Efficient part modeling is absolutely essential to design teams. Most of your time is spent creating, revising, and proving out components. A robust part modeling experience is a must-have.
Part Modeling Overview
Comprehensive parametric part modeling includes:
Great Sketching
Most 3D features start with a 2D sketch. Alibre Design's sketching environment is mature and full of time saving tools.
3D Features
Features result in 3D geometry. Extrusions, fillets, revolves, lofts, and much more round out the feature creation toolset.
Surface Manipulation
Import surface models from other applications and convert them to solids, trim, and more.
Real-time Feedback
Every feature has real-time 3D feedback so you know what will happen when you press OK and can detect failures early.
Time Savers
Reuse geometry and leverage symmetry with mirrors, patterns, and other features that reduce work and make changes easier.
Manufacturing Features
Apply drafts to easily release models from molds or shell a solid to remove most material to keep weight down.
Holes and Threads
Expansive, built-in hole and external thread standards drive hole and external thread features with visualization and 2D drawings. Customizable.
Booleans
Unite, Subtract, and Intersect booleans provide modeling flexibility for a huge range of use cases, especially in mold making.
Visualization
Realtime draggable section views, hole and screw thread textures, and center of mass visualization are just some of the tools that give great visual feedback.
Analysis
Interrogate model geometry and measure almost anything including surface area, distance, angles, and volume. Physical properties provide mass, center of mass, moments of inertia, principal axes, and more.
Review
Create redlines and text markup pointing to specific areas that need further review or consideration. Redlines are easily referenced by others right in the Design Explorer.
Data-Driven
All features in part modeling are driven by parameters you define, external parameters you link to, excel data, configuration data, and more. Whatever your need, drive designs with data and easily update when data changes.
An example of quick-clamp grip created with extrusions, loft, fillets, chamfers, and holes.
Great Sketching
2D and 3D sketches are the inputs for most 3D features and are core to the part modeling experience. Sketching is extensively documented on another page.
3D features are the core of all 3D models. Different features perform different types of modeling operations. Layering features on top of each other results in a finished model.
Extrude Boss
Pulls a 2D sketch out in a direction while adding material along the way.
Extrude Cut
Pulls a 2D sketch out in a direction while removing material along the way.
Revolve Boss
Rotates a 2D sketch around an axis while adding material along the way.
Revolve Cut
Rotates a 2D sketch around an axis while removing material along the way.
Sweep Boss
Pulls a 2D sketch along a wire while adding material long the way.
Sweep Cut
Pulls a 2D sketch along a wire while removing material long the way.
Loft Boss
Adds material with smooth transitions between different sketches or faces.
Loft Cut
Removes material with smooth transitions between different sketches.
Helical Boss
Adds material along a helix with the cross section of a sketch.
Helical Cut
Removes material along a helix with the cross section of a sketch.
Fillet
Rounds hard corners of edges or faces with a constant or variable radius.
Chamfer
Replaces hard corners with a slope at a symmetric or asymmetric angle.
Draft
Applies draft angles to surfaces and is especially useful for creating molded components.
Shell
Hollows out a part by removing the selected faces and creating thin walls along the rest of the part.
Hole
Creates a hole definition for drawings and textures the thread, if used, on the 3D model. Includes many standards.
External Thread
Creates a cosmetic thread definition for drawings and textures the thread on the 3D model. Includes many standards.
Linear Pattern
Patterns multiple features or geometry in one or two directions to create an array of copies.
Circular Pattern
Patterns multiple features or geometry around an axis to create an array of copies.
Feature Mirror
Mirror one or more features across a reference plane or planar face.
Booleans
Boolean Unite, Intersect, and Subtract perform varying boolean operations between multiple parts. Great for mold making.
Direct Editing
A set of features that allow direct manipulation of model faces. Great for modifying imported parts.
Remove
Remove a set of faces from the model. Automatic selection of groups of faces. Great for removing fillets on imported files for FEA.
face Color
Set the color of faces to convey information. Carries over to drawings and STEP files. Allows multi-material rendering in Keyshot.
A mold base using a Boolean Subtract to create the cavity.
Realtime 3D Previews
Visualize the results of every option during feature creation prior to committing the feature. Reduce the editing cycle by ensuring it's right the first time. Implemented product wide.
Working with Surfaces
Import surface models from other applications like Rhino and use them as references or as part of modeling operations such as trimming a solid.
Analysis & Measurement
Various analysis tools allow you to interrogate a 3D model for its physical properties like center of mass or volume. Get a better look at hard to see areas of the geometry or create sketches of cross sections with the various section view tools.
Review & Redlines
Facilitate review cycles by adding redlines and text to models. Making a redline active orients the model correctly and exposes the callouts.
