Discovery Live Documentation

Discovery Live
ANSYS, Inc Release 2020 R1

Southpointe January 2020
2600 ANSYS Drive
Canonsburg, PA 15317
[email protected] ANSYS, Inc. is certified to
(T) 724-746-3304 ISO 9001:2015
(F) 724-514-9494
i. Copyright and Trademark Information
© 2020 ANSYS, Inc. Unauthorized use, distribution or duplication is prohibited.
ANSYS, ANSYS Workbench, AUTODYN, CFX, FLUENT and any and all ANSYS, Inc. brand, product, service
and feature names, logos and slogans are registered trademarks or trademarks of ANSYS, Inc. or its
subsidiaries located in the United States or other countries. ICEM CFD is a trademark used by ANSYS, Inc.
under license. CFX is a trademark of Sony Corporation in Japan. All other brand, product, service and feature
names or trademarks are the property of their respective owners. FLEXlm and FLEXnet are trademarks of
Flexera Software LLC.
Disclaimer Notice
THIS ANSYS SOFTWARE PRODUCT AND PROGRAM DOCUMENTATION INCLUDE TRADE SECRETS
AND ARE CONFIDENTIAL AND PROPRIETARY PRODUCTS OF ANSYS, INC., ITS SUBSIDIARIES, OR
LICENSORS. The software products and documentation are furnished by ANSYS, Inc., its subsidiaries, or
affiliates under a software license agreement that contains provisions concerning non-disclosure, copying,
length and nature of use, compliance with exporting laws, warranties, disclaimers, limitations of liability, and
remedies, and other provisions. The software products and documentation may be used, disclosed, transferred,
or copied only in accordance with the terms and conditions of that software license agreement
ANSYS, Inc. and ANSYS Europe, Ltd. are UL registered ISO 9001: 2015
U.S. Government Rights

For U.S. Government users, except as specifically granted by the ANSYS, Inc. software license agreement,
the use, duplication, or disclosure by the United States Government is subject to restrictions stated in the
ANSYS, Inc. software license agreement and FAR 12.212 (for non-DOD licenses).
Third-Party Software
See the legal information in the product help files for the complete Legal Notice for ANSYS proprietary
software and third-party software. If you are unable to access the Legal Notice, contact ANSYS, Inc.
Published in the U.S.A.
Protected by US Patents 7,639,267, 7,733,340, 7,830,377, 7,969,435, 8,207,990, 8,244,508, 8,253,726, and
8,330,775
Copyright © 2003-2019 ANSYS, Inc. All Rights Reserved. SpaceClaim is a registered trademark of ANSYS,
Inc.
Portions of this software Copyright © 2010 Acresso Software Inc. FlexLM and FLEXNET are trademarks of
Acresso Software Inc.
Portions of this software Copyright © 2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe and
Acrobat are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States
and/or other countries
ANSYS Workbench and GAMBIT and all other ANSYS, Inc. product names are trademarks or registered
trademarks of ANSYS, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States or other countries.
Contains BCLS (Bound-Constrained Least Squares) Copyright (C) 2006 Michael P. Friedlander, Department
of Computer Science, University of British Columbia, Canada, provided under a LGPL 3 license which is
Release 2020 R1 - © SAS IP, Inc. All rights reserved. - iii

Contains proprietary and confidential information of
ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
Published: 2019-12-12T04:22:44.702-05:00
included in the SpaceClaim installation directory (lgpl-3.0.txt). Derivative BCLS source code available upon
request.
Contains SharpZipLib Copyright © 2009 C#Code
Anti-Grain Geometry Version 2.4 Copyright © 2002-2005 Maxim Shemanarev (McSeem).
Some SpaceClaim products may contain Autodesk® RealDWG by Autodesk, Inc., Copyright © 1998-2010
Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved. Autodesk, AutoCAD, and Autodesk Inventor are registered trademarks
and RealDWG is a trademark of Autodesk, Inc.
CATIA is a registered trademark of Dassault Systèmes.
Portions of this software Copyright © 2010 Google. SketchUp is a trademark of Google.
Portions of this software Copyright © 1999-2006 Intel Corporation. Licensed under the Apache License,
Version 2.0. You may obtain a copy of the License at http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
Contains DotNetBar licensed from devcomponents.com.
KeyShot is a trademark of Luxion ApS.
MatWeb is a trademark of Automation Creations, Inc.
2008 Microsoft ® Office System User Interface is licensed from Microsoft Corporation. Direct3D, DirectX,
Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel, Windows, Windows Vista and the Windows Vista Start button are trademarks
or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
Portions of this software Copyright © 2005 Novell, Inc. (http://www.novell.com)
Creo Parametric and PTC are registered trademarks of Parametric Technology Corporation.
Persistence of Vision Raytracer and POV-Ray are trademarks of Persistence of Vision Raytracer Pty. Ltd.
Portions of this software Copyright © 1993-2009 Robert McNeel & Associates. All Rights Reserved.
openNURBS is a trademark of Robert McNeel & Associates. Rhinoceros is a registered trademark of Robert
McNeel & Associates.
Portions of this software Copyright © 2005-2007, Sergey Bochkanov (ALGLIB project). *
Portions of this software are owned by Siemens PLM © 1986-2011. All Rights Reserved. Parasolid and
Unigraphics are registered trademarks and JT is a trademark of Siemens Product Lifecycle Management
Software, Inc.
SOLIDWORKS is a registered trademark of SOLIDWORKS Corporation.
Portions of this software are owned by Spatial Corp. © 1986-2011. All Rights Reserved. ACIS and SAT are
registered trademarks of Spatial Corp.
Contains Teigha for .dwg files licensed from the Open Design Alliance. Teigha is a trademark of the Open
Design Alliance.
Development tools and related technology provided under license from 3Dconnexion. © 1992 – 2008
3Dconnexion. All rights reserved.
TraceParts is owned by TraceParts S.A. TraceParts is a registered trademark of TraceParts S.A.
Contains a modified version of source available from Unicode, Inc., copyright © 1991-2008 Unicode, Inc. All
rights reserved. Distributed under the Terms of Use in http://www.unicode.org/copyright.html.
Portions of this software Copyright © 1992-2008 The University of Tennessee. All rights reserved. [1]
Portions of this software Copyright © XHEO INC. All Rights Reserved. DeployLX is a trademark of XHEO
INC.
This software incorporates information provided by American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) for shape
data available at http://www.aisc.org/shapesdatabase.
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This software incorporates information provided by ArcelorMittal® for shape data available at
http://www.sections.arcelormittal.com/products-services/products-ranges.html.
All other trademarks, trade names or company names referenced in SpaceClaim software, documentation
and promotional materials are used for identification only and are the property of their respective owners.
*Additional notice for LAPACK and ALGLIB Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:-Redistributions of source code
must retain the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.-Redistributions in
binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer
listed in this license in the documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.-Neither the
name of the copyright holders nor the names of its contributors may be used to endorse promote products
derived from this software without specific prior written permission.
BCLS is licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License (GPL) Version 3, Copyright (C) 2006 Michael
P. Friedlander, Department of Computer Science, University of British Columbia, Canada. A copy of the
LGPL license is included in the installation directory (lgpl-3.0.txt).
Please contact [email protected] for a copy of the source code for BCLS.
Eigen is licensed under the Mozilla Public License (MPL) Version 2.0, the text of which can be found at:
https://www.mozilla.org/media/MPL/2.0/index.815ca599c9df.txt. Please contact [email protected]
for a copy of the Eigen source code.
HDF5 (Hierarchical Data Format 5) Software Library and Utilities
Copyright (c) 2006, The HDF Group.
NCSA HDF5 (Hierarchical Data Format 5) Software Library and Utilities
Copyright (c) 1998-2006, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.
All rights reserved.
Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted for any purpose
(including commercial purposes) provided that the following conditions are met:
1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this list of conditions, and the
following disclaimer.
2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice, this list of conditions, and the
following disclaimer in the documentation and/or materials provided with the distribution.
3. In addition, redistributions of modified forms of the source or binary code must carry prominent notices
stating that the original code was changed and the date of the change.
4. All publications or advertising materials mentioning features or use of this software are asked, but not
required, to acknowledge that it was developed by The HDF Group and by the National Center for
Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and credit the contributors.
5. Neither the name of The HDF Group, the name of the University, nor the name of any Contributor may be
used to endorse or promote products derived
from this software without specific prior written permission from The HDF Group, the University, or the
Contributor, respectively.
DISCLAIMER:
THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE HDF GROUP AND THE CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS" WITH NO
WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED. In no
event shall The HDF Group or the Contributors be liable for any damages suffered by the users arising out
of the use of this software, even if advised of the possibility of such damage. Anti-Grain Geometry - Version
2.4 Copyright (C) 2002-2004 Maxim Shemanarev (McSeem)
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Permission to copy, use, modify, sell and distribute this software is granted provided this copyright notice
appears in all copies. This software is provided "as is" without express or implied warranty, and with no claim
as to its suitability for any purpose.
Some ANSYS-SpaceClaim products may contain Autodesk® RealDWG by Autodesk, Inc., Copyright ©
1998-2010 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved. Autodesk, AutoCAD, and Autodesk Inventor are registered
trademarks and RealDWG is a trademark of Autodesk, Inc.
CATIA is a registered trademark of Dassault Systèmes.
Portions of this software Copyright © 2013 Trimble. SketchUp is a trademark of Trimble Navigation Limited.
This software is based in part on the work of the Independent JPEG Group.
Portions of this software Copyright © 1999-2006 Intel Corporation. Licensed under the Apache License,
Version 2.0. You may obtain a copy of the License at http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
Contains DotNetBar licensed from devcomponents.com.
Portions of this software Copyright © 1988-1997 Sam Leffler and Copyright (c) 1991-1997 Silicon Graphics,
Inc.
KeyShot is a trademark of Luxion ApS.
MatWeb is a trademark of Automation Creations, Inc.
2010 Microsoft ® Office System User Interface is licensed from Microsoft Corporation. Direct3D, DirectX,
Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel, Windows/Vista/Windows 7/Windows 8/Windows 10 and their respective Start
Button designs are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or
other countries.
Portions of this software Copyright © 2005 Novell, Inc. (Licensed at
http://stuff.mit.edu/afs/athena/software/mono_v3.0/arch/i386_linux26/mono/mcs/class/Managed.Windows.Forms/System.Windows.Forms.RTF/)
Pro/ENGINEER and PTC are registered trademarks of Parametric Technology Corporation.
POV-Ray is available without charge from http://www.pov-ray.org. No charge is being made for a grant of
the license to POV-Ray.
POV-Ray License Agreement
DISTRIBUTOR'S LICENCE AGREEMENT
Persistence of Vision Raytracer(tm) (POV-Ray(tm))
13 August 2004
Licensed Versions: Versions 3.5 and 3.6
Please read through the terms and conditions of this license carefully. This is a binding legal agreement
between you, the "Distributor" and Persistence of Vision Raytracer Pty. Ltd. ACN 105 891 870 ("POV"), a
company incorporated in the state of Victoria, Australia, for the product known as the "Persistence of Vision
Raytracer(tm)", also referred to herein as "POV-Ray(tm)". The terms of this agreement are set out at
http://www.povray.org/distribution-license.html ("Official Terms"). The Official Terms take precedence over
this document to the extent of any inconsistency.
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. In this agreement, except to the extent the context requires otherwise, the following capitalized terms
have the following meanings:
(a) Distribution means:
(i) a single item of a distribution medium, including a CD Rom or DVD Rom, containing software programs
and/or data;
(ii) a set of such items;
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(iii) a data file in a generally accepted data format from which such an item can be created using generally
available standard tools;
(iv) a number of such data files from which a set of such items can be created; or
(v) a data file in a generally accepted data storage format which is an archive of software programs and/or
data;
(b) Derived Code means all software which is derived from or is an adaptation of any part of the Software
other than a scene file;
(c) Intellectual Rights means:
(i) all copyright, patent, trade mark, trade secret, design, and circuit layout rights;
(ii) all rights to the registration of such rights; and
(iii) all rights of a similar nature which exist anywhere in the world;
(d) Licensed Version means the version set out at the top of this agreement against the heading "Licensed
Version" and all minor releases of this version (ie releases of the form x.y.z);
(e) POV Associate means any person associated directly or indirectly with POV whether as a director, officer,
employee, subcontractor, agent, representative, consultant, licensee or otherwise;
(f) Modification Terms means the most recent version from time to time of the document of that name made
available from the Site (g) Revocation List means the list of that name linked to from the Official Terms;
(h) Site means www.povray.org;
(i) Software means the Licensed Version of the Persistence of Vision Raytracer(tm) (also known as
POV-Ray(tm)) (including all POV-Ray program source files, executable (binary) files, scene files, documentation
files, help files, bitmaps and other POV-Ray files associated with the Licensed Version) in a form made
available by
POV on the Site;
(j) User Licence means the most recent version from time to time of the document of that name made available
from the Site.
2. OPEN SOURCE DISTRIBUTIONS
2.1. In return for the Distributor agreeing to be bound by the terms of this agreement, POV grants the Distributor
permission to make a copy of the Software by including the Software in a generally recognised Distribution
of a recognised operating system where the kernel of that operating system is made available under licensing
terms:
(a) which are approved by the Open Source Initiative (www.opensource.org) as complying with the "Open
Source Definition" put forward by the Open Source Initiative; or
(b) which comply with the "free software definition" of the Free Software Foundation (www.fsf.org). 2.2. As
at June 2004, and without limiting the generality of the term, each of the following is a "generally recognised
Distribution" for the purposes of clause 2.1: Debian, Red Hat (Enterprise and Fedora), SuSE, Mandrake,
Xandros, Gentoo and Knoppix Linux distributions, and officially authorized distributions of the FreeBSD,
OpenBSD, and NetBSD projects.
2.3. Clause 2.1 also applies to the Software being included in the above distributions 'package' and 'ports'
systems, where such exist;
2.4. Where the Distributor reproduces the Software in accordance with clause 2.1:
(a) the Distributor may rename, reorganise or repackage (without omission) the files comprising the Software
where such renaming, reorganisation or repackaging is necessary to conform to the naming or organisation
scheme of the target operating environment of the Distribution or of an established package management
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system of the target operating environment of the Distribution; and (b) the Distributor must not otherwise
rename, reorganise or repackage the Software.
3. DISTRIBUTION LICENCE
3.1. Subject to the terms and conditions of this agreement, and in return for Distributor agreeing to be bound
by the terms of this agreement, POV grants the Distributor permission to make a copy of the Software in any
of the following circumstances:(a) in the course of providing a mirror of the POV-Ray Site (or part of it), which
is made available generally over the internet to each person without requiring that person to identify themselves
and without any other restriction other than restrictions designed to manage traffic flows;
(b) by placing it on a local area network accessible only by persons authorized by the Distributor whilst on
the Distributor's premises;
(c) where that copy is provided to a staff member or student enrolled at a recognised educational institution;
(d) by including the Software as part of a Distribution where:
(i) neither the primary nor a substantial purpose of the distribution of the Distribution is the distribution of the
Software. That is, the distribution of the Software
is merely incidental to the distribution of the Distribution; and
(ii) if the Software was not included in the Distribution, the remaining software and data included within the
Distribution would continue to function effectively and
according to its advertised or intended purpose;
(e) by including the Software as part of a Distribution where:
(i) there is no data, program or other files apart from the Software on the Distribution;
(ii) the Distribution is distributed by a person to another person known to that person; or
(iii) the Distributor has obtained explicit written authority from POV to perform the distribution, citing this
clause number, prior to the reproduction being
made.
3.2. In each case where the Distributor makes a copy of the Software in accordance with clause 3.1, the
Distributor must, unless no payment or other consideration of any type is received by Distributor in relation
to the Distribution:
(a) ensure that each person who receives a copy of the Software from the Distributor is aware prior to acquiring
that copy:
(i) of the full name and contact details of the Distributor, including the Distributor's web site, street address,
mail address, and working email address;
(ii) that the Software is available without charge from the Site;
(iii) that no charge is being made for the granting of a licence over the Software.
(b) include a copy of the User Licence and this Distribution License with the copy of the Software. These
licences must be stored in the same subdirectory on the distribution medium as the Software and named in
such a way as to prominently identify their purpose;
3.3. The Distributor must not rename, reorganise or repackage any of the files comprising the Software
without the prior written authority of POV.
3.4. Except as explicitly set out in this agreement, nothing in this agreement permits Distributor to make any
modification to any part of the Software.
4. RESTRICTIONS ON DISTRIBUTION
4.1. Nothing in this agreement gives the Distributor: (a) any ability to grant any licence in respect of the use
of the Software or any part of it to any person;
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(b) any rights or permissions in respect of, including rights or permissions to distribute or permit the use of,
any Derived Code;
(c) any right to bundle a copy of the Software (or part thereof), whether or not as part of a Distribution, with
any other items, including books and magazines. POV may, in response to a request, by notice in writing
and in its absolute discretion, permit such bundling on a case by case basis. This clause 4.1(c) does not
apply to Distributions permitted under clause 2;
(d) any right, permission or authorisation to infringe any Intellectual Right held by any third party.
4.2. Distributor may charge a fee for the making or the provision of a copy of the Software.
4.3. Where the making, or the provision, of a copy of the Software is authorised under the terms of clause 3
but not under those of clause 2 of this agreement, the total of all fees charged in relation to such making or
provision and including all fees (including shipping and handling fees) which are charged in respect
of any software, hardware or other material provided in conjunction with or in any manner which is reasonably
connected with the making, or the provision, of a copy of the Software must not exceed the reasonable costs
incurred by the Distributor in making the reproduction, or in the provision, of that copy for which the fee
is charged.
4.4. Notwithstanding anything else in this agreement, nothing in this agreement permits the reproduction of
any part of the Software by, or on behalf of:
(a) Any person currently listed on the Revocation List from time to time;
(b) Any related body corporate (as that term is defined in section 50 of the Corporations Law 2001 (Cth)) of
any person referred to in clause 4.4(a);
(c) Any person in the course of preparing any publication in any format (including books, magazines, CD
Roms or on the internet) for any of the persons identified in paragraph (a);
(d) Any person who is, or has been, in breach of this Agreement and that breach has not been waived in
writing signed by POV; or
(e) Any person to whom POV has sent a notice in writing or by email stating that that person may not distribute
the Software.
4.5. From the day two years after a version of the Software more recent than the Licensed Version is made
available by POV on the Site clause 3 only permits reproduction of the Software where the Distributor ensures
that each recipient of such a reproduction is aware, prior to obtaining that reproduction, that that reproduction
of the Software is an old version of the Software and that a more recent version of the Software is available
from the Site.
5. COPYRIGHT AND NO LITIGATION
5.1. Copyright subsists in the Software and is protected by Australian and international copyright laws.
5.2. Nothing in this agreement gives Distributor any rights in respect of any Intellectual Rights in respect of
the Software or which are held by or on behalf of POV. Distributor acknowledges that it does not acquire any
rights in respect of such Intellectual Rights.
5.3. Distributor acknowledges that if it performs out any act in respect of the Software without the permission
of POV it will be liable to POV for all damages POV may suffer (and which Distributor acknowledges it may
suffer) as well as statutory damages to the maximum extent permitted by law and that it may also be liable
to
criminal prosecution.
5.4. Distributor must not commence any action against any person alleging that the Software or the use or
distribution of the Software infringes any rights, including Intellectual Rights of the Distributor or of any other
person. If Distributor provides one or more copies of the Software to any other person in accordance with
the agreement, Distributor waives all rights it has, or may have in the future, to bring any action, directly or
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indirectly, against any person to the extent that such an action relates to an infringement of any rights,
including Intellectual Rights of any person in any way arising from, or in relation to, the use, or distribution,
(including through the authorisation of such use or distribution) of:(a) the Software;
(b) any earlier or later version of the Software; or
(c) any other software to the extent it incorporates elements of the software referred to in paragraphs (a) or
(b) of this clause
5.4.
6. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY
6.1. To the extent permitted by law, all implied terms and conditions are excluded from this agreement. Where
a term or condition is implied into this agreement and that term cannot be legally excluded, that term has
effect as a term or condition of this agreement. However, to the extent permitted by law, the liability
of POV for a breach of such an implied term or condition is limited to the fullest extent permitted by law.
6.2. To the extent permitted by law, this Software is provided on an "AS IS" basis, without warranty of any
kind, express or implied, including without limitation, any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a
particular purpose and non-infringement of intellectual property of any third party. The Software has inherent
limitations including design faults and programming bugs.
6.3. The entire risk as to the quality and performance of the Software is borne by Distributor, and it is
Distributor's responsibility to ensure that the Software fulfils Distributor's requirements prior to using it in any
manner (other than testing it for the purposes of this paragraph in a non-critical and non-production
environment), and prior to distributing it in any fashion.
6.4. This clause 6 is an essential and material term of, and cannot be severed from, this agreement. If
Distributor does not or cannot agree to be bound by this clause, or if it is unenforceable, then Distributor
must not, at any time, make any reproductions of the Software under this agreement and this agreement
gives the
Distributor no rights to make any reproductions of any part of the Software.
7. NO LIABILITY
7.1. When you distribute or use the Software you acknowledge and accept that you do so at your sole risk.
Distributor agrees that under no circumstances will it have any claim against POV or any POV Associate for
any loss, damages, harm, injury, expense, work stoppage, loss of business information, business interruption,
computer failure or malfunction which may be suffered by you or by any third party from any cause whatsoever,
howsoever arising, in connection with your use or distribution of the Software even where POV was aware,
or ought to have been aware, of the potential of such loss.
7.2. Neither POV nor any POV Associate has any liability to Distributor for any indirect, general, special,
incidental, punitive and/or consequential damages arising as a result of a breach of this agreement by POV
or which arises in any way related to the Software or the exercise of a licence granted to Distributor under
this
agreement.
7.3. POV's total aggregate liability to the Distributor for all loss or damage arising in any way related to this
agreement is limited to the lesser of: (a) AU$100, and (b) the amount received by POV from Distributor as
payment for the grant of a licence under this agreement.
7.4. Distributor must bring any action against POV in any way related to this agreement or the Software within
3 months of the cause of action first arising. Distributor waives any right it has to bring any action against
POV and releases POV from all liability in respect of a cause of action if initiating process in relation to that
action is not served on POV within 3 months of the cause of action arising. Where a particular set of facts
give rise to more than one cause of action this clause 7.4 applies as if all such causes of action arise at the
time the first such cause of action arises.
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7.5. This clause 7 is an essential and material term of, and cannot be severed from, this agreement. If
Distributor does not or cannot agree to be bound by this clause, or if it is unenforceable, then Distributor
gives the Distributor no rights to make any reproductions of any part of the Software.
8. INDEMNITY
8.1. Distributor indemnifies POV and each POV Associate and holds each of them harmless against all claims
which arise from any loss, damages, harm, injury, expense, work stoppage, loss of business information,
business interruption, computer failure or malfunction, which may be suffered by Distributor or any other
party whatsoever as a consequence of:
(a) any act or omission of POV and/or any POV Associate, whether negligent or not;
(b) Distributor's use and/or distribution of the Software; or
(c) any other cause whatsoever, howsoever arising, in connection with the Software. This clause 8 is binding
on Distributor's estate, heirs, executors, legal successors, administrators, parents and/or guardians.
8.2. Distributor indemnifies POV, each POV Associate and each of the authors of any part of the Software
against all loss and damage and for every other consequence flowing from any breach by Distributor of any
Intellectual Right held by POV.
8.3. This clause 8 constitutes an essential and material term of, and cannot be severed from, this agreement.
If Distributor does not or cannot agree to be bound by this clause, or if it is unenforceable, then Distributor
gives the Distributor no rights to make any reproductions of any part of the Software.
9. HIGH RISK ACTIVITIES
9.1. This Software and the output produced by this Software is not fault-tolerant and is not designed,
manufactured or intended for use as on-line control equipment in hazardous environments requiring fail-safe
performance, in which the failure of the Software could lead or directly or indirectly to death, personal injury,
or severe physical or environmental damage ("High Risk Activities"). POV specifically disclaims all express
or implied warranty of fitness for High Risk Activities and, notwithstanding any other term of this agreement,
explicitly prohibits the use or distribution of the Software for such purposes.
10. ENDORSEMENT PROHIBITION
10.1. Distributor must not, without explicit written permission from POV, claim or imply in any way that:
(a) POV or any POV Associate officially endorses or supports the Distributor or any product (such as CD,
book, or magazine) associated with the Distributor or any reproduction of the Software made in accordance
with this agreement; or(b) POV derives any benefit from any reproduction made in accordance with this
agreement.
11. TRADEMARKS
11.1. "POV-Ray(tm)", "Persistence of Vision Raytracer(tm)" and "POV-Team(tm)" are trademarks of
Persistence of Vision Raytracer Pty. Ltd. Any other trademarks referred to in this agreement are the property
of their respective holders. Distributor must not use, apply for, or register anywhere in the world, any word,
name
(including domain names), trade mark or device which is substantially identical or deceptively or confusingly
similar to any of Persistence of Vision Raytracer Pty. Ltd's trade marks.
12. MISCELLANEOUS
12.1. The Official Terms, including those documents incorporated by reference into the Official Terms, and
the Modification Terms constitute the entire agreement between the parties relating to the distribution of the
Software and, except where stated to the contrary in writing signed by POV, supersedes all previous
negotiations and correspondence in relation to it.
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12.2. POV may modify this agreement at any time by making a revised licence available from the Site at
http://www.povray.org/distribution-license.html.
This agreement is modified by replacing the terms in this agreement with those of the revised licence from
the time that the revised licence is so made available. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have read
and agreed to the current version of this agreement prior to distributing the Software.
12.3. Except where explicitly stated otherwise herein, if any provision of this Agreement is found to be invalid
or unenforceable, the invalidity or unenforceability of such provision shall not affect the other provisions of
this agreement, and all provisions not affected by such invalidity or unenforceability shall remain in
full force and effect. In such cases Distributor agrees to attempt to substitute for each invalid or unenforceable
provision a valid or enforceable provision which achieves to the greatest extent possible, the objectives and
intention of the invalid or unenforceable provision.
12.4. A waiver of a right under this agreement is not effective unless given in writing signed by the party
granting that waiver. Unless otherwise stipulated in the waiver, a waiver is only effective in respect of the
circumstances in which it is given and is not a waiver in respect of any other rights or a waiver in respect of
future rights or actions.
12.5. The validity and interpretation of this agreement is governed by the laws in force in the State of Victoria,
Australia. Distributor submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of that State and courts located within
that State exercising federal jurisdiction.
12.6. References in this agreement to "written" and "writing" mean on paper or by fax and expressly exclude
email and other forms of electronic communication.
13. CONTACT INFORMATION
13.1. This clause 13 does not form part of the agreement. License inquiries can be made via email; please
use the following address (but see 13.2 below prior to emailing) : team-coord-[three-letter month]-[four-digit
year]@povray org. for example, [email protected] should be used if at the time you send
the email it is the month of June 2004. The changing email addresses are necessary to combat spam. Old
email addresses may be deleted at POV's discretion.
13.2. Note that the address referred to in 13.1 may change for reasons other than those referred to in that
clause; please check the current version of this document at http://www.povray.org/distribution-license.html.
for the current address. Your inability or failure to contact us is no excuse for violating the licence.
13.3. Do NOT send any email attachments of any sort other than by prior arrangement. Do not send email
in HTML format. EMAIL MESSAGES INCLUDING ATTACHMENTS WILL BE DELETED UNREAD.
13.4. The following postal address is only for official license business. Please note that it is preferred that
initial queries about licensing be made via email; postal mail should only be used when email is not possible,
or when written documents are being exchanged by prior arrangement. While it is unlikely this address will
change in the short term it would be advisable to check http://www.povray.org/distribution-license.html for
the current one prior to sending postal mail.
Persistence of Vision Raytracer Pty. Ltd.
PO Box 407
Williamstown,
Victoria 3016
Australia
POV-Ray Licence Agreement
GENERAL LICENSE AGREEMENT
FOR PERSONAL USE
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Persistence of Vision Ray Tracer (POV-Ray)

Version 3.6 License and Terms & Conditions of Use
version of 1 February 2005
(also known as POVLEGAL.DOC)
Please read through the terms and conditions of this license carefully. This license is a binding legal agreement
between you, the 'User' (an individual or single entity) and Persistence of Vision Raytracer Pty. Ltd. ACN
105 891 870 (herein also referred to as the "Company"), a company incorporated in the state of Victoria,
Australia, for the product known as the "Persistence of Vision Ray Tracer", also referred to herein as 'POV-Ray'.
YOUR ATTENTION IS PARTICULARLY DRAWN TO THE DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY AND NO LIABILITY
AND INDEMNITY PROVISIONS. TO USE THE PERSISTENCE OF VISION RAY TRACER ("POV-RAY")
YOU MUST AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET OUT IN THIS DOCUMENT.
IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO ALL THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE OF POV-RAY SET OUT IN
THIS LICENSE AGREEMENT, OR IF SUCH TERMS AND CONDITIONS ARE NOT BINDING ON YOU IN
YOUR JURISDICTION, THEN YOU MAY NOT USE POV-RAY IN ANY MANNER. THIS GENERAL LICENSE
AGREEMENT MUST ACCOMPANY ALL POV-RAY FILES WHETHER IN THEIR OFFICIAL OR CUSTOM
VERSION FORM. IT MAY NOT BE REMOVED OR MODIFIED. THIS GENERAL LICENSE AGREEMENT
GOVERNS THE USE OF
POV-RAY WORLDWIDE. THIS DOCUMENT SUPERSEDES AND REPLACES ALL PREVIOUS GENERAL
LICENSES.
INTRODUCTION
This document pertains to the use of the Persistence of Vision Ray Tracer (also known as POV-Ray). It
applies to all POV-Ray program source files, executable (binary) files, scene files, documentation files, help
files, bitmaps and other POV-Ray files contained in official Company archives, whether in full or any part
thereof, and are herein referred to as the "Software". The Company reserves the right to revise these rules
in future versions and to make additional rules to address new circumstances at any time. Such rules, when
made, will be posted in a revised license file, the latest version of which is available from the Company
website at
http://www.povray.org/povlegal.html.
USAGE PROVISIONS
Subject to the terms and conditions of this agreement, permission is granted to the User to use the Software
and its associated files to create and render images. The creator of a scene file retains all rights to any scene
files they create, and any images generated by the Software from them. Subject to the other terms of this
license, the User is permitted to use the Software in a profit-making enterprise, provided such profit arises
primarily from use of the Software and not from distribution of the Software or a work including the Software
in whole or part.
Please refer to http://www.povray.org/povlegal.html for licenses covering distribution of the Software and
works including the Software. The User is also granted the right to use the scene files, fonts, bitmaps, and
include files distributed in the INCLUDE and SCENES\INCDEMO sub-directories of the Software in their own
scenes. Such permission does not extend to any other files in the SCENES directory or its sub-directories.
The SCENES files are for the User's enjoyment and education but may not be the basis of any derivative
works unless the file in question explicitly grants permission to do such.
This licence does not grant any right of re-distribution or use in any manner other than the above. The
Company has separate license documents that apply to other uses (such as re-distribution via the internet
or on CD) ; please visit http://www.povray.org/povlegal.html for links to these. In particular you are advised
that the sale, lease, or rental of the Software in any form without written authority from the Company is
explicitly prohibited. Notwithstanding anything in the balance of this licence agreement, nothing in this licence
agreement permits the installation or use of the Software in conjunction with any product (including software)
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produced or distributed by any party who is, or has been, in violation of this licence agreement or of the
distribution licence (http://www.povray.org/distribution-license.html)
(or any earlier or later versions of those documents) unless:
a. the Company has explicitly released that party in writing from the consequences of their non compliance;
or
b. both of the following are true:
i. the installation or use of the Software is without the User being aware of the abovementioned violation;
and
ii. the installation or use of the Software is not a result (whether direct or indirect) of any request or action of
the abovementioned party (or any of its products), any agent of that party (or any of their products), or any
person(s) involved in supplying any such product to the User.
COPYRIGHT
Copyright © 1991-2003, Persistence of Vision Team.
Copyright © 2003-2004, Persistence of Vision Raytracer Pty. Ltd.
Windows version Copyright © 1996-2003, Christopher Cason.
Copyright subsists in this Software which is protected by Australian and international copyright laws. The
Software is NOT PUBLIC DOMAIN. Nothing in this agreement shall give you any rights in respect of the
intellectual property of the Company and you acknowledge that you do not acquire any rights in respect of
such intellectual property rights. You acknowledge that the Software is the valuable intellectual property of
the Company and that if you use, modify or distribute the Software for unauthorized purposes or in an
unauthorized manner (or cause or allow the forgoing to occur), you will be liable to the Company for any
damages it may suffer (and which you acknowledge it may suffer) as well as statutory damages to the
maximum extent permitted by law and also that you may be liable to
criminal prosecution. You indemnify the Company and the authors of the Software for every single
consequence flowing from the aforementioned events.
DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY
express or implied, including without limitation, any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular
purpose and non-infringement of intellectual property of any third party. This Software has inherent limitations
including design faults and programming bugs. The entire risk as to the quality and performance of the
Software is borne by you, and it is your responsibility to ensure that it does what you require it to do prior to
using it for any purpose (other than testing it), and prior to distributing it in any fashion. Should the Software
prove defective, you agree that you alone assume the entire cost resulting in any way from such defect.
This disclaimer of warranty constitutes an essential and material term of this agreement. If you do not or
cannot accept this, or if it is unenforceable in your jurisdiction, then you may not use the Software in any
manner.
NO LIABILITY
When you use the Software you acknowledge and accept that you do so at your sole risk. You agree that
under no circumstances shall you have any claim against the Company or anyone associated directly or
indirectly with the Company whether as employee, subcontractor, agent, representative, consultant, licensee
or otherwise ("Company Associates") for any loss, damages, harm, injury, expense, work stoppage, loss of
business information, business interruption, computer failure or malfunction which may be suffered by you
or by any third party from any cause whatsoever, howsoever arising, in connection with your use or distribution
of the Software even where the Company were aware, or ought to have been aware, of the potential of such
loss. Damages referred to above shall include direct, indirect, general, special, incidental, punitive and/or
consequential. This disclaimer of liability constitutes an essential and material term of this agreement. If you
do not or cannot accept this, or if it is unenforceable in your jurisdiction, then you may not use the Software.
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INDEMNITY
You indemnify the Company and Company Associates and hold them harmless against any claims which
may arise from any loss, damages, harm, injury, expense, work stoppage, loss of business information,
business interruption, computer failure or malfunction, which may be suffered by you or any other party
whatsoever as a consequence of any act or omission of the Company and/or Company Associates, whether
negligent or not, arising out of your use and/or distribution of the Software, or from any other cause whatsoever,
howsoever arising, in connection with the Software. These provisions are binding on your estate, heirs,
executors, legal successors, administrators, parents and/or guardians.
This indemnification constitutes an essential and material term of this agreement. If you do not or cannot
accept this, or if it is unenforceable in your jurisdiction, then you may not use the Software.HIGH RISK
ACTIVITIES
This Software and the output produced by this Software is not fault-tolerant and is not designed, manufactured
or intended for use as on-line control equipment in hazardous environments requiring fail-safe performance,
in which the failure of the Software could lead or directly or indirectly to death, personal injury, or severe
physical or environmental damage ("High Risk Activities"). The Company specifically disclaims any express
or implied warranty of fitness for High Risk Activities and explicitly prohibits the use of the Software for such
purposes.
CRYPTOGRAPHIC SIGNING OF DOCUMENTS
Changes to this Agreement and documents issued under its authority may be cryptographically signed by
the POV-Ray Team Co-ordinator's private PGP key.
In the absence of evidence to the contrary, such documents shall be considered, under the terms of this
Agreement, to be authentic provided the signature is
valid. The master copy of this Agreement at http://www.povray.org/povlegal.html will also be signed by the
current version of the team-coordinator's key.
The public key for the POV-Ray Team-coordinator can be retrieved from the location
https://secure.povray.org/keys/. The current fingerprint for it is
B4DD 932A C080 C3A3 6EA2 9952 DB04 4A74 9901 4518.
MISCELLANEOUS
This Agreement constitutes the complete agreement concerning this license. Any changes to this agreement
must be in writing and may take the form of
notifications by the Company to you, or through posting notifications on the Company website. THE USE OF
THIS SOFTWARE BY ANY PERSON OR ENTITY IS
EXPRESSLY MADE CONDITIONAL ON THEIR ACCEPTANCE OF THE TERMS SET FORTH HEREIN.
Except where explicitly stated otherwise herein, if any provision of this
Agreement is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the invalidity or unenforceability of such provision shall
not affect the other provisions of this agreement, and all provisions not affected by such invalidity or
unenforceability shall remain in full force and effect. In such cases you agree to attempt to substitute for each
invalid or unenforceable provision a valid or enforceable provision which achieves to the greatest extent
possible, the objectives and intention of the invalid or unenforceable
provision. The validity and interpretation of this agreement will be governed by the laws of Australia in the
state of Victoria (except for conflict of law provisions).
CONTACT INFORMATION
License inquiries can be made via email; please use the following address (but see below prior to emailing)
: team-coord-[three-letter month]-[four-digit year]@povray.org for example, [email protected]
should be used if at the time you send the email it is the month of June 2004. The changing email addresses
are necessary to combat spam and email viruses. Old email addresses may be deleted at our discretion.
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Note that the above address may change for reasons other than that given above; please check the version
of this document at http://www.povray.org/povlegal.html for the current address. Note that your inability or
failure to contact us for any reason is not an excuse for violating this licence.
Do NOT send any attachments of any sort other than by prior arrangement.
EMAIL MESSAGES INCLUDING ATTACHMENTS WILL BE DELETED UNREAD.
The following postal address is only for official license business. Please note that it is preferred that initial
queries about licensing be made via email ; postal mail should only be used when email is not possible, or
when written documents are being exchanged by prior arrangement.
Persistence of Vision Raytracer Pty. Ltd.
PO Box 407
Williamstown,
Victoria 3016
Australia
Portions of this software are owned by Siemens PLM © 1986-2013. All Rights Reserved. Parasolid,
Unigraphics, and SolidEdge are registered trademarks and JT is a trademark of Siemens Product Lifecycle
Management Software, Inc.
SolidWorks is a registered trademark of SolidWorks Corporation.
Portions of this software are owned by Spatial Corp. © 1986-2013. All Rights Reserved. ACIS, SAT and SAB
are registered trademarks of Spatial Corp.
Contains Teigha for .dwg files licensed from the Open Design Alliance. Teigha is a trademark of the Open
Design Alliance.
Development tools and related technology provided under license from 3Dconnexion. © 1992 – 2008
3Dconnexion. All rights reserved.
•TraceParts is owned by TraceParts S.A. TraceParts is a registered trademark of TraceParts S.A.
Copyright © 1991-2017 Unicode, Inc. All rights reserved.
Distributed under the Terms of Use in http://www.unicode.org/copyright.html. Permission is hereby granted,
free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of the Unicode data files and any associated documentation
(the "Data Files") or Unicode software and any associated documentation (the "Software") to deal in the Data
Files or Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish,
distribute, and/or sell copies of the Data Files or Software, and to permit persons to whom the Data Files or
Software are furnished to do so, provided that either (a) this copyright and permission notice appear with all
copies of the Data Files or Software, or
(b) this copyright and permission notice appear in associated Documentation.
THE DATA FILES AND SOFTWARE ARE PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND,
EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE
WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND
NONINFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTY RIGHTS. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER OR
HOLDERS INCLUDED IN THIS NOTICE BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, OR ANY SPECIAL INDIRECT OR
CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS OF USE,
DATA OR PROFITS, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE OR OTHER TORTIOUS
ACTION, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THE DATA
FILES OR SOFTWARE.
Except as contained in this notice, the name of a copyright holder shall not be used in advertising or otherwise
to promote the sale, use or other dealings in these Data Files or Software without prior written authorization
of the copyright holder.
Release 2020 R1 - © SAS IP, Inc. All rights reserved. - xvi
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Portions of this software Copyright © 1992-2008 The University of Tennessee. All rights reserved.
This product includes software developed by XHEO INC (http://xheo.com).
Portions of this software are owned by Tech Soft 3D, Inc. Copyright © 1996-2013. All rights reserved. HOOPS
is a registered trademark of Tech Soft 3D, Inc.
Portions of this software are owned by MachineWorks Limited. Copyright ©2013. All rights reserved. Polygonica
is a registered trademark of MachineWorks Limited.
Apache License
Version 2.0, January 2004 http://www.apache.org/licenses/
TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR USE, REPRODUCTION, AND DISTRIBUTION
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8. Limitation of Liability. In no event and under no legal theory, whether in tort (including negligence), contract,
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END OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS
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Contents
Contents
i. Copyright and Trademark Information.......................................................................iii
Chapter 1: Discovery Live 2019 R3 Release Notes................................................................................28
Chapter 2: Introduction............................................................................................................................30
Chapter 3: Discovery Live Forum............................................................................................................32
Chapter 4: Get Started..............................................................................................................................34
4.1. ANSYS Subscription Licensing..................................................................................................35
4.2. The Discovery Live interface......................................................................................................35
4.2.1. Active Tool....................................................................................................................36
4.2.2. Create Solution.............................................................................................................36
4.2.3. Sketch tools..................................................................................................................37
4.2.3.1. The sketch plane............................................................................................37
4.2.3.2. Moving the sketch grid....................................................................................39
4.2.3.3. Working with Sketch Tools..............................................................................40
4.2.3.4. Working with sketch curves in 3D...................................................................84
4.2.3.5. Editing a sketch..............................................................................................85
4.2.3.6. Copying a sketch............................................................................................87
4.2.3.7. Moving in two dimensions...............................................................................88
4.2.3.8. Dimensional sketching....................................................................................89
4.2.4. Edit Tools......................................................................................................................89
4.2.4.1. Pulling.............................................................................................................89
4.2.4.2. Moving..........................................................................................................154
4.2.4.3. Fill.................................................................................................................190
4.2.4.4. Blending........................................................................................................216
4.2.4.5. Tweaking a face............................................................................................233
4.2.4.6. Mathematical Expressions............................................................................237
4.2.5. Setup Tool...................................................................................................................238
4.2.6. Solution Tree...............................................................................................................241
4.2.7. Results Display...........................................................................................................244
4.2.8. Structure tree..............................................................................................................248
4.2.9. Selection panel...........................................................................................................251
4.2.10. Groups panel............................................................................................................257
4.2.11. Options panel...........................................................................................................260
4.3. Sample Models.........................................................................................................................260
4.3.1. Dump Truck - External Flow.......................................................................................262
4.3.2. Pipe - Internal Flow.....................................................................................................267
4.3.3. Heat Sink - Thermal...................................................................................................273
4.3.4. Bracket - Structural.....................................................................................................277
4.3.5. Cell Phone - Modal.....................................................................................................281
4.4. Solution Templates...................................................................................................................284
4.4.1. Wind Tunnel Template................................................................................................285
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Contents
4.4.2. Heat Source Cooling In Air Template.........................................................................290

4.4.3. Internal Fluid Flow Template.......................................................................................292
4.4.4. Structural Template.....................................................................................................296
4.4.5. Modal Template..........................................................................................................298
4.5. Wind Tunnel Tutorial.................................................................................................................299
4.5.1. Introduction.................................................................................................................300
4.5.1.1. Task 1: Creating a Solution...........................................................................300
4.5.1.2. Task 2: Editing the Enclosure.......................................................................304
4.5.1.3. Task 3: Understanding the Results Legend..................................................308
4.5.1.4. Task 4: Controlling the Simulation................................................................309
4.5.1.5. Task 5: Using Display Controls and Cut Plane.............................................309
4.5.1.6. Task 6: Working with Streamlines.................................................................322
4.5.1.7. Task 7: Discovering Particles........................................................................327
4.5.1.8. Task 8: Using Direction Field........................................................................333
4.5.1.9. Task 9: Adding Geometry.............................................................................335
4.5.1.10. Task 10: Finalizing Solution Fidelity............................................................338
Chapter 5: Creating Thermal Solutions................................................................................................342
5.1. Modifying Thermal Solutions....................................................................................................343
5.2. Thermal Results.......................................................................................................................355
Chapter 6: Creating Fluids Solutions....................................................................................................368
6.1. Modifying Fluids Solutions........................................................................................................380
6.2. Fluid Results.............................................................................................................................392
Chapter 7: Structural Solutions.............................................................................................................428
7.1. Modifying Structural Solutions..................................................................................................430
7.2. Structural Results.....................................................................................................................445
Chapter 8: Creating Modal Solutions....................................................................................................458
8.1. Modifying Modal Solutions.......................................................................................................459
8.2. Modal Results...........................................................................................................................472
Chapter 9: Creating Multi-physics Solutions.......................................................................................484
9.1. Modifying Electro-thermal Solutions.........................................................................................486
9.2. Multi-physics Results................................................................................................................488
Chapter 10: Creating Electrical Conduction Solutions.......................................................................494
10.1. Modifying Electrical Conduction Solutions.............................................................................496
10.2. Electrical Conduction Results.................................................................................................507
Chapter 11: Workbench..........................................................................................................................522
11.1. ANSYS Workbench................................................................................................................522
11.2. ANSYS Transfer.....................................................................................................................522
11.3. External Study Import.............................................................................................................523
Chapter 12: Geometry.............................................................................................................................526
12.1. File Operations.......................................................................................................................526
12.1.1. Creating, opening, and saving documents...............................................................526
12.1.2. Importing and exporting............................................................................................529
12.1.3. Copying and pasting from other applications...........................................................556
12.1.4. Locking and unlocking objects..................................................................................556
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Contents
12.1.5. Printing drawing sheets and designs........................................................................556

12.1.6. Journals and logs.....................................................................................................559
12.2. Selecting.................................................................................................................................560
12.2.1. Filtering the selection................................................................................................566
12.2.2. Selecting by drawing a box.......................................................................................567
12.2.3. Selecting by drawing a freeform shape (lasso).........................................................569
12.2.4. Selecting using polygon............................................................................................570
12.2.5. Selecting by painting................................................................................................571
12.2.6. Selecting using boundary.........................................................................................572
12.2.7. Selecting components..............................................................................................573
12.3. Undo and Redo......................................................................................................................574
12.4. Designing...............................................................................................................................575
12.4.1. Cutting, copying, and pasting...................................................................................576
12.4.2. Sketching..................................................................................................................577
12.4.2.1. The sketch plane........................................................................................582
12.4.2.2. Moving the sketch grid................................................................................584
12.4.2.3. Sketch tools................................................................................................585
12.4.2.4. Working with sketch curves in 3D...............................................................632
12.4.2.5. Editing a sketch..........................................................................................633
12.4.2.6. Copying a sketch........................................................................................635
12.4.2.7. Moving in two dimensions...........................................................................636
12.4.2.8. Dimensional sketching................................................................................637
12.4.3. Design modes...........................................................................................................637
12.4.3.1. Editing in cross section...............................................................................638
12.4.4. Editing.......................................................................................................................640
12.4.4.1. Pulling.........................................................................................................642
12.4.4.2. Moving........................................................................................................707
12.4.4.3. Fill...............................................................................................................743
12.4.4.4. Blending......................................................................................................769
12.4.4.5. Tweaking a face..........................................................................................786
12.4.4.6. Mathematical Expressions..........................................................................790
12.4.5. Intersecting...............................................................................................................791
12.4.5.1. Combining and splitting..............................................................................792
12.4.5.2. Using the Split Body tool.............................................................................803
12.4.5.3. Splitting a face............................................................................................805
12.4.5.4. Projecting to a solid....................................................................................811
12.4.6. Datum Objects and Relationships............................................................................813
12.4.6.1. Inserting a plane.........................................................................................813
12.4.6.2. Inserting an axis.........................................................................................816
12.4.6.3. Inserting points...........................................................................................817
12.4.6.4. Inserting an origin.......................................................................................817
12.4.6.5. Pinned datums............................................................................................819
12.4.6.6. Inserting temporary points, axes, and planes.............................................821
12.4.6.7. Linear patterns............................................................................................825
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Contents
12.4.6.8. Circular patterns.........................................................................................830

