Sketching a profile
Sketching is the manual foundation of parametric modeling. Here you will draw a constrained 2D profile and turn it into a 3D solid — the core loop behind most CAD features.
Before you start
- Completed Your first part, or comfortable in the workspace
- 1
Start a sketch
Press S, or open the Sketch capsule in the dock, and pick one of the origin planes to draw on. The view aligns to the plane so you are looking straight at your canvas.
- 2
Draw the profile
Open the Draw capsule in the dock and use the rectangle and circle tools to rough out an L-shaped bracket profile. Do not worry about exact sizes yet — get the shape roughly right.
- 3
Add constraints
Apply horizontal and vertical constraints to the edges and a symmetric constraint where it belongs, from the Constrain capsule or the right-click radial. The DOF chip in the sketch pill at the top counts down as the solver removes degrees of freedom.
Tip: Fully constrained geometry stops shifting when you edit it later. The solver colors what is still free to move.
- 4
Dimension it
Add dimensional constraints for the real sizes — length, height, and wall width. Type exact values so the profile locks to the numbers you want.
- 5
Extrude
Click Finish in the sketch pill and extrude the closed profile 10 mm into a solid. Your 2D profile is now a 3D part with the sketch still editable underneath.
What you built
A fully constrained bracket profile extruded into a solid — and the habit of constraining sketches so edits stay predictable.
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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