To Create a Draft Feature

This procedure describes the steps necessary to create a basic Draft feature. All other procedures for creating Draft features are based on this one.

1. Click Model >

Draft. The Draft tab opens.

2. Click the References tab, click the Draft surfaces collector, and select the surface or surfaces to draft.

• You can also select one or more draft surfaces before entering the Draft tool.

• You can also click Details to open the Surface Sets dialog box to collect surfaces.

• You can select open surfaces as draft surfaces. An open surface is a surface that has at least one one-sided edge.

3. To select the draft hinge, click the Draft hinges collector on the References tab or the

collector on the Draft tab and select a plane, a quilt, or a curve chain located on the draft surfaces.

If you do not have a plane, quilt, or curve to use as a draft hinge, you can pause the Draft tool and create one asynchronously, then resume the Draft tool.

4. To set the pull direction, click the Pull direction collector on the References tab or the

collector on the Draft tab and select a plane (in which case the pull direction is normal to this plane), a straight edge, a datum axis, or an axis of a coordinate system. The pull direction is the direction you would pull the part out of a mold.

The pull direction is indicated with an arrow, and the preview geometry for a constant draft with the default angle of 1° is shown. The default draft angle value is displayed in the graphics window and in the

box. Two drag handles are also shown, a round one, located on the draft hinge or on the draft surface contour, and a square one, connected to the draft angle.

5. To modify the draft angle, type or select a value in the

box on the Draft tab. You can also drag the square handle connected to the draft angle, or double-click the draft angle value in the graphics window and type or select a value.

6. If needed, to flip the draft angle, click

to the right of the

box to add or remove material. You can also drag the square handle connected to the draft angle to the other side of the part surface to which it is attached, or type a negative draft angle value.

7. If needed, to flip the pull direction, click the pull direction arrow in the graphics window. You can also click

to the right of the

collector on the Draft tab, or click Flip on the References tab.

Flipping the pull direction affects the direction of the draft angle.

8. Use other options in the Draft user interface to create more complex draft geometry, if necessary. For more information, refer to the Related Links.