12.4.6.9. Fill patterns.................................................................................................836
12.4.6.10. Shelling a solid..........................................................................................840
12.4.6.11. Creating an offset relationship..................................................................841
12.4.6.12. Creating mirror relationships.....................................................................842
12.4.7. Bodies.......................................................................................................................846
12.4.7.1. Geometry from Equations...........................................................................846
12.4.7.2. Creating a cylinder......................................................................................850
12.4.7.3. Creating a sphere.......................................................................................853
12.4.8. Dimensions...............................................................................................................855
12.4.9. Detaching.................................................................................................................857
12.4.10. Checking geometry.................................................................................................858
12.5. Changing the display..............................................................................................................859
12.5.1. Views........................................................................................................................859
12.5.1.1. Orienting your home view...........................................................................859
12.5.1.2. Display a head-on view of the sketch grid..................................................860
12.5.1.3. Selecting a view..........................................................................................861
12.5.1.4. Snapping to a view.....................................................................................861
12.5.2. Orienting designs......................................................................................................863
12.5.2.1. Spinning your design..................................................................................864
12.5.2.2. Panning your design...................................................................................867
12.5.2.3. Zooming in and out.....................................................................................867
12.5.2.4. Rotating your design...................................................................................869
12.5.3. Styles........................................................................................................................869
12.5.3.1. Applying colors...........................................................................................869
12.5.3.2. Line styles...................................................................................................874
12.5.3.3. Layers panel...............................................................................................874
12.5.3.4. Applying a graphics style............................................................................876
12.5.3.5. Applying a rendering style..........................................................................878
12.5.3.6. Displaying edges........................................................................................879
12.5.3.7. Painting display properties from one object to another...............................880
12.5.4. Flythrough.................................................................................................................881
12.5.5. Sketch grid styles.....................................................................................................887
12.5.6. Displaying workspace tools......................................................................................888
12.5.7. Showing and hiding objects......................................................................................890
12.5.8. Displaying lightweight components...........................................................................890
12.6. Assemblies.............................................................................................................................891
12.6.1. Views........................................................................................................................891
12.6.1.1. Orienting your home view...........................................................................891
12.6.1.2. Display a head-on view of the sketch grid..................................................892
12.6.1.3. Selecting a view..........................................................................................893
12.6.1.4. Snapping to a view.....................................................................................893
12.6.2. Parts.........................................................................................................................895
12.6.2.1. Inserting another design.............................................................................895
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Contents
12.6.2.2. Standard Parts............................................................................................896

12.6.3. Assemble..................................................................................................................897
12.6.3.1. Making objects tangent...............................................................................897
12.6.3.2. Aligning objects...........................................................................................898
12.6.3.3. Orienting objects.........................................................................................901
12.6.3.4. Locking the orientation and position of components...................................903
12.6.3.5. Creating gear conditions.............................................................................903
12.6.3.6. Anchoring components...............................................................................905
12.6.3.7. Moving parts in an assembly......................................................................905
12.6.3.8. Assembly Constraints Reference Chart .....................................................907
12.6.4. Edit...........................................................................................................................908
12.6.4.1. Selecting.....................................................................................................908
12.6.4.2. Moving........................................................................................................928
12.6.5. Configurations..........................................................................................................965
12.6.5.1. Managing Configurations............................................................................965
12.7. Measuring and analyzing.......................................................................................................973
12.7.1. Quick measurements................................................................................................973
12.7.2. Inspecting.................................................................................................................974
12.7.2.1. Displaying measurements...........................................................................975
12.7.2.2. Displaying mass properties.........................................................................982
12.7.2.3. Checking geometry.....................................................................................984
12.7.3. Displaying interference.............................................................................................985
12.7.4. Analyzing quality.......................................................................................................987
12.7.4.1. Displaying normal direction.........................................................................987
12.7.4.2. Displaying a face (UV) grid.........................................................................988
12.7.4.3. Displaying curvature...................................................................................989
12.7.4.4. Displaying a dihedral graph........................................................................991
12.7.4.5. Displaying draft angles................................................................................992
12.7.4.6. Displaying stripes........................................................................................993
12.7.4.7. Displaying deviation....................................................................................995
12.8. Facets.....................................................................................................................................996
12.8.1. Selecting facets........................................................................................................997
12.8.2. Faceted body cleanup............................................................................................1004
12.8.2.1. Automatic faceted body cleanup...............................................................1005
12.8.2.2. Fixing facet intersections..........................................................................1006
12.8.2.3. Fixing over-connected facets....................................................................1006
12.8.2.4. Fixing holes...............................................................................................1008
12.8.2.5. Fixing sharps............................................................................................1013
12.8.2.6. Shrinkwrap................................................................................................1015
12.8.3. Organizing faceted bodies......................................................................................1024
12.8.4. Modifying faceted bodies........................................................................................1027
12.8.4.1. Merging faceted bodies............................................................................1027
12.8.4.2. Subtracting faceted bodies.......................................................................1029
12.8.4.3. Intersecting faceted bodies.......................................................................1030
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Contents
12.8.4.4. Splitting faceted bodies.............................................................................1031

12.8.4.5. Shelling faceted bodies.............................................................................1033
12.8.4.6. Scaling faceted bodies..............................................................................1057
12.8.4.7. Thickening faceted bodies........................................................................1058
12.8.5. Adjusting facets......................................................................................................1059
12.8.6. Inspecting facet bodies...........................................................................................1065
12.8.6.1. Facet Overhangs......................................................................................1065
12.8.6.2. Sharp Edges.............................................................................................1067
12.8.6.3. Facet Thickness........................................................................................1069
12.8.6.4. Facet Cavities...........................................................................................1071
12.8.7. Create.....................................................................................................................1073
12.8.7.1. Creating a faceted body............................................................................1073
12.9. Repairing problems..............................................................................................................1077
12.9.1. Navigate through issues.........................................................................................1078
12.9.2. Solidify....................................................................................................................1079
12.9.2.1. Stitch adjacent faces.................................................................................1079
12.9.2.2. Repair gaps..............................................................................................1081
12.9.2.3. Find and correct missing faces.................................................................1082
12.9.3. Fix Curves..............................................................................................................1084
12.9.3.1. Repair split edges.....................................................................................1084
12.9.3.2. Extra edges...............................................................................................1086
12.9.3.3. Duplicates.................................................................................................1087
12.9.4. Fix...........................................................................................................................1088
12.9.4.1. Fit curves..................................................................................................1088
12.9.4.2. Curve gaps...............................................................................................1090
12.9.4.3. Duplicate curves.......................................................................................1090
12.9.4.4. Small curves.............................................................................................1091
12.9.5. Adjust......................................................................................................................1092
12.9.5.1. Merge faces..............................................................................................1092
12.9.5.2. Remove small faces..................................................................................1093
12.9.5.3. Simplify a design.......................................................................................1095
12.9.5.4. Repair inexact edges................................................................................1096
12.9.5.5. Straighten faces........................................................................................1097
12.9.5.6. Relaxing surfaces.....................................................................................1099
12.9.5.7. Adjust tangency........................................................................................1100
12.10. Preparing designs for analysis...........................................................................................1102
12.10.1. Analysis................................................................................................................1103
12.10.1.1. Extracting volume...................................................................................1103
12.10.1.2. Creating midsurface faces......................................................................1106
12.10.1.3. Spot Weld...............................................................................................1110
12.10.1.4. Weld........................................................................................................1113
12.10.1.5. Wrap.......................................................................................................1117
12.10.1.6. Creating enclosures................................................................................1122
12.10.1.7. Splitting by plane....................................................................................1124
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12.10.1.8. Extend adjacent faces............................................................................1126

12.10.1.9. Imprinting................................................................................................1128
12.10.1.10. Show contact........................................................................................1130
12.10.2. Remove................................................................................................................1131
12.10.2.1. Remove rounds.......................................................................................1131
12.10.2.2. Remove interference...............................................................................1135
12.10.2.3. Remove faces.........................................................................................1136
12.10.2.4. Finding short edges................................................................................1136
12.10.3. Detect...................................................................................................................1137
12.10.3.1. Bad Faces...............................................................................................1137
12.10.3.2. Sharp Edges...........................................................................................1138
12.10.3.3. Checking clearance................................................................................1140
12.10.4. Beams..................................................................................................................1141
12.10.4.1. Beam properties.....................................................................................1144
12.10.4.2. Profiles....................................................................................................1145
12.10.4.3. Creating a beam.....................................................................................1148
12.10.4.4. Extracting a beam from a solid...............................................................1149
12.10.4.5. Changing beam orientation.....................................................................1151
12.10.4.6. Connecting Beams.................................................................................1153
12.10.4.7. Splitting Beams.......................................................................................1155
12.10.4.8. Changing beam display style..................................................................1157
12.10.4.9. Moving beams........................................................................................1157
12.11. Detailing Options................................................................................................................1158
12.11.1. Formatting note text..............................................................................................1158
12.11.2. Annotations...........................................................................................................1159
12.11.2.1. Annotation...............................................................................................1159
12.12. Tools...................................................................................................................................1190
12.12.1. Reverse engineering.............................................................................................1190
12.12.1.1. Auto Skin................................................................................................1190
12.12.1.2. Skin Surface...........................................................................................1192
12.12.1.3. Extracting curves....................................................................................1208
12.12.1.4. Orient mesh............................................................................................1209
12.12.1.5. Fit spline.................................................................................................1213
12.12.1.6. Creating curves from images..................................................................1214
12.12.2. Manufacturing.......................................................................................................1217
12.12.2.1. Inserting a standard hole........................................................................1218
12.12.2.2. Identifying holes......................................................................................1226
12.12.2.3. Move body..............................................................................................1229
12.12.2.4. Create workpiece....................................................................................1231
12.12.2.5. Toolpaths................................................................................................1237
12.12.2.6. Relief.......................................................................................................1240
12.12.2.7. Unroll......................................................................................................1242
12.13. Customizing Discovery Live...............................................................................................1247
12.13.1. Popular options.....................................................................................................1248
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12.13.2. Appearance options..............................................................................................1253

12.13.3. Selection options..................................................................................................1254
12.13.4. Snap options.........................................................................................................1255
12.13.5. Units options.........................................................................................................1258
12.13.6. Navigation options................................................................................................1260
12.13.7. Advanced options.................................................................................................1262
12.13.8. File import and export options..............................................................................1267
12.13.9. Support file options...............................................................................................1280
12.13.10. Ribbon Tabs options...........................................................................................1281
12.13.11. Quick access toolbar options..............................................................................1281
12.13.12. Displaying workspace tools................................................................................1282
12.13.13. Creating custom shortcuts..................................................................................1284
12.13.14. Scripting..............................................................................................................1284
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Discovery Live 2019 R3 Release Notes
Chapter 1: Discovery Live 2019 R3 Release Notes
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Discovery Live 2019 R3 Release Notes

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Introduction
Chapter 2: Introduction
ANSYS Discovery Live makes basic simulations accessible to Engineers and Designers who are not full-time
analysts. By eliminating much of the solution preparations that have, until now, required a detailed understanding
of the simulation, Discovery Live brings simulations into the realm of concept design. This provides valuable insight
into how the design will perform and allows for easy virtual prototyping.
Choose the type of behavior you want to study. You can also copy and paste boundary conditions by selecting
the boundary condition arrow and pressing CTRL+C to copy. Then, select a face and press CTRL+V to paste.
Select from the following behaviors:
• Thermal Behavior,
• Fluid Behavior,
• Structural Behavior,
• Modal Behavior,
• Electrical Conduction or
• Multi-physics.
Full-time analysts also benefit from simulations performed early in the design. Now they receive more mature
concepts, which reduces the number of high-fidelity simulations required.
Display drivers version 418.96 and later are required for Discovery Live to function. For best results and optimum
performance, the latest drivers from Nvidia are recommended.
The Online Help (F1), tutorials, and training materials are provided to help you become productive with Discovery
Live as quickly as possible.
Explore more in the Discovery Live Forum, view DL videos on YouTube, follow the tutorials, test out sample models,
and use pre-defined templates.
Next Steps:
Getting Started

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Introduction

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Discovery Live Forum
Chapter 3: Discovery Live Forum
You can access the ANSYS Discovery Forum to find general information, tutorials, and support.
Click the Forum tab to access the following links:
Click Forum to visit the Discovery Live forum for tips,

tricks and support questions.
Click Tutorials to get started with some Discovery Live

tutorials.
Click Ask a Question to post questions to the Discovery

Live forum.
Click Copy Scene to copy your current scene to the

clipboard.
Click Save Image to save images of your simulation to

share.
Click Post Example to share your results with others.
Click Ideas to send your ideas for Discovery Live to

ANSYS.

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Discovery Live Forum

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Get Started
Chapter 4: Get Started
Start Page
When you start Discovery Live or Close the current design, you are presented with the Start Page shown below.You
can also open the Start Page by clicking File > Start Page.
From here, you can do any of the following:

• Create a new document to create a new model and a physics solution from scratch.
• Open an existing model in a physics template to easily create a solution.
• Open a sample model with a predefined solution and immediate results.
• Open Help, Tutorials, or the Forum for additional guidance, examples, and documentation.
Templates:
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Get Started
Templates are predefined solutions for a specific type of physics. When you open a Template, you are prompted
to select a model. Once the model opens you are prompted to select geometry for boundary conditions (temperature,
displacement, etc.) depending on the physics type. Refer to the Templates topic for instructions for using the
Templates.
The following Templates are available:
• Wind Tunnel
• Heat Source Cooling in Air
• Internal Fluid Flow
• Structural
• Modal
Sample Models:
When you open a Sample Model, you immediately see results since the solution is completely defined. Refer to
the Sample Models topic for more details about the Sample Models.
The sample models are:
• Dump truck - External flow
• Heatsink - Thermal
• Pipe - Internal flow
• Bracket - Structural
Next Steps:
Sample Models
Solution Templates
4.1. ANSYS Subscription Licensing

If you are using an ANSYS subscription to run ANSYS SpaceClaim, you can click Manage subscription
from within SpaceClaim to sign in to your ANSYS account.
Use Manage subscription to:

• See when your subscription expires.
• Access and manage your ANSYS account. For more information, please see the ANSYS Account
Management Guide.
• Release the subscription activation on the current device.
• Access the ANSYS Discovery Forum, where you can find general information, tutorials, and support.
Note: Settings for individual versions of SpaceClaim, Discovery Live, and SCDM are maintained when
multiple products and versions are run simultaneously. This settings isolation ensures that settings won't be
overwritten in side-by-side installations.
4.2. The Discovery Live interface

This section contains the following topics:

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Get Started
4.2.1. Active Tool
The Active Tool displays the functionality available to the active tool or boundary condition. By
default, the Select Tool is active.
When you select another tool, it becomes the active tool.
Examples
A Force is a vector applied to a selected face or faces so it requires the following tool guides.
Select a face or faces to apply the Force.
Direction of the Force is set by selecting a linear object parallel to the direction of the Force. While
selecting a Direction, you can hold the Ctrl key to temporarily return to Face selection.
Complete to apply the boundary condition.
To close the current active tool, click X or the Esc key on your keyboard.
4.2.2. Create Solution

Create Solution allows you to create a solution for an imported model or for geometry you have created.

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Get Started
To create a solution:
1. Open a model or create geometry.
2. Click Create Solution.
3. Choose the type of behavior to study: Thermal Behavior , Fluid Behavior , Structural
Behavior Modal Behavior or Electrical Conduction Behavior .

4. Choose what the object is made of:
Thermal Behavior Fluid Behavior Structural Behavior Modal Behavior
• Aluminum • Air (20C) • Aluminum • Aluminum
• Cast Iron • Water (20C) • Cast Iron • Cast Iron
• Insulation • Engine Oil • Insulation • Insulation
• Plastic • Mercury • Plastic • Plastic
• Stainless Steel • Carbon Dioxide (20C) • Stainless Steel • Stainless Steel
• Structural Steel • Water Vapor (20C) • Structural Steel • Structural Steel
• Copper • Copper • Copper
• Diamond • Diamond • Diamond
• Concrete • Concrete • Concrete
• Nickel • Nickel • Nickel
• Glass • Glass • Glass
5. (Optional) For Fluid Behavior, you can choose to check Create fluid volume for: External flow or
Internal flow.
6. Click Create.
Note: Click Cancel to cancel Create Solution at any time.
4.2.3. Sketch tools

4.2.3.1. The sketch plane

The sketch grid indicates that you are performing actions in a 2D plane. Selection, sketching, creating layouts,
adjusting blend planes, cross-section editing, and annotation all use the sketch grid. You can adjust the units
and spacing of the grid, as well as how solids are displayed when the grid appears.
To display a sketch plane

1. Select Sketch Mode or any sketching tool.
2. Click a face, plane, axis, or drawing sheet.
You can also select the combinations used to insert a plane to display a sketch grid at that location.

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Get Started
If you do not see the grid, make sure that the Show Sketch Grid box is checked in the Display tab's Grid
ribbon group.
To select a new location for the sketch plane

1. Click Select New Sketch Plane in the mini-toolbar, or right-click and select Select New Sketch Plane
from the context menu.
2. Mouse over any existing geometry to display existing planes.
3. Click to select the highlighted plane and display the sketch grid.
To move the sketch plane

1. (Optional) Select any points, lines, or curves that you want to move with the sketch grid.
2. Click Move Grid in the mini-toolbar.

The Move handle is now placed on the end point of the last line or curve you drew. This makes drawing
a trajectory in 3D space easier.
3. Use the Move handle to move or rotate the sketch grid.
To view the sketch plane head-on

Click Plan View in the mini-toolbar or in the Orient ribbon group to view the sketch grid head-on.
To switch to the last sketch plane

Right-click the plane and select Use Last Sketch Plane.
This command is in the context menu for all tools that can be used in both sketch and section modes, such
as Pull.
All closed sketch curves in the current plane are converted to surfaces.
The last plane used for sketching on is set as active, and dynamic plane mode is ended when you use the
Use Last Sketch Plane command.
To use Alt+Select in Sketch mode

While working in Sketch mode, you can align a sketch plane to any linear reference that you Alt+Select.
For example, on a block with angled planar faces, you can select a face and then Alt+Select an edge. The
Sketch grid aligns to the Alt reference.

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Get Started
4.2.3.2. Moving the sketch grid

Use the Move Grid tool to move the sketch grid. Make successive sketches by moving the grid after sketching
closed line regions. These closed lines turn into regions when you move the grid.
The icon at the center of the sketch grid indicates the origin of the grid and moves with the grid as you
move the grid.
To move the sketch grid

1. Click the Move Grid tool on the mini-toolbar or click the Move tool and check the Move Grid option.
2. (Optional) Select any sketch entities that you want to move along with the sketch grid.
3. Select a Move handle axis.
4. Drag along the axis of the Move handle to move or rotate the sketch grid.
Press Shift while dragging to snap the move to angular and linear increments based on your snap settings
as well as to snap the move parallel to planes, edges, and axes. You can also right-click and select Use
Ruler Dimension, and enter a value or press Enter to drag the grid. You can also use the standard Move
tool guides when moving the grid.
The Move handle can be moved around by dragging the center ball onto appropriate entities on the sketch
grid.
To move the center of the sketch grid

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Get Started
1. Insert an origin.
2. Select an axis of the origin.
3. Switch to Sketch mode.
You can also move the center of the sketch grid while sketching by using the Move Grid or Select New
Sketch Plane tools in the Sketch mini-toolbar.
4.2.3.3. Working with Sketch Tools

4.2.3.3.1. Lines
4.2.3.3.1.1. Tangent lines

Use the Tangent Line tool to sketch lines tangent to any curves in your design.
The sketch grid must be visible in the workspace before you can draw.
To draw a tangent line on a sketch plane

1. Click Tangent Line in the Sketch group.
The tool is disabled if there are no curves or lines in the sketch plane.
2. Click the curve you want to draw tangent to.
3. As you move the mouse, the start point moves so that the line remains tangent to the curve.
The tangency indicator shows you how the new line will be tangent with existing geometry if you click on
the current cursor location.
4. (Optional) Dimension the line with a length.
You cannot dimension from another sketch object when creating a tangent line.
5. Click to set the end point of the line.

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Get Started
If you move your mouse over another curve, the line snaps so that it is tangent to the second curve. Hold
Alt to stop your cursor from snapping to curves.
To draw tangent lines between points in 3D

2. Switch to 3D mode:
• If a sketch plane is not active, press Esc.
• If a sketch plane is active, click 3D Mode in the Mode group or press D.
3. Click to set the first point of the line.
This can be any point on an object in your design.
To use a tangent line as a mirror

Right-click the line and select Set as Mirror Line.
To toggle between a tangent line and a construction line

Right-click the line and select Construction On/Off.
Options
The following options are available for every sketch tool:
• Cartesian dimensions: Select a point in a sketch and then click this option to see Cartesian dimensions
from the point. Cartesian dimensions show you the X and Y distances from the point you select. If you
don't have a point selected, it shows you the X and Y distances from the origin.
• Polar dimensions: Select a point in a sketch and then click this option to see Polar dimensions from the
point. Polar dimensions show you an angle and a distance from the point you select. If you don't have a
point selected, it shows you the angle and distance from the origin.
• Snap to grid: Select this option turn snapping on or off while sketching. The cursor will snap to the minor
grid spacing increment while you sketch. The defaults are 1mm for Metric and 0.125in for Imperial units.
See Units options to change the minor grid spacing.
• Snap to angle: Select this option to turn angle snapping on or off while sketching. The cursor will snap to
the angular snap increment while you sketch. The default is 15 degrees. See Snap options to change the
angular increment used for snapping.
• Create layout curves: The sketch curves are created as layout curves. If you move the design to a drawing
sheet, with Sketch mode selected you must select the Create layout curves checkbox again in the Sketch
Options group of the Options panel in order to create layout curves on the drawing sheet. See Layout
Curves.
• Curve Fitter Options: If the Sketch plane passes through a Mesh object, the system will fit curves through
the facet points. Lines are displayed green and arcs are displayed blue. The following options apply to the
system-generated curves.

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º Fit curves - Uncheck this option if you do not want the system to fit curves through the points.
º Tolerance - Determines how many points will be found, which also determines how many curves will be
created. The smaller the tolerance, the more points will be found and the curves will be generated.
º Auto-merge - When checked On, the system will merge lines and arcs to form splines. Splines are
displayed pink.
4.2.3.3.1.2. Construction lines

Use the Construction Line tool to draw lines that help you create an accurate sketch. Construction lines
become axes in 3D. They are also useful for creating mirrors.
To draw a construction line

1. Select the Construction Line tool from the Sketch ribbon group.
2. (Optional) Dimension the first point relative to another sketch object.
4. (Optional) Dimension the line.
5. Click or press Enter to end the line.
By default, the line is dimensioned to its start point, but you can dimension to another sketch object.
To use a construction line as a mirror

To toggle between a line and a construction line

Options

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Curves.
displayed pink.
4.2.3.3.2. Rectangles
Use the Rectangle tool in the Design tab or press R to draw a rectangle along the axes of the sketch grid.
When you exit the sketch, any rectangles become surfaces, and the lines become edges of a rectangular
solid when you pull your sketch into 3D with the Pull tool.
To draw a rectangle
1. Click Rectangle in the Sketch group or press R.
2. (Optional) Select Define rectangle from center in the Options panel to start drawing the rectangle by
clicking the point for its center instead of a corner.
3. Click to set the first corner.
Move your mouse over the sketch grid to preview the rectangle. Dashed lines appear when you create a
square or golden rectangle.
You can dimension the points relative to other sketch objects.
4. Click to set the opposite corner of the rectangle.

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Options
The following options are available in the Options panel:
Define rectangle from center Select this option to sketch rectangles from their
centers. Click to define the center of the rectangle,
then click again to set the length of the sides. You
can also drag to draw the rectangle. Hold the Alt key
while drawing a rectangle to toggle this option
on-the-fly.

Curves.
displayed pink.
Examples
Sketching a square

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Sketching a rectangle from its center
4.2.3.3.2.1. Three-point rectangles

Use the Three-Point Rectangle tool to quickly sketch a rectangle at any angle on the sketch plane. These
lines will become the edges of a rectangular solid when you pull your sketch into 3D with the Pull tool.
To draw a three-point rectangle

1. Click Three-Point Rectangle in the Sketch group.
3. Click to set the first corner of the rectangle.
4. Click to set the length of the second side.
Note: Click and drag to draw the first side, then click to set the length of the second side.
Options
Define Rectangle from Center Select this option to sketch rectangles from their
can also drag to draw the rectangle. Alt+drag or
Alt+click to return to the standard behavior when the
option is selected.

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Curves.
displayed pink.
4.2.3.3.3. Ellipses
Use the Ellipse tool to sketch an ellipse in 2D. The ellipse can become an elliptical solid or hole when you
pull your sketch into 3D with the Pull tool. You can also sweep the ellipse in 3D, or rotate it.
To draw an ellipse
1. Click Ellipse in the Sketch group.
2. Click to set the center of the ellipse.
3. Click to set the overall length and angular orientation of the first axis.
4. Click to set the length of the second axis.

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Options
Curves.
displayed pink.
4.2.3.3.4. Circles
Use the Circle tool to sketch a circle in 2D when you know the location of the circle's center and a point on
the circle's edge, or the radius or diameter. The circle can become a cylinder or hole when you pull it into 3D
with the Pull tool, or a sphere or torus if you rotate or sweep it.
To draw a circle
1. Click Circle in the Sketch group or press C.
2. Click to set the circle's center.
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3. Click to set the circle's diameter.
4. The circle will snap to existing sketches or determined circles and arcs in the plane of the sketch.
If you sketch two circles that are tangent to each other, and then change the diameter of one circle by
editing its dimension, tangency with the other circle is maintained.
If you drag the center of a circle that is tangent to another circle, the radius of the other circle changes to
maintain tangency.
Options
Curves.
displayed pink.
Examples

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Editing a tangent circle by dragging the circle's center with tangency is maintained
4.2.3.3.4.1. Three-point circles

Use the Three-Point Circle tool when you don't know the center of the circle, but you know where the edge
of the circle must be. This tool works with any combination of free points, known points, or tangent attachments.
The circle will become a cylinder or hole when you pull it into 3D with the Pull tool. You can also rotate the
circle about a line to make a sphere or torus.
To draw a three-point circle

1. Click Three-Point Circle in the Sketch group.
2. (Optional) Select Three-point circle segment in the Options panel to create an arc that is a segment of
a three-point circle.
3. Click to set the first point on the circle's edge.
If you click a curve or line, the circle will be drawn tangent to the curve or line, unless you click the midpoint
or vertex.
4. Click to set the second point on the circle's edge.
If the circle disappears as you move your mouse over the sketch grid, then the cursor location cannot be
included in any circle drawn through the first two points and the current point. If you click a curve or line,
the circle will be drawn tangent to the curve or line unless you click the midpoint or vertex.
5. Click to set the last point on the circle's edge.
maintain tangency.
Options
Three-point circle segment Check this option to create an arc that is a segment of a three-point circle.
To create an arc with this option, click to set the first point, click to set
the second point, then enter the diameter or click to set the final point.

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Curves.
displayed pink.
Examples
Editing a tangent circle by dragging the circle's center; tangency is maintained
Dragging (with the Select tool) a three-point circle drawn through a rectangle's vertex maintains the connection.

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4.2.3.3.5. Arcs
4.2.3.3.5.1. Tangent arcs

Use the Tangent Arc tool to sketch an arc that is tangent to a curve or line in your design. This arc will become
an edge when you pull your sketch into 3D with the Pull tool.
To draw a tangent arc

1. Click Tangent Arc in the Sketch group.
2. Click the line or curve you want to draw tangent to.
This is usually done at the end point of a line, arc, or spline, but it can be on the line. If two lines share
an end point, use the scroll wheel to set tangency to the other line.
3. (Optional) Dimension the radius and chord angle.
4. Click to set the end point of the arc.
The arc cannot end on its start point to make a circle or end on the same line as its start point.
To draw a tangent arc between points in 3D

3. Click to set the first point of the arc.
The tangency indicator shows you how the new arc will be tangent with existing geometry if you click on
To edit a tangent arc

Drag the arc to edit it. When you drag a tangent arc, it increases its radius while maintaining its chord angle.
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Options
Curves.
displayed pink.
Examples
Arc sketched tangent to two circles
Editing a tangent arc maintains its connections

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4.2.3.3.5.2. Three-point arcs

Use the Three-Point Arc tool to create an arc by specifying its start and end points, and the radius or chord
angle. This arc can be created tangent to another arc, line, or spline at its start. The arc will become an edge
when you pull your sketch into 3D with the Pull tool. As an option, you can also create a Three-Point Arc in
3D mode.
To draw a three-point arc

1. Click Three-Point Arc in the Sketch group.
2. Click to set the start point of the arc.
If the start point is on another line, arc, or spline, then the arc will initially be drawn tangent to that line,
arc, or spline.
You can dimension the point relative to other sketch objects.
4. Click to set the arc's radius.
You can dimension the chord angle or radius.
The arc will snap to tangent objects.
Options

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Curves.
displayed pink.
4.2.3.3.5.3. Swept arcs

Use the Sweep Arc tool to create an arc with a known center and end points. Tangency is not a factor in the
creation of this arc. The arc will become an edge when you pull your sketch into 3D with the Pull tool.
To draw a swept arc

1. Click Sweep Arc in the Sketch group.
2. Click to set the center of the arc.
3. Click to set the start point and radius of the sweep circle.
You can dimension the chord angle or offset the angular dimension.
Options

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Curves.
displayed pink.
4.2.3.3.6. Polygons
Use the Polygon tool to draw a polygon with between 3 and 64 sides. You can dimension the location of the
axis, the length of the radius, the orientation angle, and set the number of sides as you sketch the polygon.
The sides of a sketched polygon maintain their relationship to each other. When you pull a polygon into 3D,
faces with a polygon relationship are displayed with a pattern when you select the solid. Changing one face
or edge affects all the faces in the relationship.
To draw a polygon
1. Click Polygon in the Sketch group.
2. (Optional) Select Use internal radius in the Options panel to dimension the polygon based on the diameter
of a circle inscribed within the polygon. Uncheck the option to dimension the polygon based on a
circumscribed circle.
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3. Click to set the center of the polygon.

4. Drag the mouse to draw the polygon and change its orientation.
The orientation is the polygon's angle relative to the X and Y axis.
You can press Tab and type a number to change the diameter, orientation, or number of sides.
5. Click to complete the polygon.
The sides of the polygon are all related, and act as one object. When pulled in 3D, the edges and faces
of the polygonal solid will also maintain this relationship.
Tip If you trim a polygon sketch with the Trim Away tool, you can drag the original sides of the polygon
with the Select tool to recreate the polygon.
To set the number of sides

Press Tab and type a number while you draw a polygon.
or
1. In Sketch mode, select the polygon with the Select tool.
2. Right-click the polygon and select Properties.
3. Enter a value for the Number Of Sides property.
Polygons can have a minimum of 3 sides, and a maximum of 64 sides.
To remove the polygon relationship from the faces of a polygon solid

Right-click a face of the polygon and select Remove Association.
Any changes you make to the face of the polygon will affect only that face.
Options
Use internal radius Select this option to dimension the

polygon based on the diameter of
a circle inscribed within the
polygon. Uncheck the option to
dimension the polygon based on a
circumscribed circle. In the image
below, the blue circle is inscribed
within the polygon and the orange
circle is circumscribed around it.


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Curves.
displayed pink.
Examples
Hexagonal head nut

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A polygon pulled into a solid maintains the relationships between its sides. In this example, pulling one side
pulls all sides of the polygon.
4.2.3.3.7. Splines
4.2.3.3.7.1. Creating a spline

Use the Spline tool to sketch splines in 2D or to draw splines between points on objects in 3D. A spline is a
continuously curved line, without sharp boundaries (that is, without vertices). Splines can become edges
when you pull your sketch into 3D with the Pull tool. Sweeping along a spline in 3D lets you create smooth,
curvy shapes.
To draw a spline on a sketch plane

1. Click Spline in the Sketch group.
2. If a sketch plane is not active, click on an object or objects in the Design window to make a sketch plane.
3. Click to set the first point of the spline.
Hold Alt and click to set the point if you want it to be tangent with an adjacent sketch or edge. When
highlighting the vertex (which is actually an end point of one of the intersecting edges which has influence
at the time) scroll the mouse wheel to select other adjacent edges with which to set the tangent vector
direction, as previewed by the green tangency symbol.
4. Click to set the next points of the spline.
You can Dimension spline points by entering the coordinate distance from the start point to each point,
or dimension each point relative to another sketch object.
5. End the spline:
• Double-click to set the end point of the spline.

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• Hold Alt and click to make the end point tangent with an adjacent sketch or edge.
• Right-click and select Finish Spline.
• Press Esc.
• Connect the end point to the start point.
• Click any other tool (except the Clipboard and Orient tools).
To draw a continuous spline

2. Select Draw continuous spline from the Spline section of the Sketch options panel.
3. Click and drag to draw the spline.
4. Release to finish drawing.
To draw a spline between points in 3D

4. Continue selecting points to draw spline points.
5. End the spline:
• Double-click to set the end point of the line.
• Right-click and select Finish Line.
• Press Esc.
• Click any tool (except the Clipboard and Orient tools).
To create a closed spine

You can create a closed spline in the following ways:
• When drawing a spline, end it on the start point.
• When editing the spline, drag one end point on top of the other point.

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Once you have created a closed spline, you cannot edit it into an open spline.
Options
Curves.
displayed pink.
Examples
Sketching a spline between points in 3D
4.2.3.3.7.2. Editing a spline

You can drag a spline, its spline points, or its control points while the Select tools is active. You can be in 2D
or 3D mode.
Spline points are the points along the spine that define the position of its curves. Spline points are displayed
as circles when you hover over a spline.
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Control points are displayed outside of the spline, and define the curvature of the spline between points.
Control points are displayed as diamonds connected by a dotted line when you select a spline.
To move a spline
1. Click the Select tool in the Edit group on the Design tab while in 2D mode.
2. Mouse over the spline to highlight the spline and display its defining points.
3. Click anywhere on the spline except for the defining points, and drag it to move it.
To edit a spline
1. Click the Select tool in the Edit ribbon group while in 2D mode.
3. Click and drag on any spline or control point to move it, leaving the other spline and control points fixed
in space.
You can box-select spline points.
4. (Optional) Edit the dimensions associated with that point.
To change spline end points

1. Select the spline to display its end point control handle.
The end point control handle is a light blue point at the end of a dotted line extending outwards from the
end of the spline. In some cases, these end points may be located some distance away from your sketch.
Zoom out from the sketch until you can see the end point control handle.
If another line, arc, or spline shares that end point, the end point influence may snap into tangency with
that sketch entity. To adjust the end point influence in this case, move the mouse a short distance away
from the end point to display the end point control handle.
After it is moved, the end point will snap to its original tangency.
2. (Optional) In 3D, hold Alt and select a planar or linear object that you want the spline to be tangent with.
You can hold Alt and select a curve, edge or face if the curve, edge or face passes through the point. If
you select a face, the tangency at the point where the point intersects the curve or surface is used. The
default is the tangency direction with the least amount of curvature.
3. Drag the end point control handles to change the influence of that end point on the shape of the spline.
The control handle will snap back to its initial tangent direction, which is indicated by a dotted line.
The amount of the end point's influence can be controlled by dragging the end point control handle closer
to or further away from the end point.

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To add spline points

3. Right-click anywhere on the spline except on the defining points, and select Add Knot to create another
spline point at that location.
To remove spline points

2. Click the spline to highlight it and display its defining points.
3. Right-click the point you want to remove and select Remove Spline Point.
The spline adjusts to accommodate the removal of the point.
To change the end point tangency of a spline

2. Select the spline in the Design window.
3. Set the value for Periodic in the Properties panel:
• True: If you change this property to True, the tangencies of the beginning and end of the spline curve
will match to create a closed curve. If a spline curve is open and you set the property to True, the spline
will be closed, as shown here:
• False: If you change this property to False, the end tangencies of a closed curve don't match. If a spline
curve is closed and you set the property to False, the curve will become teardrop-shaped because the
end points will no longer be tangent, as shown here:
To extend a spline by pulling

1. Click the Pull tool in the Edit group on the Design tab while in 3D mode.
2. Click an end point of the spline and drag in the direction of the Pull arrow.
You can also click the end point, click the Up To tool guide, then click the object up to which you want to
pull.
Examples
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Dragging a spline point
Dragging a control point
Dragging end point control handles in 3D
4.2.3.3.8. Points
Use the Point tool to sketch points in 2D and 3D. Points are useful as a dimensional reference, for splitting,
and for creating a point on a line or curve through which you want to draw a three-point circle. You can also
project vertices in 3D to create points in the sketch.
To draw a point
1. Click Point in the Sketch group on the Design tab.
2. Choose a mode:

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• If a sketch plane is not active, press Esc to sketch in 3D or click on an object or objects in the Design
window to make a sketch plane.
• If a sketch plane is active, click 3D Mode in the Mode group or press D to sketch in 3D.
3. (Optional) Dimension the point relative to another object.
4. Click to place a point:
• On a face or surface: click on a location on a face or surface.
• On an edge or curve: click on a location on the edge or curve.
• On the midpoint of a straight line between two points in 2D: hold Alt and Shift and select two points,
then click on the temporary point at the midpoint.
• On the midpoint of a straight line between two points in 3D: select two points.
• Projected onto a face: select a point and then a face to project onto.
• Projected onto an edge: select a point and then an edge to project onto.
• In a UV direction within a face/surface: select an existing point on a face and then a location on the
face to specify the direction.
• Along an edge from an existing point on the edge: select a point on an edge and a location along
the edge.
You can also use temporary points, axes, and planes to help you create points. When hovering over, or
selecting on a point with the Select tool, the X, Y, Z locations of the point display in the status bar.
Tool guides
The following tool guides help step you through the process. Use the Tab key to cycle through them. As soon
as the tool guide switches, the cursor may change to reflect the active guide.
Use the Select tool guide to select a location for the

point.
Use the Select Direction tool guide to change the
direction of the dimension for the point.
Options

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Curves.
displayed pink.
4.2.3.3.9. Trimming and Modifying

4.2.3.3.9.1. Creating rounded corners

Use the Create Rounded Corner tool to trim back or connect two intersecting lines or arcs so that they meet
with an arc tangent at both ends. You can also use this tool with coplanar 3D lines, such as lines you created
by blending.
The sketch grid must be visible in the workspace before you can create rounded corners, which are also
known as fillets.
To connect two lines with a rounded corner

1. Click Create Rounded Corner from the Sketch group on the Design tab.
2. Select a line or arc.
The first line or arc you select will be extended, if necessary.
3. Mouse over another line to preview the round that will be created.
If you mouse over a line that is the edge of a solid, that edge will not change. Only a sketched line will
change. The radius of the arc is previewed as you move the mouse. Enter a radius to dimension it.
4. Select an intersecting line to trim the lines, or a non-intersecting line to connect the lines.
Where you click on the intersecting line defines the radius of the tangent arc, or you can dimension the
round (or chamfer) by entering its diameter.

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If the lines intersect, click the part of the intersecting line you want to keep. If the lines do not intersect,
you can click anywhere on the line to extend the first line to form a rounded corner. Circles are never
trimmed.
For lines that meet at a corner, you can select and drag the vertex.
You can also enter the tool first and then make your selection.
To create multiple rounded corners using Ctrl

1. Sketch some curves with several vertices (e.g. a rectangle).
2. Enter the Create Rounded Corner tool.
3. Click a corner vertex and drag to preview the round.
4. Press and hold the Ctrl key

• The preview disappears
5. While holding Ctrl, click another corner vertex.Then release the Ctrl key and move the mouse to preview
BOTH rounds.

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7. Repeat for the remaining corners.
8. On the last corner (meaning no more Ctrl key selection), you will see all rounds previewing simultaneously.
9. Click to place the rounds or enter a radius value
To edit a rounded corner

Drag the rounded corner with the Select tool to change its radius. Tangency is maintained.
Options
The following options are available with the Create Rounded Corner tool.
Chamfer Mode Create an equal-sided chamfer instead of an arc.

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Disable Trimming Leave the underlying lines instead of removing them.
Examples
Rounding a corner with the Chamfer Mode option
Rounding a corner with the Disable Trimming option
Rounding a corner where the first line selected is extended
Rounding corners of 3D lines, then sweeping to create a pipe
4.2.3.3.9.2. Creating corners

Use the Create Corner tool to trim back or extend two lines so that they meet at a corner.

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The sketch grid must be visible in the workspace before you can create corners.
To connect two lines with a corner

1. Click Create Corner in the Sketch group.
2. Click a line, arc, or spline.
3. Mouse over another line to preview the corner that will be created.
If you mouse over a line that is the cross-section edge of a solid or a silhouette edge, it will not change.
Only a sketched line will change.
4. Click an intersecting line to trim the lines, or a non-intersecting line to extend the lines.
5. If the lines intersect, click the part of the intersecting line you want to keep. If the lines do not intersect,
you can click anywhere on the line to extend the lines to form a corner.
Options
The following options are available in the Create Corner tool:
Trim/Extend curve If you select this option and click the first line, then click a second,
non-intersecting line, you extend the first line, but not the second. If the two
lines intersect, the first line is trimmed by the second line.
Examples
Creating a corner between arcs.

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Extending a spline to the intersection with another sketch curve.
4.2.3.3.9.3. Trimming lines

Use the Trim Away tool to delete any line portion bounded by an intersection with a line or edge.
Note: Line segments to be removed appear in red.
The sketch grid must be visible in the workspace before you can trim lines.
To delete a bounded line

1. Click Trim Away in the Sketch group or press T.
2. Mouse over a line to preview the section that will be deleted.
3. Click to delete the highlighted line section.
The portion of the line you clicked is deleted up to any intersection with another 2D line or edge of a solid.
4.2.3.3.9.4. Offsetting curves

Use the Offset Curve tool to create an offset of any curve in the grid plane. If you are creating an offset spline,
you will get the best results with an offset distance appropriate to the curvature of your spline.
The sketch grid must be visible in the workspace before you can create offset curves.
To offset a curve
1. Click Offset Curve in the Sketch group on the Design tab.
2. Select the curves you want to offset.
Standard curve selection techniques apply, so you can double-click to select connected loops of curves.
Ctrl and Shift can also be used to extend or replace the selected items prior to offsetting.
You can also use box, lasso, and paint select modes to select multiple sketch curves. See Using the radial
menu to learn how to access these select modes.
If you select more than one curve, then they will be merged when they are offset.

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To clear the current selection, click an empty spot in the Design window.
3. Hover the mouse over a line or point and press Shift to create an offset from that curve or point.
As you move the cursor away from the selected curve, you can see a preview of the offset result. The
offset defaults to one grid square.
4. (Optional) Select an option to specify how intersecting offset curves should meet.
5. Enter a dimension or click to set the width of the offset.
Options
The following options are available in the Offset Line tool:
Close with corner Close intersecting offset lines with a corner.
Close with arc Close intersecting offset edges with an arc.
Close naturally Close intersecting offset edges with a curve.
Offset both ways Create two offset lines on either side of the selected
line.
Example
Highlighted line offset using each option. Shown from top to bottom: Close naturally, Close with corner, and
Close with arc.
4.2.3.3.9.5. Splitting curves

Use the Split Curve tool to split one curve with another curve or point. You can also use a 3D object that
intersects the curve, such as a plane or face. The segments of the split curve can then be selected and edited
independently.
The sketch grid must be visible in the workspace before you can split curves.
To split a curve
1. Click Split Curve in the Sketch group.
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2. Click the curve you want to split.

3. Click a curve or point that intersects the curve you want to split. The curve will be split at the intersection.
4.2.3.3.9.6. Bending
Use the Bend tool to bend straight lines and edges to form an arc. You can also use the Bend tool to adjust
the radius of arcs and arced edges. Bend works on straight lines when you are sketching and when you are
editing in cross-section.
You can insert a point curve text file to make a complicated bend.
To bend a line or edge

1. Click Bend in the Sketch group.
2. If you are working in Section mode, select the face that contains the edge.
3. Click and drag a line or arc to bend it or change its radius.
Enter a value to dimension the radius.
Options
sheet, with Sketch mode selected you must select the Create layout curves check box again in the Sketch
Curves.

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displayed pink.
4.2.3.3.10. Inserting a face curve

You can draw spline curves on a 3D face using the Face Curve tool. These curves follow the contour of a
face. The face curve can be used like any other edge to modify the object.
To insert a face curve

1. Click Face Curve in the Insert group on the Design tab.
2. Click spots on the faces or edges of a part to draw the spline curve. Your spline can be drawn on one or
more faces, but can only be drawn on one object.
Face curves can also be sketched on mesh bodies by selecting facet points as spline points.
3. Double-click to end the curve or close the curve by clicking on your beginning point.
Now you are in editing mode and can change the curve as desired. The curve will not be applied to your
design until you complete the operation.
4. (Optional) Right-click a spot on the curve and select Add Face Curve Point to add a spline point.
5. (Optional) Right-click a spline point and select Remove Face Curve Point to delete the point.

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6. (Optional) Drag points to change the curve.

7. (Optional) Set the value for Periodic in the Properties panel:
• True: If you change this property to True, the tangencies of the beginning and end of the curve will
match to create a closed curve. If a curve is open and you set the property to True, the spline will be
closed.
• False: If you change this property to False, the end tangencies of a closed curve don't match. If a curve
is closed and you set the property to False, the curve will become teardrop-shaped because the end
points will no longer be tangent.
8. Click the Complete tool guide or press Enter to apply the curve to your design.
Tip: You will get much more predictable results if the face to face boundaries you are drawing over are
tangent. Click on the edges (tangent or not) to place a point for more control over the intersection point at
that boundary.
Tool guides
The Complete tool guide creates the face curve.
Examples
Sketching a face curve that is closed over tangentially-connected solid faces
The result of offsetting the edges that were created as a result of the face curve above
4.2.3.3.11. Projecting onto the sketch grid

Use the Project to Sketch tool to copy an edge or vertex of a solid to a 2D line or point that you can manipulate
with the sketch tools. You can also project a note onto the sketch grid. Projecting an axis onto the sketch
grid creates a construction line.
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Except when explicitly selecting a new sketch plane, this is the only sketch tool that can select items that are
not on the sketch grid. You can also select note text and project the text onto your sketch.
The sketch grid must be visible in the workspace before you can project edges onto it.
You can project a body onto a layout sketch plane on a drawing sheet.
To project an edge, vertex, or note onto the sketch grid

1. Click Project to Sketch in the Sketch group on the Design tab.
Mouse over your design to highlight the objects available for projection.
2. Click the edge, edge chain, vertex, or note text you want to project into the sketch plane.
Standard edge selection methods apply, so you can double-click, Ctrl+click, and Shift+click to create or
modify your selection.
You can also click and drag to draw a selection box enclosing the objects you want to project, including
silhouette edges.
The edge, vertex, or text appears as a sketched line to show that it is now a line or point in the sketch
plane.
Duplicate edges (that appear on top of each other) in the sketch are consolidated when you return to 3D
mode.
Tip If you have difficulty seeing a projected line, check that Fade Scene Under Grid is selected on the
Display tab.
To project a solid onto the sketch grid

2. Click on the Select Bodies tool guide if you want to select bodies in the design window.
You do not need the tool guide to select bodies in the Structure tree.
3. Select one of the following options:
• All body edges if you want all edges projected onto the sketch grid.
• Visible body edges if you want only the visible, or silhouette, edges projected onto the sketch grid.
• Body outline if you want to just project the body outline. Select a body in the Design window or Structure
tree.
Examples

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Projecting all body edges to the sketch grid
Projecting the body outline to the sketch grid

It may be necessary to use the tools in the Fix Curves group on the Repair tab if the sketch does not
automatically close into a surface.
4.2.3.3.12. Sketch Equations

Sketch Equations
Use the Equation tool in Sketcher to create curves based on mathematical equations.
You can select from a number of preset equations or write custom equations in Sketcher.
The image below shows a Sine Wave equation.
The equation is constructed in the Options panel. The image below shows the equation for the Sine Wave
shown above.

