PRIME MOTIONThe Design tools
This page lists every modelling tool, family by family, with a line on what each does. The pages linked in each section teach them in full. How families, drawers and the keypad work is in The Design workspace.
Sketch tools
While you sketch, the rail changes to the sketch tools. See Sketching and Constraints.
| Family | Tools | What they draw or do |
|---|---|---|
| Select | — | Pick sketch geometry |
| Move/Copy | — | Move, rotate or copy picked geometry with the gizmo or by values |
| Insert | Insert: Canvas, Insert: DXF, Insert: SVG, Insert: PDF, Scale | Bring in artwork or a reference image; scale geometry |
| Line | Line, Midpoint Line, Line Between Points | Straight lines, chained, from a midpoint, or between two existing points |
| Rectangle | 2-Point Rectangle, 3-Point Rectangle, Center Rectangle | Corner to corner, at an angle, or from the centre |
| Circle | Center Diameter Circle, 2-Point Circle, 3-Point Circle, 2-Tangent Circle, 3-Tangent Circle | Circles by centre, by points, or touching lines |
| Arc | 3-Point Arc, Center Point Arc, Tangent Arc | Arcs through points, around a centre, or continuing a line smoothly |
| Polygon | Circumscribed Polygon, Inscribed Polygon, Edge Polygon, Star | Regular polygons of 3 to 64 sides, and stars |
| Slot | Center-to-Center Slot, Overall Slot, Center Point Slot, Slot Along Path | Rounded slots by centres, overall length, centre, or along a curve |
| Spline | Fit Point Spline, Control Point Spline | Smooth curves through points, or shaped by control points |
| Ellipse | — | Ellipses |
| Conic Curve | — | A conic between two points, shaped by its sharpness |
| Point | Point, Intersection Point | Points, and points where two curves cross |
| Text | Text, Text on Path | Text in an installed font, straight or along a curve |
| Modify | Fillet, Chamfer, Trim, Extend, Break, Offset, Mirror, Circular Pattern, Rectangular Pattern | Round or bevel corners, cut and extend curves, offset, mirror and repeat |
| Constrain | Dimension, Distance, and the geometric constraints | Fix sizes and relationships; see Constraints |
| Measure | — | Measure sketch geometry |
| Projection | Project, Intersect | Copy edges onto the sketch, or mark where geometry crosses its plane |
| Construction | — | New geometry is drawn as construction, for reference only |
Create
Turn sketches into solid bodies. See 3D features.
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| Extrude | Pushes a profile, face or text straight out, to a distance, both ways, to a face, or through everything |
| Revolve | Spins a profile around an axis |
| Sweep | Moves a profile along a path |
| Loft | Blends between two or more profiles |
| Rib | Thickens an open sketch curve into a thin wall, to a thickness and depth |
| Web | Thickens an open sketch curve into a web, to a thickness and depth |
| Emboss | Raises or recesses a profile on a face |
| Boundary Fill | Makes a body from the closed cells that bodies and surfaces enclose |
Primitive
Box, Cylinder, Sphere, Torus, Coil and Pipe make a body from its sizes; Bounding Box makes a box around an existing body. See 3D features.
Hole and Pattern
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| Hole | A simple, counterbored or countersunk hole in a face |
| Thread | Marks a cylindrical face as threaded |
| Rectangular Pattern, Circular Pattern, Pattern on Path | Repeat a body in rows, around a centre, or along a curve |
| Mirror | Mirrors a body across a plane |
Fillet and Shell
Fillet rounds edges; Chamfer bevels them. Shell hollows a body to a wall thickness; Draft tilts faces so a part releases from a mould. See 3D features.
Combine and Modify
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| Combine | Joins, cuts or intersects bodies, keeping the tools if you choose |
| Press Pull, Offset Face | Moves a face in or out |
| Replace Face | Moves a face onto a plane |
| Split Face | Divides a face along a line |
| Split Body | Cuts a body in two along a plane |
| Scale | Scales a body, evenly or per axis |
| Delete | Deletes a body |
| Align | Moves a body so one face meets another |
| Remove Face | Removes a face, such as a fillet, and heals the body |
Surface Modeling
In Surface Modeling the rail swaps in Thicken, Patch, Ruled, Stitch, Unstitch, Trim, Reverse Normal, Offset Surface and Extend. See Surface modelling.
Assembly and Joinery
Join, As-Built Join, Join Origin, Rigid Group and Motion Study relate bodies to each other; see Components and assembly. Machinable Joint cuts rabbets, tongue and groove, half laps and box joints; Explode pulls a joint apart to inspect it; see Machinable joints.
Plane, Axis and Point
Construction geometry to build on: seven kinds of plane, five of axis and four of point. See Planes, axes and points.
Analyze
Measure, Interference, Section Analysis, Curvature Comb Analysis, Zebra Analysis, Minimum Radius and Center of Mass. See Analyzing a design.
Insert
STEP and STL bring in solid or mesh bodies; see Importing STEP and STL. Canvas, DXF, SVG and PDF bring in artwork and reference images onto a sketch plane; see Sketching.