Cut With Profile Tool
Table of contents:
Introduction
Cut with profile
Let's talk about the Cut with Profile tool. In other applications, similar functionality is commonly referred to as Project, Emboss, Engrave, or Boolean Cut with Sketch. While the naming may vary, the function is the same: it uses a previously drawn profile or sketch to cut into a 3D object, transferring that shape onto the model's surface.
In SelfCAD, the Cut with Profile tool can be found in the Modify section of the main Toolbar. It allows you to engrave or cut drawn profiles directly into the topology of an object, increasing surface detail based on custom shapes. In practice, this enables users to create engraved text, decorative patterns, panel lines, grooves, logos, and mechanical markings, and then use those newly created features for further modifications, such as extrusion or additional cuts.
Unlike other Modify tools that directly reshape geometry on their own, Cut with Profile relies on previously created sketches to define the cutting operation. This makes it a powerful bridge between drawing and modeling workflows. In this article, we'll explore how to use the Cut with Profile tool effectively and enhance your models with custom surface details.
Draw and position the profile
The first step of using the Cut with Profile tool is drawing and positioning the Profile that you want to engrave onto the model. You can draw it with the help of the 3D Sketch and position it with the help of the Move. You can select it by either left-clicking on it in the workspace or by selecting it in the Object Management section, in the right-side panel.
Select both objects
Once you position your profile, all that is left for you to do is to select the model as well. As stated before, this tool requires both the Profile and the Object to work, and without selecting both, you will not able able to open the tool. As always, you can select objects by either left-clicking on them in the workspace or by selecting them in the Object Management section in the right-side panel. The second option has an in-built search engine, which is extremely useful when you are working with multiple objects.
Cut with profile
Once the object and the profile are selected, you can activate the Cut with Profile tool by selecting it from the Modify drop-down list in the main Toolbar or by using a shortcut by pressing the 'M+P' combination on your keyboard. Since there is no customization when it comes to this tool, activating it will automatically engrave the profile on the surface of the model and select it in preparation for further modification.
And that’s about it for the Cut with Profile. After reading this article, you should know the basics of this tool and how to use it, and know about its different applications. Of course, the graphics shown here were just examples, and using this tool on other shapes with different profiles will give you slightly different effects, but its underlying principles will always stay the same.
That's all I have for you today. I wish you success in your future projects. See you, and stay tuned for more content to come!
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