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You can enter an equation in the input fields for X and Y. Z is for 3D equations. You can enter a value to
offset the curve in the Z-direction.
Clicking the icon to the right of the X, Y, or Z input fields opens an editor for more complex equations.
Use the Equation tool in the Design tab to create 3D curves and surfaces based on mathematical equations.
To create a preset equation

1. Click the Equation tool in the Design tab
2. (Optional) Click the Set Grid Location tool guide and select a different sketch plane
3. Choose an equation from the Curve Types dropdown list in the Options panel
4. Edit the equation as needed in the Options panel
5. Click Complete to create the equation curve
To create a custom equation

3. Choose Custom in the Curve Types dropdown list in the Options panel
4. Enter the equation in the input panels
5. To create a Parameter to use in the equation enter it in square brackets "[ ]"
• For example: [L]
• The parameter is added to the Parameters list in the Options panel
To save a custom equation

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The Save Custom Equation button next to the Curve Types dropdown menu allows you to save your custom
equations. They are saved to an XML file in the following location:
%APPDATA%\Roaming\SpaceClaim\SketchEquationCustoms.xml
Saved equations are added to the Curve Types dropdown menu and can be used in other documents and
across multiple sessions. If you do not see a newly saved equation in the list. open/create a new document
or close and re-open the current document.
To edit an equation curve

2. The Select Curve tool guide is active

3. Select the curve to edit
Editing an Equation Curve in 3D is limited to the range of the equation. For example, if a Sine curve has a
range of 4π, you can Pull an end to anywhere within the that range. You cannot make it longer (e.g. 6π)
If the curve has been Split, the ends of any of the pieces can be Pulled within the range of the original
equation.
To scale an equation curve

Use the Scale parameter and slider in the Options panel to scale an equation curve.
The Scale tool in Sketcher and 3D scaling with the Pull tool also work on equation curves.
Syntax and predefined functions

• Parameters include a name and are enclosed in square brackets [L]
• Functions include a function name followed by parenthesis containing any values as arguments
º For example: Sine([t]-[r])
• The table below shows common predefined functions included
Name Description
Abs Returns the absolute value of a specified number
Acos Returns the angle whose cosine is the specified
number
Asin Returns the angle whose sine is the specified number
Atan Returns the angle whose tangent is the specified
number
Cos Returns the cosine of the specified angle
Sin Returns the sine of the specified angle
Sqrt Returns the square root of the specified number

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Tan Returns the tangent of the specified angle
Preset curve examples

The preset curves include those shown in the following table. All curves have default values.
Sine Wave Involute of Circle
Cosine Wave Lemniscate (Bernoulli)
Archimedes Spiral Limaҫon
Catenary Lissajous

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Epicycloid Logarithmic Spiral
Epitrochoid Normal Distribution
Hypocycloid Tractrix
Hypotrochoid Trochoid

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There are also 3D curves included in the presets. These are shown in the table below. All curves are at
default values.
Helix Slinky
Line Viviani's
4.2.3.3.13. Scaling sketches

4.2.3.3.13.1. Scaling sketches

Use the Scale tool to display control handles that you can use to manipulate a 2D object. The Scale tool
also works in Section mode on solids with only planar faces.
The Scale tool works for sketches that lie on a plane. If you need to scale sketches that lie on multiple planes,
see Scaling sketches with Pull.
To scale, rotate, or pan an object

1. Click Scale in the Sketch group on the Design tab.
2. Select a drawing or clipping plane.
3. Select any 2D object (including arcs and splines) or 3D edge.
You can hold Ctrl or draw a box in the Design window to select multiple objects.

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You can select individual spline points to change part of a spline curve.
4. Scale, rotate, or pan the object by doing the following:
• Scale: Drag the white control handle. You can press Shift while dragging to lock the aspect ratio. You
can also enter a dimension, including a percentage (such as 50%).
• Rotate: Drag the green control handle.

• Change the center of rotation and scaling: Drag the pink circle.
• Pan: Move the mouse over the dashed border so it changes to a solid line then drag the boxed object(s).
Options
The following option is available in the Scale tool:
Fix aspect ratio Select this option to keep the ratio between the sides
the same when you drag or enter a dimension. You
can also Shift+drag to keep the aspect ratio without
selecting this option.
Reorient the box Move and rotate the scale bounding box without
affecting the selected geometry.
Maintain sketch connectivity Keep the connection between a sketch curve and
other curves that share its end points. If you deselect
this option and scale a sketch curve, the curve will
scale independent of other curves.

Curves.

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displayed pink.
Examples
The Scale tool's dimensions refer to the extents of the selected sketch object
Scaling in Section mode
4.2.3.3.13.2. Scaling sketches with Pull

You can scale sketch curves with the Scale tool, or you can use the Pull tool.
You should use the Scale tool when you want to scale sketch curves that lie on a plane. Use the Pull tool
when you want to scale curves that lie on multiple planes, as in the example below.

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To scale sketch curves with the Pull tool
1. Click Pull in the Edit group on the Design tab.

2. Select the curves.
3. Click the Scale tool guide.
4. Select an anchor point.
5. If Blend is highlighted in orange, click to turn this option off in the Options panel.
Scaling won't work if the Blend option is enabled.
6. Drag in the direction of the yellow guide arrow.
4.2.3.4. Working with sketch curves in 3D

You can use the following sketch tools in 3D mode:
Line Tangent Line
Spline Tangent Arc
Point
You can use the following tools from the Sketch group to change curves in 3D mode:
Create Rounded Corner can be used on curves when

they are coplanar.
Create Corner can also be used on coplanar curves.
Trim Away can be used to trim curves in 3D mode.
Split Line can be used to split curves in 3D mode.
Using other tools to create and edit sketch curves in 3D mode

There are several methods that can create or edit sketch curves in 3D mode:
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• Use the Pull tool to pull a point into a line or sweep a point along an edge.
• Use the Move tool to translate or rotate curves in 3D mode.
• Use the Face Curve tool to sketch on a face or surface.
• You can use the Extend tool on the Prepare tab with sketch curves in 3D mode.
• You can change the radius of a circle or an arc directly in 3D by selecting it with the Select tool.
Examples
Sketching a path and sweeping to create a pipe
4.2.3.5. Editing a sketch

You can edit the dimensions of sketched lines, arcs, and points using the Select tool. Tangency is maintained
when you edit a sketch.
To edit a sketch
1. Click the Select tool. (You can also press Esc if you are in a sketching tool.)
Select the Select Reference Curve tool guide to dimension from another object, similar to the Shift+hover
functionality in other tools.
2. Click and drag the line or point you want to edit.
Alt+click and drag if you want to detach the line or point before moving it.
Ctrl+click and drag to create a copy.
Enter a value to dimension the move.
To edit the length and angle dimensions of a line

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1. Click the end point of a line or arc to edit the length or diameter and angle or chord angle dimensions of
the line or arc.
2. Mouse over the opposite end point of the line or arc to display a blue circle.
3. Drag to move the reference point for the dimension's length.
4. Enter the dimension for the length from the end point of the line to the new reference point.
5. Mouse over the line showing the end of the angle reference to highlight it in blue.
6. Drag the blue line to move the reference for the angle dimension.
If you move the angular reference 360°, the angle measurement is changed from clockwise to
counterclockwise.
7. Enter the dimension to adjust the angle of the line from the new reference line.
To edit the distance from another point

1. Click the midpoint of a line, the center of an arc, or any sketched point to display a dimension to a reference
point.
2. Mouse over the reference point, then drag the blue circles to the location you want to dimension from.
3. Click to set the new reference location.
To skew the X-Y lines, click the outer blue circle and enter the skew angle.
To change the properties of a sketch object

2. Select the sketch object to display its properties in the Properties panel.
You may need to adjust the width of the Properties panel or the columns within the properties panel. Place
your mouse over the vertical column line and drag to widen the column. Place your mouse over the border
of the panel and drag to widen the panel.
3. You can:
• Select a new color from the Color property to color the object.
• Switch between lines and construction lines by selecting a value from the Construction property.
• Switch between straight lines and mirror lines by selecting a value from the Mirror property.
• Enter the number of sides for a polygon in the Number of Sides property.
Tool guides
Select the Select Reference Curve tool guide and

click another sketch line to edit the dimensions from
the selected point to that sketch line.

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Use the Move Dimension Base Point tool guide and

click any point to edit the dimensions from the
selected point to that point.
Use the Change Dimension Reference Angle tool
guide and click to set the angle reference for the
selected point.
Examples
Editing a racetrack by dragging internal lines. You can drag to resize, rotate, lengthen, or make one side
larger than the other by dragging different lines or points in the sketch.
4.2.3.6. Copying a sketch

You can copy a sketch line in Sketch mode with the Select tool.

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To copy a sketch line

Ctrl+drag (with the Select tool) while sketching to copy a sketch line.
Press the spacebar while Ctrl+dragging a sketch line to dimension the distance between the first line and
the second, copied line.
You can also select a sketch line, copy it, and then select a point to paste the line onto the point.
4.2.3.7. Moving in two dimensions

Use the Move tool to move lines or points with the Move handle. When you move points or lines with this
tool, they do not maintain their connections to other lines or points. If you want to maintain the connections
in your sketch, use the Select tool to edit the sketch.
To move sketch entities
1. Click Move in the Edit group on the Design tab.

2. Select the curve or curves that you want to move.
3. Select the following options:
• Move grid: Select this option to move the sketch grid.
• Ruler: Can be used to dimension the move. See the instructions below.
• Create patterns: Create a pattern of the selected objects. Pattern relationships of sketch curves and
points are lost when you go into Section or 3D mode.
• Maintain sketch connectivity: Keeps the connections between a sketch curve and other curves that
share its end points. If you deselect this option and move a sketch curve, the curve will move independent
of other curves.
• Other options in the Options panel are not relevant when you move sketch entities.
4. (Optional) To change the anchor location of the Move handle
• Drag the yellow center sphere on the Move handle.
• Click the Anchor tool guide and select the face, edge, or vertex on which to place the Move handle.
The yellow center sphere turns into a blue cube when the Move handle is anchored.
5. (Optional) To change the direction or trajectory for the move,

• Drag one of the small balls on the rotational axis to reorient the Move handle, or dimension the orientation
by typing the rotation angle while you are dragging, then pressing Enter.
• You can also Alt+click a point or line, or click the Move Direction tool guide, then click a point or line,
to orient one of the Move handle's axes toward that point or along that line.
If you Alt+click a trajectory, you can move along the trajectory. Ctrl+Alt+click to add contiguous lines or
edges to the trajectory.
If you Alt+click a plane, the direction of movement is set perpendicular to the plane.
6. Click an axis and drag in that direction to move the selected object.
A line extends from the Move handle axis to indicate the direction you selected for movement.
7. To dimension the move,
a. Click Ruler in the Options panel.
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b. Click an edge or face to anchor the ruler.

The ruler is oriented along the selected Move handle axis.
c. Type a distance and press Enter.
4.2.3.8. Dimensional sketching

Discovery Live allows you to do precise, dimensional sketching internal to the current line and relative to
other lines and points. If a dimension cannot be edited, it does not highlight on mouse over.
To dimension the current line

1. Press the space bar to enter a value.
2. Press Tab to highlight and edit a secondary dimension.
3. Press Enter to accept the values.
Discovery Live allows you to enter mathematical expressions as dimension values.
To dimension relative to other lines and points

Hover the mouse over a line or point and press Shift to create a dimension relative to that line or point. If
you click a spline, the dimension is always created from the start point of that spline.
The dimension is displayed as Cartesian or Polar coordinates based on which coordinate system you select
in the Options panel.
To create an offset angular dimension

If the angular reference does not touch the arc center, parallel reference lines are created.
4.2.4. Edit Tools

4.2.4.1. Pulling
Use the Pull tool to offset, extrude, revolve, sweep, and draft faces; use it to round, chamfer, extrude, copy,
or pivot edges. You can also drag a point with the Pull tool to draw a line on a sketch plane.
The Pull tool can also be used on facets in Faceted Bodies.
Pulling the apex of a cone changes its height. Pulling through the base plane will invert the cone. Pulling a
loop of edges attached to a vertex will create conical faces at the corners when appropriate.
You can select a face, then pull, dragging anywhere to act, or you can click, drag, and release a highlighted
face. In general, the result of a pull stays selected or highlighted after the pull operation.
The action of the Pull tool depends on which faces and edges you select to work with, and which faces,
planes, or edges you select to drive the change. For example, if you choose to work with a face, then select
an edge to "drive" the pull, the Pull tool infers that you want to pivot the face around that edge. When multiple
actions can be inferred, you can use the Tool guides to correct the Pull tool's inference. The Pull tool
maintains any offset, mirror, pattern, or coaxial relationships.
When you pull a face, there are two main decisions you need to make. The first is to determine the direction
you want to pull in. A default direction is offered to you, but it can be overridden using the Direction tool
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guide. The second is to determine what is going to happen at the edges of the face. By default, the edges
of the face are determined by its neighbors, but you can override this behavior by including the edges in your
Pull selection to create an extrusion. When you pull, connected chamfers are automatically removed and
replaced.
Note: If you entered the Design tab with sheet metal features selected, the Pull tool will work as it does in
Sheet metal. To work as usual, right click on the sheet metal part in the Structure tree and choose Suspend
Sheet Metal in the context menu.
To create and edit a solid
1. Click Pull in the Edit group on the Design tab or press P.

Mouse over faces and edges in your design to preview the natural Pull direction. If your mouse is over
multiple faces or edges, use the scroll wheel to preview the Pull direction for each one.
2. Select the faces, edges, and points you want to pull to create 3D solids or surfaces.
You can right-click in the Design window and select Anchor Pull Handle, then click to anchor the Pull
handle on another object. This command is useful when you want to dimension a Pull from a different
location than the center of a face.
If the Pull arrow appears gray instead of yellow, then the object is locked and can't be pulled unless you
unlock it. To unlock an object, right-click the object in the Structure tree and select Unlock.
3. (Optional) Alt+click to select the face or edge that will drive the change.
You can also select the appropriate tool guide, then click the face, point, or edge. The driving edge or
face is shown in blue. If you select the Show cursor arrows Discovery Live option, arrows appear to
indicate the directions you can move your mouse to edit the selected object.
If you want to use an annotation dimension, see Driving modification with annotation dimensions.
Measurements can also be used to drive modifications.
To drive modifications with measurements.

a. Enter the Pull tool
b. Select a face, edge or vertex
c. Enter the Measure tool (shortcut is “e”)and measure any single object or measure between two objects
d. Click in the Measurement results (hover over measurements to display purple box). Once selected,
that single measurement will display on screen with arrows pointing to either object chosen for
measurement.
e. Click in the highlighted dimension box and modify the value for a one-time adjustment of the model
or create a Measurement Group which can be modified at any time.
f. Measurement groups can also be created from Area results. Modifying the group then adjusts the
model to produce a desired area. For example, create a Measurement group for the area of a side of

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a box. While pulling the front of the box, you can enter a new area value for the side to complete the
Pull.
4. (Optional) Select options from the Options panel, or right-click and select them from the mini-toolbar.
5. Click and drag in the direction of the Pull arrow to create or edit a solid.
6. If the correct pull arrow is not highlighted, press Tab or click the Pull arrow you want to use.
Press Shift to snap while pulling.
Press the spacebar or click on a dimension to enter a value.
To dimension the pull, type the distance you want to pull and press Enter. You can also type a dimension
in the dimension box in the mini-toolbar.
You do not have to click and drag on (or even near) the Pull arrow. In fact, we recommend that you move
your cursor away from the arrow for more precise control of the pull. The only important input to the Pull
tool is the direction in which you are moving the cursor. When you pull, contiguous solids are automatically
combined.
If you want to pull in a head-on view, use the ruler at the bottom right corner of the Design window to pull
instead of the Pull arrow. Slide the gray bar to the left to subtract material, and to the right to add material.
If you pull through another object in the same component, the smaller object is merged into the larger
one, and receives the larger object's properties. If you pull multiple, touching surfaces, the smaller surfaces
are merged into the largest one. Select the No Merge option if you don't want objects merged.
Hold the Ctrl key while pulling to create a copy of the object that is offset by the distance you pull. You
can also hold Ctrl while revolving to create a copy of a surface. The influence of neighboring faces is
taken into account to trim or extend the edges of the copied face, when appropriate. You can use the Up
To tool guide with Ctrl to make a copy, and you can use the Both Sides option to make two copies that
are offset in opposite directions from the original. You can also use the Up To tool guide to pull surfaces
up to a reference edge.
Press Esc to cancel the Pull.
See the topics in the Table of Contents under Designing > Editing > Pulling for the list of actions you
can perform with the Pull tool.
Do it faster
1. Select the faces, edges, and points you want to work with.

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In general, pulling a face increases the size of the solid, pulling an edge creates a surface, and pulling a
point creates a line or curve.
2. (Optional) Alt+click the face or edge that will drive the pull.
3. Drag in the direction of the Pull arrow.
Pulling a curve
When you select a curve with the Pull tool, the direction of the extrusion is determined by the plane of the
curve.
The default direction to pull a curve is along the Z

axis.
If a curve lies on the Z axis, the pull arrow points in

the Y direction.
If you select two curves on the same plane, the pull

arrow points in the direction that is perpendicular to
the plane of the curves.
If you select a curve that touches another curve, the

pull arrow points in the direction perpendicular to the
plane of the two curves.
Pulling curve ends

You can toggle between Tangent and Natural (curvature continuous) extension when dragging the end of a
curve. To drag the extension Tangent to the curve, press and hold Ctrl prior to dragging. You can release
the Ctrl key once you start dragging. If you do not press Ctrl, the extension is created Curvature Continuous.
• Works for Splines (extended or trimmed-back)
• Works for Arcs

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Press Ctrl and drag to Pull the curve end tangent to the curve.
Without pressing Ctrl, Pulling the curve end extends it with its natural curvature.
Pulling surface edges

Surface edges can be Pulled normal to their neighboring face. Press the Ctrl key when you begin the Pull.

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Press Ctrl and drag to Pull the edge tangent to the surface.
Without pressing Ctrl, Pulling the edge extends it with its natural curvature.
Tool guides
The Select tool guide is active by default. When this tool guide is active, you can perform
standard selection tasks, and create natural offsets and rounds. Select a face, parallel
faces, or surface edges to offset them. Select a solid edge to round it. Alt+click to select
the driving face or edge for revolves, directed extrusion, sweeps, and drafts.
Alt+double-click an edge to select an edge loop. Alt+double-click again to cycle through
alternate edge loops. You can select objects across multiple components to pull.
Use the Direction tool guide to select a straight line, edge, axis, origin axis, plane, or
planar face to set the pull direction.
Select a face to pivot or select a face and edge to revolve. Then use the Revolve tool
guide to select the straight line, edge, or axis around which you want to pivot or revolve.
Select any number of contiguous faces on the same body, then use the Draft tool guide
to select the plane, planar face, or edge around which you want to pivot. None of the
contiguous faces can be parallel to the neutral plane, face or edge around which you want
to pivot.
Use the Sweep tool guide to select the straight or curved lines or edges along which
you want to sweep. Faces and edges can be swept, and the sweep trajectory cannot be
in the same plane as the face.

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Use the Scale Body tool guide to scale objects in 3D. See Scaling solids and surfaces.
Use the Up To tool guide to select the object that you want to pull to. The pulled object's
face or edge will mate with the surface of the selected body or be pulled up to a plane
through the selection. You can also use this tool guide to pull surfaces up to a reference
edge or facet. When pulling Up To a Facet reference, a dimension is displayed for further
editing. The object will be copied if you hold Ctrl.
The selection used for Up To can come from the Structure Tree, if it can be determined.
A single face surface is an example of an Up To selection in the Structure Tree.
Extends an edge or face to the nearest face. This option works similar to the Up To tool
guide, except you don't select the face to extend to.
You can use Full Pull to automatically pull edges up to the closest faces that intersect
with the object. The edges you select are extended in the direction of the Pull handle up
to the next set of faces or edges that fully bound the extension. The original surfaces that
the edges belong to are extended and new edges may be created; however, new faces
are not created.
Pull Options
The following options are available in the Pull tool. Once you select the edge or face to pull, select these
options from the Options panel or the mini-toolbar:
Add Only add material when you pull. If you pull in a subtractive direction, no change
will occur. You can combine this option with other Pull options.
Cut Only remove material when you pull. If you pull in an additive direction, no
change will occur. You can combine this option with other Pull options.
No Merge Pulls without merging into other objects even when the object pulled intersects
with an existing object.
When this check box is selected and you pull a surface, the surface is extruded
Thicken surfaces into a solid. This is the default behavior. When the option is deselected and
you pull a surface, the surface is offset to a new location, changing the original
surface. When you hold Ctrl and drag a surface with the option selected or
deselected, the surface is copied and then offset.
Select this check box to maintain the offset relationship when pulling.
Maintain Offset
Pull Both Sides Select a single, detached edge, imprinted edge, surface, or helix then click
this option to pull both sides of the edge or surface at once.
Measure Opens the Measure tool. Selecting a measurement result returns you to the
Pull tool and displays the measurement value in a dimension box with an
arrow pointing to the measured object. Modify the value for a one-time
adjustment of the model or create a Measurement Group which can be modified
at any time.
Mass Properties Opens the Mass Properties tool. Selecting a mass property result returns
you to the Pull tool and displays the measurement value in a dimension box
with an arrow pointing to the measured object. Modify the value for a one-time
at any time.

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Ruler Select this option, then click to connect a ruler, oriented along the pull axis, to
an anchor edge or face. You can use the ruler to dimension the pull. The
direction must be specified to successfully create a ruler dimension. Press
Esc to cancel the ruler dimension.
When you are pulling an edge, select this option to create a rounded corner,
Round
which is also known as a fillet.
Note: The default minimum radius is 0.1 mm. Smaller radii can be specified
if the units are in micrometers, nanometers, or mils.
Chamfer When you are pulling an edge, select this option to create a chamfer.
Extrude Edge When you are pulling an edge, select this option to extrude the edge into a
surface.
Copy Edge When you are pulling an edge, select this option to create a copy of the edge.
The type of offset is determined by whether or not Offset edges by geodesic
calculation is selected in Advanced options. This option is selected by default.
When this option is selected, all the points on the offset edge are the same
distance from the initial edge. In the examples below, the original edge is
highlighted in green, the regular offset is shown in orange, and the geodesic
offset is shown in blue.
Pivot Edge When you are pulling an edge, select this option to pivot the edge along the
selected Pull arrow.
Examples
Pulling the edge of a surface first simplifies the edge, then its neighboring edges are extended (or trimmed)

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Pulling the edge of a surface while holding Ctrl makes a new surface that is tangent to the edge.
Pulling edges up to other edges with the Up To tool guide
Pulling a point on a surface towards an Alt+clicked vertex
Pulling edges with the Full Pull option. If you select the lower edge of the green surface shown above, you
will receive an error because the neighboring surface does not extend past the end of the selected edge.

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The edge on the right side of the face can be pulled with the option, because the neighboring face extends
beyond its length. A new edge is created, which is marked in red in the illustration on the right.
Pulling edges to their nearest neighbor with the Full Pull option
Pulling a sketched line on a planar face creates a surface in the same plane as the face
Pulling the edge of a toroidal surface. Three directions are available for pulling.
Holding Ctrl while pulling a surface with the Both Sides option creates copies of a surface.

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Pulling two edges with the Extrude (2a), Copy Edge (2b), and Pivot (2c) options.
Pulling a face offsets it, and its edges are influenced by neighboring faces.
Pulling a face with its edges selected extrudes the face without influence from neighboring faces.
Pulling a conical face Up To a parallel cylindrical face replaces the cone with the cylinder if the axes are
close together. Otherwise, the conical face is replaced with a cylindrical face that is coaxial to the cone and
has the same radius as the cylinder.

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Pulling a pocket with rounded edges down through the bottom of a solid transfers the rounds to the resulting
hole.
Pulling a surface up to a reference edge.
Pivot two separate edges together when pulling in one direction.
4.2.4.1.1. Offsetting or extruding faces

To offset or extrude a face
1. Select the Pull tool in the Edit group on the Design tab. The Select tool guide on the right side of
the Design window should be active.
2. Select the face or surface you want to offset or extrude.
You can select multiple surfaces and faces of solids to offset or extrude them simultaneously.
3. (Optional) Add edges to your selection.
Select the edges of the face that you want to extrude when you pull. (Any unselected edges are defined
by the neighboring geometry during the pull, creating an offset instead of an extrusion.)

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4. (Optional) Select the Direction tool guide , then click the straight line, axis, or edge if you want to
offset or extrude in a different direction.
You can also Alt+click a straight line, axis, plane, origin axis, or edge. Sometimes Discovery Live guesses
your intent incorrectly when you Alt+click the direction line. If this happens, just use the Direction tool
guide to correct it.
The pull direction is shown in blue and the pull arrow is reoriented.
5. Click and drag the face in the direction of the Pull arrow.
Dragging a: Does this:

Solid face Offsets the face in its natural offset direction
Solid face and all its edges Creates an extrusion
Surface face Thickens or thins the face
Corner edge of a solid Creates a round, chamfer, or extrusion, depending
on the selected option
Round or chamfer Offsets the round or chamfer
Variable round Uniformly offsets the variable round
Cylinder, torus, or cone Offsets the cylinder, torus, or cone
To dimension the offset, type the distance you want to pull and press Enter.
Press and hold Ctrl to offset a copy of the face as a surface.
Neighboring faces automatically extend to bound the offset face.
You can also use the Up To tool guide to pull up to any edge, plane, surface, or face in your design. If
you pull a round, chamfer, or cylinder with the Up To tool guide, and pull up to similar geometry, the radius
or offset is changed to the dimension of the Up To face you select.
Options
options from the Options panel, or right-click and select them from the mini-toolbar:
Add Select the Add option to only add material. If you pull in a subtractive direction,
no change will occur. You can combine this option with other Pull options.
Cut Select the Cut option to only remove material. If you pull in an additive direction,
Pull Both Sides Select a single, detached edge, imprinted edge, or surface, then click this option
to pull both sides of the edge or surface at once.
an anchor edge or face. You can use the ruler to dimension the pull. The direction
must be specified to successfully create a ruler dimension. Press Esc to cancel
the ruler dimension.

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Up to Pulls the element so it mates with the surface of the selected body or be pulled
up to a plane through the selection. You can find this option in the mini-toolbar
and it is the same as the Up To tool guide.
Examples
Selecting a face to offset
Selecting a face and edges to extrude
Selecting a face and edges, and setting a direction to extrude in a direction
Pulling an inner cylindrical surface up to an outer surface to create a solid ring
4.2.4.1.2. Extending or extruding surface edges

You can extend or extrude the edges of any surface with the Pull tool. When you extend an edge, the pull
extends the neighboring faces without creating a new edge. Extruding an edge creates edges.

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To extend or extrude the edge of a surface
1. Click Pull in the Edit group on the Design tab. The Select tool guide on the right side of the Design
window should be active.
2. Select the outside edge of a surface.
Ctrl+click to select multiple edges.
3. Click the Pull arrow oriented along the surface to extend the edge. Press Tab or click the other Pull arrow
to extrude the edge in another direction.
4. (Optional) Ctrl+click the vertex of one or both neighboring edges to ignore their influence.
5. Drag in the direction of the Pull arrow to extend the edge or create a new surface perpendicular to the
old one.
If the correct pull arrow is not highlighted, press Tab or click the Pull arrow you want to use.
The natural direction of a surface edge is in the plane of the surface.
You can use the Up To tool guide to pull a linear edge up to a face, surface, edge, or point. If the face or
surface does not intersect the edge you are pulling, the edge will be pulled parallel to the selected object.
To dimension the extension, type the distance you want to extend the surface while you are pulling and
press Enter.
Options
Full Pull Extends an edge or face to the nearest face. This option works similar to the Up
To tool guide, except you don't select the face to extend to. If used to revolve or
sweep, click this option to revolve 360 degrees or to the next face, sweep through
the full trajectory, or blend through selected faces.

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surface.
Examples
Pulling the edge of a surface up to another edge forms a solid if it closes the body
Pulling the edge of a cylindrical surface extends the surface along a cylindrical path (A) unless you hold Ctrl
(B).

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Pulling the edge of a cylindrical surface with the No Merge option selected creates a new edge.
Pulling the edge of a cylindrical surface with the Both Sides option and holding Ctrl creates a new surface
tangent to the cylinder and extends in both directions from the edge.
Pulling an edge with the Pivot Edge option
Pulling an edge with the Copy Edge option
4.2.4.1.3. Rounding edges

Use the Pull tool's Round option to round the edges of any solid. You can also round an inside or outside
corner of a surface. To create a rounded face between two faces, see Rounding between faces and surfaces.
Rounds are recognized as a face type, with their own options in the Properties panel. You can change the
Round value (true or false) and the Radius value. The Round value for a variable radius round is Varies.
You can change a constant- or variable-radius round with the Pull tool in section mode.

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To round an edge
1. Click the Pull tool in the Edit group on the Design tab.
2. Select the edge or edges you want to round. Double-click to select a tangent chain.
You can also select the vertex of an inside or an outside corner of a surface.
3. Select the Round option in the Options panel or from the mini-toolbar. This option is automatically
selected for edges that can be rounded.
4. Click and drag the edge in the direction of the Pull arrow.
To dimension the round, press the Spacebar, type the radius, and press Enter.
When you pull an edge to create a round, the Pull tool determines whether it should be a constant radius
or a variable radius round based on the geometry.
Once you create a round, pulling an adjacent face also pulls the round.
When you round more than one edge at the same time, and one or more of the rounds cannot be created,
only the successful rounds are created.
Note: The face hidden by the round is remembered, so that if you fill the round it can be displayed. If you
move a round, the face hidden by it is also moved.
Examples
Rounding the inside and outside corner of two surfaces.
Pulling edges on geometry that automatically determines rounds will be variable radius.
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When creating surface-to-surface rounds, the expansion direction depends on the order in which you select
the edges. In the example above, the rounds expand toward the left because the upper edge was selected
first.
Rounding the edge created by two rounds with one edge not tangent.
Pulling rounds in a tangent chain. Pulling the selected tangent chain does not change the round shown in
blue.
Adding and changing a rounded edge on a shelled or offset part changes the inside faces.
Rounding elliptical edges.

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To create a full round by selecting edges

1. Click the Pull tool.
2. Select the two edges on opposite sides of the face you want to become a full round, or select the circular
edge on the end of a cylinder.
You can select more than one pair of edges, and create full rounds between the pairs.
3. Pull the edges down so they are just rounded.
4. Slowly pull the mouse in the opposite direction, until the faces are no longer round, and continue pulling
until the full round appears.
To create a full round by selecting faces

2. Select the face where you want the full round.
3. Hold Ctrl and select the two side faces that will be tangent to the full round.
4. Right-click and select Full Round.
Example
Creating a full round by selecting three faces
To convert a constant-radius round to a variable-radius round

2. Check the Edit as Variable Radius Round option.
To edit a variable radius round

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• Click the Pull arrow on an end of the round face and drag toward or away from the face to adjust the radius
at the edge of the round.
• Click the Pull arrow pointing toward the center of the face and drag it along the face (or enter a length or
percent) to set another point where you can adjust the round's radius.
• Hold Ctrl and drag to copy a control point.
• Press Tab to switch among and edit the dimensions by typing a number.
• Two rounds that intersect at a shared edge can be made variable together by selecting the shared sharp
edge for modification. Both rounds become variable at that point. They can be made variable independently
by selecting the sharp end edge that is not shared by the rounds.
In the Pull tool, when you select an edge of a constant radius round, the Smooth option becomes enabled
if the geometry allows it. When checked, the transition between radius at each end of the round will vary
smoothly instead of linearly. Once set, the Smooth option remains set for subsequent rounds until you change
it.
The image below shows a Smooth variable radius round. Other editing examples follow.
Examples
Editing a variable radius round

The variable radius round handles have a drag (ball) handle. The center Radius Handle cannot be dragged;
all radii values are adjusted at once.

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Click the ball and drag to add and place a new radius handle.
Setting another point for adjusting a variable round's radius
Selecting multiple edges to create a variable round across those edges
To remove a rounded edge
To remove a rounded edge with the Pull tool

This method completely removes the rounded edge.

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2. Select the rounded edge.
3. Select the Round option in the Options panel or from the mini-toolbar.
The round is removed.
To remove a rounded edge with the Fill tool

This method removes the rounded edge and creates a round group in the Groups panel. You can right-click
the group and select Reattach Round to restore the rounded edge.
1. Click the Fill tool in the Edit group on the Design tab.
3. Click the Complete tool guide.
The round is removed and a round group is created.
4.2.4.1.4. Rounding between faces and surfaces

You can create a rounded edge across the gap between two faces or surfaces that would meet at a corner.
To create a rounded face on an edge, see Rounding edges.
When you round between faces of two solids, the solids must extend into the area where the rounded face
is created.
To round between faces or surfaces

2. Select the faces you want to create a round between.
3. Select the Round option in the Options panel.

The pull arrow changes to indicate that a round will be created between the faces and a curve is displayed
to show you the direction of the round. Yellow cursor arrows show you the directions you can pull to create
the round if you have cursor arrows enabled.
4. Press Tab to cycle through all of the possible rounds that can be created between two faces or surfaces.
If the two faces you are rounding between are rounds, then Tab lets you choose either rounding between
or changing the radius of both existing rounds.

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5. Click and drag in the direction of the Pull arrow.

When pulling Face-to-Face round,s you can match their radius to an existing round using the Up To tool
guide.
Note: Unlike rounds made on edges, the faces hidden by the round are not remembered. If you fill the round
it will be replaced by an edge.
Examples
Rounding between faces on two parts. Material exists in the area where the rounded face is created, so this
operation will succeed.
A rounded face cannot be created between these faces because material doesn't exist in the area between
the parts where the round will be created.
This sequence shows creating a round between faces, then using the Fill tool to remove the round. The Fill
replaces the round with an edge and not with the original geometry.

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Rounding between two surfaces creates a rounded surface.
4.2.4.1.5. Round modification

Some modifications fail because the entire round chain (along with all chains required to be removed by the
modification) are all included in the modification. In some cases, parts of the chain (or others, even far away
ones) are restricted by surrounding geometry and the modification fails. To make modifications more robust,
they are localized to the selected piece of the round.
A key to this working is that the ends of the localized section need to be “auto-capped”. In other words, they
need to be able to be closed off by a plane triangular face, essentially normal to the last-visited construction
edge. The following example illustrates this.
The radius is going to be increased at the selected edge.
Localizing means that the round pieces on either side of the edge are removed first. For this to work, the
ends of the removed pieces need to be “capped” with a triangular face or be the start or end point of the
round chain. These end conditions are necessary to rebuild the new variable round between the ends.
An end cap is shown in the example below.

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The Localized round can then be reconstructed with the modified radius as shown below.
The image below shows an example where capping the end is difficult. The red circles highlight points where
there is ambiguity for capping. It's difficult to construct a capping face normal to the construction edge.
With Localization, the modification will fail if either of these edges is an end of a modified piece of the round.
Without Localization, the modification would include these areas and the modification would fail.

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In order to remove a round for modification, the side faces need to be able to Extend up and form a sharp
edge as shown below.
In some cases, extra surface patches can cause ambiguous situations where the sharp edge cannot be
determined and the round cannot be removed for modification. The image below is an example of a round
that cannot be removed because of face extension ambiguity.

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Round order
The order in which rounds are created influences the appearance and quality of the resultant geometry. The
Reverse Round Order button in the Round mini-toolbar Allows to reverse the order of selected rounds that
interact with other rounds.
You can change the order of round creation to clean up split rounds that produce extra edges as shown in
the example below.
A round is applied to an edge which is broken by existing rounds.

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Because the edge is broken, the new round is segmented.
Reversing the round order produces smoother rounds.
4.2.4.1.6. Chamfering edges

You can chamfer the edges of any solid by selecting the Pull tool's Chamfer option. Sketched chamfers that
you make using the Create Rounded Corner tool with the Chamfer option are recognized as chamfers when
they are extruded into a solid.
Chamfers are recognized as a face type, with their own options in the Properties panel. You can change the
Chamfer (true or false) and Distance values.
After you create the chamfer, you can adjust the setback distance of both sides and you can change its
offset. Drag the arrows above or below the chamfer to change the distance, or drag the arrow that is
perpendicular to the chamfer to change its offset. You can also pivot the edges and the chamfer's distance
properties will be updated with the new values.

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Note: When you make a hole in a chamfered face, the face is no longer a chamfer. You can still pull the
face, or the hole, but you cannot change the chamfer to a round or dimension the chamfer.
To chamfer an edge

2. Select the edge or edges you want to chamfer. Double-click to select a tangent chain.
3. Select the Chamfer option in the Options panel or from the mini-toolbar.
4. Click and drag the edge in the direction of the Pull arrows.
Pulling the arrow that is normal to the chamfer face changes the offset distance for the whole chamfer.
Pulling either of the side arrows changes the setback distance of that side. You can press Tab to move
among the arrows.
To dimension the chamfer, right-click and enter a setback distance in the mini-toolbar, or press the space
bar, type the setback distance, and press Enter.
To create a chamfer with the same setback distance and size as an existing chamfer, use the Up to tool
guide and select an existing chamfer face. You can also select an edge with Up To to set the setback
distance.
Chamfer stop faces

Stop Chamfers have conical stop faces that mimic the effect of an angled cutting tool rotating and then
stopping somewhere in the middle of an edge.
1. Select a chamfered edge.

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• When you click the Chamfer option in the Pull tool, the edge ends switch to yellow cones that can be
dragged. This is similar to Pull Edge UI in Sheet Metal and sets the point where the simulated cutter
will stop.
• Note the conical stop face created at the chamfer's
end.

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• You can move both ends to create stop faces at both ends of the
chamfer.
Reverse Chamfer Stop has been added to Chamfer options. This flips the ‘direction' of the conical Stop
Face.
• The handle used to set the location of the Stop Face is a cone that indicates the orientation of the cutting
tool that would create the Chamfer.

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• Here it is 'reversed' or flipped 90
degrees.
• An Apex offset input box has been added to Chamfer options to offset the cone apex (the lowest point
of the cone) past the furthest extent of the intersection of the virtual cutter with the material.
Apex offset = 0 Apex offset = 1 Apex offset = 2
• The linear dimension in the image refers to the arc length of the un-chamfered part of the original edge.
Note in the example below that 7.22mm is the length of the arc between
points.
To modify a chamfered edge

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1. Select a chamfered edge or a chain of chamfered edges.

• To change the setback distance of one side of the chamfer, pull the arrow above or below the chamfer,
as shown below. Press the space bar while pulling to type a distance value. You can also change both
setback distances in the Properties panel and in the mini-toolbar. The Up To tool guide can be used to
pull the setback up to an object.
• To change the offset distance of the chamfer, pull the arrow that is perpendicular to the chamfer, as
shown below. Press the spacebar while pulling to type a distance value.
• To modify by Distance and Angle, select one of the side handles to display the mini-toolbar and click
the Angle dimension option. The selected side becomes the distance side and the other switches
to angle.
• To convert the chamfer to a normal face, select False in the Chamfer field of the Properties panel. You
can select True to convert a face to a chamfer; however, faces with holes cannot be modified as
chamfers. Changing this property does not change the geometry. See the instructions below to remove
a chamfer from an edge.
Note: Hold the Shift key while pulling a chamfer setback or offset to snap to existing edges.
To convert between rounded edges and chamfered edges

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2. Select the edge or edges you want to convert to chamfers or rounded edges.
Double-click to select a tangent chain.
You can't convert a chamfered edge if you have changed the setback distance(s).
3. Select the Chamfer option or the Round option in the Options panel or from the mini-toolbar.
The rounded edge is converted to a chamfered edge.
Note: You cannot convert a chamfer to a round if you have changed its setback distance(s).
To make a chamfer with the same setback and offset as another chamfer

2. Select an edge or an existing chamfer that you want to change.
3. Click the Up To tool guide.
4. Select the chamfer whose values you want to copy.
The first chamfer will be changed so its offset and setback distances are the same as the second chamfer.
To remove a chamfer with the Pull tool

This method completely removes the chamfered edge.

2. Select the chamfered edge.
The chamfer is removed.
To remove a chamfer with the Fill tool

This method removes the chamfered edge and creates a chamfer group in the Groups panel. You can
right-click the group and select Reattach Chamfer to restore the chamfered edge.
1. Click Fill in the Edit group on the Design tab.

The chamfer is removed and a chamfer group is created.
Examples

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Pulling to enlarge an existing chamfer while holding Shift to snap to an edge. You can only snap to an edge
in this case when you pull an existing chamfer.
Using the Up to tool guide to change the offset and setback distances of a chamfer to match an existing
chamfer.
Creating a chamfer on multiple edges at the same time.
4.2.4.1.7. Extruding edges

You can extrude the edge of any solid by selecting the Pull tool's Extrude Edge option. You can also extend
and extrude surface edges.
To extrude an edge

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2. Select the edge or edges you want to extrude.
Ctrl+click to select multiple edges. Double-click to select a tangent chain.
3. Select the Extrude Edge option in the Options window, or from the mini-toolbar.
The Pull arrow changes to show the two directions in which you can extrude the edge. One arrow is
highlighted to show the primary direction.
4. If the arrow pointing the direction you want to pull is not highlighted, click the arrow or press Tab to change
the direction.
Click and drag the edge in the direction of the Pull arrow.
To dimension the extrusion, right-click and enter a distance in the mini-toolbar, or type the distance while
you are pulling and press Enter.
Press Ctrl to copy the edges.
Press Ctrl+C, then Ctrl+V to quickly copy and paste a selected set of edges in place.
You can click the Up To tool guide and click a face, edge, or point to pull up to. If the face does not intersect
the edge you are pulling, the edge will be pulled parallel to the face. If you pull the edge of a surface up to
another object, the result is automatically solidified if it creates a closed volume.
To extrude a curve
2. Select the curve or curves you want to extrude.
Ctrl+click to select multiple curves. Double-click to select a tangent chain.
The Pull arrow changes to show the two directions in which you can extrude the curve. One arrow is
the direction.
Click and drag the curve in the direction of the Pull arrow.
Press Ctrl to copy the curves.
Press Ctrl+C, then Ctrl+V to quickly copy and paste a selected set of curves in place.
the curve you are pulling, the curve will be pulled parallel to the face. If you pull the curve of a surface up to
When extruding sketch curves into surfaces, the following rules apply to the resulting surface color.

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If all curves being pulled are the same color AND the curve colors
override their layer color, the surface is the same color as the curves.
If all curves being pulled are the same color AND the curves take
their color from a layer that is not the Active layer, the surface is the
color of the Active layer and not the color of the curves.

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If all curves are not the same color, the surface uses the Active layer
color.
If all curves are not the same color AND take their colors from
different layers, the surface uses the Active layer color.
Options

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Extrude Edge or When you are pulling an edge or curve, select this option to extrude the edge
Extrude Curve into a surface.
4.2.4.1.8. Pivoting edges

You can pivot the edge of any solid with the Pull tool's Pivot Edge option. You can also pivot two separate
edges together when pulling in one direction.
To turn a cylinder into a cone, select the Pull tool and the Pivot Edge option. Then click the edge of the
cylinder and pull it until it forms a point. To turn a truncated cone into a cylinder, click the small edge and pull
it out.
To pivot an edge
1. Select the Pull tool in the Edit group on the Design tab.
The Select tool guide is enabled by default.
2. Select the edge or edges you want to pivot. Double-click to select a tangent chain or edge loop.
3. Select the Pivot Edge option in the Options panel, or from the mini-toolbar.
The Pull arrow changes to show the two directions in which you can move the edge to pivot the connected
faces. One arrow is highlighted to show the primary direction.
4. If the arrow pointing in the direction you want to pull is not highlighted, click the arrow or press Tab.
5. Drag the edge in the direction of the Pull arrow.
During the pull, the distance you have moved the edge is displayed. You can dimension the distance in
Section and 3D mode, and dimension the angle in Section mode.
You can hold Shift to snap to existing geometry.
Examples

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Simultaneously pivoting multiple edges.
Pivoting two separate edges together when pulling in one direction.
Dimensioning the pivot angle.
4.2.4.1.9. Revolving faces

You can revolve any face or surface with the Pull tool. The face or surface can lie on both sides of the revolve
axis.
To revolve a face
2. Select the surfaces, faces, or solids you want to revolve.
3. Alt+click the straight line, axis, or edge to set the revolve axis.
You can also select the Revolve tool guide, then click to set the revolve axis. The revolve axis is shown
in blue.
4. Click and drag in the direction of the Pull arrow to revolve the selected object, select the Up To tool guide
and click an edge, face, or plane, or select Full Pull from the Options panel or mini-toolbar.
Neighboring faces automatically extend to define the boundaries of the revolved faces of solids. Revolving
from a flat surface face has no neighboring faces, so it makes new face boundaries.

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To dimension the rotation, type the rotation angle and press Enter. The positive direction is shown by the
Revolve handle.
Note: Alt+click an axis, then mouse over a face and pull to revolve the face around the axis.
Options
Full Pull Once you select the edge about which to revolve or sweep, click this option to
revolve 360 degrees or to the next face, sweep through the full trajectory, or
blend through selected faces.
Examples
Revolve using cut, 180 degree revolve, and a full revolve of an ellipse around an asymmetrical axis
Revolving a surfacing using Cut, when the surface lies on both side of the axis and is enclosed within a solid

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4.2.4.1.10. Revolving edges

You can revolve an edge to form a surface with the Pull tool. You can revolve the edge of a solid or surface.
To revolve an edge of a solid or surface
2. Select the edges you want to revolve.
3. Alt+click a straight line, axis, or edge to set the rotation axis.
You can also select the Revolve tool guide, then click the revolve axis. The revolve axis is shown in blue.
4. Click and drag in the direction of the Pull arrow to revolve the selected edge or select the Up To tool guide
and click an edge or face to revolve up to.
Ctrl+click to select edges of faces along with the face to force the pull tool to create new neighboring
faces to contain these edges (essentially changing from a draft to a revolve). Unlike other CAD products,
Discovery Live allows revolving planar and non-planar edges and faces about lines that do not lie in those
planes. This allows skewed rotational solids and surfaces.
You can use the Up To tool guide when you revolve edges.
To dimension the rotation, type the rotation angle while the Revolve handle is displayed and press Enter.
To revolve an edge of a surface
3. (Optional) Hold Ctrl and select an end point to maintain constant radius as the edge is revolved.
If you don't select an end point, the edge will follow influencing sides of surfaces or solids, if they exist.
A side influence can be another edge of the surface if it lies in the same plane, or a solid or surface that
touches the end of the edge. See the examples below.
5. Click and drag in the direction of the Pull arrow to revolve the selected edge.

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Options
Up To Pulls the element so it mates with the surface of the selected body or be pulled
Examples
Revolving the edge of a solid to create a surface.
Revolving an edge of a surface that is not in the plane of the surface makes an edge with a constant radius
because the edge has no side influence in this direction.

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Revolving an edge of a surface with side influence makes an edge that is influenced by adjacent edges.
Revolving an edge of a surface with side influence with its end-point selected makes an edge with a constant
radius.
Revolving an edge that crosses the axis will create more than one surface or solid if the edge is not symmetrical
across the axis.
4.2.4.1.11. Revolving helices

You can revolve a helix with the Pull tool. Path and geometry are previewed as you pull along the axis or
enter dimensions, as shown in the image below.
To revolve a helix
2. Select the face or edge you want to revolve.
3. Select the Revolve tool guide.

4. Click the axis you want to revolve around.
5. Select the Revolve Helix option in the Options panel.

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6. For points, select the Pull Both Sides option in the general Options panel to create a helix in both
directions.
7. Set the handedness of the helix by checking or unchecking the Right-Handed Helix option in the Options
panel. To create a Left-Handed Helix, uncheck the Right-Handed Helix option.
8. Pull along the axis to create the helix dynamically.
As you pull, you can enter dimensions in the helix dimension fields:
• Pitch is the amount that the helix face shifts per 360 degrees of rotation.
• Taper is the helix angle.
Press Tab to switch between dimension fields and Enter to accept the dimensions and create the helix.
To create a helix dimensionally

You can also create a helix by entering the height (the total length of the helix). Press Tab to switch between
dimension fields and preview the helix. Click the Full Pull option to create the entire helix based on the
dimensions.
Options
Right-Handed Helix Select this option to determine the direction in which the helix is revolved around
its axis.
4.2.4.1.12. Sweeping
You can sweep a face, edge, surface, 3D curve, or other object along a trajectory with the Pull tool. Sweeping
a face around a closed path creates a torus.
To sweep a face

2. Select the profile you want to sweep.
3. Select the Sweep tool guide, then click the sweep trajectory. The sweep trajectory is shown in blue.
Alt+double-click to select a tangent chain. Ctrl+click to add contiguous paths.

