Sketch and model in focus mode
Focus mode turns HelioCad into a clean drawing board. The HUD steps aside, the AI orb and the view puck stay, and the menus are always one move away. In this lesson you will sketch and extrude a part without ever bringing the HUD back.
Before you start
- A HelioCad Pro account
- A project open in the Model workspace
- 1
Step into focus
Click Focus at the top right, or press Z. The Features lane, the dock, the filmstrip, the status capsule and the top menus step aside and the model has the window. The AI orb and the view puck stay on screen.
Tip: The first time, a short card explains where everything went. The Help Center's Focus mode tour walks through the same controls one at a time.
- 2
Sketch without the clutter
Press S and pick the XY plane. The sketch dock comes back along the bottom, with Draw, Modify, Constrain and Finish. Draw a rectangle about 80 × 50 mm and add its dimensions.
- 3
Finish and extrude
Click Finish Sketch. You are back on the clean screen. Select the profile and press E for Extrude; drag the handle up to 10 mm, or type the value.
- 4
Bring the menus in for a moment
Need a menu? Rest the pointer on the very top edge of the window, or click Show menus on the exit pill, and the menus slide in over the model without moving it. Pick what you need; move the pointer away and they slide off again. On a tablet, tap Tools on the exit pill.
- 5
Ask HelioAI from the orb
Click the AI orb in the top-right corner and type: round the four vertical edges with a 5 mm fillet. HelioAI makes the change and its reply appears in the orb. Want the whole conversation? Full conversation (⌘J) opens it in the orb card; Esc folds it away, and you are still in focus.
- 6
Step back out
Press Z, or Esc once nothing is selected. The HUD comes back exactly as you left it, with your new features waiting in the Features lane.
What you built
A filleted plate built start to finish in focus mode, and a feel for moving between a clean screen and the full editor.
Follow along in HelioCad
Open a workspace and build it as you read. It runs in your browser — no install required.
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