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Help Part Studio features

Vent

Slots cut through the wall of a case for air to flow through, from a boundary you sketch, with ribs left standing where you draw lines across it.

  • Vent AdvancedPart Studio toolbar
What other CAD programs call it
SchoolCADOnshapeFusionSOLIDWORKS
Vent––Vent

A vent lets air through the wall of a case, to cool the electronics inside, or lets sound out of a speaker grille. Sketch the vent's outline on the wall and draw a line across it wherever a rib should stay: the openings between the ribs are cut through the wall. It works like Vent in SOLIDWORKS.

Vent 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#

  1. Make the case first, hollowed out with Shell.
  2. Start a sketch on the outside face of the wall (click the face, then Sketch).
  3. Draw the boundary as a closed shape, such as a rectangle or a circle.
  4. Draw a line right across the boundary wherever a rib should go. Lines in both directions make a grid.
  5. Click Vent (in the Boss ▾ menu on the toolbar), check the Width of ribs, and click ✓.

Options#

OptionWhat it does
Sketch (Boundary)The sketch with the boundary and the rib lines. Each space between the lines becomes an opening.
⇅ (Opposite direction)Cuts the other way from the sketch. SchoolCAD looks both ways for the wall, so you rarely need it.
Width of ribsHow wide each rib is, centred on its line. The boundary's own edge stays where you drew it.
Flow areaHow much of the boundary is open: the area of the openings in mm², and as a percentage. More open area lets more air through; wider ribs make the vent stronger.

Tips#

  • The vent is cut through the wall only, not on through the case to the far side.
  • For 3D printing, ribs of 1.2 to 2 mm print well. Slots running up and down a wall print without supports.
  • A circle with lines across it makes a round speaker grille.

If it does not work#

  • The vent does not meet the part. Sketch it on the face of the wall, or click ⇅.
  • The ribs leave no openings. Make the ribs narrower, or space the lines further apart.
  • Some openings were left out. They were too small for ribs that wide, or not over the part.