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You can also select the profile to sweep and then Alt+click the sweep trajectory or Alt+Ctrl+click multiple
trajectories. The sweep tool is selected automatically.
If the trajectory along which you want to sweep is a non-linear curve, you can also Alt+click the curve,
which selects the Sweep tool guide automatically.
If you select the Normal to Trajectory option, the sweep is aligned along the origin trajectory
To quickly sketch a face perpendicular to a desired trajectory, select the end of the trajectory and select
a sketching tool to place the sketch grid at that point. Then draw the face.
Select:
• Select Normal to Trajectory to keep the swept surface normal to the sweep trajectory. If your sweep
trajectory is perpendicular to the face you want to sweep, this option is enabled for you.
• Select Scale Sections to control the effect of the vector from the 0-to-X trajectory so that it controls
both orientation and scale of the sweep sections. Uncheck the box if you want the vector to control only
the orientation of the sweep sections.
• You can also select from the standard Pull options listed below.
5. Click and drag in the direction of the Pull arrow to sweep the selected objects, or select Full Pull from
the Options panel or mini-toolbar to sweep the entire length of the trajectory. If you select Full Pull and
the profile being swept is in the middle of the trajectory, it will be swept in both directions.
You can also use the Up To tool guide to select a face or surface on which you want to end the sweep.
Options
Examples

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Hexagons swept around circular and hexagonal sweep paths
Sweeping along a primary trajectory with Normal to Trajectory selected. Every section plane that is normal
to the origin trajectory is the exact same profile as the initial section, limited by the extents of the trajectory.
Sweeping along a primary trajectory with Normal to Trajectory not selected. Every section plane that is
parallel to the initial section profile is the exact same profile as that initial section, limited by the extents of
the trajectory.

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Sweeping a rectangle along a trajectory with Normal to Trajectory selected.
Sweeping a rectangle along a trajectory with Normal to Trajectory not selected.
Sweeping a hole along a trajectory by selecting the axis of the hole, then the trajectory.
If you sweep a non-continuous profile, separate swept surfaces are created.
4.2.4.1.12.1. Sweeping with multiple trajectories

You can Alt+Ctrl+click to select multiple trajectories to sweep along. The trajectory you click first is the origin
trajectory (labeled O) and the second trajectory is labeled X. If you select the Normal to Trajectory option,
the sweep is aligned along the origin trajectory. If the object being swept is in the middle of the sweep, you
can pull in either direction to sweep only in that direction.
Sweeps can vary the sketch entities (or edges) along the sweep trajectory. The trajectories can be thought
of as guides that make continual changes to the profiles as if they had been dragged while in Sketch mode.
Tangency and other constraints are maintained.

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When you sweep using more than two trajectories and Scale Sections is turned off, the profile lines and
curves will follow the trajectories individually and constraints are preserved. You can see an example in the
image below.
You can use a chain of tangent edges as a guide for Sweep.
The extent (or length) of a sweep is limited by the shortest trajectory. If the profile being swept intersects at
any point along the trajectory, you can pull in either direction to sweep only in that direction. You can also
select Full Pull to create a bidirectional sweep that extends throughout the trajectory.
The sweep preview includes the following visual elements:
• The blue square indicates the direction of the origin trajectory at its start, and is localized around the origin
trajectory's intersection with the profile to be swept.
• A right-angle symbol is displayed on the origin trajectory when you select the Normal to origin trajectory
option.
• The preview rectangles are green and scale with the sweep if you select the Scale sections option.
Sweep with two guides

In a sweep with two guides, every section plane that is normal to the origin trajectory has a profile section
that is aligned to the vector defined by the O-X vector in that plane, scaled by the length of the O-X vector,
and limited by the extents of the shortest trajectory. If there are two or more trajectories and the spline that
connects them (as a profile) is tangent to the surfaces that contain the trajectory edges, then the spline not
only scales and aligns to the O-X vector, but also deforms to keep that profile tangent, at all points along the
trajectories, to the neighboring surfaces. The profile does not have to touch the trajectories, but the profile
plane has to intersect with the trajectories.
You can also sweep with two closed trajectories:
Sweep along more than two trajectories

If the profile is composed of lines and circles, then guide curves will control the shape of the profile much the
same way a sketch is controlled by dragging the mouse. More specifically, there are three constraints: a line

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or circle that touches a guide curve will maintain the connection throughout the sweep, a circle with a guide
curve at its center will stay centered on that guide curve through the sweep, and any members of the profile
that are tangent will remain tangent. If the profile contains splines, then any lines or splines attached to a
guide curve will deform so they remain attached throughout the sweep. In this case, neighboring faces that
are tangent to the profile can be Alt+selected to specify that the profile should remain tangent to the neighboring
face throughout the sweep.
When sweeping, cross-sections can be displayed as a preview for their sweep along the trajectories, also
shown in the figure above. You can control the display of the cross-sections with the Animate Full Pull
Advanced Discovery Live option.
Sweep tangent to a surface

If you select a sweep trajectory that is the edge of a surface, and the object being swept is tangent to that
surface, then the initial tangency is maintained along the entire sweep, as shown in the figure below.
Sweep with a trajectory and an axis

If you sweep a profile along a trajectory with an axis as the secondary trajectory, then the profile normal is
maintained while the profile orientation changes as it is rotated around the axis.

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4.2.4.1.12.2. Sweeping with an axis

To set the orientation while sweeping

2. Select the object you want to sweep.
3. Alt+click the primary trajectory.
4. Ctrl+Alt+click the secondary trajectory.
5. Click the Rotate tool guide and click the axis or line that will set the orientation during the sweep.
6. Drag to create the sweep.
The object being swept must be in the plane that contains the axis and an intersection with the baseline
trajectory.
Examples
Setting the orientation of the selected object as it is swept along the trajectory.

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Variable sweep with axis. Every section plane that is cut through a point on the origin trajectory and through
the selected axis has a profile section that is aligned to the vector defined by the O-X vector in that plane,
scaled by the length of the O-X vector, and limited by the extents of the shortest trajectory. This makes every
section appear to radiate around that selected axis.
4.2.4.1.13. Drafting faces

You can draft faces around a plane or another face, edge, or surface with the Pull tool. Drafting changes the
angle of the selected contiguous faces. For example, a mold designer drafts faces to facilitate removal of
parts from the mold.
To draft a face
1. (Optional) Insert a plane around which you want to draft faces.
You need to do this when you want to draft around a plane that doesn't already exist as geometry in the
design.
3. Select the face or contiguous faces you want to draft.
4. Alt+click the plane, face (including rounds), or surface about which you want to draft. When using a surface
as a neutral plane, you can select the surface in the Structure Tree.

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You can also select the Draft tool guide , then click the face or surface. The draft plane, face, or
surface is shown in blue.
Tip: When you need to select more than one face or surface for the Alt-reference (or after selecting the
Draft tool guide) then you have to hold the Ctrl and the Alt keys while selecting the additional references.
If you select one edge loop, you can create an edge-driven draft. If you select two edge loops, you can
create a split draft.
5. Click and drag in the direction of the Pull arrow to draft the selected faces.
To dimension the draft, type the rotation angle while you are pulling and press Enter.
Options
• Add: Select the Add option to only add material. If you pull in a subtractive direction, no change will
occur. You can combine this option with other Pull options.
• Cut: Select the Cut option to only remove material. If you pull in an additive direction, no change will
• No merge: Pulls without merging into other objects even when the object pulled intersects with an
existing object.
• Up to: Pulls the element so it mates with the surface of the selected body or be pulled up to a plane
through the selection. You can find this option in the mini-toolbar and it is the same as the Up To tool guide.
• Draft both sides: Select this option to pivot the face on the opposite side of the reference face as well
as the selected face.
Examples
Drafting a face about a round.

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Drafting non-contiguous faces.
Drafting around a plane that does not touch the faces being drafted.
Drafting faces around a plane. The drafted faces pivot around the face or plane you select as the draft plane.
Drafting both sides around the plane.
Drafting a face where a plane must be selected as the draft plane. See Inserting a plane for instructions to
create a plane.

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Drafting the offset faces (inside and the outside) of a shelled solid.
Drafting around a spline surface with the Draft both sides option selected
Drafting a set of surfaces about a planar surface not attached to the solid
4.2.4.1.14. Creating slots

You can create slots from holes using the Pull tool. You can also edit slots. Slots maintain the relationship
between their faces.
If you pull a hole with a rounded or chamfered edge into a slot, the slot will have a rounded or chamfered
edge.
Note: You must select the axis of the hole, rather than the axis of a round or chamfer on the hole. You will
not be able to pull the slot if you select the axis of the round or chamfer.
To create a slot

2. Select the axis of a hole.
If you have trouble selecting the axis, hover first over the inside face of the hole and the axis will appear.

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3. (Optional) Hold Alt and click on a face, edge, or vertex to set the direction or trajectory of the Pull.
4. (Optional) Select the Pull Both Sides option to create the slot in both directions.
5. (Optional) Select Full Pull to pull the slot along the full length of the trajectory, if you selected one.
6. Pull the axis or face of a hole to create a slot.
If you want to pull in a new direction, press the Tab key to change the direction of the Pull handles.
To create a curved slot

1. Select the axis or face of a hole.
2. Select the Rotate tool guide and click the axis of the driving cylinder.
You can also Alt+click the axis of the driving cylinder.
3. Pull the hole to create a curved slot.
You can pull a curved slot 360 degrees to make a round cut.
To create a radial slot

2. Do one of the following:
• Alt+click the face of the driving cylinder to set the direction of the Pull towards the axis of the driving
cylinder. Click the Pull Direction tool guide and pull the hole to create a radial slot.
• Ctrl+click the face of the driving cylinder to set the direction of the Pull towards the axis of the driving
cylinder. Click the Pull Direction tool guide and pull the hole to offset the cylinder and create a radial
slot simultaneously.
• Select the Pull arrow that points toward the axis and pull.
If you want to lengthen a radial slot while keeping it the same distance from a radial face, Ctrl+click the
radial slot's axis and the face, then pull.
If you want to move a slot along with a radial face Ctrl+select the hole's axis and the face, then Ctrl+pull.
To create an offset of a radial slot

1. Select an axis of a slot.
2. Hold the Alt key and select the cylinder face or face to set the offset direction.
3. Hold the Ctrl key and pull or enter a radius value.

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To create a swept slot

2. Select the Sweep tool guide.

3. Click the sweep trajectory.
A sweep mode arrow indicates the beginning of the sweep.
4. Click and drag in the direction of the Pull arrow to sweep the selected objects.
You can also select Full Pull from the Options panel or the mini-toolbar to sweep the entire length of
the trajectory. If you select Full Pull and the face or surface being swept is in the middle of the trajectory,
it will be swept in both directions.
To edit a slot
You can modify a hole that was dragged to form a slot by pulling on any of the slot axes.
If the slot has a rounded or chamfered edge, double-click the round or chamfer to change its dimensions.
If you select Detach first in the Options panel, then the slot will become a solid if you use the Move tool to
move it off the body, as shown below.
To move a slot radially

1. Select the Pull tool.
2. Select both axes of the slot.
cylinder. Click the Pull Direction tool guide and Ctrl-drag to move the slot radially.
cylinder. Click the Pull Direction tool guide and Ctrl+drag to offset the cylinder and move the slot.
You can also move a hole radially by pressing Shift while dragging it with the Pull tool.

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To remove the slot relationship

Right-click a face of the slot and select Remove Association.
Any changes you make to the slot's face will affect only that face.
Examples
Pulling mirrored holes to create slots
Creating a circular slot by entering an angle dimension with the Pull Both Sides option
Creating a radial slot by selecting an axis or edge parallel to the hole's axis as the Pull direction

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Creating a slot using a vertex as the Pull direction
4.2.4.1.15. Scaling solids and surfaces

You can scale solids and surfaces with the Pull tool. You can scale multiple objects in different components.
To scale a solid, surface, or mesh

2. Select a solid, surface, or mesh (meshes also have a Scale tool in the Facets tab).
3. Click the Scale Body tool guide.
4. Click a point, vertex, or origin to set the origin for scaling.
5. Pull to scale dynamically (a field appears to show the scale as you pull) or press the spacebar and enter
the scale.
You can enter mathematical expressions to calculate a scale factor.
To scale using an annotation dimension, click the spark icon next to the dimension and type a new
value.
Note: Select the solid or surface, Alt+click a vertex to anchor the scale, and pull.
To scale a solid asymmetrically

2. Select a solid body (Meshes can be scaled asymmetrically using the Scale tool in the Facets tab).
5. Hold Alt and select an origin axis, or hold Alt and Ctrl and select a point and a line.
6. Drag in either direction of the line to scale the part in that direction.
You can press the Spacebar and enter a scale value while you are dragging.
To convert an existing solid or surface from millimeters to inches

1. Change the units to inches as described above.
2. Select the Pull tool in the Edit ribbon group on the Design tab.

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3. Select the object you want to convert.

4. Scale the object by 25.4.
To scale a datum plane or axis

2. Select the datum plane and/or axis and select a curve, surface, or solid.
You must hold Ctrl and select the plane. Box-select will not select it.
Examples
Scaling a solid asymmetrically
Scaling a plane and an axis with a solid
You can use annotation dimensions to scale an object. See Editing with annotation dimensions.

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4.2.4.1.16. Copying edges and faces

You can copy edges and faces by selecting the Pull tool's Extrude Edge option. You can also copy edges
and faces with the Move tool.
When copying and pasting the edge of a surface as a curve or line, the lines are placed on the active layer
and remain selected until you clear the selection. This feature is useful if you need references to rebuild a
surface.
To copy an edge or edges

2. Select the edge or edges you want to copy. Double-click to select a chain of edges.
3. Select the Copy Edge option in the Options panel or from the mini-toolbar.
You can also Ctrl+drag with the Pivot Edge or Extrude edge options selected to copy the edge.
The Pull arrow changes to show the two directions in which you can create copies of the edge. One arrow
is highlighted to show the primary direction.
4. If the arrow pointing the direction in which you want to copy the edge is not highlighted, click the arrow
or press Tab to change the direction.
5. Drag the edge in the direction of the highlighted Pull arrow.
During the pull, the distance between the copied edge and the new edge is displayed. When you create
an external edge, a surface is created between the copied edge and the new one.
Note: Press Ctrl and drag to copy the selected face.
Copying mesh edges

When you Copy and Paste mesh edges, the result is a polyline.

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Examples
Copying edges to create new edges on a face
When copying an edge, the edge adjusts based on the solid's geometry
Copying a round face

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4.2.4.1.17. Pulling with the Select tool

You can pull with the Select tool or the Pull tool.
To pull with the Select tool

Drag the vertex of a selected face to another vertex to pull the selected face, as shown in the figures below.
Dragging a copy of a solid back into the solid
4.2.4.1.18. Pivoting with the Select tool

You can pivot an edge with the Select tool or the Pull tool.
To pivot an edge
Drag the vertex of a selected edge to another vertex to pivot the selected face, as shown in the figure below.

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4.2.4.1.19. Using measure to drive pull

Measurements can be made, and the results used, while in the Pull tool.
To use measurements from within the Pull tool:

1. Enter the Pull tool
2. Select an object to pull
3. Enter the Measure tool (shortcut is “e”) and measure any single object or measure between two objects
4. Click on the measurement result that will drive the Pull (hover over measurements to display a purple
box). Once selected, that single measurement will display on screen with arrows pointing to either object
chosen for measurement.
5. Click in the highlighted dimension box and modify the value for a one-time adjustment of the model.
6. (Optional) Create a Measurement Group which can be modified at any time.
a. Select a single measurement
b. Open the Groups panel
c. Click on Create Group
d. The measurement group is created
e. At any time, clicking on the group in the Group tree will open the Pull tool and put the measurement
value in edit mode. Simply enter a new value and complete the Pull.
Measurement groups can also be created from Area and Perimeter results. Modifying the group then adjusts
the model to produce a desired area. For example, create a Measurement group for the area of a side of a
box. While pulling the front of the box, you can enter a new area value for the side to complete the Pull.

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4.2.4.2. Moving
Use the Move tool to move any object in 2D or 3D, including drawing sheet views. The behavior of the
Move tool changes based on what you have selected.
• If you select an entire object, such as a solid, surface, or sketch, you can translate or rotate the object.
• You can move one side of a solid, surface, or sketch to enlarge or reduce the size of the object.
• If you move an object into another object in the same component, the smaller object is merged into the
larger one and receives the larger object's properties.
• Moving a component moves everything contained within the component.
• You can move a circular edge of a flat surface the same way you move a circular sketch curve.
• Mesh bodies, selected mesh facets, and mesh boundary loops can also be moved.
• Moving the apex of a cone changes the height. Anchor the Move tool to the outer face to scale the cone.
When you move a component that has been assembled using assembly constraints, the Move handle is
positioned at the constraint and the axes that are constrained are disabled. If the assembly constraints only

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allow movement in one direction, then that direction will be automatically selected. For example, if you move
a component with a Center Axes assembly constraint, the Move handle is positioned on the axis and you
can only move the component in directions that will keep the axes aligned.
Note: If the Move handle appears disabled, check the Structure tree to determine if an assembly condition
exists for the component you are trying to move.
Offset, mirror, and coaxial inferred relationships also affect Move.
Note: If you entered the Design tab with sheet metal features selected, the Move tool will work as it does
in Sheet metal. To work as usual, right-click the sheet metal part in the Structure tree and choose Suspend
To Move objects

2. Select the object(s) that you want to move.
• Ruler: Once you select an axis on the Move handle, select this option and click an edge or face to
anchor the ruler. The ruler is oriented along the selected Move handle axis. Enter a value to use the
ruler to dimension the move.
• Create patterns: Select this option if you want to create a pattern by dragging selected objects with
the Move tool. Dragging creates a copy of the selected object, moves it to a new location, and creates
a pattern relationship. Select the Maintain orientation option to keep the initial orientation of the original
object when you rotate or translate the pattern. See Creating a pattern.
• Detach first: Detach the selected protrusions and depressions, move them, and reattach them at the
new location.
of other curves.
• Remember orientation: Sets the orientation of the Move tool for the object. The orientation is only
remembered for the current session. You can change the Move handle orientation by using the Direction
tool guide, holding Alt and selecting a reference object, or by dragging a ball on the Move handle's axes.
You can select the following options in the drop-down list to the right of the option:
• Default: The Move handle orientation is determined by the object(s) you select.
• Global: Saves the current Move handle orientation, and this orientation is used for all objects.
• Per Object: Saves the current Move handle orientation for the selected object. When you select the
object again with the Move tool active, the Move handle will be oriented at its saved orientation.

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If the move fails, the Move handle is repositioned to the last valid location and orientation. If you are trying
to move a protrusion surrounded by round faces, you may need to fill the rounds.
5. You can also Alt + select a plane between Move handles to invoke free drag movement within that plane.
Place the Move tool on any movable object and then hold the Alt key. Quarter circle planes appear between
the Move handles. Selecting one changes the cursor to a free drag cursor and allows free movement
within the plane. Select any Move handle to disable the free drag.
Note: The cursor does not need to be on the axis to move the selected object. In fact, you may find it easier
to control the move if you drag some distance from the entity and the Move handle.
Examples
Moving a protrusion with rounds that intersects with a stepped solid with the Detach first option
Moving a circular edge along a surface
Moving an imprinted face off of a solid face creates a surface.
Moving imprinted edges on a face, and other intersecting imprinted edges are adjusted as needed. The
examples above show how the edges are adjusted when the imprinted areas are moved.

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Moving the end point of a line segment that has a tangent arc on its other end changes the arc so that it
remains tangent to the line segment as you move its end point.
To move relative to other objects

• Snap to a co-planar face: Hold Shift while dragging to snap to co-planar faces when you have the Move
handle anchored to a planar face.
• Move an object up to another object: Click the Up To tool guide to move objects so the center of the
Move handle is adjacent to the object.
• Orient an object to another object: Select the object to move and a Move handle axis, then click the
Orient to Object tool guide and select a second object. The selected object will be rotated so the selected
Move handle axis is aligned with the second object.
To change the anchor location of the Move handle

• Drag the yellow center sphere on the Move handle to snap it to other geometry
º Annotations have multiple Drag Points. The Move handle can be dragged near, and snapped to, any of
these.
• You can also click the Origin tool in the Design tab to insert an origin anywhere in your design that
you want to anchor the Move tool.

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To change the direction or trajectory for the move

• You can also Alt+click a point or line, or click the Move Direction tool guide, then click a point or line, to
orient one of the Move handle's axes toward that point or along that line.
Example
Normal to Surface - While moving the diamond along the selected trajectory, Ctrl+Alt+click the face of the
cylinder to set the orientation of the diamond normal to the cylinder.
To dimension a move
1. Follow the steps to move an object.
2. After you click an axis on the Move handle, click Ruler in the Options panel.
3. Click an edge or face to anchor the ruler.
4. Type a distance and press Enter.

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To copy an object using the Move tool

• Press Ctrl to copy the object selected for movement and place it at the location at which you drag or
dimension the move.
You can press the spacebar to dimension the move.
• Double-click the Up To tool guide to make multiple copies of the selected object. To exit this mode, select
another tool or click in empty space in the Design window.
Examples
Copying the red face multiple times by double-clicking the Up To tool guide to keep it active for more than
one move
Making copies by double-clicking the Up To tool guide also works with sketches
Tool guides
The Select tool guide is active by default. When this tool guide is active, you can select faces,
surfaces, solids, or components within the Move tool.
Click any object with the Select Component tool guide to select the solid to which the object
belongs. If the solid is the only object in its component, the component will be selected.
Select a point, vertex, line, axis, plane, or planar face with the Move Direction tool guide to orient
the Move handle and set the initial direction of the move. (The object will not move until you drag.)
Select a set of lines or edges with the Move Along Trajectory tool guide to move the selected
objects along that trajectory. For best results, perform Moves along trajectories in small increments.
If the object to be moved is a protrusion, it will be detached, then reattached in the new location.
When you move a protrusion along a trajectory, rounds are automatically removed. Ctrl+Alt+click
a face to control the orientation of the object being moved or patterned along.
Select an object, then use the Anchor tool guide to select the face, edge, or vertex that will anchor
the move. You can anchor the Move handle to a temporary object, such as the intersection between
two axes by Alt+Shift+clicking the two objects.

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Select an object, then use the Fulcrum tool guide to move other objects around it. Select a pattern
member to anchor it, or select a component to explode an assembly. See Moving with the Fulcrum
tool guide.
The Move radially about axis tool guide allows you to select an axis to move the selected objects
radially about. Once you select an axis, the Move handle will reorient to have one axis parallel to
the move axis and one axis in the radial direction.
Once you select the object to move and a Move handle axis, use the Up To tool guide to select
the object you want to move up to.
If a Move handle axis is selected, the Move is limited to that direction. If no handles are selected,
the object is translated until the center of the Move handle lies on the selected reference. (A move
handle must be selected to move up to the axis of an origin.)
In a linear move to an intersecting object, the center of the Move handle is moved to the selected
object. If the two objects do not intersect, the first object is moved along the desired direction up
to the closest point to the second object. You can use this tool guide to:
• Select a point along a trajectory or the axis of an origin to move up to.
• Move the sketch grid in Sketch and Section modes.
• Move an axis so it is coincident with another axis in a body. If you move the axis of a pattern, all
pattern members will move together to the new location.
You can double-click the Up To tool guide to keep it active. While the tool guide is active, it will
copy faces and surfaces instead of moving them. To deactivate the tool guide, click it again, select
another tool guide, or exit the Move tool.
Once you select the object to move and a Move handle axis, use the Orient to Object tool guide
to click an object. The selected object will be rotated until the selected Move handle axis is aligned
with the clicked object. You can also use this tool guide to rotate the sketch grid in Sketch and
Section modes.
Options
The following options are available in the Move tool:
• Symmetric Move: Select this option to move symmetrically.
• Measure: Opens the Measure tool. Selecting a measurement result returns you to the Move tool. When
you select move direction, the measurement value is displayed in a dimension box with an arrow pointing
to the measured object. Modify the value for a one-time adjustment of the model or create a Measurement
Group which can be modified at any time.
• Ruler: Once you select an axis on the Move handle, select this option and click an edge or face to anchor
the ruler. The ruler is oriented along the selected Move handle axis. Enter a value to use the ruler to
dimension the move.
• Maintain orientation: Select this option to maintain the orientation of the object when rotating or moving
along a trajectory.
• Create patterns: Select this option if you want to create a pattern by dragging selected objects with the
Move tool. Dragging creates a copy of the selected object, moves it to a new location, and creates a pattern
relationship.
Select the Maintain orientation option to keep the initial orientation of the original object when you rotate
or translate the pattern. See Creating a pattern.

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• Detach first: Select this option to detach selected protrusions and depressions, move them, and reattach
them at the new location.
• Maintain sketch connectivity: Keep the connection between a sketch curve and other curves that share
its end points. If you deselect this option and move a sketch curve, the curve will move independent of
other curves.
• Keep beam fixed: This option is for beams and causes the beam to remain fixed while the profile becomes
offset from the beam. See Moving beams.
º Default: The Move handle orientation is determined by the object(s) you select.
º Global: Saves the current Move handle orientation, and this orientation is used for all objects.
º Per Object: Saves the current Move handle orientation for the selected object. When you select the
• Enter XYZ coordinates: This option allows you to enter X, Y, and Z distances to move relative to the World
Origin. When you select the option, the Move handle re-orients to be parallel to the World Origin and
displays X, Y, and Z input panels.
4.2.4.2.1. The Move Handle

You will use the Move handle to move objects in 2D and 3D. The Move handle allows you to translate and
rotate objects. You use the Move handle by clicking the axes of the Move handle and dragging to move the
selected object.
When you select the object you want to move, and click one of the Move tools, Discovery Live guesses at
the anchor point and orientation of the Move handle. If either of these is incorrect, you can change them.
You can adjust the size of the Move handle in Popular options.
To translate objects using the Move handle

1. Click the axis that is aligned with the direction you want to move the selected object.
2. Drag in the direction of the axis to move the object.
You can Ctrl+drag to create a copy of the object while moving.
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To rotate objects using the Move handle

Use the curved rotational axis that is aligned with the direction you want to rotate:
• Drag the axis to rotate the selected object.
You can hold the Ctrl key to create a copy of the object while moving.
• Double-click the axis to rotate the object 90°. You can hold the Ctrl key while double-clicking to create a
copy of the object at 90°.
To move freely within a plane using the Move handle

Use the planes between Move handles to move within a plane.
• Hold the Alt key
• Quarter circle planes display between the Move handles
• Select the plane to move within
• Release the Alt key and start dragging.
While dragging, the cursor changes to the free drag cursor.
• Clicking on any Move handle cancels free drag movement.
To realign the axes of the Move handle

You can realign the Move handle in the following ways:
• Drag the small balls on each rotation axis of the Move handle to reorient it. While dragging, you can also
press the spacebar to enter the angle directly.
• Drag the center ball of the Move handle (or use the Anchor tool guide) to place it on another solid, face,
edge, or vertex. If you use this method, keep in mind that the selected object is still the one that is going
to move.
• Alt+click a point or line (or use the Move Direction tool guide) to orient the closest linear axis toward that
point or along the line.
Sizing the Move handle

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See Popular options to adjust the size of the Move handle.

To have all endpoints meet at a single point, use the Up To tool guide.
To move multiple beam endpoints to a single point

1. Click the Move tool and select the endpoints (you can also use box select).
2. Anchor the Move Handle by using the Anchor tool guide or by dragging the yellow ball.

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3. Click the Up To tool guide and select the Up To reference.
4. The endpoints will all snap to the single point.
4.2.4.2.2. Moving symmetrically

Use the Symmetric Move option in the Move tool to move objects relative to each other about a plane
as if they are mirrored objects but without the need to create a mirror association between the objects. Unlike
the Mirror tool, the Symmetric move option can be used to move dissimilar geometry as well as similar.

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You can use this option with an automatically determined virtual mirror plane based on the Move handle
location or you can use the fulcrum tool guide to establish a fixed mirror plane.
With a fulcrum-selected mirror plane, geometry which is the same on both sides of the plane is found and
moved automatically when moving geometry on one side of the plane. The center of each selected object
determines which side of the plane the geometry lies on.
Faces, edges, vertices, section curves, datum planes, and sketch curves can be moved symmetrically. Curves
that partially overlap the symmetry plane can be moved. The symmetric move option is not available for
moving objects which have an established mirror association
To move objects symmetrically about a virtual mirror plane

1. Select two or more objects.
2. Click the Move tool.
3. Click Symmetric Move in the Move Options panel.
4. Click one of the translation arrows and drag. As you drag, a ghost mirror plane appears at the center of
the Move handle, perpendicular to the direction you are dragging. Movements are mirrored about this
plane. A ghost move handle is displayed on the other side of the virtual mirror plane to indicate the mirrored
translation or rotation. Selected objects are moved symmetrically about the indicated plane.
To reset the virtual mirror plane, change selection or toggle the Symmetric Move option.
Examples
Moving two solids symmetrically about a virtual mirror.
Moving two curves.
To move objects symmetrically with a fulcrum-selected mirror plane

1. Create a plane or planar face.
2. Select one or more objects.

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5. Click the Fulcrum tool guide.

6. Click the plane or planar face to specify the symmetry plane.
Objects on the other side of the fulcrum plane with matching geometry are automatically detected and
moved symmetrically about the plane.
7. Drag a rotation or translation arrow on the move handle to modify the geometry symmetrically about the
fulcrum-selected mirror plane.
Examples
Pivoting an edge modifies the matching geometry on the other side of the fulcrum-selected mirror plane.
Moving faces that are symmetric to each other but lie partially on either side of the mirror plane. The center
of each of the objects' bounding boxes is on either side of the plane, so the symmetric move tool can detect
the symmetric geometry and the angled faces can be moved
4.2.4.2.3. Creating a pattern

You can create a pattern of protrusions or depressions (including slots), points, components, planes, origins,
or axes. You can also create patterns of sketch curves. You cannot create a pattern of threads. You can use
the Undo button Ctrl+Z or Redo button Ctrl+Y when creating a pattern.
You can also create a pattern from a mix of object types, such as a pattern of holes (faces) and bolts (imported
components). In Discovery Live, any pattern member can be used to modify the pattern after you create it.
If the change cannot be made to all pattern members, the member that cannot change is still part of the
pattern. Once you select a Pattern Type, the fill displays to show a pattern preview.
When you select a member of a pattern, you will see fields for the pattern count and distances relative to the
member you have selected. Press Tab to move among the dimension and count fields.

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• Icons next to the pattern's dimensions and counts show which will be changed if you change the value of
the highlighted field. The closed lock indicates that a dimension won't change and the open lock shows
you it will change. You can override a lock on a dimension by clicking its icon to toggle it between locked
and unlocked.
• Dimension or count line placement, arrows, and value fields show you how the pattern will change if you
change the value of a field.
• Your selection determines how changes to the distance and count affect the pattern's position. If you select
one member of the pattern, the change is centered on that member. If you select all pattern members, the
change is centered on the entire pattern, with the distance between members locked by default. You can
control which direction the pattern will grow based on which member you select and which count or distance
you change.
• Changing a pattern count in one direction does not change the distance between pattern members. Instead,
the overall distance of the pattern will change. This is indicated by the closed lock icon.
• Circular patterns are anchored at the opposite end by default when you move one end.
With a pattern node selected in the Structure tree, you can:

• Change fill pattern parameters in the Layout section of the Properties panel. Changes that you make
automatically update the pattern in the design window.
• Right-click and select Lightweight Pattern to toggle a pattern component between a lightweight pattern
and regular pattern. When selected, a check mark displays next to the Lightweight Pattern command. This
also works with sheet metal components: with a Pattern node selected in the Structure tree, right-click and
select Make Lightweight.
• To update lightweight fill patterns to fit the existing geometry of your design, select the lightweight pattern
node, then right-click and select Update Pattern.
Note: Patterns of sketch entities and 3D curves are no longer patterns when they change into another form,
such as a surface or solid. For example, if you pattern a C-shaped curve, then it will remain a pattern when
you switch from sketch mode to 3D mode. But if you close off the curve to make a box before you switch to
3D mode, then the boxes will become surfaces and will no longer be a pattern.
To create a one- or two-dimension linear pattern

1. Click the Linear tool in the Insert group on the Design tab.
2. Select a protrusion, depression, body, sketch, points, axes, planes, origins, or 3D curves to be the first
member (leader) of the pattern. The Direction tool guide activates.
3. Select a line, edge, axis, or a set of points to set the direction of the pattern.
4. (Optional) Modify the Pattern options in the Options panel.
Pattern Type: One-dimensional or Two-dimensional.
Change X Count, or X Pitch values for One-dimensional
Change X, Y Count, or X, Y Pitch values for Two-dimensional
As you switch between pattern types, or change pattern values, the pattern preview displays your changes
in blue.
5. Select the Create Pattern tool guide, or press Enter, to complete the pattern.
The image below shows the preview for a two-dimensional pattern. For one-dimensional, only the X-direction
is displayed. Clicking the arrows flips their direction 180-degrees.

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For through-all cuts, the preview is on the plane closest to the direction reference. For blind cuts, the preview
is on the face of the selected pattern leader.
You can also create one-dimensional linear patterns on cylindrical faces as long as the pattern direction is
either the cylinders axis or parallel to the axis.
To create a pattern of a pattern

Follow the steps for the linear pattern, but select a member of a linear pattern as the first member of the
pattern.
To create a circular pattern

1. Click the Circular tool in the Insert group on the Design tab.
Change Circular Count, or Angle values for One-dimensional.
Change Circular Count, Angle, Linear Count, or Linear Pitch values for Two-dimensional.
Note that a Circular Count of one will create a single radial pattern.
in blue.

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The image below shows the preview for a two-dimensional pattern. For one-dimensional, only the Angular
direction is displayed. Clicking the arrows flips their direction 180-degrees.
You can create circular patterns on cylindrical faces, both around the face and along the axis.
To create a fill pattern

1. Click the Fill tool in the Insert group on the Design tab.
2. Select a protrusion, depression, sketch, points, axes, planes, origins, or 3D curves to be the first member
(leader) of the pattern. The Direction tool guide activates.
4. Modify the options in the Options panel
Pattern Type: Grid or Offset
Modify the X Spacing or Y Spacing
Modify the Margin values. A dashed orange boundary line displays the pattern's marginal boundary.
in blue.
To create a radial circular pattern

1. Select all radial pattern members.

3. Re-anchor the Move tool on the circular axis.
4. Select the Create patterns check box in the Options panel.
5. Drag the radial pattern to form a circular pattern.

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To create a pattern of points along an edge

1. Select a point to be the first member of the pattern.

4. Click the Move Along Trajectory tool guide.
5. Click one of the edges that connects to the vertex.
6. Click the Move handle axis.
7. Drag to create the end pattern member and create the pattern.
8. Press Tab to change the count, length, and percent fields to edit the pattern of points.
All points are associated with the edge, so that when the edge changes, the points also change as shown
in the example below.
To edit a pattern's properties

1. Select one pattern member to display the pattern count and dimensions.
2. Edit the pattern's properties.
Press Tab to switch between the fields.
Click the lock icon to lock or unlock a value.
Note: By default, Pattern Length is locked.
3. Press Enter.
The result of editing the count and spacing is relative to the member of the pattern you select.
Note: To quickly increase or decrease the number of pattern members, press Tab until the count field is
highlighted, then hold the Alt key while you press the up or down arrow.
To move a pattern

2. Select a pattern member to move a linear pattern or the pattern axis to move a circular or arc pattern.

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3. Move the pattern member with the Move handle.

If you move an interior member of a pattern and it is not anchored, all the pattern members move:
If you move a member at one end of a pattern, the member at the opposite end is anchored and the
pattern is skewed:
If you anchor a different member than the member opposite the direction you are moving, Move skews
the pattern.
If you have a linear pattern in a radial direction and you move an interior member without setting an anchor,
then the entire pattern shifts in the selected direction
Use the Up To tool guide to move a pattern member up to another face or edge. Pattern dimensions
(such as Count and Length) display as expected.
You can also use the Up To tool guide in the Move tool to create a circular pattern by rotating up to a
linear entity passing through the Move Handle origin.
To create a circular pattern using the Up To tool

a. Relocate the Move Handle to the axis of the cylinder.
b. Choose the rotation handle about the cylinder's axis.
c. Click Up To and select the horizontal axis to create the pattern.
To move a radial pattern in a linear direction

2. Right-click a pattern member and click Select > All Pattern Members.
3. Select the Direction tool guide.
4. Click an object to set the direction of the move.
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5. Drag the pattern.
To adjust pattern distance or spacing
1. Click Select or Move in the Edit group on the Design tab.

2. Select a pattern member.
This member will serve as the anchor, and other pattern members will move relative to this member.
3. Press Tab until the field you want to change is highlighted:
• Distance: This field is the overall distance of the pattern. The pattern member you select is anchored,
and the length will change relative to this member. The arrows indicate the direction of change. You
can see this field at the top of the image below.
• Spacing: This field is the spacing between pattern members. This field has arrows in both directions
and is located between two pattern members. The field is highlighted in blue in the image below.
• Radial patterns: If you select a member of a radial pattern, you can change the angle between pattern
members and the distance from the pattern members to the center of the pattern.
4. Type a new distance or angle and press Enter.

The spacing between all pattern members will change.
To remove a pattern member from the pattern

Right-click the face of the pattern member and select Unpattern Member. Doing this makes the member
independent, so changes to the feature won't propagate to the pattern.
To create a pattern group

1. Select a pattern or pattern member in the Design window.
2. Click the Groups tab in the Structure panel.
3. Click Create NS.
A group is created that displays the number of members in the pattern. You can click on this group to
select the pattern and change its parameters in the Design window.
To assemble components on a pattern

You can assemble a component with a pattern member, then propagate the component to all of the pattern
members. The component will be copied and assembled to each pattern member.
1. Assemble a component to some geometry that is a pattern member using the Align, Tangent, or Orient
tools.

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2. Right-click the Assembly Condition in the Structure Tree and select Update Components on Pattern.
The components will be propagated to the pattern, as shown below.
To create a pattern along a trajectory
1. Click Move tool.

2. Select the object you want to pattern.
3. Click the Move Along Trajectory tool guide and select the curve to use as a trajectory.
You can also hold Alt and double-click the curve.
4. Check Create Patterns in the Move options.
5. Pull the trajectory arrow.
6. Release the mouse button to display pattern dimensioning options, then enter values by tabbing through
the options.
7. (Optional) Check Maintain Orientation in the Move options to keep the patterned objects in the same
orientation as the original object.
Pattern along a trajectory without maintaining orientation.
Pattern along a trajectory with orientation maintained.

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Examples
Rectangular pattern
Changing spacing between pattern members changes the pattern's overall length when the length field isn't
locked.
A pattern of sketch objects is no longer a pattern when you switch to 3D mode and the sketched objects are
converted to surfaces.
Sketch curve patterns can propagate in two dimensions. The pattern above contains three squares in the X
direction and two squares in the Y direction.

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Faceted bodies can be patterned after selecting the body to pattern and direction.
4.2.4.2.4. Pivoting and pulling solids

You can use the Move tool to pivot or pull a solid.
To pull a solid
2. Select the face you want to move.
3. Use the Move handle to move the face.
The solid is extended in the direction of the move
To pivot a solid
1. Select an edge loop on the solid that you want to pivot.
2. Click a linear axis of the Move handle.
3. (Optional) Click the Fulcrum tool guide and click an alternate plane to pivot around.
4. Drag to pivot the solid around a plane drawn through a point opposite the selected edge loop or to pivot
the solid around the plane you selected with the Fulcrum tool guide.
If the Move tool cannot maintain a planar or cylindrical face while pivoting, it will create a blended face.

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4.2.4.2.5. Moving with the Select tool

You can move solids and surfaces with the Select tool.
To move a solid or surface

You can do any of the following:
• Select a vertex of a solid or surface, then drag it to move the solid or surface. (Surfaces on the same plane
are treated as a single surface and move together.)
• Alt+click a point, then drag the vertex to rotate in the plane of the screen.
• Alt+click an edge or two points, then drag the vertex to rotate the object around the axis defined by the line
or points.
• You can place the dragged vertex on a plane or edge by dragging until the plane or edge is highlighted.
You cannot drag unfolded sheet metal parts in the Unfolded window by dragging their vertices with the Select
tool.
Examples
The blue edge was selected using the Alt key, then the green vertex was dragged in the direction of the
arrow. The part pivots around the blue edge.

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The vertex highlighted in green was dragged down until the face shown on the right was highlighted. The
triangular part moves down so the vertex is in the same plane as the face.
When you hover and pre-highlight a vertex, the curve to which it belongs is highlighted. Using the mouse
wheel, you can scroll through other curves attached to the vertex.
The cursor changes to the Move cursor when the mouse is over a vertex.
When the curve you want is highlighted, you can Alt-drag to move only the vertex of that curve.
Pressing the Alt key changes the Move cursor to the Detach-and-Move cursor.
You do not need to hold the Alt key throughout dragging. You can release it once you start dragging.

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Drag a copy of the curve using Ctrl+Alt+drag.
In the images above, notice the "source-generated dotted lines" extending from the other curve. This is similar
to the behavior in Sketch Mode for aligning and snapping the vertex. By default, the system generates them
extending from all curves that intersect at the selected-and-moving vertex.

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Drag the vertex vertically. The extension line for the affected curve is shown as well as the extension for the
vertical curve.
Drag the vertex away from the vertical curve. The vertical extension line disappears, the affected curve
extension stays and the extension for the third curve appears.
Sketch only allows snapping in the plane, but with Curve Dragging, you can snap in 3D.

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When you hover over any straight line or edge while dragging a vertex, a dotted vector will be generated.
This allows you to snap to the extension of any existing line or edge.
Since you can drag a vertex without holding down the Alt or Ctrl keys, you can Shift-hover over other objects.
This displays extension lines for other lines or edges. The default, source-generated dotted lines are erased
when you Shift-hover over an object.

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Sequentially Shift-hovering on converging lines or edges lets you snap to their virtual intersection.
In the example below, the top horizontal line is a single curve, but with two "sub-curves" because the vertical
curve's endpoint lies somewhere along its length. Although there is only one horizontal curve, it can be treated
as split, for the purposes of dragging other vertices to these sub-curve endpoints or midpoints.
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Sub-curve midpoints are available for snapping if you Shift-hover over the parent curve.
Green points display at the endpoints of the sub-curve and a triangle displays at the midpoint. This helps to
determine what portion of the curve is being snapped to, in cases where it may be ambiguous.
The virtual intersection of the horizontal and slanted lines is available for snapping if you Shift-hover over
both.

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Curve intersections (for both straight and arc-shaped curves) are available for snapping and displayed with
a "+" sign.
Face selection does not override edge extension snapping. In this example, the extension line is above the
face. If the face had a higher priority, you could not snap to the extension line without reorienting the view.

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You can snap a vertex to a 3D point.
You can also snap a vertex to the virtual intersections of extended solid edges.

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4.2.4.2.6. Moving with the Fulcrum tool guide

The Fulcrum tool guide fixes a point, edge, or face in 3D space. Then selected objects are moved relative
to the fulcrum object. You can use this tool guide to pivot patterns or faces, or to create a simple exploded
assembly.
To move objects with the Fulcrum tool guide
1. Click Move in the Edit group.

2. Select the objects you want to move. You can select surfaces, solids, or components in the Structure
tree; or select point(s), edge(s), or face(s) in the design window.
This object will be highlighted. Selected components will be highlighted with a bounding box.
3. Click the Fulcrum tool guide on the side of the Design window.
4. Select the object you want to use as the fulcrum. You can select surfaces, solids, or components in the
Structure tree; or a point, edge, or face in the design window.
This object will be highlighted in blue.
5. Drag an arrow or radius on the Move handle to move the object(s).
Selected objects will move proportionally, relative to the fulcrum.
Examples
In the examples below, the object was dragged in the direction indicated by the red arrow.

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Moving an edge using another edge as the fulcrum point.
Moving a pattern with one pattern member as the fulcrum point. You must select all the faces on the pattern
member that you move.
Creating a simple exploded view by using a face of one component as the fulcrum point. Select the components
in the Structure tree that are part of the assembly you want to explode.
4.2.4.2.7. Moving the sketch grid

move the grid.

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grid.
4.2.4.2.8. Moving protrusions and depressions

You can move protrusions and depressions with the Select tool or the Move tool.
To move a protrusion or depression

1. Select a protrusion or depression.
2. Drag the protrusion or depression.
If two faces connect at an angle greater than 90 degrees, you can drag the protrusion across the two
faces, as shown in the image below.

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4.2.4.2.9. Using measure to drive move

Measurements can be made, and the results used, while in the Move tool.
To use measurements from within the Move tool:

1. Enter the Move tool.
2. Place the Move tool on a face, edge or vertex.
3. Click one of the Move tool handles to establish a direction.
4. Enter the Measure tool (shortcut is “e”) and measure any single object or measure between two objects.
5. Click on the measurement result that will drive the Move (hover over measurements to display a purple
e. At any time, clicking on the group in the Group tree will open the Move tool and put the measurement
value in edit mode. Simply enter a new value and complete the move.

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box. While moving the front of the box, you can enter a new area value for the side to complete the move.
Alternative work flow:

1. Enter the Move tool
2. Place the Move tool on a face, edge or vertex
box).
5. Select on a direction arrow to display the single measurement. Once selected, that single measurement
will display on screen with arrows pointing to either object chosen for measurement.
Measurement groups can also be created from Area results. Modifying the group then adjusts the model to
produce a desired area. For example, create a Measurement group for the area of a side of a box. While
moving the front of the box, you can enter a new area value for the side to complete the move.

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Other group examples:
4.2.4.3. Fill
Use the Fill tool to fill in the selected region with the surrounding surface or solid. Fill can "heal" many cuts
made into geometry, such as chamfers and rounds, subtractive revolves, protrusions, depressions, and
regions removed by removing regions in the Combine tool. When using Fill to fill a gusset, the bend geometry
on which the gusset is defined remains intact.
The Fill tool can also be used to simplify surface edges and cap surfaces to form solids. You can select a
combination of faces and edges to replace them with a single new face.

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You can use the Fill tool in Sketch mode to fill a loop of sketch curves that is almost closed, but that has
multiple small gaps. If the gaps are too large, multiple error messages appear to show you where the gaps
are. You can also use it to concatenate multiple sketched curves.
You can also use the Fill tool when editing a layout. Fill functionality is useful when you sketch faces across
section lines, but do not want the section lines to split the surfaces when you switch to 3D.
When you change the geometry of a model, for example, the model's length, height, or width, the model's
fill pattern will automatically update to correctly re-fill to the model's new geometry.
Using the Fill tool

Click on one of the links below for detailed information about working with the Fill tool:
Sketch and layout curves

If you select one or more end points of sketch curves, the curves are concatenated into a single spline.
Neighboring sketch curves are merged into one selectable item with an underlying spline. The spline is not
displayed until the concatenated curve is modified:
Let's look at the following sketch curves:
One of the rectangles isn't closed. If we fill this rectangle, the loop is automatically closed and it becomes a
surface:
The gap in this loop is small enough for the Fill tool to automatically close. Larger gaps will not be closed. If
a gap is less than 1.5 times the length of the minor grid spacing on the sketch grid, the edges are extended
to close the gap. If the gap is larger, a message appears in the status bar and the gap's endpoints flash.

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The Fill tool also created surfaces from the other closed loops of sketch curves. The darker shaded areas
in the image above show where the surface parts overlap. If we move the rectangle, we can see the surface
that was created automatically:
The result only has edges for the sketch curves that we did not select, because the selected curves were
used to create a separate surface.
Now let's go back and close the open rectangle, and let the Fill tool automatically create surfaces without
selecting any edges:
This surface has edges for every closed sketch curve. The same thing automatically happens if we go from
sketch mode to 3D mode.
If we select all the sketch curves, then click Fill, we get a surface without any interior edges:
You can also fill layout and sketch loops:
And a loop of non-tangent 3D curves:

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Vertices
You can select any number of edge points in any order. Each edge point is removed and a spline is created
to make a smooth curvature change between the neighboring edges to the point:
If you Fill a vertex on a solid, the system attempts to merge coincident edges into a single edge:
Edges on surfaces
If you select one surface edge in the shape of a spline or arc, the edge is simplified into a straight line:
If you select two or more edges of a surface, the edges are simplified with a straight edge between the end
points:

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If you select an edge that is completely within a surface, the edge is removed:
If you select all the edges that enclose a surface, the surface is simplified into a rectangle based on its extents:
If you select a single edge that lies on an analytic surface, Fill will simplify it with the neighboring edges:
You can fill irregular gaps on a circular surface, and the gap is simplified into a straight edge. Use Fill again
on the straight edge, and the edge becomes round:
Chamfers on surfaces
Select a chamfer on a surface and then use the Fill tool to fill the chamfer.

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Edges on more than one face

If you select a chain of open, planar surface edges, Fill creates faces based on the edges you select:
or
If you select an open edge loop that belongs to multiple faces, Fill attempts to cap it with an analytic surface
(cylinder, cone, etc.):
If you select a series of planar edges, you will get a planar face:

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If you select a series of surface edges that are not planar, Fill extends neighboring faces if the Patch Blend
option is off:
If the Patch Blend option is turned on,
If you select an edge loop and Alt+click to select neighboring faces, the new face will be tangent to any faces
you used Alt+click to select:
You can also extend neighboring faces to fill sliver gaps (double click to get loop):

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If you select open edges of a self-intersecting surface, Fill tries to form a solid and remove excess (also works
in combine):
If you select an edge loop and use the Patch blend and Tangent extension options:
When you fill a loop of edges, you can use Alt and select curves and the new face(s) will pass through the
curves:

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If you select an edge loop and guide curves, with or without the Tangent extension option (which applies to
areas not influenced by guide curves):
If you select an imprinted edge on the face of a surface or solid, the imprinted edge is removed. This works
the same as delete:
If you select laminar edge(s) of a solid or surface, Fill simplifies the edges by replacing them with a single
edge with the same geometry:
Solids
If you select faces, Fill deletes them and extends neighboring faces:
If you select a chamfer or round, Fill removes them and adds them to a named group:

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If you select rounds with neighboring rounds, Fill creates planar caps (because rounds should not be extended
by definition):
If you select rounds on shelled parts, both faces of the shell are filled:
If you select joint edges created in Sheet Metal, the joints are removed:
If you select two imprinted edges, as shown below, they are combined into one edge:
Faces and edges or sketch curves

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With at least one face selected and at least one edge or sketch curve selected, Fill will remove the selected
faces and create a single new face using the removed faces and the selected edges as inputs:
If you select two faces or surfaces that don't touch, you can replace them with a single face. You must
double-click to select the gap between the faces:
Any combination of sketch curves, layout curves, surface edges, and

solid edges
When you select any combination of sketch curves, layout curves, surface edges, and solid edges that lie
in the same plane and form a closed loop, Fill creates a planar surface:
Meshes
Mesh internal loops and boundary loops can be filled with the Fill tool. The loops are filled with facets that
consider the curvature of the neighboring facets. This produces a very smooth and uniform fill. The newly
created facets are added to the selection set after the fill.

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Multiple mesh loops can be filled at once in three cases.

Separate loops on the Same mesh object that are NOT intended to be joined.
Separate loops on the Same mesh object that ARE intended to be joined
Separate loops on Different mesh objects that ARE intended to be joined

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Loops on exterior and interior shells, when filled simultaneously, will create a wall thickness. Fill the interior
and exterior loops separately to continue the shell.
You can also use the Delete key to fill faces on a solid or surface.
To fill a region
1. Select the edges that define a surface region, or the faces that define a region within or on a solid.
You can select an object in the Structure tree to simplify it.
You can select faces and the Fill tool will automatically create a patch if you also select at least one edge.
2. Click the Fill tool or press F.
To fill sketch or layout lines

1. Select a closed or almost closed loop of sketch lines.

If a gap is 1.5 times the length of the minor grid spacing on the sketch grid or less, the edges are extended
The mode is switched to 3D mode, and the filled loop becomes a surface.
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You can select the face of a solid when only the edge is displayed (such as in a drawing sheet view) using
the scroll wheel. The edge becomes a slightly thicker line when the face is highlighted. If you fill lines in
a layout, you can then pull the surface into 3D from the layout, but remain in edit layout mode after this
action.
You can fill lines and edges whether or not the sketched lines you want to fill were sketched in the same
plane as the edges. (If the lines are imprinted on a face and become edges, filling those edges deletes
them.)
Note: Click the Fill tool in Sketch mode to fill any closed or almost closed loops and switch to 3D mode.
Tool guides
The Select tool guide is active by default. When this

tool guide is active, you can select edges and faces
to be filled. You can click an edge loop or use
box-select to select multiple objects.
The Select Guide Curves tool guide allows you to
select a guide curve.
The Complete tool guide generates the filled face.
Options
• Extend Fill: Fills selected edges by extending the neighboring
faces.

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• Patch Fill: Fills the selected edges using the initial tangency of neighboring faces to create a smooth
patch.
• Tangent to all sides: Available for Patch Fill. Makes the patch tangent when possible to the neighboring
faces.
• Show UV grid: Enabled for Patch Fill. Displays a grid on the Fill preview to help visualize the contours.
Use the dropdown slider to adjust the density of the grid.
• Show deviation: Enabled for Patch Fill. Shows a Deviation analysis of the patch. You can set the color
and scale used to display the analysis.
In the Fill tool, using the Patch option, fill multiple areas at once using Alt-selected tangency influences and
preview the changes. In the example, the two loops are being filled simultaneously and previewed. Notice
the preview change when a different Point is Alt-selected.

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Examples
Simplifying edges
Simplifying edges across multiple faces
Filling with straight and curved edges

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Filling with curved edges as guides
Capping a surface
Capping a surface that crosses multiple edges
Selecting internal edges to keep them after filling. Selecting lines to simplify a surface by filling. Internal
edges are removed.
Filling edges to form a solid

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Patch blend with and without tangent extension. The Tangent extension option is selected on the left, and
not selected on the right.
When selecting Guide Curves in the Fill tool, preview allows continued selection of multiple Guide Curves.
This enables you to understand how the Guide Curves influence the geometry.
Fill works on multiple-selected, disconnected edge loops in surfaces. Use this as a shortcut instead of filling
edge loops individually.

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4.2.4.3.1. Removing rounds

Before you begin
• You will have a greater chance of success if you remove only a few rounds at a time. If you spend a lot of
time removing rounds, you may want to review Discovery Live's tutorials or technical support information,
online at Discovery Live.com for advanced techniques you can use when removing rounds.
• Closely inspect your model from various angles and zoom levels, so you can best determine the areas of
rounds you want to remove. Each area of a model is unique, and different areas may require different
approaches to round removal.
• To ensure accurate and complete round removal, remove the rounds in the reverse order in which they
were created, as shown in the example below of a model with colored rounds:
To fill a round or chamfer

1. Click the Select tool guide.
2. Select the round or chamfer.
3. Click the Fill tool or press F to fill the round and create caps if necessary.

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A Round Group is created in the Groups panel each time you fill a round.
You can fill any round created in Discovery Live, even a round that removes the underlying face, until the
round is changed by some other action.
To remove a round face

1. Select the round face.

If removing a face makes an invalid solid, the solid is converted to a surface.
If a round face is difficult to remove, try Alt+clicking it with the Fill tool, or using the Replace tool.
Capping multiple round faces

When multiple selected round faces are removed by the Fill tool, they are removed in a specific order so that
they can be restored by right-clicking and selecting Reattach Rounds for each group, in reverse order.
Usually you can select all the round faces and click the Fill tool to remove and cap them all. However,
sometimes this is not possible. In that case, select one round and fill it. If that works, undo and select that
round and the next. Undo. Continue adding rounds to your selection and trying to fill them until the fill fails.
Now you have identified one of the rounds that is causing the problem. Next, fill all the rounds that filled
successfully. Finally, repeat this process in the other direction of the round tangent chain. Once you have
filled all the rounds except for the one or two causing the problem, select the one causing the problem and
its two neighbors. Then click Fill. This process allows more options for the extension of neighboring edges
to intersect and cap the round.
If you are experiencing difficulty filling a chain of round faces, first split the round faces, then fill the newly
created faces, then fill the remaining round faces.
Examples
A difficult-to-remove round replaced before removing

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Filling a corner round that was created as a surface - surface round in an imported design
About to fill imported geometry bounded by surface rounds
Filling a rounded edge chain - the original chain to be filled, chain after splitting round faces, and filled chain

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If a round cannot be removed, a "stop face" is added and round removal is discontinued (A stop face is a
cap or vent face).
You can fill a chain of round faces when only one end of the round chain has a stop face.
Using other tools to remove rounds
Replace tool
As an option, when removing rounds, you can also use the Replace tool from the Edit group on the Design
tab, to replace one face with another. You can replace multiple faces with a single face, replace a single face
with multiple faces, or replace multiple faces with multiple other faces.

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Full round replaced with a face
Progression using a face to remove a round
Sphere tool
• Try using the Sphere tool from the Insert group on the Design tab. Using this tool, you can create a round
sphere and place it at difficult geometry junctions. Once in place you can use the sphere to split the junction
in order to remove the round. In some cases, you may want to create a chain of two or more spheres to
help with removing larger or more complex rounds areas.
• To avoid trouble with removing spheres, it's good practice to fill the sphere immediately after you remove
the rounds on either side of a sphere or sphere chain.
Using the Sphere tool to split and partially remove a round

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4.2.4.3.2. Replacing faces

Use the Replace tool in the Edit ribbon group on the Design tab to replace one face with another. You
can replace multiple faces with a single face, replace a single face with multiple faces, or replace multiple
faces with multiple other faces.
The Replace tool also lets you manually simplify or align complex faces and curves into planes, cones, and
cylinders. (If you want to automate this process, use the Simplify tool in the Adjust group on the Repair tab
to automatically find problem areas.)
To replace a face
1. Click the Replace tool in the Edit ribbon group on the Design tab.
2. Select the face you want to replace (that is, the target).
3. Select the face, surface, or plane you want to use to replace the target face (that is, the source).
You can select sources in the Design window or in the Structure tree.
Do it faster
1. Click the target face and Alt+click the source face, surface, or plane with the Select tool.
2. Click the Replace tool to replace the target face with the source face.
To replace multiple targets

1. Click the Replace tool.
2. Click the Target tool guide to make it sticky, then click each target face.
You can also use any multiple-face selection method.
3. Select the source face, surface, or plane.
You can select a source in the Design window or in the Structure tree.
To replace a target with multiple sources

2. Select the target face.
3. Click the Source tool guide to make it sticky, then click each source face, surface, or plane.
You can select sources in the Design window or in the Structure tree and can also use any multiple-face
selection method.
4. Click the Complete tool guide or press Enter to replace the target.

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To replace multiple targets with multiple sources

2. Click the Target tool guide, then click each target face.
Youcan also use any multiple-face selection method.
3. Click the Source tool guide twice to make it sticky, then click each source face, surface, or plane.
selection method.
4. Click the Complete tool guide or press Enter to replace the targets.
Examples
Replacing a target split face with a source surface
Replacing multiple target faces (the protrusion) with a single source face (the surface)
Replacing multiple target faces (in the depression) with multiple source faces (on the surface)
To align or simplify faces

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2. Click the Target tool guide, then click each face that you want to align or simplify.
If the selected faces are candidates for alignment or simplification, they are highlighted in red. Faces can
be aligned or simplified by the Replace tool if they are within Discovery Live 's alignment or simplification
tolerance of ±0.0001m.
3. Click the Complete tool guide or press the Enter key to align or simplify the highlighted faces.
To simplify curves
2. Ctrl+click each curve that you want to simplify.
If the selected curves are candidates for alignment or simplification, they are highlighted in red.
3. Click the Complete tool guide or press the Enter key to align or simplify the highlighted curves.
Example
Almost-planar faces highlighted for alignment
Faces highlighted for simplification
Tool guides
Select target faces using the sticky Target

tool guide.
Select source faces, surfaces, or planes using the

sticky Source tool guide.

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Click the Complete tool guide to replace the target

face with the source face, or to simplify or align the
target face.
4.2.4.4. Blending
You can create blends between points, edges, or faces.
To create a blend
• Enter the Blend tool
• Select a point, edge, or face
• Ctrl+Select a corresponding point, edge, or face
º You can select more than two objects
• The blend is previewed as you select
• Complete the blend
You can blend both closed and open sections to a single point as shown below.
Options
The following options are available in the Blend tool Options panel when you select the appropriate geometry
for a blend.
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• Rotational blend: Create cylinders and cones whenever possible during the creation of a blend. You must
have selected faces, points, or edges that can be rotated around a common axis.
• Periodic blend: Go all the way around when blending. The blend will begin and end at the first selected
object. You must have selected three or more faces, points, or edges that can be rotated around a common
axis, and that also span an arc greater than 180 degrees. (Blending between 3 equal-radius circle faces
creates a torus.)
• Ruled sections: Create straight edges when you blend. When you blend between faces, this option has
the same affect as selecting the face and its edges.
• Local guides: Selected guide curves only influence areas near to them.
• Clocked guides: Guide curves are oriented relative to the face edges instead being simply translated from
vertex to vertex.
Clocked guides Unchecked Clocked guides Checked
• Sheet metal blend: Forces the tool to create developable surfaces. A developable surface is defined in
mathematics as a surface with zero Gaussian Curvature (i.e. a surface that can be flattened into a plane).
The tool attempts to create planes, cylinders, and cones, in that order to maximize the planar areas. It is
restricted to blending between two parallel planes.
Sheet metal blend unchecked Sheet metal blend checked
• Normal to Centerline: When on by default, Normal to Centerline forces the Blend algorithm to keep
sections normal to the centerline. When off, the algorithm has more freedom to adjust sections so that a
surface can be created.

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Normal to centerline on Normal to centerline off
• Show UV grid: This option is ON by default to help visualize contours by displaying a grid on the preview.
Use the dropdown slider to increase or decrease the density of the grid.
Example

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When blending between colored objects, the blended geometry takes on the color of the object that was
selected first.
4.2.4.4.1. Blending between faces
You can blend between two or more faces with the Blend tool. Blended faces automatically simplify to analytic
geometry when possible.
Once you have created a blend, you can use the Tweak Face tool to edit the blended surfaces or faces.
To blend between two faces

1. Click Blend in the Design tab Edit group.
2. Select the first surface or face.
3. Ctrl+Select the second surface or face.
A blend preview displays between the first two faces. Blend surfaces begin tangent to the edges of the
initial face and end tangent to the edges of the last face. You can Alt+Click on these faces to reverse the
tangent direction.

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4. (Optional) Alt+click the edges or lines you want to use as guides for the blend. There is also a tool guide
for selecting guide curves. Guide curves must touch all blend profiles.
5. Continue selecting surfaces or faces.
6. (Optional) Modify the blend by selecting from the following options:
• Rotational blend: Create cylinders and cones whenever possible during the creation of a blend. You
must have selected faces rotated around a common axis.
• Periodic blend: Go all the way around when blending. You must have selected three or more faces
rotated around a common axis, that also span an arc greater than 180 degrees. (Blending between 3
equal-radius circle faces creates a torus.)
• Ruled segments: Create straight edges when you pull between three or more surfaces or faces.
• Local Guides: Selected guide curves only influence areas near to them.
Checked Unchecked
• Clocked guides: Guide curves are oriented relative to the face edges instead being simply translated
from vertex to vertex.

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• Sheet metal blend: Forces the tool to create developable surfaces. A developable surface is defined
in mathematics as a surface with zero Gaussian Curvature (i.e. a surface that can be flattened into a
plane). The tool attempts to create planes, cylinders, and cones, in that order to maximize the planar
areas. It is restricted to blending between two parallel planes.
Sheet metal blend unchecked Sheet metal blend Checked
7. Click to create the blend.
To blend a surface tangent to a face along a given direction

Select two curved faces and Alt+click a linear object, such as an axis, datum axis, sketch curve, or edge to
indicate the direction for finding two tangent locations.
Where you click when selecting the surface determines the approximate location of the edge of the surface.
The Blend tool previews the edges and the resulting surface.

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To blend a surface tangent to one face and through one curve/edge along
a direction
Select a face and a curve and Alt+click a linear object to set the direction.

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4.2.4.4.2. Blending between edges
Use the Pull tool in the Design tab Edit group to blend between two or more edges. You can select guide
curves for the edges to follow when creating the blend.
To blend between edges

2. Select the first curve or edge.
3. Ctrl+Select the second curve or edge.
A blend preview displays between the first two edges.
4. (Optional) Alt+click the edges or curves you want to use as guides for the blend. Guide curves must touch
all blend profiles.
5. Continue selecting curves or edges.
must have selected edges rotated around a common axis.
• Periodic blend: Go all the way around when blending. You must have selected three or more edges
rotated around a common axis, that also span an arc greater than 180 degrees.
• Ruled sections: Create straight edges when you blend between three or more curves or edges.
• Clocked guides: Guide curves are oriented relative to the edges instead being simply translated from
vertex to vertex.

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Clocked guides unchecked Clocked guides checked
When a blend between splines will self-intersect, the splines are modified slightly to prevent this from
happening.
Adding Tangency
Make the blend tangent to adjacent faces by Alt+Selecting them. In the image below right, the blue face was
Alt+selected to make the blend surface tangent to it.

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In the Blend tool, the system of Tangency and guide constraints sets up a system of equations that Discovery
Live solves to produce the Blend result. Certain cases create a system of equations which is Inconsistent,
meaning the equations produce a contradiction and have no solution.
The example below is one example of this.
In some cases, when Blending with a combination of Tangency and Guide constraints, conflicts between the
constraints can occur. In these cases, the conflicted geometry will highlight and an error message will be
displayed.

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Swept blends
A Swept Blend is a blend between two or more edges without local guide influence. The entire blend is swept
along the guide curve, as shown below.
If you check the Local guide option, the guide curve has a local effect on the blend.

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Swept blends are different from sweeps. Swept blends need at least two profiles, while sweeps use a single
profile. Sweeps give you limited control over the orientation and angle of the section along the trajectory, or
at the end cap, because it is always determined by sweeping the profile along the trajectory.
With swept blends, you specify the section shape and orientation explicitly at the ends and at specific points
along the trajectory (guide curve).
When you select more than one guide curve, the additional guide curves give you more control over the final
shape of the blend. Each guide curve affects entities in the profile that are closest to the curve. Vertices
between guide curves are controlled by curves blended between the neighboring guide curves.
Centerline Blends
The Blend tool allows you to select a Centerline Path for the Blend to follow between two planar profiles.
The Centerline does not have to touch either of the profiles, but the extension of the curves must pass
through the profile. Also, although it is called a “centerline,” the Path does not need to pass through the
center of each profile. Centerline distinguishes itself from Guide curves, which must touch the profile
edges.Multi-segmented curves or edges can be used as centerline blends provided the meet the following
criteria:
• Meet end-to-end without gaps
• Are piece-wise continuous or tangent
Centerline Blends Example

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The centerline consists of three lines and two tangent

arcs.
Select the oval and circle faces to preview the default

Blend.

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Select the Centerline tool and double-click

the centerline to select the curve chain. The preview
updates to show the Centerline Blend.
The centerline can pass through the profiles.

Note: In these examples, the centerline has been
changed to a spline.

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You can extend the spline using the Pull tool to pull
it beyond the profile plane.
The Blend can be created using the extended spline.

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The spline can be shortened so it does not touch the

profile planes.
The centerline can be moved normal to the original

plane. In this example, the spline was moved to the
right, which is normal to its original sketch plane.

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4.2.4.4.3. Blending between points
You can create a curve by blending between any combination of sketched Points, vertices, or endpoints.
Blend between any two points to create a line, or select multiple points to create a spline.
To blend between points

1. Enter the Blend tool.
2. Select the first point or vertex.
3. Ctrl+click to select multiple points or vertices.

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A blend preview displays between the first two points.

4. Ctrl+Select more points or vertices.
5. To make the curve tangent:
• Ctrl+click neighboring edges of the vertices if you want the blend curve to begin tangent to one or more
edges.
• Alt+click one or more neighboring faces if you want the blend curve to be tangent to the face(s).

• Rotational blend: Create arcs whenever possible during the creation of a blend. You must have selected
points rotated around a common axis.
• Periodic blend: Go all the way around when blending. You must have selected three or more points
• Ruled sections: Create straight line segments when you blend between three or more points.
4.2.4.5. Tweaking a face

You can edit any face or surface with Tweak Face to change its surface geometry. This tool is available in
3D mode and in drawings.
The degree (or complexity) of a primitive face is automatically increased when you edit it with the Tweak
Faces tool. This makes the editing process smooth and seamless, so curves are smooth when you add them.
Surfaces are checked for self-intersection when you modify the surface using its control points. You will
receive an error message if a change would create a self-intersecting surface.
If you save a selection in the Selection panel and it includes control points, the Face Edit tab will automatically
open when you load that selection.
To tweak a face
1. Click Tweak Face in the Edit group on the Design tab.

The Face Edit tab appears in the ribbon bar.
2. Select an editing method:
• Control Points to expose the control points for the face or surface so you can move them.
• Control Curves to expose the control curves for the face or surface so you can move them.

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• Blend Curves to edit faces or surfaces that can be recreated as a blend.

• Sweep Curves to edit faces or surfaces created with sweep.
3. Select a control point or curve on the face.

Hold Ctrl or draw a box to select multiple points or curves.
4. (Optional) Use the controls in the Select group to expand or contract your selection:
The U direction is indicated by blue lines in the Design window, and the V direction is indicated by red
lines.
• Click or to expand the selection so it includes all points in the U (blue) or V (red) direction.
• Click or to expand the selection so it includes the next point in the U (blue) or V (red) direction.
• Click or to reduce the selection by one point in the U (blue) or V (red) direction.
5. Select a tool to edit the face or surface:

• Add Control Curve
• Move
• Scale
• Or any other tool on the Design tab.
6. (Optional) Select Tweak face display options.

7. Click Close Surface Tools to close the tab and end your editing session.
To modify a control curve by creating a group

You can modify a control curve by creating a group. The group you create will display a ruler dimension that
you can edit to modify your curve.
4.2.4.5.1. Tweak face editing methods

You can think of the editing methods as modes. Different controls are displayed for each method, and these
controls allow you to adjust the face or surface differently.

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You can choose from the following methods:

Control points
Use this method when you want to change a face by moving its control points.
Control curves
Use this method when you want to change a face by changing its control curves.
Blend curves
Use this method when you want to change a face by changing its blend curves.
Sweep curves
Use this method when you are editing a face or surface created by sweeping and you want to change a face
by changing its sweep curves. The sweep curves are shown in blue and the surface that was swept is shown
in red. You can use these curves to make new sweep faces, and then manually swap out the new faces for
the old, but they can't be used to change the original swept solid.

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4.2.4.5.2. Add a control curve

You can add control curves to a face or surface when any editing method is active.
To add a control curve
1. Click Add Control Curve in the Edit group on the Face Edit tab.
The Tweak Face tool must be active for this tab to be visible.
2. Click the point on the face or surface where you want to add the control curve.
You can use temporary geometry to help you find the point where you want to add a control curve.
4.2.4.5.3. Tweak face display options

These display modes can help you see the contours of a face or surface.
• Grid displays a grid on your face or surface. This is similar to the Grid tool on the Measure tab.
• Curvature displays a gradient on your face or surface. The curvature with the largest radius is shown in
the maximum color. The curvature with the smallest radius, or no radius, is shown in the minimum color.
This is similar to the Curvature tool on the Measure tab.
• Porcupine displays a fringe graph on your face or surface. This display shows you the tangency of your
surface at multiple points.
• Show Off-Face Control Points displays all control points. If this option is not selected, you won't see
control points that don't affect the surface.
• Show Periodic Seams displays the beginning seam of the surface when you are editing periodic faces
(cylinders, cones, and other revolved surfaces). This may help you see of the characteristics or behavior
of some periodic faces as you edit.
To show a grid on your face or surface

1. Select Grid in the Show section on the Face Edit tab.
2. (Optional) Change the Color and Scale of the grid.
To show curvature on your face or surface

1. Select Curvature in the Show section on the Face Edit tab.
2. (Optional) Change the shading colors under Curvature in the ribbon group.
The maximum color is on the left and the minimum color is on the right.

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To show a fringe graph on your face or surface

1. Select Porcupine in the Show section on the Face Edit tab.
2. (Optional) Adjust the Density to change the number of fringes displayed along the curve.
3. (Optional) Adjust the Scale to change the length of the fringes relative to the amount of curvature.
4.2.4.6. Mathematical Expressions

The following expression elements are available:
• Infix (dyadic) operators: + - * / ^
• Prefix (monadic) operators: + -
• Functions: sin, cos, tan, asin, acos, atan, sqrt, log, log10, exp
• Constants: pi, e, root2, root3
• Units: m, cm, mm, yd, ft, ', in, ", deg, rad
Normal precedence rules apply:

1 + 2 * 3 ^ 4 = 1 + (2 * (3 ^ 4)) = 163
Parentheses are required for expression arguments and optional for simple arguments:
• sqrt 2 = sqrt(2) = 1.4142...
• sqrt 2*2 = (sqrt 2) * 2 = 2.8284...
• sqrt(2*2) = 2
Missing operators are inferred:

• 1 1/2 = 1 + 1/2
• 1'6” = 1' + 6”
• 1ft 6in - 17in = 1ft + 6in - 17in
• 1 2 3 4 5 = 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 = 15
• (1)(2)(3)(4)(5) = (1) * (2) * (3) * (4) * (5) = 120
• 2(1 + 2) = 2 * (1 + 2) = 6
• sqrt 2 sqrt 2 = sqrt 2 * sqrt 2 = 2
• 4(4atan(1/5) - atan(1/239)) = 4 * (4 * atan(1/5) - atan(1/239)) = pi
Units are applied to previous terms if units were not specified and are applied to subsequent terms unless
you override them:
• 1 + 1cm = 1cm + 1cm
• 1cm + 1 = 1cm + 1cm
• 1cm + 1 + 1mm = 1cm + 1mm + 1mm
• 1cm + 1 1/2 mm = 1cm + 1mm + 1mm / 2
Trigonometry functions work in radians by default, but you can enter degrees:
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sin(45 deg)
Numbers support standard form, but e is a built-in constant:
• 2e2 = 200 2e 2 = 2 * e * 2 = 10.873...
• 2e-2 = 0.02 2e - 2 = 2 * e - 2 = 3.436...
• 2e1 = 20 2e = 2 * e
4.2.5. Setup Tool
Options for the Setup Tool will vary based on your solution.
Note:
• Initial Temperature is available when the solution is set to transient.
• You can multi-select boundary conditions of the same type and batch edit them using the mini-toolbar.
From the mini-toolbar, you can also change boundary conditions to another type.
• You can right-click on a boundary condition to edit or rename it.
• When a boundary condition is assigned to multiple faces, the load is distributed by area over those faces.
Enclosure creates an enclosure around one or more objects with a pre-defined cushion.
Volume Extract creates an enclosed volume from a bounded region.
Initial Temperature sets the temperature of selected bodies, if the solution is set to transient.
Temperature sets the temperature of a selected face, several faces, or an entire body.
Heat Flow sets the rate of heat energy transfer of a selected face, several faces, or an entire body.
Heat Flux sets the rate of heat energy transfer per unit area of a selected face, several faces, or
an entire body. Heat Flux cannot be created on faces with an Insulated Face boundary condition.
Insulated Face sets a selected face several faces, or an entire body to be insulated. Insulated Face
cannot be created on faces with a Heat Flux boundary condition.
Convection sets convection on a selected face, several faces, or an entire body, overriding default
ambient temperature in the solution.
Delete All removes all boundary conditions on the model.
Fluids Setup tools:

Note:

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Enclosure creates an enclosure around the model that is used for external flow.
Volume Extract allows you to define an internal volume for internal flow.
Flow Velocitydefines the velocity through the inlet face. Flow Velocity must always point into the
fluid volume.
Swirl Inlet sets swirl inlet on the selected face. The swirl inlet specifies the velocity as the sum of
two separate components, a component normal to the boundary and a component with a radial
velocity.
Mass Flow sets mass flow on the selected face, several faces, or an entire body. You can now
specify negative values to show mass flow out of volume.
Outlet Pressure applies an outlet pressure on a selected face, several faces, or an entire body.
Inlet Pressure sets inlet pressure on a selected face.
Rotating Wall sets a rotating wall on the selected face. This boundary condition can be used to
simulate rotating parts without the parts physically moving. The solver uses Rotating Wall to
mathematically apply the rotation.
Slip Symmetry sets Slip Symmetry on a selected face, several faces, or an entire body. Slip
Symmetry can be applied to walls and fluid can pass through walls that have Slip Symmetry applied
to them.
Temperature allows you to specify temperatures on a selected face, several faces, or an entire
body.
Heat Flux is the rate of heat energy transfer per unit area of a selected face, several faces, or an
entire body. Heat Flux cannot be created on faces with an Insulated Face boundary condition.
Convection sets convection on the selected face, overriding the default ambient temperature in
the solution.
Convection Radiation sets convection radiation on the selected face.
Gravity includes the force of gravity in the solution.
Structural Setup tools:

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Note:
Enclosure creates an enclosure around one or more objects.
Force applies a force vector on a selected face, several faces, or an entire body. Vector dimensions
can be toggled between vector components and magnitude.
Remote Force sets a remote force on a selected face.
Pressure applies a pressure on a selected face, several faces, or an entire body.
Moment sets moment on a selected face.
Mass sets mass on a selected face. Remote Mass option has been added to allow you to select
the origin of the Mass. This boundary condition adds mass on designated faces.
Supports allows you to select various types of support boundary conditions.
Fixed Support constrains all motion on a selected face. Named Selections can also be used
for Fixed Supports by selecting them from the Groups Panel.
Cylindrical Supportconstrains radial motion while allowing rotational and axial motion on
a selected cylindrical face. The rotational motion for a Cylindrical support is about the axis
of the cylindrical face.
Hinged Support constrains radial and axial motion while allowing rotational motion on a
selected cylindrical face. The rotational motion for a Hinge support is about the axis of the
cylindrical face.
Planar Supportconstrains motion normal to the surface on a selected face.
Ball Supportconstrains radial motion while allowing rotational motion on a selected spherical
face. The rotational motion for the Ball support is about the center of the spherical face.
Displacement applies a displacement vector on a selected face, several faces, or an entire body.
Rotational Velocity sets rotational velocity on a selected face.

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Modal Setup tools:

Note:
Fixed Support fixes a selected face, several faces, or an entire body to make it rigid.
4.2.6. Solution Tree

The Solution Tree displays all the important inputs to the solution, as well as commands for creating
Solutions, adding Calculations, and opening the Material Library.
Thermal Solution Tree Example

Note: Bodies that are assigned the default material are highlighted in the graphics when you hover over
them in the solution tree. Facet point and face references highlight when you hover over boundary conditions
in the solution tree.
• Right-click the solution name to rename, duplicate, or delete it.
• Click Aluminium, in the default solution above, to change its values.
• Click the Ambient Temperature value to enter a new value. Convection in Air, Heat Flow, and other
boundary conditions can be edited the same way.
• For Transient solutions:
º Heat Flow, Heat Flux, Convection and Temperature can be modeled as time-varying boundary
conditions. You can specify values over time using a set of points and view the boundary condition
graphically.
º Click the clock next to the value to open the Editor.
º Enter values in each row, or click Import to pull in values from a pre-defined CSV file. Then click Apply.
º Click Remove to delete the row.
º Click Clear to delete the table.

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• Click Add Solution to add another solution to the Solution Tree. You can have multiple
solutions and multiple solution types for the model.
• Click Calculation to create a calculation displayed as a Chart (graph) or Probe (text). You can edit
existing calculations. You can export all calculators from the active solution by right-clicking on Calculations
and choosing Export All Calculations.
• Click Material Library to open the Material Library.Options are available for Material Library and
Solution.
• Click to Add a new Material to bodies.
Note: Material is enabled when you have selected bodies in the model.
Click to Add a Parameter Study from the Add drop-down menu in the Solution Tree.
Fluids Solution Tree Example

Below is a default solution for External flow.
Note: The interactions described below are the same for Internal flow.
• Right-click on the solution name to rename, duplicate, or delete it.
• Click Air to change the value.
• Click Flow Velocity to enter a new value. Flow Velocity and Outlet Pressure can be edited the same
way.
• Flow Velocity and Outlet Pressure can be modeled as time-varying boundary conditions. You can specify
values over time using a set of points and view the boundary condition graphically.
• Click Slip Symmetry to set Slip Symmetry.
• Click Calculation to create a calculation displayed as a Chart (graph) or Probe (text). You can
export all calculators from the active solution by right-clicking on Calculations and choosing Export All
Calculations.
Solution.
• Click Add a new Material to bodies.

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• Click Add a Parameter Study from the Add drop-down menu in the Solution Tree.
Structural Solution Tree Example

The details below are for a solution for an aluminum part with a fixed support face and a force applied to
another face. The interactions described below are the same for any combination of boundary conditions.
• Click the Material, Aluminum in the image above, to change the Material.
• Right-click Fixed Support and click Edit Location. For other boundary conditions that have numeric
values, you can also edit the value.
• Force, from the image above, is a vector which can be expanded to show the components.
º Click on the magnitude or any components, X, Y, or Z in the image above, to edit the values.
º Click on the value, 200 N for Force to change its value.
Calculations.
Solution.
Click Add a Parameter Study from the Add drop-down menu in the Solution Tree.
Modal Solution Tree Example

The details below are for a solution with an assigned Fixed Support and Displacement. The interactions
described below are the same for any combination of boundary conditions.

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• Click Copper or Plastic, in the example above, to change a Material.
• Right-click on Fixed Support condition and click Edit Location. For other boundary conditions that have
numeric values, you can also edit the value.
• Click the value next to Displacement, and enter a new value. Click lock to lock a Displacement or
to unlock a Displacement .
Calculations.
Solution.
• Click to Add a Parameter Study from the Add drop-down menu in the Solution Tree.
4.2.7. Results Display

Thermal Results Display Controls:
You control how results are displayed with the controls for each simulation type.
Note: For Thermal solutions, Streamlines, Particles, Vectors and Direction Field are only active when
the Current Result is set to Heat Flux.
The table below describes the controls.
The simulation is always running, but the Pause button pauses the simulation. Click the up arrow
above Play/Pause to set the following:
• Click the check box to toggle your simulation between transient and static.
º When transient is checked, click the check box for End Time and enter a value for seconds to
set the end time for your simulation. Note that the input field is disabled when the solver is
changed.
• Adjust the Speed to Fidelity ratio to view your simulation results as desired.

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Start button starts the simulation after it has been paused.
Click the up arrow above Play/Pause to set the following:

changed.
• Adjust the Speed to Fidelity ratio to view your simulation results as desired. It is advisable to stay
as close as Speed as possible.
Reset simulation button stops and restarts the simulation.
Show Results toggles the primary results display On and Off. This is useful when you want to focus
on only the geometry.
Cut Plane displays the results on a plane that you can move through the model and reorient to view
results anywhere within the model.
Streamlines trace the movement of particles and display them as lines. Click the up arrow
above Streamlines to change options for how streamlines are displayed.
• Click Arrows to show streamlines as vectors with an arrows display.

• Adjust the Count, Steps, Length, Width, Step Size, and Tail Length of the streamlines as
desired.
• Click the check box for Reverse to reverse the direction of the streamlines.
Particles show the movement of individual particles. Click the up arrow above Particles to
change options for how particles are displayed.
Vectors show the arrows seeded throughout the domain. Click the up arrow above Vectors
to change options for how vectors are displayed.
• Adjust the Width, Length, Count, and Culling sliders as desired.
• Culling options can also be chosen using the No Culling, Cull by Gradient - Lower Range, Cull
by Gradient - Upper Range, Cull by Magnitude - Lower Range, Cull by Magnitude - Upper
Range boxes.
• Play and Pause buttons control the animation.
Direction Field is a more advanced display than streamlines. Where streamlines produce lines
from particle flow, Direction Field produces a whole image at every step.
Fluids Results Display Controls:

You control how results are displayed with the controls shown below.
Note: For Fluids solutions, Streamlines, Particles and Direction Field are disabled when the Current
Result is set to Vortices (Lambda 2).
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• Click the check box for End Time and enter a value for seconds to set the end time for your
simulation. Note that the input field is disabled when the solver is changed.
• Check Time-averaged result display to smooth the simulation results over time. Time-averaged
result display is saved per solution.
• Adjust the Speed to Fidelity ratio to view your simulation results as desired. Fidelity settings are
saved per solution.
Start button starts the simulation after it has been paused. Click the up arrow above
Play/Pause to set the following:
• Check Time-averaged result display to smooth the simulation results over time.

desired.
Range boxes.

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Structural Results Display Controls:

You control how results are displayed with the following controls:
The simulation is always running. The Pause button pauses the simulation. Click the up arrow
to set the Speed to Fidelity ratio.
Start button starts the simulation after it has been paused. Click the up arrow to set the
Speed to Fidelity ratio.
Deformation starts and stops the animation of displacements in the model. Click the up arrow
to change deformation options. Deformation visualization tool settings are saved per solution.
Modal Results Display Controls:

Deformation starts and stops the animation of mode shapes. Click the up arrow to change
deformation options. Deformation visualization tool settings are saved per solution.

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4.2.8. Structure tree
The Structure Tree shows you each of the objects in your design. Click the Structure Tree icon
to pin it to the screen and click it again to hide it.
Objects are displayed in the order in which they were created, or in the order in which they were imported.
Names of duplicated solutions are appended with "- Copy" and can be renamed. Calculators are copied
when a solution is duplicated.
The appearance of solid bodies in the Structure Tree will vary when they contain hidden faces or surface
bodies.
You can use the Structure Tree to find objects, select objects, set object visibility, expand or collapse the
nodes of the tree, rename objects, create, modify, move, replace, and delete objects, as well as work with
components using the Structure Tree.
You can uncheck the box next to an object to hide it in the Design window.
You can right-click on a part or component in the Structure Tree and choose Source and then Update
Source from CAD. When starting with a native CAD file, you can replace with a new version of the same
CAD file in your simulations.
• Simulation setup, boundary conditions, material assignments, and calculators will update to modified CAD.
• Only CAD documents are being run and not the CAD application.
• Any geometry modifications to original CAD are lost.
• Supported formats for CAD include: Solidworks, Creo, NX, Catia V5, SolidEdge, and Inventor.
Right click on bodies in the Structure Tree to set or add them as Simulation Bodies. Simulation Bodies
define the scope of the simulation. Simulation Bodies update when bodies are added or removed from
components.

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Right click on bodies in the Structure Tree to add a New Component or Move to New Component. You
can apply boundary conditions directly to components in the Structure Tree.
Note: Some objects, such as sketch curves and 3D curves, are automatically placed in Curves groups in
the Structure tree. You can rename a curve, but not the curve group. You can move the Curves group, but
you cannot move a curve out of the group. Deleting the group deletes all the curves in the group.
You can set the visibility of a Curves group or an individual curve in the group, even if the Curve group is
within a dependent copy of a component.
To find objects
To find an object in the Design window, hover over an object in the Structure tree to highlight it in the Design
window. Hovering over a hidden object displays it temporarily in the Design window.
To find an object in the Structure tree:
• Hover your mouse over an object in the Design window to highlight it in the Structure tree. (Its component
is highlighted if it is not expanded.)
• Right-click an object in the Design window and select Locate in Structure Tree to highlight the object in
the Structure tree.
• Press Ctrl+F to open the Find dialog.
When Pattern is selected in the Structure tree, the selection list updates to display the number of patterns
included in the design.
To move objects
Drag an object or component to change its position in the Structure tree.
Right-click an object and select Move to New Component to create a component within the active component
and move the object into it. If the object has a custom name, the new component will have the same name.
Ctrl+right-click multiple objects, then right-click and select Move Each to New Components to create a new
component for each object within the active component and move the objects into the components. If the
object has a custom name, the new component will have the same name.
You can move the view of a component from one drawing sheet to another by dragging the view in the
Structure panel.
Note: An annotation plane cannot be moved to a sub-component after you add dimensions because the
references would be lost.
Offset, mirror, and shell relationships stay with a solid when it is moved to another component, unless the
relationship would link two components when it is moved.

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To set the visibility of objects using the Structure tree

• Check the box next to the object in the Structure tree to set the visibility of the object to the layer visibility.
• Uncheck the box next to the object to hide it in the Design window and display its icon in gray in the Structure
tree, like Component2 in the figure above. You cannot work with hidden objects in the Design window.
• Right-click an object in the Structure tree and select Always Visible from the context menu.
• Right-click a body with hidden faces in the Structure tree and select Face to choose Inverse Face Visibility
or Show All Faces.
To expand or collapse components

The top-level object displayed in the Structure tree (called Design1 in the image above) is a component.
To expand components:
• Click or press ' + ' on the number pad to expand a component. You can also right-click the component
and select Expand.
• Right-click any component (including the top-level component) and select Expand All or press ' * ' on the
number pad to expand the component and all its subcomponents.
• To see hidden objects in a Curves group, click More curves. This is only visible when the group contains
many curves.
To collapse a component, click or press ' - 'on the number pad.
To rename objects
Right-click an object in the Structure tree and select Rename or press F2 to rename the selected object.
You can also click the object, pause, then click again to rename it.
The top level component is automatically named when you first save your design, but you can rename it.
Multiple bodies selected in the Structure Tree can be renamed at once. The new name applies to the body
for which it was entered. The remaining bodies are numerically incremented with a number appended to the
name. This also applies to components.
To convert a solid to surfaces

1. Right-click the solid in the Structure tree.
2. Select Detach all.
All faces on the solid will be detached from each other and will become surfaces.
To lock and unlock objects

Locking a solid or surface prevents any changes from being made to it.
1. Right-click the object and select Lock from the context menu to lock the object.
• If you right-clicked a component, all the objects in the component that can be locked are locked.
2. Select Lock again to unlock the object.

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4.2.9. Selection panel

Use the Selection panel to select objects in the same part that are similar or related to the object currently
selected. The results list is based on the geometry you select for the search. See the examples below to see
what happens when you select each of the search results.
To select objects similar to the currently selected object

1. Select any 3D object.
2. Click the Selection tab to display the Selection panel.
The Selection tab is initially located at the bottom of the Structure panel.
3. (Optional) Select the Search all bodies option to search all bodies in the active component.
The following selection categories can be selected on more than one body:
• Edges: Same length, Same length with same orientation, Equal or smaller radius hole.
• Faces: Equal rounds, Equal or smaller rounds, Equal or smaller chamfer, Equal or smaller hole, Same
area, Same place, Equal radius cylinder.
4. (Optional) Select a category from the drop-down list to show only those objects with the selected
relationship.
Select All Types to display all the geometry related to your selection.
5. (Optional) If you turn off Automatically calculate power selection results in the Selection options page
of Discovery Live Options, then you must click to search for related objects in your design. Otherwise,
the search results are automatically displayed.
Related objects are displayed in the main area of the panel. Mouse over the objects in the list to highlight
those objects in the Design window.
6. (Optional) Set the Power Selection Relative Tolerance in the Selection options page of Discovery Live
Options to find items within a tolerance of the target size.
7. (Optional) Click a blue link to change that parameter in the search.
8. Click any number of the related objects in the list to add them to the current selection.
You can Ctrl+click to select multiple objects.
Selection categories
Selection categories are presented in the table below.
Category Description Example Selection types

Beams Beams based on profiles or Beams based on the profile of
length the currently selected beam.
Beams with lengths <=, =, or
>= the length of the currently
selected beam.
Block Selects blocks based on their Find all Free blocks that you Mapped, Swept or Free
volumes type: Mapped, Swept or Free want to convert to swept or
mapped blocks to get an all
(SCDM
hex mesh.
Only)

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Bodies Bodies based on volume This power selection category All bodies with volume <=, =,
compared with the currently is especially useful when you or >= the volume of the
selected body. need to find and delete currently selected body.
multiple, small items in a
design, such as fasteners.
Bodies Finds bodies that have not Finds bodies that have still not All unmeshed bodies
Mesh State been meshed. been meshed so that you can
mesh the remaining bodies.
(SCDM
Only)
Bodies Finds bodies that have similar All bodies with element size =
with Mesh mesh options defined on them. x
Options
(SCDM
Only)
Coaxial Objects with the same axis Coaxial hole

faces
Coaxial protrusion
Coaxial cylinder
Coaxial surfaces
Components All instances of the selected Components

component.
Edges Edges that are like the Edges with same length
currently selected edge
Edges with same length and
same orientation
Edges with same length in
same face
Surface edge loop
Hard sheet metal edges
Edges with Find edges that have mesh Find all edges that have the All edges with divisions = x
Mesh Size sizing controls defined on same number of divisions
All edges with mesh control
Controls them. assigned to control the mesh
flow.
(SCDM
Only)
Face with Find faces that have a match Faces with match control
match control defined on them.
control
(SCDM
Only)

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Faces with Find faces that have a All faces with Boundary Layers
Boundary boundary layers control defined Control
Layers on them.
Control
(SCDM
Only)
Faces with Find faces that have a mapped All faces with mapped mesh
Mapped mesh control defined on them. control
Mesh
Control
(SCDM
Only)
Faces with Find faces that have mesh All faces with element size = x
Mesh Size sizing controls defined on
All faces with mesh size control
Control them.
(SCDM
Only)
Features Groups of faces that form Protrusion
protrusions, depressions, inner
Depression
faces, or that enclose other
faces Inner faces
Enclosed by
Midsurface Midsurface faces with the Finding zero thickness faces Faces and Bodies
Face same thickness (including and surface bodies allows you
Thickness zero) to verify that thickness has
been assigned to all faces and
surface bodies in the model.
Offset Faces that have an offset All offset baseline faces
faces relationship defined
All offset faces
Faces with same offset
All coincident faces
Patterns Pattern members, entire Pattern member

patterns, or recognized
Recognized pattern
patterns
All pattern members
Note: If the pattern does not
have a pattern relationship in
Discovery Live, you must hold
Alt and select the face that
contains the pattern members
in order to select a recognized
pattern.

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Rounds Rounds and chamfers Equal radius rounds
Rounds within a range of
values, including equal or
smaller radius rounds
Equal or smaller-sized
chamfers
Variable radius round faces
and chains of faces even if
they are composed of a mix of
constant and variable faces
Same Faces and faceted bodies of Faces and faceted bodies

Color the same color
Same Curves of the same color, type, Faces with the same color as
Curve and length the originally selected face
Type
Same Hole Standard Holes with the same Standard Holes
Dimensions Hole Dimensions
Same size Faces that have the same Equal radius cylinder
radius or area
Equal radius hole
Equal radius protrusion
Faces with the same area
Holes equal to or smaller than
Surface holes equal to or
smaller than
Sheet Sheet Metal objects Miter Corners

Metal
Same Junction type and
parameters
Beads and Forms with the
same parameters
Suppressed All bodies suppressed for

Items physics
Sweepable Finds bodies that have a Find bodies that have a natural All sweepable bodies
Bodies natural sweep path for sweep path to be automatically
(SCDM meshing. meshed. Other bodies may
Only) require more manual user
intervention.
To find all the edge loops of a surface

1. Select a surface that contains one edge loop.
2. Select Surface Edge Loop in the category list.

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This option is useful when edge loops appear on top of each other in the Design window.
To select and create recognized patterns

1. Select a protrusion or depression that is a member of the pattern.
2. Hold Alt and select the planar face that contains the potential pattern.
You must select this face in order to recognize a pattern.
3. Select Recognized Pattern from the Related list.
4. Right-click the potential pattern and select Create Pattern from the context menu to convert the selected
protrusions or depressions into a pattern.
5. (Optional) Select a face of a pattern member to display the count and dimensions for editing.
To select faces that surround an internal void

1. Click a face of the solid with internal faces.
2. Select Inner Faces from the category list.
To find all faces within the range of areas between two faces
1. Select two faces.
2. (Optional) Click in the Selection panel.

