A chordal round is a variable round in which you specify a chord length from which the round is created. The round radius is determined at each location so that the chord length is maintained. The next figure shows the cross section of a chordal round.

The tangent edges of the resulting chordal round feature appear parallel, which is not always the case in rounds created using a radius. This aesthetic is the main reason that chordal rounds are used.

The next two figures show the result of creating a round using a chord versus using a radius. In the first figure, a chord with a length of 19 was used. In the second figure, a radius with the value of 19 was used. Notice that the edges of the chordal round appear parallel at all points on the round, whereas the edges of the round created using a radius do not appear parallel.

A chordal round feature can contain multiple chordal sets, and it can contain a combination of chordal round sets and other types of round sets.

The references for a chordal round can be any of these entities:

The cross section of a chordal round can be any of these shapes: