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Shell

Hollow out a part, leaving walls of an even thickness, with the faces you pick left open.

  • Shell OPart Studio toolbar
What other CAD programs call it
SchoolCADOnshapeFusionSOLIDWORKS
ShellShellShellShell

Shell hollows out a part and leaves walls of the same thickness all the way round. The faces you pick are taken away to make the opening. Model a solid block, shell it with the top face picked, and you have an open box. It is the quick way to make a 3D-printed case for electronics, a pencil cup, a planter or a lamp shade.

The outside stays the same size: the walls are made on the inside.

How to use it#

  1. Click Shell, or press O.
  2. Click the face or faces to remove: the open side. Click a face again to put it back. With no face picked, you get a closed, hollow part.
  3. Drag the arrow on the rim of the opening, or type the Thickness.
  4. Check the preview, then click ✓ or press Enter.

Options#

  • The box at the top of the dialog says how many faces will be removed, and from which part. Click a face on another part to shell that part instead.
  • Part: which part to shell. It shows while no face is picked.
  • Thickness: how thick the walls are, in mm. It starts at 2 mm.

Tips#

  • For 3D printing, walls of 1.6 to 2.4 mm print well.
  • Use Section view to slice through the part and check the walls.
  • When you drag the arrow, the steps get smaller as you zoom in. Hold Shift for finer steps, or press Esc to put the thickness back. On a closed hollow part, the arrow is on its biggest flat face.
  • When the 3D engine is on (the status bar says Exact geometry: on), Shell copes with holes, rounded edges and curved walls.
  • You can type a sum, or the name of a parameter such as wall, for the thickness.
  • To change a shell later, double-click it in the feature tree, or click it once in the tree and drag its arrow on the model.

If it does not work#

  • Walls of 5 mm do not work on this part. Try a thinner wall, or remove a different face.
  • The wall is too thick for this part, or it has holes or rounded edges the quick shell cannot follow. Wait for the 3D engine to start (bottom right), or try a thinner shell.
  • Pick a flat face to remove. Only a flat face can be the opening.
  • A face to remove was not found. An earlier change took the face away. Double-click the shell in the feature tree and click the face again.