The search results display all faces in your design with an area between the two faces you selected.
To select all same color faces

1. Open a model with different colors on multiple faces of the model.
2. Select a face of a particular color.
3. Click the Selection panel tab in the Structure Tree.
4. Click the Faces with same color option under the Same color folder in the Selection panel.
All the faces with the same color as the originally selected face will be selected.
To select all surface bodies based on surface area

1. Open a surface model.
2. Select a surface body.
4. Click the All surface bodies with area option under the Bodies folder in the Selection panel.
All the surface bodies with areas <=, =, or >= the area of the originally selected surface body will be
selected.
Examples
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The round face is selected in the model shown below.
In the Selection panel, three categories are displayed.

• Rounds
º All rounds equal to or smaller than 3 mm
• Features
º Depression
• Same Color
º Faces with same color
The faces highlighted below are selected when you click All rounds equal to or smaller than 3mm.
The faces highlighted below are selected when you click Depression.
All faces are selected when you click Faces with same color since all of the model faces are the same
color.

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4.2.10. Groups panel

You can create a group from any set of selected objects. When storing Ruler Dimensions for the Pull or Move
tool in a group, note the following list of other information that will be stored in the group.
• Active tool
• Move tool placement
º The Move tool initially places itself (for ease of quick moving) with respect to the oriented bounding box
of the selected items
• Selected objects
• Sub-selections that affect the behavior of the tool
• Active ruler dimension
• Anchor reference for the active ruler dimension
For example, insofar as Group creation goes, a Move tool can be anchored to an edge of a face and oriented
in a direction. This stores the selection, the edge, and the orientation direction. Subsequently, a selected
axis of the Move handle can have a ruler dimension to a dimension reference. This stores the Move handle
axis and the ruler dimension. Any re-invocation of this group will attempt to re-setup the tool, the selection,
any options, and ruler dimensions, according to how the group was saved.
Note: When using groups to store Move and Pull operations as described above, choose references
appropriate to your design intent and the likelihood of any of the required references being present on
re-invocation.
You can use groups in combination with the Discovery Live API to change these parameters, or use them
as a way to indicate to others your design intentions about which sort of changes you expect them to make
to your design.
Scope
Groups can be saved for the root part or for its children. To change the scope at which groups are displayed,
select Root Part or Active Part in the drop-down list near the top of the Groups panel. This allows you to see
groups that are in children components without opening the component in another window.
Importing Groups from External Components

Groups in external components of an assembly do not show up at the Root Part level of the assembly.
Because they are not visible at the Root Part level, they do not automatically get exposed in ANSYS. You
can import groups from external components by doing the following:
• Right-click an External component in the Structure Tree of an assembly
• If Import Component Groups appears in the context menu, the component contains groups
• Click the command to copy the groups from the external component into the Root Part (that is, the assembly)
External component groups will now be exposed in ANSYS.
Note:
• Modifications to the copied groups are at the assembly level
• If you redefine the copied group (at the assembly level), the original group will not get redefined
• To redefine the groups in the external component, make it the Active Component and make the changes
Driving dimensions and Named selections

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When you select an object with a dimension property, you have the option of creating a Driving Dimension
group. These groups are added to the Driving Dimensions folder. Driving dimensions include offset distance
(faces with an offset relationship), round radius, and ruler dimensions. You can change the dimension in the
groups panel, and the geometry will change. These saved groups can be used for API-driven modification
and can be sent to ANSYS.
• Creating a driving dimension with Pull (offset)
• Creating a driving dimension with Move (translation or rotation)
• Creating a driving dimension with the Select tool (round radius and distance between offset faces)
You may choose to create a Named Selection group whether or not a dimension property exists. If a dimension
property is not available, you may create only a Named Selection group. These groups allow you to save
selection sets to easily recall them.
To create a Named Selection group

1. Select any set of 3D objects.
2. Click Create NS in the Groups panel or press Ctrl+G.
The group appears in the Named Selections list with the default name. Click in white space to accept
the default, or start typing to rename the group.
Mouse over the group to highlight the objects in the group and click the group to select them. Properties
and other information, such as the selected axis for the last Move rotation, are saved with the group.
Working with the Groups tree

• Drag a group in the Groups panel to change its position in the list. Group order is important because they
are changed from top to bottom when the change is initiated in an external application.
• You can sort the Groups by right-clicking on Named Selections or Driving Dimensions at the top of the
tree.
• A round group is also created each time you fill a round and is saved in the Filled Rounds folder. You can
reattach a group of rounds as long as some portion of the original edges (or faces that bordered the edges)
still exists in your design.
To create a coaxial group

1. Select two coaxial cylindrical faces on a solid.
The cylindrical faces must be on the same solid.
2. Right-click and select Create Coaxial Group.
The group is added in the Face Groups folder in the Groups panel. A relationship is created between the
cylindrical faces, so the faces remain coaxial when you change the faces. If you move one of the faces,
the other will move with it.
To edit a driving dimension

1. Select the driving dimension from the Groups Panel. The current value should appear next to the Type.
2. Click the value. A dimension box should appear.
3. Type the new value for the dimension and press Enter.

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The driving dimension is updated in the Design window. You can follow these steps to change round radii,
offset distance, and ruler dimensions.
To reattach a round
1. Right-click one or more round group in the Groups panel.
2. Select Reattach Round from the context menu.
To explode a group
1. Select the group in the Groups panel.
2. Right-click and select Explode from the context menu.
Each group will be placed in its own group. The new group names are based on the parent group. For
example, a group named "Group" will explode into "Group 1", "Group 2", etc.
To delete a named group

1. Select the group in the Groups panel.
2. Press the Delete key or right-click the group and select Delete Group from the context menu.
If all of the objects that comprise a group are removed from the design, the group is automatically deleted.
To merge two or more named groups

1. Select two or more Group from the Groups panel.
2. Right-click a group and select Merge from the context menu.
The groups will be merged to a single group, taking the name of the last group selected.
To rename a named group

1. Right-click the group in the Groups panel.
2. Select Rename from the context menu.
3. Or, select the group and press F2
4. Enter the new name for the group and press Enter.
To replace objects in a named group

1. Select any set of 3D objects.
2. Right-click a group and select Replace from the context menu.
You can only replace groups in Named Selections.
To add objects to a named group

1. Select any set of 3D objects.You may also select another Group from the Groups panel.
2. Right-click a group and select Add from the context menu.

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To subtract objects from a named group

1. Select any object that is part of a named group.
2. Right-click the group name in the Groups panel and select Subtract from the context menu.
4.2.11. Options panel

The Options panel allows you to modify the functions of the Discovery Live tools. For example, when you
use the Pull tool, selecting an edge and then selecting the Chamfer Edge option creates a chamfer instead
of a round when you pull the edge.
Options are enabled when the relevant geometry is selected.
This is the Options panel for the Pull tool when an edge is selected:
Some options are also displayed in the mini-toolbar:
4.3. Sample Models

Sample Models allow you to view results immediately and experiment with different setup conditions and
results displays. They are existing solutions to help you become familiar with Discovery Live.
Solutions in Discovery Live require the following:
• A geometry model from any format supported by SpaceClaim
• A Solution type (Fluid Flow, Thermal, Structural, or Modal)
• Setup Boundary Conditions (Temperature, Pressure, Displacement, etc.)
Once a solution is defined it runs automatically, at which point you can investigate the results.
• Adjust the boundary conditions.
• Try different materials.
• Change how results are displayed.
• Setup additional calculations within the results.
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• Modify the geometry.

The Sample Models let you experiment with the different solution types and results quickly before working
on your own models.
Dump truck - Pipe - Internal Flow Heat Sink - Thermal Bracket - Structural Cell Phone - Modal
External Flow
Next Steps:
Solution Templates

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4.3.1. Dump Truck - External Flow
This illustrates the Wind Tunnel Template, which requires an Enclosure where the fluid flows over the
model.
The default size of the Enclosure is determined as follows:
• Height = The height is 150 percent of the model height.
• Flow Velocity = The area in front of the model is 60 percent of the model length.

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The fluid is Air at Room Temperature entering the wind tunnel.
Solution Tree
The Solution Tree is where you manage solutions applied to the model. You can have multiple solutions for
different physics types but only one solution is active at a time.
Within the Solution Tree you can modify boundary condition values and remove them. You can also Delete
and Add Solutions.
Results Controls
Fluid Flow is a transient solution so the results change over time.
saved per solution.

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desired.
Range boxes.
Edit the Enclosure

If you want something other than the default enclosure, right-click in the graphics window and choose Edit
Enclosure.
Select faces of the enclosure and drag them to new locations.
The model does not have to lie completely within the enclosure. In the image below, the enclosure bottom
face is dragged above the bottom of the tires.

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Legend
The Legend controls the color ranges for results display. The image below shows the default Legend for
the Wind Tunnel solution.

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1. In the Legend, click and drag the up and down arrows to change the color ranges. First drag upward to
increase the maximum value so that all of the results lie within the blue end of the Legend.
2. Click Reset at the bottom of the Legend to return to the default colors.
3. Click a Legend arrow and drag downward to decrease the maximum value so that more of the results lie
within the red end of the Legend. You can also type in the values.
Solution Options
Show boundary conditions Toggles the display of boundary conditions in the
model.
Override transparency By default, solid geometry is made transparent to
better visualize results. Check this option if you want
to have results and geometry displayed at the same
time.
Show inlet dimensions as vector This option applies to Fluid Flow. It controls the
behavior when you double-click an Inlet vector
boundary condition to edit its value. By default, the
value shown for editing is the vector magnitude. With
this option checked, the X, Y, and Z vector values
can each be edited.
Allow enclosure selection Check this option to make the Enclosure selectable.
When the Enclosure is selected, you can change how
it appears, add/modify boundary conditions, and add
calculations.
Next Steps:
Pipe - Internal Flow
Heat Sink - Thermal

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Bracket - Structural
Cell Phone - Modal
4.3.2. Pipe - Internal Flow

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This illustrates the Internal Flow Template, which requires an internal volume that the fluid flows through.
This sample model has a predefined volume with two inlets and a Outlet Pressure where the fluid exits. The
fluid is water at Room Temperature entering both inlets at 0.5 meters per second.
Solution Tree
different physics types but only one solution is active at a time. Within the Solution Tree you can modify
boundary condition values and remove them. You can also Delete and Add Solutions.
Results Controls
Fluid Flow is a transient solution so the results change over time.
saved per solution.

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desired.
Range boxes.
Legend
The Legend controls the color ranges for results display. The image below shows the default Legend for the
Internal Flow solution.

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You can change the range of the Legend by clicking a legend arrow at the right and dragging up or down.
Dragging the arrows will increase the range of values. In the image below, the range was increased so that
very few of the actual results are in the red range.

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Dragging the arrows down will reduce the range. In the image below, the range was decreased such that
most of the actual results are in the red range.

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Next Steps:
Dump Truck - External Flow
Heat Sink - Thermal
Cell Phone - Modal

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4.3.3. Heat Sink - Thermal
This illustrates the Heat Source Cooling in Air Template, which uses an Ambient Air Temperature of
2
20°C and a Convection in Air of 10 W/(m °C). When using the Template, you would need to specify a heat
source (Temperature, Heat Flux, or Heat Flow) on at least one face in the model.
Solution Tree
different physics types but only one solution is active at a time.

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Within the Solution Tree you can modify boundary condition values and remove them. You can also Delete
and Add Solutions.
Results Controls
Thermal is a steady state solution.
changed.

changed.

desired.

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Range boxes.
Legend
The Legend controls the color ranges for results display. You can change the range of the Legend by clicking
the Legend arrows at the right and dragging them up or down.
Dragging the arrows up will increase the range of values. In the image below, the range was increased such
that none of the actual results are in the red range.

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Next Steps:
Cell Phone - Modal

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4.3.4. Bracket - Structural
This illustrates a simple Structural solution of a bracket fixed on one end (two attachment holes) with a
downward force (green arrow) applied to a hole at the other end. Von Mises Stress is the default result.
Solution Tree

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different physics types, but only one solution is active at a time. Within the Solution Tree you can modify
Results Controls
Structural is a static solution so the results do not change over time.
Legend
the Structural solution.

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Next Steps:
Heat Sink - Thermal
Cell Phone - Modal

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4.3.5. Cell Phone - Modal
This illustrates a simple Modal solution of a cell phone.
Solution Tree

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different physics types, but only one solution is active at a time. Within the Solution Tree you can modify
Results Controls
Legend
the Modal solution.

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Next Steps:
Heat Sink - Thermal
4.4. Solution Templates

The following Templates are available:
• Wind Tunnel
• Heat Source Cooling in Air
• Internal Fluid Flow
• Structural
• Modal
The sections below describe how to use each template.
Next Steps:
Wind Tunnel Tutorial
Creating Thermal Solutions
Creating Fluids Solutions
Creating Structural Solutions
Creating Modal Solutions

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4.4.1. Wind Tunnel Template

1. Click Wind Tunnel in the Startup Page.
2. Browse to a model in the File Open dialog. If you don't have one, click and save Truck.scdoc
3. Choose the Flow Velocity direction.
Note: You can click Enter to accept the default wind tunnel orientation for Flow Velocity and Ground
Plane.

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4. Choose the Ground
l P
5. The Enclosure is previewed around the vehicle, which represents a virtual wind tunnel through which
the air will flow.

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6. The Solution Tree appears on the left side of the graphics window and the simulation runs automatically.
In the Solution Tree, notice the Flow Velocity and the Pressure.
• The green arrow on the left indicates the Flow Velocity direction, which is assumed to align with the
X-axis of the World Origin.
• The orange ball on the right indicates the Pressure
r i d
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7. If you want something other than the default enclosure, right-click in the graphics window and choose
Edit Enclosure.
Select faces of the enclosure and drag them to new locations.
8. The model does not have to lie completely within the enclosure. In the image below, the enclosure bottom
face is dragged above the bottom of the tires.

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Next Steps:
4.4.2. Heat Source Cooling In Air Template

1. Click Heat Source Cooling in Air on the Start Page.
2. Browse to a model in the File Open dialog.The solution starts.

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3. Enter a Temperature
. e u l a v

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4. After selecting the temperature, the simulation can provide a solution
Tips & Tricks: If the solution results do not display, the simulation may need to be restarted. Create a new
solution by clicking + Solution. Then activate the original solution by double-clicking it in the Solution Tree.
The solution should now display.
Next Steps:
4.4.3. Internal Fluid Flow Template

1. Click Internal Fluid Flow on the Start Page.
2. Browse to a model in the File Open dialog.
3. A solution cannot be created until the Internal Flow Volume is defined.
4. Select a face to define the Inlet.

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5. If there are multiple Inlets, Ctrl-select more faces.

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6. Select face(s) for Pressure.

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7. The simulation can now display the solution.
Note: Faceted bodies are set to transparent in internal flow solutions.

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Next Steps:
4.4.4. Structural Template

1. Click Structural on the Start Page.
2. Browse to a model in the File Open dialog.
Structural simulations have the following minimum requirements in order to solve.
• A material type
• At least one of the following displacement boundary conditions:
• A displacement for one or more faces
• One or more faces designated as fixed supports
• At least one of the following force boundary conditions:
• Pressure applied to at least one face
• A force applied to a face
3. Select a face to define the Fixed Support. Ctrl-select to select multiple faces.
4. Select face for Force, select face for force direction, and click Complete.

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Next Steps:
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4.4.5. Modal Template

1. Click Modal on the Start Page.
2. Browse to a model in the File Open dialog box.
Modal simulations have the following minimum requirements in order to solve:
• A material type
• At least one of the following boundary conditions is recommended:
• A displacement for one or more faces
• One or more faces designated as fixed supports.
3. Select a face to define the Fixed Support and click Complete. Ctrl-select to select multiple faces.

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Next Steps:
4.5. Wind Tunnel Tutorial


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4.5.1. Introduction
In this tutorial you will:

• Create a solution showing the flow of air around a vehicle.
• Modify the solution setup.
• View the results in several different display types.
• Change the geometry and view how the changes affect the results.
This tutorial illustrates many of the tools and their capabilities while leveraging automation built into solution
setup tasks.
No detailed knowledge of the simulation is required, but knowledge of the underlying physics is assumed
when describing the results.
Start Tutorial >>
4.5.1.1. Task 1: Creating a Solution

1. Click Truck.scdoc and save the file on your computer.
2. Start Discovery Live.
3. From the Start Page, click on New.
4. Open the design with File>Open and browse to Truck.scdoc.

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5. Click Create Solution at the bottom of the interface.
6. When asked what you want to study, click Fluid Behavior .

7. After the I want to study panel changes for fluids options:
• Choose Air (20C) for the fluid.
• Check the box for Create fluid volume for.
• Choose External flow.
• Click Create to create the solution.
8. Choose the Flow Velocity direction.

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Note: You can press the Enter key to accept the default wind tunnel orientation for Flow Velocity and
Ground
l P

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9. Choose the Ground
l P
10. The Enclosure is previewed around the vehicle, which represents a virtual wind tunnel through which
the air will flow.

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The enclosure size will be modified in a future step and is saved with the model.
11. The Solution Tree appears on the left side of the graphics window and the simulation runs automatically.
In the Solution Tree, notice the Flow Velocity and the Pressure.
• The green arrow on the left indicates the Flow Velocity direction, which is assumed to align with the
X-axis of the World Origin.
• The orange dot on the right indicates the Pressure.
4.5.1.2. Task 2: Editing the Enclosure

Since the default Enclosure may not be the size that you need, we will modify the Enclosure in these steps.
The Enclosure is an object in the graphics that can be modified.
1. Click Structure Tree to display the Structure Tree. Notice the Enclosure listed in the tree. You
can toggle its display On/Off in the tree.
2. Click Structure Tree to close the tree.

To prevent the Enclosure from interfering with selection of other objects, it is filtered out of selection by
default. If you want to have Enclosure selection available:
1. Click Options to open the Options panel.

2. Check Allow enclosure selection to enable it.
3. Click Options to close the Options panel.

In this tutorial, we will use a shortcut which temporarily toggles Enclosure selection On and places you in
the Pull tool for editing.
1. Click Pause to pause the simulation.

2. Right-click in empty space in the graphics window and select Edit Enclosure from the context menu.
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This toggles Enclosure selection On and opens the Pull tool.

3. Rotate the model as shown below and hover over the bottom face, which highlights in yellow.
4. Click to select the bottom face. A mini toolbar appears with Pull tool options, but we do not need them
for this tutorial.

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5. Hover over the red ball on the Orientation Indicator in the lower left corner of the graphics window and
click to snap the view to be looking down the Enclosure.
6. Zoom in so you can clearly see the tires.

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7. Drag to pull the bottom up so that part of the tire lies outside of the Enclosure.
This shows that the entire model does not have to be within the Enclosure to obtain a solution.
8. Spin the view to see the solution in 3D (by pressing your mouse wheel and rotating the
i v
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9. Select Pressure (the back wall of the enclosure) and pull to make the Enclosure shorter.
10. Click Play to start the simulation.
4.5.1.3. Task 3: Understanding the Results Legend

The Legend displays the current result being plotted and the values of the various colors being used. In this
case, air velocity is being plotted.

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4.5.1.4. Task 4: Controlling the Simulation

The Heads Up Controls allow you to control the simulation and display the results in different ways.
1. Click Pause to pause the simulation. This is useful if you are going to make significant changes
to the geometry or the solution setup.
2. Click Play to continue the simulation after it has been paused.
3. Click Restart to start the simulation from the beginning. Fluids solutions are transient and change
over time. This button lets you restart the solution from the beginning.
4.5.1.5. Task 5: Using Display Controls and Cut

Plane
By default, fluid velocity is displayed, but you can switch between different results and their Rendering
Methods. You can also display individual components of vector results and highlight the maximum and
minimum values in the display.
Show Results toggles the 3D display of results On and Off.
Cut Plane slices the results with a plane.

The Cut Plane display state is dependent on Results state.
• Results off turns Cut Plane off.
• Results on restores the Cut Plane state to what it was when Results were turned off.
º Turns the Cut Plane on if it was on when Results were turned off.
º Leaves the Cut Plane off if it was off when Results were turned off.
• Turning the Cut Plane on turns Results on, if they were off.
• Turning the Cut Plane off does not turn Results off. It only removes the clipping.
Only one of these buttons can be on at a time. By default, the solution is displayed on the Cut Plane and
the full 3D display is Off.
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1. Click Cut Plane to turn Off the Cut Plane while leaving On the full 3D results. Now the results
are shown on the surface of the Enclosure.
2. Click Show Results button to turn the results completely Off.

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3. Click Cut Plane to go back to the default display, which shows the results on the Cut Plane
surface slicing through the Enclosure.
4. Hover over the Cut Plane boundary to see a handle for moving the plane.

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5. Drag the plane to see a slice of the results in other locations in the model. The image below shows results
near the driver's side of the vehicle.
6. While the Select tool is active, click the plane to activate the Move tool.
Note: You can deselect the plane to re-activate the Select tool.

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7. Drag the handles to move the plane. Below, the plane is being rotated about the Y-axis.
8. Double-Click on a rotation handle to rotate 90°.

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9. Press Shift+Double-Click to rotate in the opposite direction.

10. Move the Cut Plane to its original location.
11. Click the up arrow on Show Results to open the options panel.
12. Check the Show Min/Max box to see where the minimum and maximum result values are located. As
the solution runs, these will change over time. Minimum values are represented with a blue circle and
maximum values are represented by a red circle.
Note: In addition to Velocity, options for Current Result include Pressure,Temperature, and Vortices
(Lambda 2). You will only look at Velocity for this tutorial.

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13. By default, the Rendering Method is set to Surface. The following Rendering Method options are
available:
• Surface
• Composite
• Inverse Surface
• Iso Surface
• Max Value
• Min Value
14. By default, the Result Component shown is SUM. This is the vector sum of all the component vectors,
or the vector magnitude. We will only look at SUM in this tutorial, but the following Result Component
options are also available:
• SUM
• X
• Y
• Z
15. Set the Rendering Method to Composite. Composite rendering sums up all the velocities and colors
them appropriately, but only shows results that lie within a band centered on a value. Set the Bandwidth
and Center using the sliders added to the panel.

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16. Slide Center to the left to show only slower-moving particles.
17. Slide Bandwidth to the right to increase the bandwidth and include faster particles.

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18. Slide the Bandwidth to the left to decrease the bandwidth and only show the slowest particles.
19. With a decreased band, moving the Center allows you to look at only values in a narrow range anywhere
in the results spectrum. The image below shows particles in the middle of the results.

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20. With the Center near the upper end of the results, only the fastest particles are displayed.
21. Move the Bandwidth and Center sliders back to near, or slightly below their midpoints.
22. In the Legend, make note of the largest value, click on the Legend arrow and drag downward until this
value is about half of its original value.

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23. Now the results show only the slowest particles up through the medium speed particles which are those
that will cause recirculation and drag.
24. Toggle the Cut Plane Off to view the display around the whole vehicle and rotate/zoom the model as you
like to view the results from other angles and closer in.

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25. Reset the Legend and return to a view similar to the image above.
26. Change the Rendering Method to Inverse Surface which shows the opposite side of the surface (opposite
the surface normal direction). The blue shows that the velocity is almost zero.
27. Toggle the Cut Plane back On.

28. Change the Rendering Method to Iso Surface, which shows a surface through all of the particles moving
at a velocity that you set using the Isovalue slider. The image below shows a surface at the middle of
the velocity range.

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The image below shows a surface through particles near the bottom of the velocity range.
The image below shows a surface through particles near the top of the velocity range.

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29. Change the Rendering Method to Max Value which shows the highest value anywhere in the volume.
30. Set the Rendering Method back to Surface and toggle the Cut Plane Off.
4.5.1.6. Task 6: Working with Streamlines

As particles move through the volume they trace out Streamlines. The Streamlines display shows you these
traces and offers several display options.
1. Click Streamlines to turn the Streamline display On.

2. Notice that the Streamlines emanate from a source that has handles for dragging and resizing.

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3. Move the source around by dragging the center spot, to see how the Streamlines change. Below, the
source was moved near the bottom.
4. Resize and reshape the source by dragging the orange circle. Below, the source was reshaped to almost
a single. vertical line. You can flatten the source in both the horizontal or vertical direction.

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5. Click Pause to pause the solution.

6. Click the arrow above Streamlines to open the options panel. Click Start Animation in the Streamlines
options panel to animate the Streamlines. The animation runs until all Streamlines reach the Pressure
face and then it restarts. You will see the faster Streamlines reach the Pressure face first and the slower
Streamlines will reach it last.
7. Increase Step Size by moving the slider to the right and notice how the animation's speed increases. The
animation uses a fixed number of time steps, but you can control the length of each step and change the
speed of the animation. The Step Size slider changes the length of each time step. By default the slider
is at its midpoint.
8. Slide Step Size left toward the middle. The animation will slow down as you drag. When you get to the
left of the midpoint, the time step becomes short enough that the Streamlines don't reach all the way to
the Pressure face.
9. Move the source closer to the windshield and then slide Step Size left until you see something like the
image below. With a small Step Size you can get more detail by moving the source along the flow direction,
allowing you to see small sections of the flow in different parts of the volume.

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10. Move the source to the Flow Velocity and centered on the vehicle grill.
11. Move the Step Size slider to its midpoint.
12. Move the Width slider to see the range of Streamline widths. Streamline width can be adjusted to help
with visualization. The image below shows Streamlines at their maximum width.
13. Move the Width to its default setting.

14. Length controls the length of time that the line is displayed. Drag the Length slider to the left to shorten
the Streamline time line.Drag the Length slider to the right to extend the time line.

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15. Tail Length controls how much of the time line history is displayed. Drag the Tail Length slider to the
right to remove some of the earlier steps.
Experiment with different lengths and move the source to explore different areas of the model. Rotate the
model as needed to get different perspectives.
16. Drag the sliders to show the full streamline length.
17. Check the Reverse check box and notice that the Streamlines disappear. This option allows you to flip
the flow direction.
18. Drag the source toward the pressure face and notice the flipped direction. Drag the source to the pressure
face to see the full Streamlines in reverse.

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19. Click Streamlines to turn Streamlines Off.
4.5.1.7. Task 7: Discovering Particles

Particles show individual particles flowing through the volume. Unlike Streamlines, which have a source
that can be moved around, Particles are uniformly seeded across the entire volume.
1. Click Particles to turn the particle display on.

2. Click Pause to pause the solution.
3. After clicking the up arrow to open the Particles options panel, click Play to animate the particles. The
animation runs until you pause it using Pause .

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4. Move the Step Size slider to adjust the time step. A larger step size makes the particles move more
quickly and a smaller step size makes them move slower.
5. Move Step Size to its midpoint.
6. Move the Size slider to adjust particle size. Slide to the left to display small particles.
7. Slide to the right to display larger particles.
8. Return Size to near its midpoint.

9. Transparency can also be adjusted. Move the slider to the right to increase Transparency.

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10. Min Gate and Max Gate affect the velocity ranges displayed. By default, particles are shown for all of the
velocities. Slide Min Gate to the right to filter out slower moving particles.
11. Slide Max Gate to the left to filter out faster moving particles.

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12. Slide Min Gate to the left limit and Max gate to right limit.
13. Click Color on . This option toggles particle colors on and off.
14. Click Color on .
15. Click Use emitter .

This option opens a Particle emitter. The emitter may be moved and resized like the streamline source.

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Note: The options panel display updates: Emission Rate and Emission Radius sliders replace Min
Gate and Max Gate and Reset Particles appears.

16. Drag the Move widget to re-position the emitter.
17. Drag the Emission Rate slider to the left to slow down the rate of particle emission.

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Drag the Emission Rate slider to the right to speed up the rate of particle emission.
18. Drag the Emitter Radius to the right to increase the size of the emitter.

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19. Click Reset Particles to restart the animation.

20. Turn Particles display off.
4.5.1.8. Task 8: Using Direction Field
Direction Field is a more advanced display than Streamlines. Where Streamlines produce lines

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1. Click Direction Field to activate it.

2. Hover the mouse pointer over the curved green rotation handle.
3. Double-Click the curved green rotation handle to rotate the display 90°.
4. Using the arrows on the Move tool, drag the display around in the model.

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5. Click Direction Field to turn the Direction Field display Off.
4.5.1.9. Task 9: Adding Geometry

You can edit and add geometry while the solution is running to see the effects of design changes.
1. Click Cut Plane to show the default results display, similar to the image above.
2. Right-Click and choose Edit Enclosure.
3. Hover the mouse over the Pressure face and use the scroll wheel to highlight it.

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4. Click to select the Pressure face and drag to increase the length of the Enclosure. Extend the Enclosure
so it can accommodate a second vehicle.
5. The solution will restart.

6. Click Active Tool to exit the Edit Enclosure tool.
7. With Box Select selected, right-click and drag across the vehicle to highlight it.

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8. Hover over Edit .
9. Select Move (or type "m").

10. Press and hold the Ctrl key and drag the red translation arrow to create a copy of the vehicle behind the
original.

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11. The solution updates to show flow around the second vehicle.
4.5.1.10. Task 10: Finalizing Solution Fidelity

The simulation is designed to be very fast. It is optimized to a default level of detail or Fidelity. In this last
step of the tutorial, you'll see how Fidelity affects the results. Fidelity is a tradeoff between simulation speed
and the level of detail in the results.
1. Turn Cutting Plane Off.

2. Switch to the Composite Rendering Method and adjust the Center, Bandwidth, and Legend colors to
look something like the image below.

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Note: There is some reflection at the back of the wind tunnel behind the second vehicle. On both vehicles,
the side mirrors are ignored.
3. Zoom in to the first vehicle where you can see the side mirror is not being accounted for in the results.
This happens because the simulation is optimized for speed. As you will see, increasing Fidelity will
capture more details, but will slow down the simulation.

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4. Click the arrow above Start Simulation to open the Fidelity slider. Slide it to the far right to maximize
Fidelity. The simulation will restart and move slower.
5. The side mirror is now captured and is affecting the solution.
6. Change the view to look at the rear of the second vehicle. Notice that the reflections are now gone.

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That concludes this tutorial.

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Chapter 5: Creating Thermal Solutions
Thermal simulations have the following minimum requirements in order to solve:

• A Material type for the bodies
• A Convection Coefficient for the faces touching the air around the solid body
• A Temperature, Heat Flow, or Heat Flux for a face.
To create a Thermal solution

3. When asked what you want to study:
• Choose Thermal Behavior .

• Choose a material from the drop-down list.
• Click Create.
4. The Solution is created with defaults for Ambient Temperature and Convection.
Note: Thermal Solutions default to Static.
Note: You can toggle your solution between Static and Transient:
• Right-click on the solution name and toggle the solution to Make Static/ Make Transient.
• Select or de-select the Transient check box after clicking the up arrow above Play /Pause
simulation.
5. Setup can be used to set a Temperature, Heat Flow, or Heat Flux.
• Click Setup .
• If your solution is Transient, to set an initial temperature, click Initial Temperature .
• To set a temperature, click Temperature .
• To set a heat flow, click Heat Flow .
• To set a heat flux, click Heat Flux .
6. Select a face and enter a temperature value.

7. The boundary condition is added to the Solution Tree. The simulation runs automatically and displays results.
8. Hover over Setup to see the other tools.

9. Add more boundary conditions as needed using these tools.
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Note:
• You can multi-select boundary conditions of the same type and batch edit them using the mini-toolbar. From the
mini-toolbar, you can also change boundary conditions to another type.
Heat Flux sets the rate of heat energy transfer per unit area of a selected face, several faces, or an entire
body. Heat Flux cannot be created on faces with an Insulated Face boundary condition.
Next Steps:
Modifying Thermal Solutions
Thermal Simulation Results
5.1. Modifying Thermal Solutions
Modify solutions using the following components.
• Setup Tools
• Solution Tree
• Options

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• Mini Toolbar
Before modifying boundary conditions, you can pause the simulation using Pause .
After the modifications, restart the simulation using Play .
You can also reset the simulation to the beginning of the solution using Reset .
Open the Fidelity slider by clicking the up arrow above Play /Pause simulation.Toggle your
Thermal Solution to transient or static by selecting the Transient check box after clicking the up arrow
above Play /Pause simulation. The simulation takes a volumetric approach that captures
features down to a minimum feature size, which is relative to the model size. The Fidelity slider controls this
minimum feature size on a scale for Speed and Fidelity. Increasing solution speed leads to less fidelity in
the results, while increasing fidelity sacrifices speed in the solution. The sections below describe the Setup
tools available for thermal simulations.
Setup Tools
The table below describes the Thermal Setup tools.
Note:
Heat Flux sets the rate of heat energy transfer per unit area of a selected face, several faces, or
an entire body. Heat Flux cannot be created on faces with an Insulated Face boundary condition.

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Solution Tree
The Solution Tree displays all the important inputs to the solution as well as commands for creating Solutions,
adding Calculations, and opening the Material Library.
• Click the Ambient Temperature value to enter a new value. Convection in Air, Heat Flow, and other
boundary conditions can be edited the same way.
• For Transient solutions:
º Heat Flow, Heat Flux, Convection and Temperature can be modeled as time-varying boundary
conditions. You can specify values over time using a set of points and view the boundary condition
graphically.
Solution.

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Add Parameter Study

1. Choose Parameter Study from the Add drop-down menu in the Solution Tree.
Note: This example shows a thermal solution, but Parameter Studies are available for other solutions
as well.
2. After the Design Points opens, you can click to add a parameter.
Parameters can be Driving Dimensions, shown as Group1 below, which is a dimension driving the
height of the pins.

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3. Select Group1 as a design parameter. You can also set Start and End values for the parameter and the
number of needed Steps and then click Add.
The parameter is added to the Design Points.
4. Add Heat Flow boundary condition. After adding the boundary condition, your Parameter Study has two
design parameters. Additional design parameters are possible, but remember they will add to the time
needed to complete the study.

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Click All permutations to create a set of discrete design points that combine the parameters. In this
example, the Heat Flow is varied across its range for each step of the Group1 dimension.

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5. Create a Calculation Chart to establish a result that will be solved for in the study. Here, Max Temperature
will be studied.

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6. Click Reset and Start in the Design Points dialog to restart the Solver and begin the Study. A Max
Temperature is found for each Design Point and the results are charted in a graph. In the image below,
the Study is approximately halfway complete.
The process of running through the parameters is referred to as “Sweeping” the parameters. When
complete, the chart has data points for each combination.

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7. Hover over a Design Point to see its details.
8. Select which parameter to highlight. Below, Group1 is highlighted.

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Heat Flow is highlighted below.
Max Temperature is highlighted below.

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9. Swap switches the X and Y axes of the graph.
During the Study, the Group1 dimension is varied. The model geometry is updated prior to solving. The
image below shows the model with the pins at maximum height.

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10. Double-click a Design Point to update the geometry and run the solution with a specific set of parameters.
The image below shows the solution for Design Point 9.

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This work flow focused on adding a Parameter Study. The other buttons in the Design Points dialog
box have the following functionality:
• Remove Parameter to remove a parameter.
• Edit Selected Parameter to edit a parameter.
• Clear to clear the table values.
• Display Chart to open the chart if it was closed.
• Save to save the results to a file.
Options
The table below describes the options.
Show boundary conditions When checked, boundary conditions are shown in the model in the
graphics window.
Override transparency Results are overlaid on the model geometry, which is made transparent
by default to better visualize the results. This option toggles transparency
off when checked, allowing the geometry to show through the results
graphics. In External Fluid Flow, this option makes the Enclosure appear
solid.
Hide results during editing When checked, this option hides results during edits to the solution.
Allow enclosure selection This option applies to External Fluid Flow, which requires the model to
be in an Enclosure. By default, the Enclosure is not able to be selected.
Next Steps:
Thermal Simulation Results
5.2. Thermal Results

Results can be displayed in color-coded graphics or numerically in the form of charts or text. The image
below shows both types.

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Note: When hovering over results in a chart, they display in standard international format even if you change
them to a different format in the legend or elsewhere.
Results Display Controls

changed.

changed.

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desired.
Range boxes.
The Legend also controls the display by setting the color ranges for the results. Click on the Legend border
at the top and drag up to increase the range of values. With an increased range, the results all fall below the
upper bands. Click on the Legend border at the top and drag down to decrease the range of values. With a
decreased range, more results fall within the upper bands. Legend settings (Min/Max values, High and Low
values) are saved so they can be resumed when you re-open the solution. Legend settings are also copied
when you duplicate a solution. Also, if the streamlines, particles vectors or LIC are activated, they should be
activated after a save/resume.
Graphic Results Options

Click the arrow above the Show Results button to change display options.
The table below describes each option.
Current Result Choose one of the following results to display:

• Temperature
• Heat Flux

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Rendering Method Choose one of the following methods:

• Surface - Method that shows you the surface of
the model.
• Composite - A volumetric method that allows you
to see activity inside the model. Use the Composite
control to drag and change the displayed value.
• Inverse Surface - A surface "skipping" method that
allows you to see behind the first surface
encountered in the model from a specific viewpoint.
This technique is useful when examining external
flow problems, as it gives you visibility into the inside
of the model's flow region or a better understanding
of a complicated model's underlying structure.
• Iso-Surface - Method that visualizes the surfaces
that would be formed when you specify a desired
value. Use the Isovalue control to drag and change
the displayed value.
• Max Value - The Max Value method displays the
maximum value found along a line from your eye
to the back of the model. This method is useful
when trying to find maxima in the model that might
be otherwise obscured.
• Min Value - The Min Value method displays the
minimum value found along a line from your eye to
the back of the model.
The Composite and Iso-Surface methods add
additional options that are described in their
respective sections below.
Result Component Choose the vector component of the result that you
want to display.
• X
• Y
• Z
• SUM
Show Min/Max Check this option on to have the Maximum and

Minimum values highlighted in the results display.
Setting Current Result to Heat Flux allows for Streamlines, Particles, and Direction Field results.

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The sections below give more information on Rendering Methods.
Surface
This is the default display in thermal simulations. The results are displayed on the model as shown below.
Composite
This display type sums up the results through the model and colors them according to the Legend.

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Together with the Cut Plane, you can look at only the values you are interested in and only in the areas of
interest in the model.
Inverse Surface
Inverse Surface shows the results on the opposite side of the Surface display. Think of it as flipping the
surface normal direction. Inverse Surface has the normal pointing inward as opposed to outward for Surface
display.

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Iso-Surface
Iso-Surface creates a surface through all the points in the model that have the same result value. This display
type provides an additional option to set the value for the surface.
Isovalue Sets the value used to define the surface displayed.

Move the slider to set the value anywhere within the
results spectrum.
The Iso-Surface shown below shows surfaces that all have the temperature that was set with the Isovalue
slider.
Max Value
Max Value displays the highest value anywhere in the model. The image below shows an example of a Max
Value display for temperature.

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Cut Plane
Drag the Cut Plane anywhere in the volume to slice the results. The default location and orientation for the
plane is the XZ-plane through the center of the model.
Hover over the plane border to get a drag arrow for moving the plane.
Click the plane to get a Move Handle for more move directions and rotations.

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Drag the Move Handle anywhere in the model by dragging the yellow ball.
Change the orientation of the Cut Plane by dragging the handles.
You can use the following shortcuts.

• Double-Click a rotation handle to rotate 90°
• Shift-Double-Click a rotation handle to rotate 90° in the opposite direction
Numeric Results

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Click Calculation in the solution tree to create a calculation displayed as a Chart (graph) or Probe
(text). Available calculations are:
• Mean temperature
• Max temperature
• Min temperature
• Heat transfer on faces
• Total volume
Toggle chart On, click Select to create a chart of Max temperature in volume. If you chart either Max or
Min Temperature, you click Create to create the chart. The chart will look like the one shown below.
As you make changes to the model or the solution, the chart will update with more data points as shown
below.
Click the arrow in the chart's upper left corner to collapse it. This is also the display you get if you set the
calculation to Probe when you create it.

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Click More to show more advanced calculations for Charts or Probes.

The table below summarizes what calculations are available.
Calculation Option Choices Description

Result Temperature Choose the result that you want to
calculate.
Heat Flux
Undefined
Component X Choose one of the vector

components or the vector
Y
magnitude (SUM).
Z
Note: If the result of your
SUM calculation is a vector, then
Component selects a component
of that vector (X, Y, or Z) or the
magnitude of the vector (SUM). If
the result of your calculation is a
scalar (simple number), then X
returns the number, SUM returns
the magnitude of the number (no
sign) and Y and Z do nothing.
Direction No Direction Apply one of the standard

operators or use the value.
D
N
ND
and X Axis, Y Axis, Z Axis
Discrete Operator Value Apply one of the standard

operators from vector calculus or
Gradient
use the value.
Laplacian
Divergence
Curl
Unity
Statistical Operator Min Choose a statistical operator to

apply to the result.
Max
Histogram represents the
Mean
distribution of the results displayed
Std Dev in a bar chart.
Integral
Histogram
None

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Direction No Direction This option applies only when

calculating integrals. Selecting
Direction
Direction or Normal will multiply
Normal your input value by the specified
direction or local surface normal
Normal Direction
(dot product if input is a vector)
while calculating the integral.
Normal-Direction is a dot product
between the local surface normal
and a fixed direction and can be
used to calculate the component of
a force normal to the surface in a
specified direction (for example to
calculate lift)
Location Type Point Choose the type of location where
the result will be calculated. You
Curve
will be prompted to select the
Face location in the model.
All Faces of Body
Plane
Volume
Difference Location Type None Choose the type of second location

where the result will be subtracted
Point
from the primary location. You will
Curve be prompted to select this location
in the model.
Planar Surface
The difference location type is
Face
highlighted in blue.
All Faces of a Body
Body
Plane
Volume

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Chapter 6: Creating Fluids Solutions
Fluid simulations can be setup as Internal (e.g. water through a pipe) or External (e.g. wind tunnel). The setup
differs depending on type, but both have the following minimum requirements in order to solve.
• A fluid type
• A volume through which the fluid flows
• Inlet faces and flow rate
• Pressure conditions, normally set to zero
When a Fluids solution doesn't have an Enclosure, the Rendering Method defaults to Max Value without a Cut
Plane because it is likely an Internal Flow solution.
Inlet Direction can be towards or away from the fluid volume. Entering a negative value flips the flow direction.
To create a Fluids solution

Fluid solutions are transient so, once setup is complete, the solution starts and continues to run over time. Flow
Velocity, Outlet Pressure, Mass flow, Swirl Inlet, Rotating Wall and Inlet Pressure can be modeled as time-varying
boundary conditions. You can specify values over time using a set of points and view the boundary condition
graphically.
The drop-down sections below describe how to create fluid simulations.
External flow
For external flow, the model is positioned inside an enclosure. Fluid flows through the enclosure and around the
model. This allows the setup to be mostly automated.

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• Choose Fluid Behavior .

• Choose a fluid from the drop-down options.
• Check Create fluid volume for check box.
• Choose External Flow.
• Click Create button.
4. Choose the Flow Velocity direction by clicking an arrow. Flow Velocity must always point into the fluid volume.
You can click Enter to accept the default wind tunnel orientation for Flow Velocity and Ground Plane.

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5. Choose the Ground Plane.

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6. The Enclosure, which is previewed around the vehicle, represents a virtual wind tunnel through which the air
will flow.
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7. The Solution Tree appears on the left side of the graphics window and the simulation runs automatically. In
the Solution Tree, notice the Flow Velocity and Pressure.
• The green arrow on the left indicates the Flow Velocity direction, which is assumed to align with the X-axis
of the World Origin.
• The orange dot on the right indicates Pressure.
8. To modify the default enclosure, right-click in the graphics window and choose Edit Enclosure. Select faces
of the enclosure and drag them to new locations.
The model does not have to lie completely within the enclosure. In the image below, the enclosure bottom face
has been dragged above the bottom of the tires.

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To create an external fluid

1. Create a body to represent the Smart Fluid Body. For this example, you can create a block similar to the image
below.
A Smart Fluid Body is one that is marked as a fluid in the solution. It is often important to identify one body
as a fluid so that all bodies are not marked as fluids, which is the default functionality.

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• Uncheck Create fluid volume for.
• Click Select Bodies.
4. Select the body to be used as the fluid.The displayed block is set to the Smart Fluid Body.

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5. From the Edit menu, use the Move tool to move the body to be studied into the Smart Fluid Body.

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6. In the Setup menu, select the Flow Velocity tool and select a face to set the Flow Velocity.
7. In the Setup menu, select the Pressure tool and select a face to set the Pressure.
8. Click Play .

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9. Move the Cut Plane into the Smart Fluid Body to view results. Results will vary based on the Flow Velocity
you entered.
Internal flow

• Choose fluid from the drop-down options.
• Check Create fluid volume for check box.
• Choose Internal Flow.
• Click Create button.
4. You are now in a mode where you need to define the internal volume for fluid flow. You do this by selecting
faces that enclose the volume.The first face selected is an Inlet. Inlets are designated with a green arrow.

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5. Select additional faces according to the following rules:

• Unmodified selection of additional faces assumes the faces to be pressures
• Ctrl-selection of additional faces makes the faces Inlets
• Shift-selection of additional faces closes the face so that no fluid will flow past it.
The image below shows the Unmodified selection of a second face to create a Pressure.
Note: When running an Internal Flow template, a Pressure boundary condition is applied to all openings of
the Outlet capping face.
6. Continue selecting faces until the volume is fully enclosed.

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7. When the system detects that the volume is completely closed, the solution starts automatically with a default
flow rate.
Steady state fluids solver

The time dependence of the flow characteristics can be steady-state or transient. Steady-state simulations, by
definition, are those whose characteristics do not change with time. They therefore require no real time information
to describe them. Many practical flows can be assumed to be steady after initial unsteady flow development, for
example, after the start up of a rotating machine. Transient simulations require real time information to determine
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the time intervals at which the solver calculates the flow field. Transient behavior can be caused by the initially
changing boundary conditions of the flow, as in start up, or it can be inherently related to the flow characteristics,
so that a steady-state condition is never reached, even when all other aspects of the flow conditions are unchanging.
Sometimes simulations that are run in steady-state mode will have difficulty converging, and no matter what action
you take regarding mesh quality, the solution does not converge.
Next Steps:
Modifying Fluids Solutions
Fluid Simulation Results
6.1. Modifying Fluids Solutions

• Setup Tools
• Solution Tree
• Options
• Mini Toolbar
Open the Fidelity slider by clicking the up arrow above Play /Pause simulation.The simulation
takes a volumetric approach that captures features down to a minimum feature size, which is relative to the
model size. The Fidelity slider controls this minimum feature size on a scale for Speed and Fidelity. Increasing
solution speed leads to less fidelity in the results, while increasing fidelity sacrifices speed in the solution.The
sections below describe the Setup tools available for fluids simulations.
Setup Tools
Below are descriptions of the Fluids Setup tools.
Note:

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Enclosure creates an enclosure around the model that is used for external flow.
Volume Extract allows you to define an internal volume for internal flow.
Flow Velocitydefines the velocity through the inlet face. Flow Velocity must always point into the
fluid volume.
Swirl Inlet sets swirl inlet on the selected face. The swirl inlet specifies the velocity as the sum of
two separate components, a component normal to the boundary and a component with a radial
velocity.
Mass Flow sets mass flow on the selected face, several faces, or an entire body. You can now
specify negative values to show mass flow out of volume.
Outlet Pressure applies an outlet pressure on a selected face, several faces, or an entire body.
Inlet Pressure sets inlet pressure on a selected face.
Rotating Wall sets a rotating wall on the selected face. This boundary condition can be used to
simulate rotating parts without the parts physically moving. The solver uses Rotating Wall to
mathematically apply the rotation.
Slip Symmetry sets Slip Symmetry on a selected face, several faces, or an entire body. Slip
Symmetry can be applied to walls and fluid can pass through walls that have Slip Symmetry applied
to them.
Temperature allows you to specify temperatures on a selected face, several faces, or an entire
body.
Heat Flux is the rate of heat energy transfer per unit area of a selected face, several faces, or an
entire body. Heat Flux cannot be created on faces with an Insulated Face boundary condition.
Convection sets convection on the selected face, overriding the default ambient temperature in
the solution.
Convection Radiation sets convection radiation on the selected face.
Solution Tree

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The Solution Tree displays all the important inputs to the solution, as well as commands for creating
Solutions, adding Calculations, adding Materials, adding Parameter Studies, and opening the Material
Library.
Below is a default solution for External flow.
Note: The interactions described below are the same for Internal flow.
• Right-click on the solution name to rename, duplicate, or delete it.
• Click Air to change the value.
• Click Flow Velocity to enter a new value. Flow Velocity and Outlet Pressure can be edited the same
way.
• Flow Velocity and Outlet Pressure can be modeled as time-varying boundary conditions. You can specify
values over time using a set of points and view the boundary condition graphically.
• Click Slip Symmetry to set Slip Symmetry.
Calculations.
Solution.
• Click Add a Parameter Study from the Add drop-down menu in the Solution Tree.
Add Parameter Study

as well.

