Revolve
Spin a sketch around an axis to make round parts, like knobs, wheels, turned legs and handles.
- Revolve VPart Studio toolbar
| SchoolCAD | Onshape | Fusion | SOLIDWORKS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revolve | Revolve | Revolve | Revolved Boss/Base Revolved Cut |
Revolve spins a sketch around a line, the way a lathe turns a piece of timber. You draw half of the outline, like a knob sliced down the middle, and Revolve spins it round to make the solid part. Use it for knobs, wheels, turned legs, handles, bowls and spinning tops.
It can also add a round shape onto a part, or cut one out of it, such as a groove around a leg.
How to use it#
- In a sketch, draw half of the outline as a closed shape. Keep all of it on one side of the axis: the line it will spin around. Finish the sketch.
- Click Revolve, or press V. A sketch is chosen for you: change it in Sketch if it is the wrong one.
- Choose the Axis.
- Drag the curved arrow round the axis, or type the Angle. 360 goes all the way round.
- Choose New part, Add or Remove.
- Check the preview, then click ✓ or press Enter.
Options#
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| New part | Makes a new part. Type a Part name (such as Knob) and choose its Material. |
| Add | Joins the shape onto the parts ticked under Add to. With nothing ticked, it joins the part it touches. |
| Remove | Cuts the shape out of the parts ticked under Cut from. With nothing ticked, it cuts every part it touches. |
| Sketch | Which sketch to spin. If it has more than one closed shape, click a shape in the view to leave it out or put it back. |
| Axis | The line it spins around: Vertical axis (through the origin), Horizontal axis (through the origin), or a construction line in the sketch (Construction line 1, Construction line 2 and so on). |
| Angle | How far round it goes, in degrees, up to 360. A smaller angle makes part of a turn, such as 180 for half a knob. |
Tips#
- The curved arrow moves in 5° steps. Hold Shift for 1° steps, or press Esc to put the angle back.
- For a part that stands up, like a chess piece or a lamp base, sketch on Front and spin it around the Vertical axis.
- If the axis does not go through the origin, draw it as a line in the sketch and make it a construction line: select it and press Q. Then choose it in Axis.
- Draw the outline right up to the axis for a solid part. Leave a gap between the outline and the axis for a ring.
- To change a revolve later, double-click it in the feature tree, or click it once in the tree and drag its curved arrow on the model.
If it does not work#
- The shape crosses the axis. Keep it all on one side of the axis line. Edit the sketch so no part of the shape goes over the axis. It can touch the axis.
- The sketch has no closed shape to revolve. Edit the sketch and join the ends of the lines.
- The axis line is missing from the sketch. The construction line used as the axis was deleted. Choose another Axis.
- The part lies down when it should stand up: choose the other axis.
- Nothing to add to: it does not touch a part. Choose "New part" instead. Move the shape so it touches the part, or choose New part.