCAD, SolidWorks, 3DS Max, Autodesk Inventor, Fusion 360, CATIA, Creo Parametric, SolidEdge etc.)
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Tutorial In Autodesk Fusion: https://youtu.be/IE3YvaBSMj8
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