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height of the pins.

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will be studied.

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Options
graphics window.
solid.
Next Steps:
Fluid Simulation Results
6.2. Fluid Results

Fluids solutions are transient, meaning the results vary over time. This allows for many interesting results
displays.

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below shows both results display types.

saved per solution.

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desired.
Range boxes.
Results Legend
when you duplicate a solution.
Also, if the streamlines, particles vectors or LIC are activated, they should be activated after a save/resume.

Click the arrow above Show Results to change display options. The table below describes each option.
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• Velocity
• Pressure
• Temperature
• Vortices

the model.
want to display.
• X
• Y
• Z
• SUM

Surface
This is the default display in fluids simulations. The results are displayed on a surface of the flow volume and
sliced with the Cut Plane that you control using the Cut Plane button. This gives a 2D representation of the

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results at the Cut Plane location. The image below shows the default display for Velocity and the default
Cut Plane position.
The image below shows the Cut Plane dragged to a new location.

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If you toggle the Cut Plane Off, you see the results on the walls of the Enclosure.
Composite
This display type sums up the results through the volume and colors them according to the Legend. The
image below shows the default display with the Cutting Plane Off.

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Inverse Surface
Inverse Surface shows the opposite side of the Surface display. The image below shows the default surface
inverted.
Spin the model to view the other side.

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All bodies are set to transparent when Inverse Rending is selected and there is a Smart Fluid in the model.
Iso-Surface
Iso-Surface creates a surface through all the points in the model that have the same result value. The surface
can then be sliced by the Cut Plane. This display type provides an additional option to set the value for the
surface.

results spectrum.

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Max Value
Max Value displays the highest value anywhere in the volume. The image below shows an example of a
Max Value display for velocity.

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Cut Plane
plane in fluids solutions is XZ-plane through the center of the volume.

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Drag the Move Handle anywhere in the model by dragging the yellow ball. In the image below, the handle
has been moved to the door.

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Streamlines
Streamlines show the fluid particles tracing out lines over time. When you select this display, the streamlines
are shown emanating from a source.

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Use the Move Handle to reposition the source to any area of interest. The Move Handle is only visible when
the emitter source is selected.
The Streamline emitter opening can be reshaped and resized. Use Shift and drag to change the size of the
emitter opening. Below the emitter opening was reshaped to be flat by clicking on the opening and dragging
it into a flattened shape.

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You can now copy emitters using Ctrl+Drag. Press and hold the Ctrl key and drag an emitter to make a
copy. This allows you to set up multiple emitters to view Streamlines and Particles.

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After adding a streamline to your solution, you can create new streamlines by right-clicking and selecting
Tools > Add Streamline. To delete all streamlines, you can right-click and select Tools > Delete All
m a e r t S
The size, shape, location, emission rate, radius step size and transparency of each emitter can be controlled
independently. You can also check the Update all streamlines button in the options panel to apply
changes to all streamlines at the same time.

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You can view multiple display types at once.

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The up arrow on the Streamlines button opens an options panel for changing the Streamlines display.
Update all streamlines When checked, settings you change will be applied to all Streamline emitters.
Play and Pause control the animation of Streamlines as they move in and
Play
around the model.
Displays Streamlines as vectors.
Draw Arrows
Reverse Reverses the direction of the Streamlines in and around the model.
Step Size Sets the size of the time steps used in the display. The number of steps is fixed
but you can control the length of time for each step. You change Step Size using
a slider.
Width Sets the width of the Streamlines. You set the Width by moving a slider.
Length Length trims the Streamlines to cut the display off at a certain point. You set
the length using a slider. So, you can visualize the flow by dragging the slider
forward and backward.
Tail Length Streamline tails show you places the particles have been. Adjusting Tail Length
using the slider lets you trim away some of that history.
If you set a small Step Size, you can view the Streamlines early in the flow.

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Smaller time steps allow you to capture more detail. As you increase the time step, faster particles will travel
farther than slower particles so Streamlines will terminate in different locations along the direction of flow
depending on their velocity.
Changing the Width allows you to make the Streamlines appear thin or thick. The image below shows the
Streamlines thickened.

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Adjusting Length allows you to trim the Streamlines and visualize the flow by sliding the Length slider
forward and backward.
You can also visualize the flow using the Play button, which animates the flow while the simulation is paused.

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Streamline tails show where particles have been. Adjusting Tail Length allows you to trim away some of
that history. By adjusting Length and Tail Length you can create a window for viewing the Streamlines.
Faster particles will move through the window quicker and slower particles will appear later and move through
slower.
Particles
Particles can be uniformly seeded across the entire volume or controlled by an emitter source that you can
control.

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Options available in the Particle options panel change whether or not you have selected emitter as your
Particles source.
Update all particle emitters When checked, settings you change will be applied to all Particle emitters.
Only available when you have selected emitter as your Particle source.
Play and Pause control the animation of Particles as they move in and around
Play
the model.
Toggles the appearance of the Particles between all white and multiple colors.
Color on
Changes the source of the Particles to an emitter, which gives you more
Use emitter control.
Clears all Particles from the model and resets the emitter. Only available when
Reset particles you have selected emitter as your Particle source.
Min Gate Min Gate sets the minimum velocity for which to show particles. Use the slider
to adjust the Min Gate and hide slower moving particles. Not available when
you have selected emitter as your Particle source.
Max Gate Max Gate sets the maximum velocity for which to show particles. Use the slider
to adjust the Max Gate and hide faster moving particles. Not available when
you have selected emitter as your Particle source.
Emission Rate Controls the rate of Particles from the emitter. Only available when you have
selected emitter as your Particle source.
Emission Radius Controls the radius size of Particles from the emitter. Only available when you
have selected emitter as your Particle source.

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Step Size Sets the size of the time steps used in the display. The number of steps is
fixed, but you can control the length of time for each step. You change Step
Size using a slider.
Size Sets the particle size. You set the size by moving a slider.
Transparency Controls the transparency of the particles.
A smaller Step Size causes the Particles to move more slowly and a larger Step Size causes them to move
more quickly.
Set the particle Size as needed to help you visualize the flow. Smaller particles are shown below.
Set the Transparency as needed to help you visualize the flow. Particles are more transparent in the image
below.

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Min Gate lets you filter out slower moving particles. As you move the slider to the right, slower particles are
hidden. Notice the absence of blue (slow) particles in the image below.

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Max Gate lets you filter out faster particles. Min and Max Gate have been adjusted to only show green
particles in the image below.

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Use Color on to toggle between white particles and multiple
r o l o c t c e l

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Use emitter to change your Particle source to an
t i m e
Adjust Emitter Rate to change the rate of Particles.

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Adjust Emitter Radius to change the radius of the Particle source. You can also change the Emitter Radius
by selecting the circular emitter opening and dragging it to a new
z i s
You can now copy emitters using Ctrl+Drag. Press and hold the Ctrl key and drag an emitter to make a
copy. This allows you to set up multiple emitters to view Particles and Streamlines.

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You can have a mixture of multiple Streamline and Particle Emitters. The settings of each can be changed
independently. Open the Settings panel and select an Emitter to change its settings. In the image below,
each Particle Emitter has a different Size setting for the Particles. You can check the Update all streamlines
button in the options panel for Streamlines or Particles to apply changes to all Streamlines or Particles
at the same time.

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Direction Field Display

Direction Field is a more advanced display than streamlines. Where streamlines produce lines from particle
flow, Direction Field produces a whole image at every step.

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Use the Move Handle to move and reorient the display.

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Numeric Results
Numeric results are created from within the Solution Tree using the Calculation button.
Click Calculation to create a calculation displayed as a Chart (graph) or Probe (text). Available
calculations are:
• Force in X direction
• Force in Y direction
• Force in Z direction
• Max velocity
• Max pressure
• Min pressure
• Max temperature
• Min temperature
• Pressure Drop
• Volume flow rate
• Total volume
Toggle chart On, click the Select button and then select a body to create a chart of Force of faces in X
direction.
When it first appears, the chart will look like the one shown below.

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As the solution runs, the chart will continuously update over time.
Click More to show more advanced calculations for Charts or Probes. The table below summarizes what
calculations are available.

Result Velocity Choose the result that you want to
use as input for the calculation.
Pressure
Temperature
Vortices (Lambda 2)
Undefined

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Y
magnitude (SUM).
Z

Gradient
use the value.
Laplacian
Divergence
Curl
Unity

Max
Mean
Integral
Histogram
None
Direction No Direction This option applies only when

calculating integrals. Selecting
Direction
Direction or Normal will multiply
Normal your input value by the specified
direction or local surface normal
Normal Direction
(dot product if input is a vector)
while calculating the integral.
Normal-Direction is a dot product
between the local surface normal
and a fixed direction and can be
used to calculate the component of
a force normal to the surface in a
specified direction (for example to
calculate lift).

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Location Type Point Choose the type of primary location

where the result will be calculated.
Curve
You will be prompted to select the
Planar Surface location in the model.
Face
All Faces of a Body
Body
Plane
Volume
Difference Location Type Point Choose the type of second location

where the result will be subtracted
Curve
from the primary location. You will
Planar Surface be prompted to select this location
in the model.
Face
The difference location type is
All Faces of a Body
highlighted in blue.
Body
Plane
Volume
Click Complete tool guide to create the calculator.

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Structural Solutions
Chapter 7: Structural Solutions
Structural simulations have the following minimum requirements in order to solve:

• A material type
• The following displacement boundary condition:
º A displacement for one or more faces
º One or more faces designated as support type.
• At least one of the following force boundary conditions:

º Pressure applied to at least one face
º A force applied to a face
Structural solutions are static so, once setup is complete, the solution starts and displays results.
• Click Structural Behavior .

• Choose a Material from the drop-down menu.
• Click Select Bodies. If you have a single body, it is chosen automatically.
• Select a body, and click the Start button to solve.
• The solution is created.
4. Click Setup to create boundary conditions.

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5. Click Displacement or Fixed Support . When you set a Displacement boundary condition, you
first need to enter a number. After that, you can set component values to zero, non-zero, or free-to-move.
Components that can't move are marked with a closed lock , while those that can move are marked with
an open lock .
6. Select a face and enter a displacement value or select a face that will remain fixed in place.
7. Click Force or Pressure , and select a face.
Use the geometry tools in the ribbon tabs to modify the design and see how the changes affect the solution. The
image below shows modifications to reduce material in the part.
Topology Optimization for Structural Solutions

Topology Optimization is high speed, interactive, approach to generate optimal shape from loading conditions and
design constraints. Using the Level-set based approach, the shape will be modified at each iteration. This approach
produces naturally smooth results, as each shape is fully validated and solved. It can also be used in high variation
simulations with changing constraints. You can specify ‘protection distance’ to preserve material around boundary
conditions. Exporting final shape result to faceted geometry is also possible. A validation simulation where boundary
condition locations are transferred from the simulation setup to the exported facets is also possible.
• Create a Structural solution.
• Choose Topology Optimization from the Add drop-down menu.
If topology optimization is set to ‘enabled’, starting the solver will start the optimization. As the optimization runs,
Design Points are created, and you can see the progress of the solution as it converges to a final shape. To setup
the topology optimization specify a Goal and add Constraints.
Allowable goals are:
• Maximize stiffness: maximizes stiffness under the defined constraints.
• Minimize volume: minimizes volume of resulting shape under defined constraints. This needs to have compliance
constraint.
• Maximize stiffness and frequency: applies only for optimizations using Modal and Structural simulations.
Maximizes a weighted sum of the stiffness and first mode frequency for all included simulations.
Allowable constraints are:
• Target volume/Volume reduction: specify a target volume or % volume reduction.
• Maximum Thickness: specify a maximum thickness allowed in the resulting geometry.

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• Pull Direction: specify a direction for a 2-sided draw constraint that prevents internal overhangs in the geometry.
For example, to allow for molding or casting. Pull Direction must be a unit vector, and it cannot be used in a
parameter study.
• Compliance Increase: A multiple to allow the compliance (opposite of stiffness) to increase for initial value.
Specifying two means the compliance can be twice as large.
Export the result shape to facets using the Convert to facets or Convert with Smoothing buttons.
To export directly to a CAD surface-based representation, use the Back to CAD button. Exported result geometries
will appear in a list. To create a new solution using one of the result geometries, right-click on the target geometry
in the list, and select Create Validation Solution.
Topology optimization is supported by parameter sweeps. The resulting geometry is exported for each design
point after optimization. Each optimization result can be seen as a thumbnail.
Next Steps:
Modifying Structural Solutions
Structural Simulation Results
7.1. Modifying Structural Solutions
• Setup Tools
• Solution Tree
• Options
• Mini Toolbar

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The sections below describe the Setup tools available for structural simulations. Open the Fidelity slider by
clicking the up arrow above Play /Pause simulation. The simulation takes a volumetric
approach that captures features down to a minimum feature size, which is relative to the model size. The
Fidelity slider controls this minimum feature size on a scale for Speed and Fidelity. Increasing solution
speed leads to less fidelity in the results, while increasing fidelity sacrifices speed in the solution.
You can subtract bodies from the structural domain. Select the body or surface you want to cut. In the
Structure tree, right-click and select the Set Cutter. Open Style Override in the Display tab and change the
Body Style to Transparent. Click the surface you want to use to cut the body. Mouse over the target body to
see the regions created by the cut.
Setup Tools
The table below describes the Structural Setup tools.
Note:
Force applies a force vector on a selected face, several faces, or an entire body. Vector dimensions
can be toggled between vector components and magnitude.
Remote Force sets a remote force on a selected face.
Pressure applies a pressure on a selected face, several faces, or an entire body.
Moment sets moment on a selected face.
Supports allows you to select various types of support boundary conditions.

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Fixed Support constrains all motion on a selected face. Named Selections can also be used
for Fixed Supports by selecting them from the Groups Panel.
Cylindrical Supportconstrains radial motion while allowing rotational and axial motion on
a selected cylindrical face. The rotational motion for a Cylindrical support is about the axis
of the cylindrical face.
Hinged Support constrains radial and axial motion while allowing rotational motion on a
selected cylindrical face. The rotational motion for a Hinge support is about the axis of the
cylindrical face.
Planar Supportconstrains motion normal to the surface on a selected face.
Ball Supportconstrains radial motion while allowing rotational motion on a selected spherical
face. The rotational motion for the Ball support is about the center of the spherical face.
Rotational Velocity sets rotational velocity on a selected face.
Remote Force Example

A Remote Force is equivalent to a regular force load on a face plus some moment. You can select a point
in space or a point on the model to produce a moment on the face. In the image below, the force will be
applied to the front, square face and the remote point is on the back, square face. Select the back face as
the origin of the Force.
The front face is selected as the face to which the Force will be applied, and the direction is changed to be
pointing down (minus Z direction).

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This is the completed Remote Force shown at its origin.
When selected in the Solution Tree, the Remote Force also highlights the applied face.
You can specify if you want the Remote Force Origin to update as the geometry changes or to remain fixed
in space. By default, Keep Origin Updated is checked.
You can also explicitly enter a location to have it remain fixed.

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When the back face is pulled to a new location, the Remote Force Origin updates.
If Keep Origin Updated is unchecked, the Remote Force Origin remains fixed in space.
Solution Tree

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The image below shows a solution for an aluminum part with a fixed support face and a force applied to
another face. The interactions described below are the same for any combination of boundary conditions.
• Click Material, Aluminum in the image above, to change the Material.

• Right-click on Fixed Support and click Edit Location. For other boundary conditions that have numeric
values, you can also edit the value.
• Force, from the image above, is a vector which can be expanded to show the components.
º Click on the magnitude or any components, X, Y, or Z in the image above, to edit the values.
º Click on the arrow next to a value, 1204.16 N for Force in the image above, to change its value using a
slider.
Calculations.
Solution.
Add Parameter Study

as well.

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height of the pins.

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will be studied.

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Options
graphics window.
solid.
Next Steps:
Structural Simulation Results
7.2. Structural Results

below shows both types.

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Click Reset to go back to the default ranges.


• Von Mises Stress
• Deformation
• X Normal Stress
• Y Normal Stress
• Z Normal Stress
• XY Shear Stress
• YZ Shear Stress
• XZ Shear Stress
• Maximum Principal Stress
• Middle Principal Stress
• Minimum Principal Stress
• Local Reaction Force
• Reaction Resultant
• Equivalent Elastic Strain
• Strain Energy

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the model.
want to display.
• X
• Y
• Z
• SUM

Surface
This is the default display in structural simulations. The results are displayed on the model as shown below.

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Composite
Inverse Surface
Inverse Surface shows the results on the opposite side of the Surface display. Inverse Surface has the
normal pointing inward as opposed to outward for Surface display.

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Iso-Surface

results spectrum.
The Iso-Surface shown below shows surfaces that all have the Von Mises Stress that was set with the
Isovalue slider.
Max Value

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Cut Plane

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Deformation
Deformation is very useful to see how the model deforms. Click Deformation to start the deformation
.
Click the up arrow to open the Deformation Options panel.
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Pauses the animated deformation.
Starts the animated deformation after it has been paused.
Toggles colors on/off
Animate Color toggles color band animation. When on, the bands change throughout the
deformation from all blue initially to their final values at the peak displacement. When off, the
final bands are maintained throughout the deformation .
This option is useful to see the modes of vibration. Animate forwards and backwards animates
in both directions. By default, only half of the displacement cycle is shown. When this option
is on, the full displacement cycle is shown.
Speed Adjusts the speed of the animation.
Scale Adjusts the scale of the displacements. Some modes are more easily understood at a higher
scale.
True Sets the true deformation.
deformation
Numeric Results
Click Calculation to create a Quick Calculation displayed as a Chart (graph) or Probe (text). Available
calculations are:
• Maximum stress
• Maximum deformation
• Total volume
Click Create and toggle chart On to create a chart of Max Stress in the model for Max Stress in Volume.
The chart will look similar to the one shown below.
below.

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Result Deformation Choose the result that you want to

calculate.
X Normal Stress
Y Normal Stress
Z Normal Stress
XY Shear Stress
YZ Shear Stress
XZ Shear Stress
Maximum Principal Stress
Middle Principal Stress
Minimum Principal Stress
Von Mises Stress
Local Reaction Force
Reaction Resultant
Undefined
Equivalent Elastic Strain
Strain Energy

Y
magnitude (SUM).
Z
Direction No Direction Choose the direction.

Direction
Normal
Normal - Direction

Gradient
use the value.
Laplacian
Divergence
Curl
Unity

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Max
Mean
Std Deviation in a bar chart.
Integral
Histogram
None

Curve
All Faces of Body
Plane
Volume

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Chapter 8: Creating Modal Solutions
Modal simulations have the following minimum requirements in order to solve:

• A material type
• The following displacement boundary condition:
º A displacement for one or more faces
º One or more faces designated as support type.
Modal solutions display the possible modes of vibration for the model.
3. When you are asked what you want to study:
• Click Modal Behavior .

• Choose a Material from the list.
• Click Create.
• Select the bodies.
Note: If you have a single body, it is chosen automatically.
• The solution is created.
4. Click Setup to add a boundary condition.
5. Click Displacement or Fixed Support .

6. Select a face and enter a displacement value or select a face that will remain fixed in place.

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7. Click Play to start the solution.

Topology Optimization for Modal Solutions
Topology Optimization is high speed, interactive, approach to generate optimal shape from loading conditions and
design constraints. Using the Level-set based approach, the shape will be modified at each iteration. This approach
produces naturally smooth results, as each shape is fully validated and solved. It can also be used in high variation
simulations with changing constraints. You can specify ‘protection distance’ to preserve material around boundary
conditions. Exporting final shape result to faceted geometry is also possible. A validation simulation where boundary
condition locations are transferred from the simulation setup to the exported facets is also possible.
• Create a Modal solution.
• Choose Topology Optimization from the Add drop-down menu.
If topology optimization is set to ‘enabled’, starting the solver will start the optimization. As the optimization runs,
Design Points are created, and you can see the progress of the solution as it converges to a final shape. To setup
the topology optimization specify a Goal and add Constraints.
Allowable goals are:
• Maximize frequency: maximizes first calculated mode.
• Minimize volume: minimizes volume of resulting shape under defined constraints. This needs to have compliance
constraint.
• Maximize stiffness and frequency: applies only for optimizations using Modal and Structural simulations.
Maximizes a weighted sum of the stiffness and first mode frequency for all included simulations.
Allowable constraints are:
• Target volume/Volume reduction: specify a target volume or % volume reduction.
• Maximum Thickness: specify a maximum thickness allowed in the resulting geometry.
• Pull Direction: specify a direction for a 2-sided draw constraint that prevents internal overhangs in the geometry.
For example, to allow for molding or casting. Pull Direction must be a unit vector, and it cannot be used in a
parameter study.
• Compliance Increase: A multiple to allow the compliance (opposite of stiffness) to increase for initial value.
Specifying two means the compliance can be twice as large.
• Minimum Frequency: specify a minimum frequency that the resulting shape must exceed.
Export the result shape to facets using the Convert to facets or Convert with Smoothing buttons.
To export directly to a CAD surface-based representation, use the Back to CAD button. Exported result geometries
will appear in a list. To create a new solution using one of the result geometries, right-click on the target geometry
in the list, and select Create Validation Solution.
Topology optimization is supported by parameter sweeps. The resulting geometry is exported for each design
point after optimization. Each optimization result can be seen as a thumbnail.
Next Steps:
Modifying Modal Solutions
Modal Simulation Results
8.1. Modifying Modal Solutions

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• Setup Tools
• Solution Tree
• Options
• Mini Toolbar
solution speed leads to less fidelity in the results, while increasing fidelity sacrifices speed in the solution.The
sections below describe the Setup tools available for modal simulations.
Setup Tools
The table below describes the Modal Setup tools.
Note:

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Fixed Support fixes a selected face, several faces, or an entire body to make it rigid.
Solution Tree
The details below are for a solution with an assigned Fixed Support and Displacement. The interactions
described below are the same for any combination of boundary conditions.
• Click Copper or Plastic, in the example above, to change a Material.
• Right-click on Fixed Support condition and click Edit Location. For other boundary conditions that have
numeric values, you can also edit the value.
• Click the value next to Displacement, and enter a new value. Click lock to lock a Displacement or
to unlock a Displacement .
Calculations.
Solution.
• Click to Add a Parameter Study from the Add drop-down menu in the Solution Tree.

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Add Parameter Study

as well.
height of the pins.

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will be studied.

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Options
graphics window.
solid.
Next Steps:
Modal Simulation Results

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8.2. Modal Results

Modal simulations identify the mode frequencies and mode shapes of the model. Other result values, such
as deformations and stresses, have no meaning. However, it is helpful to see these values color coded on
the model.


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• Von Mises Stress
• Deformation
• X Normal Stress
• Y Normal Stress
• Z Normal Stress
• XY Shear Stress
• YZ Shear Stress
• XZ Shear Stress
• Maximum Principal Stress
• Middle Principal Stress
• Minimum Principal Stress

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the model.
want to display:
• X
• Y
• Z
• SUM

Mode Number A drop-down list to choose which mode frequency
and mode shape you want to see.
The sections below give more information on Rendering Methods. Note that the primary results are the
modal frequencies and the mode shapes, so these Rendering Methods are for illustration purposes only.
Surface
This is the default display in modal simulations. The results are displayed on the model as shown below. In
this case, Displacement for the first mode is being shown. The color bands give an indication of what is
going on, but it is more informative to use the Deformation control to see the mode shape.

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Composite
This display type sums up the results through the model and colors them according to the Legend. First
mode displacement is being shown below.
Inverse Surface
Inverse Surface shows the results on the opposite side of the Surface display. Inverse Surface has the
normal pointing inward as opposed to outward for Surface display. First mode displacement is being shown
below.

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Iso-Surface

results spectrum.
The Iso-Surface shown below shows surfaces that all have the first mode displacement that was set with
the Isovalue slider.

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Max Value
Max Value displays the highest value anywhere in the model. First mode displacement is being shown below.
Cut Plane
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Deformation
Deformation is very useful to see how the model vibrates. Click Deformation to start the deform
animation.
Click the up arrow to open the Deformation Options panel.
Pauses the deform animation.
Starts the deform animation after it has been paused.
Toggles colors On/Off.

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Toggles color band animation. When on, the bands change throughout the deform animation
from all blue initially to their final values at the peak displacement. When off, the final bands
are maintained throughout the deform animation.
Animates in both directions, both forwards and backwards. By default, only half of the
displacement cycle is shown. When this option is on, the full displacement cycle is shown.
Speed Adjusts the speed of the deform animation.
Scale Adjusts the scale of the displacements. Some modes are more easily understood at a higher
scale.
Numeric Results
Numeric results are created from within the Solution Tree using the Calculation button.
Click Calculation to create a calculation displayed as a Chart (graph) or Probe (text). Available
calculations are:
• Frequency
• Max stress
• Max deformation
• Total volume
Toggle chart On, click the Select button and then select a body to create a chart of Frequency. When
Frequency (All) is selected, six modes are shown for a specific selection, and the Y axis is the design point.
It will change when the solution is updated.
When it first appears, the chart will look like the one shown below.

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Result Deformation Choose the result that you want to
calculate.
X Normal Stress
Y Normal Stress
Z Normal Stress
XY Shear Stress
YZ Shear Stress
XZ Shear Stress
Maximum Principal Stress
Middle Principal Stress
Minimum Principal Stress
Von Mises Stress
Undefined

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Y
magnitude (SUM).
Z

Direction
Normal
Normal Direction
and X Axis, Y Axis, Z Axis

Gradient
use the value.
Laplacian
Divergence
Curl
Unity

Max
Mean
Integral
Histogram
None

Curve
All Faces of a Body
Plane
Volume

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Creating Multi-physics Solutions
Chapter 9: Creating Multi-physics Solutions
Electro-thermal coupling can be setup for Electrical Conduction solutions with Thermal behavior. Conditions can
be added from different Physics setups.
Electro-thermal simulations have the following minimum requirements in order to solve.
• A fixed support type
• A material type
• A voltage boundary condition with a value of 0
• At least one of the following boundary conditions: a current, a current density, a voltage.
To create a Multi-physics solution


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• Choose Thermal Behavior or Electrical Conduction Behaviour .

• Choose a Material. For Electro-Thermal stress, select a conductive material.
• Add a Heat Flow and click Complete.
The solution is created. Both electrical and thermal simulations are added to create an electro-thermal stress
solution.
4. To undo or switch between boundary conditions, click the Undo button.
5. Click Start Simulation .
Setup Tools
The table below describes the electrical and thermal tools.
Note:
Heat Flux sets the rate of heat energy transfer per unit area of a selected face, several faces, or an entire
body. Heat Flux cannot be created on faces with an Insulated Face boundary condition.

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Next Steps:
Modifying Multi-physics Solutions
Multi-physics Results
9.1. Modifying Electro-thermal Solutions
• Setup Tools
• Solution Tree
• Options
• Mini Toolbar
solution speed leads to less fidelity in the results, while increasing fidelity sacrifices speed in the solution.
Solution Tree

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• Right-click the thermal solution name, and choose Change Simulation Type to get a new Thermal,
Structural or Electrical Conduction simulation.
• Click the Ambient Temperature value of 20 C, in the example above, to enter a new value. Click the arrow
next to the Ambient Temperature value of 20 C, in the example above, to change its value using a slider.
Convection in Air, Heat Flow, and other boundary conditions can be edited the same way.
Solution.
Options
graphics window.
solid.
Next Steps:
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Multi-physics Results
9.2. Multi-physics Results

Results can be displayed in color-coded graphics or numerically in the form of charts or text.


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changed.

changed.

desired.
Range boxes.

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Click the arrow above the Show Results button to change display options.
Current Result Choose the results to display.

the model.

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want to display.
• X
• Y
• Z
• Magnitude

Setting Current Result to Heat Flux allows for Streamlines, Particles, and Direction Field results.
Surface
This is the default display in thermal simulations. The results are displayed on the model.
Composite
Together with the Cut Plane, you can look at only the values you are interested in and only in the areas of
interest in the model.
Inverse Surface
Inverse Surface shows the results on the opposite side of the Surface display. Think of it as flipping the
surface normal direction. Inverse Surface has the normal pointing inward as opposed to outward for Surface
display.
Iso-Surface

results spectrum.
The Iso-Surface shown below shows surfaces that all have the temperature that was set with the Isovalue
slider.
Max Value
Cut Plane

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Change the orientation of the Cut Plane by dragging the handles. You can use the following shortcuts.
Numeric Results
Click Calculation in the solution tree to create a calculation displayed as a Chart (graph) or Probe
(text). Available calculations are:
• Mean temperature
• Max temperature
• Min temperature
• Heat transfer on faces
• Total volume
• Max stress
• Max deformation
• Max voltage
Toggle chart On, click Select to create a chart of Max temperature in volume. If you chart either Max or
Min Temperature, you click Create to create the chart.The chart will look like the one shown below.
below.

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Creating Electrical Conduction Solutions
Chapter 10: Creating Electrical Conduction Solutions
Electrical conduction simulations have the following minimum requirements in order to solve.
• A material type for which electrical conductivity is defined
• A voltage boundary condition with a value of 0
• At least one of the following boundary conditions:
º A current
º A current density
º A voltage
To create a Electrical Conduction solution

• Choose Electrical Conduction Behavior .

• Choose a conductive material from the drop-down list.
• Click Select Bodies.
• Select a body and click Complete.The solution is created.

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Note: If the model contains a single body, the body is chosen automatically. In such cases, you click Create
to create the solution.
4. Click Setup to create boundary conditions.
5. Click Voltage .
6. Select a face.The value of the voltage condition needs to be 0 so that the selected face is grounded. Press
Enter to retain the default value of 0.
7. Click Current or Current Density .

8. Select a face and enter a current or current density value.
Note: Do not apply a voltage boundary condition and a current or current density boundary condition on
adjacent faces.
9. Click Complete.
10. Click Start Simulation .

Note:
• You can right-click a boundary condition to edit or rename it.
Voltage simulates the application of an electric potential.
Current simulates the application of an electric current.
Current Density applies the current per unit area.
Thermal Conditions provides access to thermal conditions for a multiphysics simulation.
Structural Conditions provides access to structural conditions for a multiphysics simulation.

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Next Steps:
Modifying Electrical Conduction Solutions
Electrical Conduction Simulation Results
10.1. Modifying Electrical Conduction Solutions

• Setup Tools
• Solution Tree
• Options
• Mini Toolbar
Before modifying boundary conditions, you can pause the simulation using Pause Simulation .
After the modifications, restart the simulation using Start Simulation .
You can also reset the simulation to the beginning of the solution using Reset Simulation .
Open the Fidelity slider by clicking the up arrow above the Start Simulation and Pause Simulation
buttons.The simulation takes a volumetric approach that captures features down to a minimum feature
size, which is relative to the model size. The Fidelity slider controls this minimum feature size on a scale for
Speed and Fidelity. Increasing solution speed leads to lower fidelity of the results, while increasing fidelity
sacrifices speed of the solution.The sections below describe the Setup tools available for electrical conduction
simulations.
Setup Tools
The table below describes the Electrical Conduction Setup tools.

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Note:
• You can right-click a boundary condition to edit or rename it.
Voltage simulates the application of an electric potential.
Current simulates the application of an electric current.
Current Density applies the current per unit area.
Thermal Conditions provides access to thermal conditions for a multiphysics simulation.
Structural Conditions provides access to structural conditions for a multiphysics simulation.
Solution Tree
The image below shows a solution for a copper part with a voltage of 0 assigned to one face and a current
of 50 A assigned to another face. The interactions described below are the same for any combination of
boundary conditions in the solution tree.
• Click Copper to change the Material.

• Right-click Voltage and select Edit to edit its location. For boundary conditions that have numeric values,
you can edit the value.
• Click the arrow next to a value (for example, the arrow next to the value 50 A) to change the value using
a slider.
solutions and multiple solution types for a single model.
• Click Calculation to create a calculation displayed as a Chart (graph) or Probe (text). You can export
all calculators from the active solution by right-clicking Calculations and selecting Export All Calculators.

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• Click Material Library to open it.

• Click Add in the Solution Tree to add a Material from the Add drop-down menu in the Solution Tree.
• Click Add in the Solution Tree to add a Parameter Study from the Add drop-down menu in the Solution
Tree.
Add Parameter Study

as well.
height of the pins.

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will be studied.

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Options
graphics window.
solid.
Next Steps:
Electrical Conduction Simulation Results
10.2. Electrical Conduction Results

Results can be displayed in color-coded graphics or numerically in the form of a graph (Chart) or text (Probe).
The image below shows an example of a Probe on the left and a color-coded graphic on the right.

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Note: When hovering over results in a chart, the results display in standard international format even if you
change them to a different format in the legend or elsewhere.

The simulation is always running. Pause Simulation pauses the simulation. Click the up arrow
Start Simulation starts the simulation after you paused it. Click the up arrow to set the
Reset Simulation stops and restarts the simulation.

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• Click Draw Arrows to show streamlines as vectors with an arrows display.

• Adjust the Count, Steps, Length, Width, Step Size, and Tail Length of the steamlines as desired.
• Adjust the Step Size, Min Gate, Size, Max Gate, and Transparency of the particles as desired.
• Click Colors to toggle colors on and off.
• Click Use emitter to toggle the display of the particle emitter on and off.
The image below shows the default display for Current
Density. Click the bottom

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of the Legend and drag upward to increase the range of values. With an increased range, more results fall
below the upper bands.

Click the top of the Legend and drag downward to decrease the range of values. With a decreased range,
more results fall within the upper bands.

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Graphic Results Options are located above the legend. The table below describes the options.

• Electric Potential
• Current Density
• Joule Heat

the model.
want to display.
• X
• Y
• Z
• Magnitude
Surface
This is the default display for electrical conduction simulations. The results are displayed on the model as
shown below.

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Composite
This display type sums up the results through the model and colors them according to the legend. By using
this display type in conjunction with the Cut Plane, you can look at only the values you are interested in and
only those that appear in specific areas of interest in the model.

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Inverse Surface
Inverse Surface shows the results on the opposite side of the Surface display. You can think of it as flipping
the surface normal direction. Inverse Surface has the normal pointing inward as opposed to Surface, which
has the normal pointing outward.

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Iso-Surface
Iso-Surface creates a surface through all the points in the model that have the same result value.
The Iso-Surface display type provides an additional Isovalue option you can use to set the value for the
surface. Isovalue sets the value used to define the surface that is displayed. Move the slider to set the value
anywhere within the results spectrum.

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Max Value
Value display for current density.

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Cut Plane
Drag the Cut Plane to any location in the volume to slice the results. The default location and orientation for
the plane is the XZ-plane through the center of the model.
Click the plane to get a Move Handle for access to more move directions and rotations.

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Drag the Move Handle to any location in the model by dragging the yellow ball.

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Numeric Results
Click Calculation to create a calculation displayed in the form of a graph (Chart) or text (Probe).
Available calculations are:
• Max voltage
• Total volume
For example, if you set Quick calculation to Max Voltage, set the Display Type to Chart, and click Create,
the chart will look similar to the one shown below.
below.
Click the arrow in the chart's upper left corner to collapse the chart, as shown below. This is also the display
you get if you set Display Type to Probe when you create the calculation.

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Click More to show more advanced calculations for Charts or Probes, as shown below.
The table below summarizes the calculations that are available.

Result Electric Potential Choose the result that you want to
calculate.
Current Density
Joule Heat
Undefined

Y
magnitude (SUM).
Z
sign), and Y and Z do nothing.
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Gradient
use the value.
Laplacian
Divergence
Curl
Unity

Max
Mean
Std Deviation in a bar chart.
Integral
Histogram
None

Direction
Normal
Normal-Direction

Curve
All Faces of Body Volume is the volume used in
Fluids simulations.
Plane
Volume

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Workbench
Chapter 11: Workbench
11.1. ANSYS Workbench

• Workbench Launches Workbench so you can refine and modify your design using that application.
• AIM (with Physics) Launches AIM so you can refine your design in AIM. Importing and exporting between
AIM and Discovery Live is handled within AIM. Refer to the AIM help for more information.
Note: Only geometry can be exported to Discovery Live from AIM. Physics needs to be updated when
your design is imported into Discovery Live.
11.2. ANSYS Transfer

The ANSYS Transfer group contains options for transferring geometry to ANSYS applications.
Use Update Parameters to update parameter values

in the Workbench parameter set.
Use Workbench to start ANSYS Workbench with a

geometry system.
Use AIM to start Discovery AIM with the geometry

imported.
Use Mechanical to start ANSYS Mechanical with

the geometry imported.
Use the workflow options in the drop-down to start

ANSYS Fluent. Select the appropriate options in the
Fluent Launcher.
Fluent Options
Select the appropriate workflow option in the drop-down to start ANSYS Fluent.

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Workbench
• Select Watertight Geometry Workflow to transfer the geometry to ANSYS Fluent with the Watertight
Geometry workflow selected. See the ANSYS Fluent User's Guide for more information about Using the
Watertight Geometry Workflow.
• Select Custom New Workflow to transfer the geometry to ANSYS Fluent. See the ANSYS Fluent User's
Guide for more information about Customizing Workflows.
• Select Mesh to Solver to transfer the Discovery Live mesh to ANSYS Fluent. Select the appropriate
options in the Fluent Launcher.
• Select Export PMDB to save ANSYS Part Manager Files (*.pmdb).
11.3. External Study Import

The External Study Importer, which is provided as an ACT extension, assists the designer-to-analyst workflow
by allowing full problem definitions from designer simulation tools, such as Discovery Live and Autodesk
Fusion 360, to be read into ANSYS Mechanical. The resulting Mechanical simulation systems include the
full definition of geometry, materials, loads, and constraints that are contained in the source simulation, and
may be subsequently executed or enhanced within Mechanical. See in the Mechanical documentation for
more information.
Note: The External Study Importer is not supported on Linux operating systems.
Creating a Discovery Live Simulation Data File

To create a Discovery Live Simulation Data file:
1. From the Mechanical tab of Discovery Live, select Mechanical Export.
Note: The Mechanical tab is visible only when at least one study is defined in the document.
2. Save the file.
Enabling the External Study Importer

The External Study Importer is provided as an ACT extension that is installed by default with ANSYS
Workbench.
To load the External Study Importer:
1. From the Project tab in Workbench, click ACT Start Page to open the ACT Home page.
2. Click Manage Extensions.
3. On the Extension Manager page, click ExternalStudyImporter and select Load extension from the
context menu.
If you want the External Study Importer to be loaded automatically for future Workbench sessions, click
ExternalStudyImporter and select Load as default from the context menu.
4. Return to the ACT Home page and click Launch Wizards.
5. On the Wizards page, click Execute wizard to launch the External Study Importer.
Importing a Discovery Live Simulation into Mechanical

After creating a Discovery Live Simulation Data file, you can import it into Mechanical. You can import it into
a new project or an existing project.
To import a Discovery Live simulation into a new project in Mechanical: in Windows File Explorer, double-click
a .dls file to launch Workbench and import the simulation into a new project.

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Workbench
To import a Discovery Live simulation into an existing project in Mechanical:

1. On the Wizards page (which you can access as described above), click Execute wizard to launch the
External Study Importer Wizard.
2. Ensure Study Type is set to Discovery Live Simulation.
3. In File To Import, browse to the Discovery Live Simulation Data file you want to add to the project and
click Open.
4. In the External Study Importer Wizard, click Import.
The import process creates a fully-populated Simulation System on the Workbench Project Schematic
page, which you can subsequently open in Mechanical.
5. In the External Study Importer Wizard, click Finish.

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Workbench

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Geometry
Chapter 12: Geometry
12.1. File Operations

12.1.1. Creating, opening, and saving documents

When you create a new design, it appears on a tab in the workspace. Designs can contain drawing sheets,
multiple windows, and 3D markups. Each drawing sheet and 3D markup appears on its own tab in the
workspace. You can edit your design directly using the drawing sheet.
You can create a drawing sheet for an existing design, or you can begin with an empty drawing sheet
Click a tab at the bottom of the Discovery Live application window to display that design, drawing sheet, or
3D markup document, or click the arrow icons to cycle between them. Click the x button to close the tab.
You can also backup your files, and archive them.
To create a new design

Select New > Design from the File menu.
To create a new drawing sheet for the active design

• Select New > Drawing Sheet from the File menu to create a drawing sheet with three standard views of
the design.
• Select New > Empty Drawing Sheet to create a drawing sheet without a format or views.
• If these menu options are disabled, create a new design.
To create a new design and associated drawing sheet

Select New > Design and Drawing Sheet from the File menu to create a new design and an associated
drawing sheet.
To open an existing design, drawing sheet, or 3D markup document

• Select Open from the File menu. You can open the Preview pane in the Open dialog to preview the files.
Select the file to open.
• The design and its windows, drawing sheets, and 3D markups open.
• You can Ctrl+click or Shift+click to open multiple files at once. Mouse over a recent file to see an image of
the design and the full path to the file.
To open an existing design by dragging and dropping

• Drag the .scdoc file icon to anywhere in the title bar and ribbon area.
• You can also drag the icon into the design window if no design tab is open.
• This will open the design in 3D mode along with all of its drawing sheets, annotations, etc.

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Geometry
• You can drag-and-drop .scdoc files and any other importable files attached to emails in Microsoft Outlook.
To insert a design by dragging and dropping

• Drag the .scdoc file icon into the design window.
• This will insert the design into the active window in 3D mode. Drawing sheets, annotations, etc. are not
inserted.
To save a design
• Select Save from the File menu.
• If you imported or opened non-Discovery Live designs as multiple external documents, click References
to specify where the documents are saved.
• Otherwise, opened design documents are stored in their original locations as .scdoc files, and inserted
documents are saved in the same directory as your design.
To save a design and use it as a template

1. Create some geometry (or set some parameters) you wish to use as a template for new designs
2. Save the document as a Discovery Live Template File (*.scdot)
3. Go to the Support Files section of the SC options
4. Check ON the Use template for new designs box
5. Click the Browse button and choose an .scdot file, then click the Open button
6. Click the OK button
7. Begin a New design; a new design opens with the geometry which was created in the Template document
To copy a design
1. Save any changes made to external components.
2. Select Save As from the File menu and enter a new name for the design.
3. Click Save to save your active design with a new name and/or format.
If the design contains external components, a dialog box appears with options for overwriting modified
external components.
4. If the design contains external components, select one of the following options:
• Save every external document as a new version - Saves all external documents regardless of their
modified status. For multi-level external components, all levels of the component will be saved as new
versions.
• Save only modified external documents as new versions - Saves only the modified external
documents. For multi-level external components, all levels of the component will be saved as new
versions.
• Overwrite any modified external documents - Saves only the modified external documents by
overwriting the existing files. For multi-level external components, the files for all levels of the modified
component will be overwritten.
To make a copy of a design and all its references for sharing or archiving, click Send.
To archive a design

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Geometry
• Select Share from the File menu.

• Select As file. The Archive dialog box opens.
• When you archive a model, it stores the .scdoc file and the .zip file in a file folder named with the file naming
convention <model name>_archive.
• This feature allows for improved file organization and use of file storage space.
To send a design
• Select Share from the File menu.
• Select As Outlook attachment.
• The Send In Outlook dialog box opens.
• Specify recipients and add any message text.
• Click OK.
To save a version of your design

• Select Save as > New version from the File menu.
• Saving a version allows you to create 3D markups.
To save a design as another file type

See Importing and exporting for details.
To close a design
Make sure its window is active in the workspace, then do one of the following:
• Select Close from the File menu.
• Right-click the Design window tab and select Close.
• Click the x (Close) button on the Design window tab bar (at the bottom of the application window).
• Click the x at the upper right of the Design window if you have undocked it.
• Click the x at the upper right of a document tab. The x displays after the design or drawing sheet name. A
thumbnail of your design displays when you hover over the name of your design, as shown below. A Save
prompt displays if you have made changes to your design; select Yes to save your changes and close the
design, No to discard your changes and close the design, or Cancel to stop the close process and return
to your design.

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Geometry
To modify design properties

• Document properties are displayed when you select the top-level design in the Structure tree.
• Click in any property value to change it
• There is a Locked property that, when set to True, prevents the file from being modified.
To add custom properties

• Right-click in the Properties panel and select Add Property to create a custom property.
• Expand the property to display its value.
• Enter a name for the property, select its type (date, Boolean, number, or string), and enter its value.
12.1.2. Importing and exporting

Use the Open command to open files created in any supported format. Use the Save As command to export
parts, assemblies, drawing sheets, and 3D markups to formats read by other applications. Your license type
determines which of these actions are supported.
If you work frequently with non-Discovery Live files, we recommend that you set your file options to optimize
the importing and exporting process for your needs.
Object IDs for edges, faces, and bodies are now stored within the .scdoc file. Object IDs are preserved when
other files are opened or inserted into, and the IDs can also be exported. For example, if you export a design
to an analysis company, and they tag geometry with load positions, boundary conditions, and so on, then
when you re-import that design, make changes, and re-export to the analysis company, they will not need
to recreate their tags on the new design.
If you import a file and it fails, the reason for the failure is reported in the Status Log on the lower right edge
of the window.
To import a design
1. Select Open from the File menu or click in the Quick Access toolbar. You can also insert into an existing
design using the File tool in the Part group on the Assembly tab.
Depending on the selected file type, additional elements appear in the Open window. For descriptions of
these options or to set their default values, click Options.

