Draft

Draft leans the walls of a part in a little as they rise, so it can come out of a mould. A vacuum-formed sheet grips a mould with straight walls, and a casting sticks in a mould with straight sides. With a few degrees of draft, they come off cleanly. The base face (the face the part stands on) keeps its size, and every wall square to it leans in.

In Standard, find Draft with Search tools (` or Alt+C), or switch to Advanced at the end of the toolbar.

How to use it#

1. Model the mould with straight walls, for example an extruded block with rounded corners.
2. Click Draft, or press D. The bottom face of the newest part is picked as the base.
3. If the base is wrong, click the flat face the part stands on.
4. Type the Draft angle. 3° to 5° is usual for vacuum forming.
5. Check the preview, then click ✓ or press Enter.

Options#

• The box at the top of the dialog says which face is the base. Click another flat face to change it.
• Draft angle: how far the walls lean in, in degrees. A negative angle leans them out. Keep it under 30°.

Tips#

• Every wall square to the base is tapered: flat walls, curved walls and rounded corners. The line under the angle says how many walls were tapered.
• Draft needs the 3D engine. It starts by itself the first time, which takes a few seconds.
• For vacuum forming, round the top edges with Fillet after the draft, so the sheet forms smoothly over them.
• To change the angle later, double-click the draft in the feature tree.

If it does not work#

• Set a draft angle (3° to 5° suits vacuum forming). The angle is 0.
• Keep the draft angle under 30°.
• This part has no walls square to that base face to taper. The base is probably a side face, or the walls already slope. Click the face the part stands on.
• A 5° draft does not work on this part. Try a smaller angle, or check the base face.
• Draft needs the 3D engine, which is not available on this computer. Try another computer or browser, or ask your teacher.
• Pick a flat face for the base. You clicked a curved face.