Rib
Thin walls from sketch lines out to the part, to stiffen it without making it solid, like the ribs inside a 3D-printed case or a corner brace.
- Rib AdvancedPart Studio toolbar
| SchoolCAD | Onshape | Fusion | SOLIDWORKS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rib | Rib | Rib | Rib |
A rib is a thin wall that stiffens a part without making it solid. Draw a line where each rib goes, and SchoolCAD makes it as thick as you set and runs it on until it meets the part. Use it for the ribs inside a 3D-printed case or a shelled box, under a shelf, or for a brace (gusset) in the corner of a bracket.
Rib is in the Advanced tool set. In Standard, find it with Search tools (` or Alt+C), or switch to Advanced at the end of the toolbar.
How to use it#
- Make the part first, such as a box hollowed out with Shell, or an L-shaped bracket.
- Start a sketch and draw a line (or an arc) where each rib goes:
- For ribs inside a box or under a shelf, sketch on the box's rim (or a plane above it) and draw the lines over the part, from wall to wall or just inside them.
- For a corner brace, sketch on a plane through the middle of the bracket (square to both arms), and draw a line from one arm to the other, across the corner.
- Click Rib. Choose the Sketch with the lines.
- Set the Thickness and the Direction, then check the preview and click ✓.
Options#
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Sketch | The sketch with the rib lines. Each line, or chain of joined lines and arcs, makes one rib. Closed shapes are left out: they are for Extrude. |
| Thickness | How thick each rib is, in mm, centred on its line. |
| Normal to sketch | The rib goes straight down from the sketch until it meets the part: ribs inside a box or under a shelf. |
| Parallel to sketch | The rib goes out across the sketch's plane from the line until it meets the part: a corner brace. |
| ⇅ Flip direction | Makes the rib go the other way. SchoolCAD tries both ways for you, so you only need it when both ways meet the part. |
| Add to | Tick the parts that get the ribs. With nothing ticked, every part the ribs meet. |
Tips#
- A rib stops at the first faces it meets, so a line drawn inside one compartment of a box makes a rib only there.
- The ends of a line run on to the part, so a rib reaches the walls even if the line stops a little short of them.
- For 3D printing, make ribs about as thick as the walls (1.6 to 2.4 mm), or a little thinner.
- Ribs keep the part exact with the 3D engine, so you can still fillet its edges afterwards.
If it does not work#
- The rib does not meet the part. For Normal to sketch, the lines must be over the part (looking straight down at the sketch). For a brace, choose Parallel to sketch, and draw the line between the two faces it joins.
- A rib is drawn as open lines, not a closed shape (that is Extrude). Draw a line, not a rectangle.