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Geometry
2. Select Check Geometry to run the geometry check after the file is opened or imported. See Checking
geometry.
3. Navigate to and select the file you want to open or insert.
If you are opening a file, it is displayed in a new Design window. If you are inserting a file, it appears as
an external component within the active design.
If there is an invalid character in the path of a file you are trying to open or insert, that character is replaced
with a valid character to avoid errors.
If you open an Inventor, Creo Parametric, or Unigraphics file that has missing components, Discovery
Live will prompt you to locate the missing files.
Click Stop in the status bar to cancel an import while it is in progress.
The name of the imported file is displayed in the Status Log when it is successful.
Expand the sections below for information about a specific file format.
To export a design or 3D markup

1. Select Save as from the File menu.
You can also press F12 or Ctrl+Shift+S.
Your design must be saved as a document before you can export it in another format.
2. Select a file type from the Save as type drop-down.
3. Depending on the selected file type, additional options appear in the Save As window:
• Save as copy if you want to save copies of external components referenced by the design with new
names or replace external components with other external components. You must click Resources to
do this.
• References to display all the external components referenced by the file. Select one or more external
components and click Browse to rename or replace the components.
• Override Units is available when you export some file types. Select the units from the list.
• Options to also set your default export options for the selected file type.
• Improve data on export to clean up imprinted edges and split curves when you export data.
• Units Depends on file type
• View Choose a standard view
• Version Depends on file type
• Export part manufacturing information (JT)
• Use Perspective Camera for KeyShot
• Store 3D data as: For PDF, choose either Geometry (PRC B-Rep) or Facets only (Universal 3D)
• Convert components to Rhino layers
• Protocol: For STEP files can be 203, 214, or 242.
• Image size (pixels): For Bitmap, GIF, JPEG, PNG, TIFF files opens Image Size dialog
Hidden lines are exported with the default line weight. Components maintain their mirror relationships
when they are exported.
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Geometry
For CATIA, Parasolid, STL, and STEP files, you can select which version or protocol to save as. You can
also set your default export options by clicking Options.
You can save documents that only contain sketch curves to ACIS binary (.sab), ACIS text (.sat), Parasolid,
CATIA, IGES, STEP, and VDA formats. You can import and export free points for Rhino, PDF, ACIS,
IGES, JT Open, Parasolid, STEP and VDA formats.
Imported designs with identical file names are given unique file names when you save your design. For
example, if you imported name.prt and name.asm, these files are saved as name.scdoc and
name2.scdoc.
Expand the sections below for information about a specific file format.
4. Browse to a folder and type a file name in the dialog.
5. Click Save.
Note: Import and Export are separate operations, and not symmetric (that is, one is not the opposite of the
other). Therefore, exporting an scdoc to another format and then importing back into Discovery Live presents
a small risk of losing some data.
Import: Supported File Types
ACIS
Up to R1 - 2019 1.0
3D - parts, assemblies
.sat, .sab, .asat, .asab
• When you save an SAT file to an X_T file, bad edges are cleaned up in the design.
• When you import ACIS files, the instance name "part n (body m)" is now imported, but only if the body
name is different from the part name. The component and body names are separated by a character which
you can define in the options for ACIS files. For example, the default character is a period, so the imported
name would be component.body. This way, if there were one body named wheel in one component, the
name of the imported component in SC would be wheel. An instance is a copy of a body (a copied or
pattered solid).
• ACIS bodies can be imported using the RealDWG option, Sketch curves and text can be imported into
Designs, 2D entities can be inserted to Drawing Formats
• Part and Assembly level PMI can be imported from ACIS.
Acrobat 3D, 2D PDF

Facets, 3D - parts, assemblies, Geometry (PRC B-Rep)
.pdf
• 32-bit and 64-bit platforms are supported.
• Color information is imported for 3D PDFs.
• Supports B-REP import and export without Adobe Acrobat
• Defaults to B-Rep when exporting
• Importing PMI as graphical objects - not semantic - is supported.
º Notes
º Dimensions
º Geometric Tolerances

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Geometry
º Surface Finishes
º Datum Symbols
º Datum Targets
• Adobe Acrobat X Pro is not supported
• 3D PDF via a PRC neutral file along with Semantic PMI (if PMI data is present)
• Curves are imported from faceted data.
• SCDM optional module for 3D PDF is available.
AMF
V1.0 (Facets)
.amf
• Import also supports compressed AMF.
• You can stop AMF import using the Stop button when image processing takes too long.
• Body names and colors are supported.
ANSYS DesignModeler
parts, assemblies
.agdb
(ANSYS SCDM only) Up to 16
• Assemblies are flattened
• ANSYS DesignModeler software must be installed locally
ANSYS Electronics Database

.def
AutoCAD®
R12 to 14, 2000, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2018
Includes Polyface Meshes
.dwg, .dxf
• AutoCAD drawings can be inserted as layouts.
• If you import an AutoCAD file and you don't see the geometry you expect, try changing the import options.
See File import and export options.
• When you save a design with a shaded graphics style as a DWG file, it is converted to the hidden line style.
• When you save a sheet metal design as a DXF file, notes and bend lines are saved on the same layer,
and the overall unfold dimensions are removed.
• Line weights can be exported to AutoCAD (DXF or DWG). Hatch lines on drawing sheets are exported as
stand-alone lines.

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Geometry
• You can import polyface meshes from AutoCAD files as 3D solids. See File import and export options for
a list of polyface mesh import options.
• imports "Proxy entities" in AutoCAD DXF and DWG files when you select the TeighaDWG option.
• If an AutoCAD file won't open, try changing the DWG option to RealDWG. Some AutoCAD files contain
embedded ACIS models; however, these may not be standard ACIS models. The RealDWG libraries
contain an API to save back these variant ACIS models in the last common format, ACIS v7. The TeighaDWG
libraries do not.
• ACIS bodies can be imported using the RealDWG option, Layout space entities can be imported using the
Teigha option, Sketch curves and text can be imported into Designs, 2D entities can be inserted to Drawing
Formats, Polyface meshes import as lightweight (read-only).
• Export as 2D snapshot
• Layout Spaces are imported into separate windows.
• Empty Layout Spaces are ignored on import.
• Layout Spaces are only supported for Teigha, NOT RealDWG.
• Body Arrays: Geometry created using the AutoCAD "Array" command will not automatically be imported
into ANSYS Workbench. To import the bodies in the array, do the following:
º Load the drawing file into AutoCAD
º Select the array
º Issue the "Explode" command
CATIA V4®
versions V4 4.1.9 to 4.2.4
parts, assemblies
.model, .CATPart, .CATProduct, .cgr, .exp
• CATIA faceted (.cgr) files can be opened, but appear as lightweight components that cannot be loaded.
You can save imported .cgr files as documents that can be opened later; however, this document's content
remains lightweight. It is visible in the Design window but you can't change the model.
• Part-level PMI
• CATIA files with product manufacturing information (PMI) can be opened or inserted. Visibility is turned
off. If a layer doesn't exist, it is created automatically.
• Includes Product Manufacturing Information (PMI) placed on the Imported Annotation Planes.
• Import and export of free points is supported
• CGR imports Facets as mesh objects. Discovery Live recommends editing meshes on a 64bit OS.
• Named selections of faces are created when importing geometrical sets.
• Publication Sets are imported as named selections.
CATIA V5®
versions V5 R8 to R25, V5-6R2018
assemblies
.model, .CATPart, .CATProduct, .cgr, .exp

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Geometry
• Part-level PMI
• When exporting CATIA V5 files, you can deselect the Simplify Spline Surface Data option. When importing
or exporting CATIA files, the XYZ locations of point objects scale correctly.
• CGR imports Facets as mesh objects. Discovery Live recommends editing meshes on a 64bit OS.
• SCDM optional module for CATIA V5/V6 is available.
CATIA V6®
R2010x - R2017x
parts, assemblies
.3DXML
• Part-level PMI
• CATIA V6 precise part and product data must be exported as V5CATPart and CATProduct to be read into
Discovery Live.
• For 3DXML, SCDM optional module for CATIA V5/V6 is available.
Creo Elements/Direct Modeling (CoCreate)

(ANSYS SCDM only) V18.1 and V19, Creo 6.0
• Creo Elements/CoCreate software must be installed locally
• Only part level coordinate systems import if Import hidden components and geometry is checked ON
in Discovery Live General File options and Coordinate systems is also checked ON.
ECAD IDF, IDB, EMN

IDF 3.0 and IDF 4.0
open IDF and PADS files
.idf, emn, .idb
• Most content within IDF 4.0 files is supported.

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Geometry
• Assembly of panels and boards, cutouts, filled areas, keep-ins, materials, panels and everything related,
sublayouts, and thermal models are not supported.
• Open IDF and PAD files
• IDF files can be synchronized with the imported model.
º Select any geometry in the model and use RMB > Update IDF to update the IDF file based on component
operations performed in the model (for example, moved components).
º The current Discovery Live document must have been created by importing an IDF file.
º The source IDF file must be present on disk at its original location.
º A new IDF file is written that contains the updated information.
º The new file can be read back into the originating ECAD system to update the components.
ECAD (Other)
ODB++
.tgz
• The translator does not support multi-step files.
• ODB++ is designed for manufacturing formats that can support everything from a single image to an entire
fabrication panel. For the electronics tools, ODB++ is used as a means of translation for a single board,
and the associated translator does not support import of an entire panel.
• ODB++ export is available in most 3rd-party layout tools. Generally, you can select a single step export
during the export process.
• Quality and adherence to the formal ODB++ specification varies among vendors. A verbose translation log
can be found in the Temp directory. Warnings and errors are not posted to the SpaceClaim interface.
• Depending on the 3rd-party layout tool, ODB++ may not be the best choice.
EDB
.def in a .aedb folder
IPC2581
.xml, .cvg
GDSII
.gds, .sf, .strm
Fluent Mesh
facets/mesh
.msh, .tgz
• Only surface/boundary mesh gets imported as a single faceted body.
• The mesh units are assumed to be Meters.
• Groups are auto-created per face zone in the mesh file on import into Discovery Live.
glTF
Not supported
ICEM CFD
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Geometry
geometry
.tin
• Turn the Object names option ON in Discovery Live Options > General file options to import ICEM CFD
Part names. With an ANSYS license, Part names are always imported even if the Object names option is
OFF.
• ICEM CFD Parts come in as separate bodies in Discovery Live.
• With the Improve imported data option ON, the imported model may result in a formation of solid bodies
and/or a Part structure different from what appears in ICEM CFD.
• Models containing faceted curves or surfaces are NOT supported.
• If a tetin file contains edges attached to faces and the edges and faces are in different ICEM CFD parts,
the ICEM CFD part name for the edges will be lost as the edges are put in the part containing the faces.
• You can adjust values and re-run build topology in ICEM CFD to improve the success of the import.
• With the Import faces independently option ON, ICEM CFD Parts will be imported as individual surface
bodies. This allows users to ignore topology information on import so they can stitch the faces together
after import into SpaceClaim. However, if Improve imported data is also ON, along with Import faces
independently, the surfaces will be stitched together as a part of the improved operation, which may result
in the formation of solid bodies.
• Named-selections/Groups per ICEM CFD Part names are auto-created on import of ICEM CFD geometry
model.
IGES
versions up to 5.3
parts, assemblies
.igs, .iges
• Curves and Curve Colors are supported on import.
Image Files
files (insert only)
.bmp, .pcx, .gif, .jpg, .png, .tif
See Inserting an image
Inventor®
versions V6 - 2020, V11 to 2020
parts, assemblies
.ipt, .iam
• You can read the limitations here:
http://doc.spatial.com/index.php/InterOp:Connect/Inventor/Inventor_Reader#Limitations.
• Limited support for Inventor assembly
º Assembly attributes such as colors and layers are not supported.
º Inventor parts and Inventor sub-assemblies should be present in the main (root) of the Inventor Assembly
directory.

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Geometry
º Assembly level features are not supported. For example, an instance can be marked as suppressed (that
is, not visible) in an Inventor assembly. Because the translator does not support reading suppressed
information, suppressed instances are translated.
• Inventor surfaces not supported

The translator currently does not handle "helical" surfaces in Inventor 6 files and "cylspl" surfaces in Inventor
7 files. If the Inventor file contains any of these surfaces, a partial translation takes place skipping the data
for these surfaces and converting the remaining entities.
• Limited entity support for Inventor 11, 2008, 2009, and 2010
The translator currently does not support some specific entities resulting from advanced feature Inventor
operations such as Lofting.
• No support for attributes
The translator does not support translating attributes such as colors and layers.
• No support for hidden flag
The translator does not support filtering hidden bodies. Thus, all hidden bodies are translated as well.
• Limited support for units
The translator supports only millimeter and inch for Inventor 6 - 11 and 2008. For versions 2009 and 2010,
the translator supports only millimeter as unit. All unsupported units are assumed to be millimeter.
JT Open
versions 6.4, 7.0, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 9.0 to 10.3
parts, assemblies
.jt
• JT Open 5.3 libraries are available for reading and writing JT files that were created with version 5.3.
• JT files with product manufacturing information (PMI) are supported for:
º datum labels
º text notes
º dimension measurements
º GD&T
º Surface finish symbols
º Weld symbols
º Flagnotes
• PMI option is ON by default (Part level PMI)
• PMI is placed on imported annotation planes
• Semantic and Polyline PMI are supported. Semantic imported dimensions will update with geometry
changes. Polyline are simply curves in space that do not update.
• Semantic PMI is placed on Layer0 after import. Polyline is placed on a layer called Imported Polyline
Annotations.
• For GD&T symbols, you can click any tolerance annotation or datum symbol to view its values in the
Properties panel.
• Click an arrow or line to view or modify arrow or styles in the Properties panel.
• Unicode file names are supported.
• JT Open V6.4 and V7.0 imported and exported as faceted data
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Geometry
• SCDM optional module for JT Open is available
Keyshot
Not supported
NX
NX1 through NX12 and UG v11 through 18, 1847
parts, assemblies
.prt
• Includes PMI placed on imported annotation planes.
• PMI import and export is supported
OpenVDB
.vdb
Parasolid®
V10.0 through V31
parts, assemblies
.x_t, .x_b, .xmt_txt, .xmt_bin
Plmxml format (*.plmxml) from Siemens

• PlmXml assemblies with JT part / JT subassembly nodes
• PlmXml assemblies with non-JT (for example, CATIA or STEP) sub assembly nodes
Ply
V1.0
parts
.ply
Point curve text

curves (insert only)
.txt
• A spline curve is created by default or if the option Polyline=False is used. If the option Polyline=True
is used, then the points are connected by straight line segments.
• By default, 2D curves are created. When specifying 2D curves, the first column of the data points must be
an integer and gives the height of the plane of one of the curves. The beginning of a new curve is specified
by changing this height from one line to the next. If option 3D=True is used, the curves can be 3D
• Use the Fit keyword to specify whether Curve Fitting or Interpolation is used.

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Geometry
Fit=True uses Curve Fitting. Curve Fitting creates a curve that "Fits" the data points using a specified
tolerance. The curve may not pass exactly through all points and the distance from the curve to the point
will be within the tolerance.
Use the Fittol keyword when Fit=Trueto specify the Curve Fitting tolerance in model units. For example
Fittol=1.0e-2
The curve below uses Curve Fitting (that is, Fit=true). A large tolerance (fittol=2.0) is used to exaggerate
the fact that the curve does not pass through the points but only gets within the specified tolerance.
Fit=False uses Interpolation. Interpolation requires that the curve pass exactly through all of the points.
An interpolation method is used to build a continuous curve through all of the points.
The curve below is interpolated (that is, Fit=False). There are seven points in the file and the curve
passes exactly through each one.
• Multiple curves are separated by blank lines.

• You can import point curve text files that contain single-point curves, which will be created as points.
• Point-curve text files opened or inserted in display a closed curve when the file has a repeated value.
• Curves can be imported to coordinate systems or other geometry like other imported objects.

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Geometry
• Point-curve text files with columns separated by commas can be opened or inserted. This feature allows
you to import any comma-separated value file into .
• If there is an error reading the input text file, a message will appear with the line number of the error in
parentheses followed by the text appearing on that line.
• The following example shows the contents of a point curve text file on the left and the 3D curves it creates
on the right:
º Note that the point coordinates are (Z, X, Y).
º For example (1, 2, 3) is (Z=1, X=2, Y=3).
3d=true
polyline=false
100
101
110
111
201
210
300
301
310
Keywords:
• polyline=false - spline curves are created.
• polyline=true - straight lines are created.
• 3d=true - 3D curves are created.
• 3d=false - curves are two-dimensional. This is also the case if the option is not set.
• fit=true - use Curve Fitting.
º Curve Fitting finds the "Best Fit" through the points.
º Does not require the curve to pass through all of the points
• fit=false - use Interpolation.
º Interpolation forces the curve to pass through all the points in the file.
• fittol=1.0e-2 - Curve Fitting tolerance in the units used in the file.
The blank line after the first set of coordinates indicates that the next set of coordinates is a new curve.
You can copy the file contents above and paste them into a text file, then use Insert File to try it yourself.
POV-Ray
Not supported

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Geometry
Microsoft® PowerPoint®
Not supported
Creo Parametric®
Pro/E16 through Wildfire 5.0 (Creo 1.0 to Creo 5.0)
parts, assemblies
.prt, .asm, .xpr, .xas
• When you import Creo Parametric assemblies and parts are missing, Discovery Live will prompt you to
search for the missing files
• For Creo Parametric, Pro/E semantic PMI import is supported.
• For Wildfire 3 and above, PMI display information import is partially supported.
• Wildfire 5 (Creo 1.0, 2.0) PMI is not supported
• Instance and assembly accelerator files (*.xpr and *.xas) can now be opened directly into Discovery Live.
• Mesh is automatically imported when there are no B-Rep contents in the Rhino file.
• Only part level coordinate systems import if Import hidden components and geometry is checked ON
in Discovery Live General File options and Coordinate systems is also checked ON.
QIF
V2.0
parts, assemblies
• PMI import and export supported
Rhino®
version 4.0, V5.0, V6.0
parts, assemblies
.3dm
• When importing a Rhino file, multi-segmented curves are consolidated.
• You can export layer names, color information, sketch lines, and material information.
• Neighboring topology is taken into consideration by default. This means that if problems are found with a
face, then its neighboring faces can provide information used to fix the face.
• The Discovery Live plugin for Rhino is only supported for Rhino V5.0.
Supported Rhino Object Rhino object entity

Solids Closed polysurfaces Solid body
Closed surfaces: sphere, torus,
ellipsoid dots;
Polysurfaces (open) Sheet body

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Geometry
Surfaces Trimmed surfaces Sheet body

Untrimmed surfaces with boundary
edges
Curves (curve, polycurve) Named sketch curve
Point objects (point, point cloud) Not supported
Polygon mesh objects Not supported
Object name Entity name
Object color Entity color
Layers Layer name Layer name
Layer color Layer color
On/off layer Show/hide layer
Locked/unlocked layer Locked/unlocked layer
Layer structure Component structure
Materials Material name Material name
Other material attributes Not supported
Groups Not supported
RS Components
V2015.0 SP0
parts, assemblies
.rsdoc
• rsdocs can only be imported for the first 30 days after Discovery Live activation. After 30 days, a limit of
100 individual file imports is enforced.
SketchUp®
Up to SketchUp 8, V2013, V2014, V2018
parts, assemblies
.skp
SolidEdge
V18 - ST11
parts, assemblies
.par, psm, .asm
SOLIDWORKS®
SW 98 through SW 2019
parts, assemblies

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Geometry
.sldprt, .sldasm
• If you open a SOLIDWORKS file, searches for required assembly and external part files in the following
locations:
º Root folder of the assembly
º Equivalent subfolder in new root folder
º Absolute path to the component saved in the assembly file
• When you import a design from SOLIDWORKS, the units are changed to match the part.
• Import supports User Defined Attributes for Parts, Assemblies, and Sub-assemblies.
• SpaceClaim supports selective imports from SOLIDWORKS assemblies:
º When opening the file:
Select "SOLIDWORKS" file type.
Check the "Expand Assemblies" in the file open dialog.
Select the ".sldasm" file for your configuration.
Select the configuration or sub-assembly to load from the Assembly Browser dialog and click Open.
STEP
AP203, AP214, AP242 (geometry)
parts, assemblies
.stp, .step
When you import STEP assemblies from one file, select the Create multiple documents when importing
assemblies file option if you want the assemblies to remain in one file instead of being split into multiple
files, one for each internal component.
• Origin import and export is supported
• PMI import is supported
• License is required
STL
Facets or Solids
parts, assemblies
.stl
• When exporting STL files, the output is set to Binary by default.
• STL files can include polyface meshes, and they can be imported as lightweight objects. Polyface meshes
are imported as solids.
• When saving as an .STL file, the quality is based your graphics quality setting. We recommend setting the
option to enable the highest possible graphics quality if you want your design to be useful as an SLA rapid
prototype for form, fit, and function purposes.
• You can import an STL file as a solid, if it has multiple planar areas that can be merged into one planar
face.

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Geometry
• You can import an STL file as a Mesh object and export it as another STL file. This makes it possible to
import multiple STL files into a document and then export everything as a single STL file.
VDA-FS
version 1.0 and 2.0
parts
.vda
Video files
files (insert only) with proper codec(s) required for all but WMV and AVI
.wmv, .avi, .flv, .mkv, .mov, .mp4, .mpg, mpeg, .ogm, .vob
See Inserting a video
VRML
Facets
parts, assemblies
.wrl
• Non-triangular faces are supported
Wavefront
Facets
parts, assemblies
.obj
XAML
Not supported
XPS
Not supported
Export: Supported File Formats
ACIS
Versions 6, 7 15-29 (V27 default)
parts and assemblies (assemblies are flattened)
.sat, .sab
• When you save an SAT file to an X_T file, bad edges are cleaned up in the design.
• When you import ACIS files, the instance name "part n (body m)" is now imported, but only if the body
name is different from the part name. The component and body names are separated by a character which
you can define in the options for ACIS files. For example, the default character is a period, so the imported

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Geometry
name would be component.body. This way, if there were one body named wheel in one component, the
name of the imported component in SC would be wheel. An instance is a copy of a body (a copied or
pattered solid).
• ACIS bodies can be imported using the RealDWG option, Sketch curves and text can be imported into
Designs, 2D.
• Part and Assembly level PMI can be written to SAT and SAB files.
• Material assignments can be written to SAT and SAB files.
Acrobat PDF 3D
Facets, Geometry (PRC B-Rep), curves
parts and assemblies
.pdf
• Color information is exported for 3D PDFs.
• Supports B-Rep import and export
• Mesh-only .scdoc's can be exported to PDF.
• No Adobe Acrobat required for B-Rep import and export, 32bit and 64bit platforms supported, Adobe
Acrobat X Pro is not supported
• SCDM optional module for 3D PDF is available
Acrobat PDF 2D
2D Print to or save drawings only
.pdf
AMF
V1.0
.amf
• Export also supports compressed AMF
• The following are supported for export:
º Geometry
º Body and face colors
º Body material
º Textures
º Lightweight components
º Assembly structure tree
• Export is supported by the Converter.

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Geometry
ANSYS Neutral Format

.anf
License is required
ANSYS Mesh Modeler

.amm
ANSYS
.inp
AutoCAD
R12 to 14, 2000, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2018
Export as 2D snapshot and AutoCAD Solids (ACIS V7 format)
.dwg, .dxf
• When you save a design with a shaded graphics style as a DWG file, it is converted to the hidden line style.
• When you save a sheet metal design as a DXF file, notes and bend lines are saved on the same layer,
and the overall unfold dimensions are removed.
• Line weights can be exported to AutoCAD (DXF or DWG). Hatch lines on drawing sheets are exported as
stand-alone lines.
• Export as 2D snapshot
CATIA
V5/V6 R15 to V5-6R2018 (R25 default)
parts, assemblies
.CATPart, .CATProduct,
• When exporting CATIA V5 files, you can deselect the Simplify Spline Surface Data option. When importing
or exporting CATIA files, the XYZ locations of point objects scale correctly.
• Includes Product Manufacturing Information (PMI) placed on the Imported Annotation Planes
• CATIA V6 precise part and product data must be exported as V5CATPart and CATProduct to be read into
Discovery Live
• Export as Hybrid Design is supported
• SCDM optional module Catia V5/V6 is available
CGNS
.cgns

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Geometry
Excel
MS Office 2003, 2007, 2013
.xls, .xlsx
• If MS Office is installed
• Table export: Web page (.htm; .html), XML document (.xml), CSV file (.csv)
ECAD IDF
Not supported
Fluent Mesh
Meshes generated using the options in the Mesh tab.
.msh
• You can choose to export the Blocking mesh or the Body mesh.
• When using the Blocking mesh option, you can choose to export one .msh file for the entire design or one
.msh file per component (blocking object) in the Structure tree. When using the Body mesh option, you
can export one .msh file for the entire design.
• When using the Body mesh option, you can choose to export the mesh including interior face data structure
(Face based, default) or excluding interior face data structure (Cell based). When using the Blocking mesh
option, the Face-based option is always used.
Note: The Cell based option may be useful to help reduce the file size of the .msh file. The cell based
mesh file will return only boundary face zones if read into Fluent Meshing.
Fluent-Meshing faceted geometry

parts, assemblies; facets and/or solids
.tgf
• Faceted bodies as well as solid and surface bodies are supported.
• The Improve data on export option in Discovery Live Options > General file options is ignored for .tgf
export.
• Invisible bodies and components are not exported unless the Export hidden components and geometry
option is turned ON in Discovery Live Options > General file options.
• Model units are preserved on export.
• In Discovery Live Options > TGF file options, Object is set to Per body by default. This will create a
Fluent-Meshing Object for each body in the exported model.
• Fluent-Meshing Objects are always created of type Geometry.
• Groups or Named Selections are exported as Fluent-Meshing Face Zone Labels.
• Since the aspect ratio is defined in the parametric (u,v) space of a surface, it is recommended NOT to
define this parameter unless it can be ensured that all surfaces are arc-length parameterized.
Important: It is a uv-grid aspect ratio and that does NOT guarantee the aspect ratio of resultant facets.
FM Database
Geometry transferred to Fluent Meshing (for input to the Fault Tolerant Workflow)
.fmd

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Geometry
glTF
parts, assemblies
.glb
• Binary glTF (GL Transmission Format) for scene graphics export.
• Supported features include solid bodies, surface bodies, faceted bodies, lightweight components, and
curves.
• Includes graphics information such as body and face color, body finish (High/Medium/Low Gloss), and
camera position.
• Known limitations include faces with texture or hatched, brushed, and metallic render styles.
• Use caution with proprietary models since the data is copied to web location.
ICEM CFD
Meshes generated using the options in the Mesh tab.
.uns
You can choose to export one .uns file Per design (default) or one file Per component (blocking object) in
the Structure tree.
IGES
V5.3, JAMA-IS, Types: 186, 144, 143
parts, assemblies
.igs, .iges
Image files
parts, assemblies, drawing sheets, 3D markup slides (export as 2D snapshot)
.bmp, .gif, .jpg, .png, .tif
On export, you can specify the image size in pixels or percent of full size.
When saving a drawing as an image you can specify Use Scene extents or Use Sheet extents. Scene
extents includes gray borders around the drawing to fill the size of the entire scene. Sheet extents only
includes what is within the sheet boundary.
See Inserting an image
Inventor
Not supported
JT Open
V6.4, 7.0, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 9.0 to 10.3
parts, assemblies
.jt
• JT Open 5.3 libraries are available for reading and writing JT files that were created with version 5.3.
• JT files with product manufacturing information (PMI) are supported for:
º datum labels
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Geometry
º text notes
º dimension measurements
º GD&T
º Surface finish symbols
º Weld symbols
º Flagnotes
• PMI option is ON by default (part level PMI)
• Semantic and Polyline PMI are supported. Semantic imported dimensions will update with geometry
changes. Polyline are simply curves in space that do not update.
• Semantic PMI is placed on Layer0 after import. Polyline is placed on a layer called Imported Polyline
Annotations.
• For GD&T symbols, you can click any tolerance annotation or datum symbol to view its values in the
Properties panel.
• Click an arrow or line to view or modify arrow or styles in the Properties panel.
• Unicode file names are supported.
• Semantic GD&T created in is exported to JT.
• Export and import of free points is supported
• JT Open V6.4 and V7.0 imported and exported as faceted data
• SCDM optional module for JT Open is available
LS-Dyna
.k
Keyshot
parts, assemblies V7
.bip
NX
Not supported
OpenVDB
.vdb
Parasolid
V12 through 31 (V27 default)
parts, assemblies
.x_t, .x_b
Plmxml format (*.plmxml) from Siemens

JT Export options are used during PLMXML Export to JT from SpaceClaim. The Yes/No/Cancel message
box is suppressed during export through scjournal.
PLY
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Geometry
V1.0
parts
.ply
Point curve text

Not supported
POV-Ray
3.6
parts, assemblies
• Mesh-only .scdoc's can be exported to POV file format
Microsoft PowerPoint
MS Office 2003, 2007, 2013
3D markup slides .ppt
• If MS Office is installed
Creo Parametric
Not supported
QIF
V2.0
parts, assemblies
.qif
• PMI import and export is supported
Rhino
V4.0, V5.0, V6.0
parts, assemblies
.3dm
• When importing a Rhino file, multi-segmented curves are consolidated.
• You can export layer names, color information, sketch lines, and material information.
• Neighboring topology is taken into consideration by default. This means that if problems are found with a
face, then its neighboring faces can provide information used to fix the face.
• The Discovery Live plugin for Rhino is only supported for Rhino V5.0.
Supported Rhino Object Rhino object entity

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Geometry
Solids Closed polysurfaces Solid body

Closed surfaces: sphere, torus,
ellipsoid dots;
Polysurfaces (open) Sheet body
Surfaces Trimmed surfaces Sheet body
Untrimmed surfaces with boundary
edges
Curves (curve, polycurve) Named sketch curve
Point objects (point, point cloud) Not supported
Polygon mesh objects Not supported
Object name Entity name
Object color Entity color
Layers Layer name Layer name
Layer color Layer color
On/off layer Show/hide layer
Locked/unlocked layer Locked/unlocked layer
Layer structure Component structure
Materials Material name Material name
Other material attributes Not supported
Groups Not supported
SketchUp
V3.0 to V8.0, V2013 to V2018
parts, assemblies SketchUp
.skp
SOLIDWORKS
Not supported
STEP
AP203, AP214, AP242 (geometry)
parts, assemblies
.stp, .step
When you import STEP assemblies from one file, select the Create multiple documents when importing
assemblies file option if you want the assemblies to remain in one file instead of being split into multiple
files, one for each internal component.

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Geometry
STL
parts, assemblies
.stl
• When exporting STL files, the output is set to Binary by default.
• STL files can include polyface meshes, and they can be imported as lightweight objects. Polyface meshes
are imported as solids.
• When saving as an .STL file, the quality is based your graphics quality setting. We recommend setting the
option to enable the highest possible graphics quality if you want your design to be useful as an SLA rapid
prototype for form, fit, and function purposes.
• You can import an STL file as a solid, if it has multiple planar areas that can be merged into one planar
face.
• You can import an STL file as a Mesh object and export it as another STL file. This makes it possible to
import multiple STL files into a document and then export everything as a single STL file.
• STL export can be performed directly from lightweight (visualization only) .scdoc
VDA-FS
V2.0
parts
.vda
VRML
Triangles
.wrl
• Body and face colors
Video files
Not supported
Wavefront
Triangles
.obj
• Structure is not maintained when you save as an OBJ file.
• When you save your design as an OBJ file, the current graphics tessellation is used for accuracy. You can
modify the tessellation by setting the Image quality vs. graphics speed option.
• UV's are transformed according to a body or face and texture information is exported with the file.
• Body and face colors
XAML
part and assembly solids only

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Geometry
.xaml
The orientation and translation of the current view is saved in an XAML file.
XPS
3D markup slides
.xaml
To import a design by dragging and dropping

Drag the file icon to anywhere in the title bar and ribbon area. You can also drag the icon into the design
window if no design tab is open.
This will open the design and all of its drawing sheets, annotations, etc.
You can also cut and paste data from certain applications. See Copying and pasting from other applications.
To export a design as an image

1. Select Save as from the File menu.
You can also press F12 or Ctrl+Shift+S.
Your design must be saved as a document before you can export it in another format.
2. Select an image file type (GIF, JPG, PNG, or TIFF) from the Save as type list.
3. (Optional) Click Image size to change the size of the image.
4. Browse to a folder and type a file name in the dialog.
5. Click Save.
To copy the contents of the Design window to Windows clipboard

Right-click in the Design window and select Copy Scene to copy an image of the contents of the Design
window to the Windows clipboard. You can then paste the image into a document.
To open a the parent document of a design

Right-click the top level component in the Structure tree and select Open root part to open the parent
document of a design that was saved after its parent was closed. This problem may exist in files that were
created with previous versions of .
Examples

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Geometry
PMI information from a CATIA file
Consolidated multi-segmented curves from a Rhino file
Converter utility
The SpaceClaim Converter is a utility to easily translate between file formats supported by SpaceClaim. It
is a separate application, called ‘Converter.exe', located in the SpaceClaim installation folder.
The Converter is designed to allow you to convert many files from one format to another in a single operation.
You can specify files one-by-one and/or choose directories. All files to be converted must be of the same
type.
Running the Converter

The Converter is located in the SpaceClaim installation directory. Simply double-click converter.exe to
open the Converter dialog.
Select the files you want to convert. All the files have to be the same format. Build your list using any
combination of the commands below.
• Add Files: Opens a dialog to browse to specific files to convert. All files must have the same format. Specify
the format by setting the Filter in the Open dialog.
• Add folder: Opens a dialog to browse to a directory containing files to convert. All files matching the File
Filter on the Options page will be added.
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Geometry
• Remove: Removes the currently highlighted file(s).

Once you have the list of files to convert, click the Convert button. As the conversion proceeds, you are given
the following feedback.
• The file currently being converted is highlighted in Yellow.
• Files that converted successfully are highlighted in Green.
• Files that could not be converted are highlighted in Red. If any file fails to convert, a copy of the file is
written to the Failures directory specified on the Options page.
Skip: Click this button to skip (do not convert) the current file.
Abort: Click this button to cancel the process.
Pause: Click this button to pause the process. When paused, the button switches to Resume.
Converter Options
You need to specify the output file type as well as some other directories used by the Converter. Frequently
used conversion settings can be saved and reused.When SpaceClaim is started from Converter, there is no
longer a check for updates in SpaceClaim when it starts.
The Converter options are described below.
• File Filter: When you specify a directory to convert, it may contain many different file types. Since all input
files must be the same type, the File Filter specifies which type to convert.
• Recurse directories: Check this option to include subdirectories.
• TimeOut: This is the maximum time allowed for the conversion. It will be aborted if it exceeds this time
limit.
• File Type: This is the output file format. All the input files will be converted to this format. Converted files
are written to the same directory as the input file.
• Failures Directory: Any files that fail to convert will be copied to this directory.
• Settings Directory: Converter settings can be saved to an XML file in this folder.
• SpaceClaim directory: This is the directory where SpaceClaim.exe is located. Normally this will be the
same directory containing Converter.exe.
• Output directory: The converted files will be saved to this directory.
• Email Recipient(s): The converter will send an email to the specified email addresses. You can select
when you want email sent with the following check boxes.
º Complete
º Errors
• Abort if failures exceed: Check this box and enter a percentage of failures. The process aborts when the
percentage is exceeded.
• Start separate SpaceClaim for each design: A separate SpaceClaim instance is started for each design
to avoid memory exhaustion on large models. This sacrifices speed to save memory. The option is Off by
default.
• Multiprocess: Multiprocessor support allows multiple SpaceClaim sessions to run in parallel to translate
files. This setting is defaulted to the number of cores available, based on your system and available memory,
but you can configure it. Be careful not to exceed the number of cores present, and to expect performance
of other running programs to degrade potentially.
There is a command line switch (for SpaceClaim) to check for add-ins
• CommandLineAddInsOnly will only load add-ins specified in the command line for SpaceClaim
• For example: /CommandLineAddInsOnly=true
• The switch is primarily intended for use with the Converter to limit the add-ins loaded
• The switch can be used to start SpaceClaim without looking for add-ins in the usual locations

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Geometry
12.1.3. Copying and pasting from other applications

You can copy from another application and paste into Discovery Live. This is currently supported for Rhino
and Moment of Inspiration (MoI). Simply copy an object in Rhino or MoI, then open Discovery Live and click
Paste.
Objects are placed in their original position and will not be placed relative to selected objects in Discovery
Live.
Objects pasted from MoI do not have their units defined by default and could be scaled very differently when
you paste them into Discovery Live. To change the units in MoI, click Options, then set the Unit System field.
12.1.4. Locking and unlocking objects

You can lock solids and surfaces so they cannot be changed. When an object is locked, you can only change
that object's visibility by clicking its check mark in the Structure tree. You cannot change the object's geometry,
location, name, color, or properties. Locked objects display a lock icon in the Structure tree, as shown in the
image below.
• You can't modify locked bodies directly or by group modification, and the API cannot modify them via group
values.
• Locked bodies cannot be pulled or moved, so the Pull arrow or Move handle appears gray. They can be
copied by holding Ctrl with the Pull or Move tool. The Pull arrow or Move handle changes to color when
you hold Ctrl.
• You can use a locked body as a cutter with the Combine tool, but you cannot use it as target.
• You can use a locked body as a location or selection reference, but it cannot be changed as a result. For
example, you can sketch on a locked body but the sketch lines will not imprint on the body.
To lock a solid or surface

1. Right-click the solid or surface in the Structure tree.
You can lock all solids and surface parts in a component by right-clicking the component.
2. Select Lock.
The object's icon changes to a locked icon.
To unlock a solid or surface

1. Right-click the solid or surface in the Structure tree.
2. Select Unlock.
12.1.5. Printing drawing sheets and designs

Your zoom settings determine how a drawing sheet or design will print. For best results, select a paper size
from the Print window that is the same as the drawing sheet format. If you changed the orientation of the
drawing sheet, then the view that appears in the Design window is the one that will be scaled to fit the selected
paper size. This can result in a clipped drawing.
Shaded designs are converted to hidden-line removed graphics style when you select Print from the File
menu. Select Shaded from the Graphics Style drop-down after printing to return your design to the shaded
style.
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Geometry
When a curve is clipped (or hidden) behind a solid or surface in the Design window, it will not be clipped
when it is printed. The curve will appear to be in front of the solid or surface on the printed page. The example
below shows a curve that is clipped in the Design window on the left, and the same view in print preview on
the right.
To print a drawing sheet

1. Position your design in the Design window as you would like it to appear on the printed page.
Tip: Select Zoom > Zoom Extents from the Orient ribbon group in the Design tab.
You can also print the design at different zoom levels by zooming in or out, but for the best results we
recommend you use Zoom Extents.
2. Select Discovery Live Options from the File menu and click Detailing.
3. Select All New Documents from the Detailing options for drop-down list.
4. Click No format and select the paper size and orientation.
5. Click OK.
6. Select Print > Print Preview from the File menu to preview the print.
Use the Zoom menu to Zoom In, Zoom Out, Zoom-Box In, or Zoom Extents.
Use the Navigate tool, when zoomed in, to position the print window.
You can also set the page orientation, set print properties, and print the sheet from this window.
7. Select Print from the File menu.
You can also use Save As to save the sheet as a 2D PDF (*.pdf). The PDF will reflect the current format
and size properties of the sheet.
To print all open drawing sheets

1. Click Print in the File menu.
2. Select All Open Sheets for the Sheet Range.
3. Set the paper size, margins, and other options as desired.
4. Click Print.
To print a design
1. Position your design in the Design window as you would like it to appear on the printed page.
Tip: Select Zoom > Zoom Extents from the Orient ribbon group in the Design tab.
You can also print the design at different zoom levels by zooming in or out, but for the best results we
recommend you use Zoom Extents.
2. Select Print from the File menu.

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3. Set the following options:

• Number of copies
• Paper margins: Set the margins in millimeters (mm) or inches (in).
• Paper orientation: Choose between landscape or portrait mode.
• Paper size: Select from the list of standard paper sizes.
• Print content: Select Scene to print the design based on the size shown in the Design window. This
setting is used by default for designs. Select Extents to expand the design until it fills the printable area
of the page. This setting is used by default for drawing sheets.
• Print scale: If you select Extents for the Print content, you can set the scale of the printed image. Enter
a value for the scale, or select Scale to fit.
• Shaded quality: You can set the resolution for 3D objects in dpi (dots per inch). Select System-defined
to use the printer's default dpi setting.
• Print as image: Set this to Yes to print the drawing as a snapshot of the screen. Default is No.
• Print to PDF: The design window and its contents scale to fit the paper size of the selected printer. The
Shaded Quality is automatically set to 110 dpi, which is best for on-screen viewing. For printing, change
the value to 300dpi.
4. (Optional) Click Preview to see how your printed design will look.
5. Click Print.
The Design window contents will be zoomed so that it fits the page size.
To adjust the design's size on the page

1. Select Print from the File menu and click Print Preview.
2. Select one of the following from the Content ribbon group:
• Scene to display the design based on the size shown in the Design window. This setting is used by
default for designs.
• Extents to expand the design until it fills the printable area of the page. This setting is used by default
for drawing sheets.
3. If you selected Extents, select or enter one of the following from the Scale ribbon group:
• Scale to fit to scale the design to fit the page. This setting is used by default.
• Enter a value in the scale drop-down to scale your design by that amount.
To correct a clipped print preview

1. Close the print preview.
2. Select the Home tool from the Orient ribbon group.
3. Select Print from the File menu and click Preferences to display your printer's Printing Preferences
window.
4. Set your printer settings in the Layout area to match the format and orientation of the drawing sheet.

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5. Set the paper size in the Advanced area to match the format paper size.
If your printer only handles 8.5 x 11" paper, select the option that scales the image to fit the paper.
6. Click OK on the Advanced Options and Printing Preferences windows, and click Apply on the Print
window.
To set page margins

1. Select Print from the File Menu and click Print Preview.
2. Click the Display tab and check Margins in the Show group.
3. Click the Print Preview tab and enter the margins in the Margins ribbon group.
12.1.6. Journals and logs

Journals record the actions you performed while creating your design, including file actions, such as closing
a design. You must play a journal from a newly opened Discovery Live application to avoid errors.
Discovery Live also logs information automatically into the SpaceClaim log file, which can be found in one
of the following directories:
• C:\Users\<User>\AppData\Roaming\SpaceClaim\Log Files
• C:\Documents and Settings\<User>\Application Data\SpaceClaim\Log Files
You can replay journal files in Cosmetic Replay mode, which skips extraneous cursor movements and shows
only a minimum of spin, pan, zoom, and other navigation movements. This allows you to make a journal file
and record it as a video without doing as much editing after the video is recorded. Animations are shown for
pulls and geometry moves and changes when appropriate.
To display the journal tools

1. Select Discovery Live Options from the File menu
2. Click Customize and then click Ribbon Tabs
3. Check the Journal box and click OK.
The Journal Tools tab is displayed. It contains the Journal ribbon group.
To save all your actions in the current Discovery Live session to a journal
1. Click Save Current.
2. Navigate to the directory where you want to save the journal, enter a name and click Save.
3. Save the design files used in the session.
To play the journal from your last session

1. Exit and restart Discovery Live.
2. Click Replay Previous.
To play a saved journal

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1. Exit and restart Discovery Live.

2. Click Play or Cosmetic Replay.
Play plays back every movement you made in the session, while Cosmetic Replay skips extraneous
cursor movements and shows only a minimum of spin, pan, zoom, and other navigation movements.
3. Navigate to and select the journal file you want to play and click Open.
4. Review the actions from the session.
To create a video
1. Click Create Video in the Journal tab. The Create Video dialog box opens.
2. Specify an output video file (.avi) by browsing to a location and entering a name for the file.
3. Select a video codec.
4. (Optional) Adjust the video settings
a. Pixel Depth: (16, 24, or 32) The default is 16. Pixel Depth represents the video quality and therefore,
the size of the file. The higher the pixel depth, the more colors are maintained in the video.
b. Frame Rate: The default is 10.
c. Compression: On or Off
5. Click the Start button to begin recording video.

6. Perform the operations you want to record.
7. Click the Stop button to end recording. Once recording stops, the video file is created in the specified
location.
You can also play an existing journal file by checking the Journal check box and browsing to a file. The
journal can be played with delay.
12.2. Selecting
You can select vertices, edges, planes, axes, faces, surfaces, rounds, bodies, solids, and components in
3D. In 2D, you can select points and lines. You can also select circle and ellipse centers, the midpoints of
lines and edges, and the internal points and end points of splines.

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You can select components and other objects in the Structure tree and use the Selection panel to select
objects in the same part that are similar or related to the object currently selected.
Objects that can't be selected are dimmed in the Design window.
Your selection list is shown in the status bar at the bottom of the Discovery Live window. Status bar labels
display both pre-selected and selected objects. Hover over the status message for a detailed list of what you
have pre-selected or selected, including primary and secondary (Alt+selected) objects.
Select modes
You can click the arrow on the Select tool to use the following optional modes:
• Using Box: Click and hold the mouse button while drawing a box in the Design window. If you draw the
box from left to right, all objects fully enclosed within the box will be selected. If you draw the box from right
to left, all objects touching the box will be selected.
• Using Lasso: Click and hold the mouse button while drawing a freeform shape. All objects fully enclosed
by the shape will be selected.
• Using Polygon: Click and move the mouse to draw a line, then click again to draw the next connecting line,
so that you create a polygon shape around the area you want to select.
• Using Paint: Click and hold the mouse button while highlighting adjacent faces and edges. All edges and
faces that you move the mouse over will be selected. Release the mouse button to finalize your selection.
• Using Boundary: Select faces or edges that define a boundary, click the Select Seed tool guide, and click
any object within the boundary. All objects from that seed object to the boundary are selected.
• Select Components: In this selection mode, as you hover over geometry, when you are over an object that
is in a component, that component will be pre-highlighted. This mode is set on a per window basis. It can
be On in one window and Off in another.
No matter which mode you use, the objects that will be selected are highlighted to preview your selection.
You can use the Selection filter to control what gets selected. To select or deselect all available filters, select
the All checkbox.
Note: If you entered the Design tab with sheet metal features selected, the Select tool will work as it does
in Sheet metal. Right click on the sheet metal part in the Structure tree and choose Suspend Sheet Metal in
the context menu.
To select
The most commonly used selection methods are:
• Click to select an object.
• Double-click to select an edge loop. (Double-click again to cycle through alternate loops.)
• Triple-click to select a solid.

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• Drag (or select Using Box from the Select tool menu) to create a selection box.
• Press Ctrl+A to select all similar objects, such as bodies, faces, edges, or points on the same solid or
surface part. For example, if you have a sketch curve selected when you press Ctrl+A, then only sketch
curves will be selected.
• Hold Ctrl and select to add or remove items from the selection. Ctrl with box-selection toggles the selection;
Shift with box-selection adds to the selection.
• Hold Alt and select to create a secondary selection set.
Examples
Click once to select a face:
Double-click to select and cycle through chains of

similar, connected faces (face loops):
Triple-click to select a solid:
Click once to select an edge:

connected edges (edge loops):
Detailed instructions
1. Select the Select tool from the Edit ribbon group.
2. Hover over the vertices, edges, faces, bodies in the workspace to preview the selectable items in your
design.
If multiple objects occur at your cursor location, use the scroll wheel or arrow keys to preview each one.
Click to select a vertex, edge, face, or body in 3D; click to select a line or point in 2D.

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To select: Do this:
All the edges around a face or closed loop Double-click an edge or line. Double-click again to
select the next loop of edges. Repeat as necessary.
You can also right-click the edge or line and choose
one of the loop options in the Select menu.
When you repeatedly double-click outside surface
edges, the selection cycles through open loop,
tangent chain, and face loop, then repeats through
that list.
All tangent faces Double-click a face. (Tangent faces are created by

rounds or when edges are drawn on a face.)
Contiguous edges or faces Click one face or edge, then Shift+click another face
or edge to select all the faces or edges between the
two.
The sides (but not the top and bottom) of a solid Triple-click the solid and Ctrl+click the top and
bottom to remove them from the selection.
A solid or surface body Triple-click the solid, or right-click on the solid and
select Select > Body.
An entire sketch Triple-click the sketch.
A component Right-click on the component and select Select >
Component. This option is available only when you
right-click an object within the active component.
All objects of same type as selected object Select an object and press Ctrl+A.
All the objects in the active component (except Click Select All in the Select tool menu, or right-click
layout surfaces) and select Select > Select All from the context
menu. The types of objects selected depend on
whether you are in Sketch, Section, or 3D mode.
Layout surfaces Click the object in the Structure tree.
Anything within a selection box See Box-selecting.
A lightweight component Check the Lightweight Components box in the
Options panel. Then right-click and select Select >
Component.
The inverse of the current selection (in the active Right-click a selected object and select Select >
component) Inverse Selection.
A protrusion Right-click on a protrusion and select Select >
Protrusion.
A depression Right-click inside a depression and select Select >
Depression.
One member of a pattern Right-click a pattern member and select Select >
Pattern Member.
All members of a pattern Right-click a pattern member and select Select >
All Pattern Members.
Anything partially in a selection box Click and drag from the lower right to upper left
when drawing a selection box.

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To select: Do this:
The inverse of the current box selection Press and hold Ctrl while box-selecting to toggle
the selected state of the objects within the selection.
Objects that are behind other objects ("query Hold the Ctrl key and turn the mouse wheel.
selection")
If any object was part of a group selection used to perform an action, the other parts of the group are
highlighted when that object is selected. Click again to select the entire highlighted group.
When selecting within a view on a drawing sheet, you can only select those objects that are on the
cross-section plane, or that are within the boundary of a detail view. Box selecting in Sketch mode selects
only sketch lines. Box-selecting in Section mode selects only section lines.
(Optional) Ctrl+click and Shift+click to add or remove items from the selection set.
Ctrl+click to add or remove one item from the selection set. Shift+click to add everything between your
first click and the Shift+click to the selection. You can add or remove items both in the workspace and on
the Structure tree. You can also press Ctrl and drag to add the items within the selection box to the
selection.
(Optional) Alt+click to create a secondary selection set.
Hold down the Alt key while performing any of the other selection techniques (double-click, triple-click,
Ctrl, Shift) to create the second selection set. Alternate selections are shown in blue, and are used to
guide the actions of the Pull and Move tools.
To clear a selection
Click any empty space in the Design window or select Clear Selection from the Select tool menu.
To revert your selection

Click Revert Selection in the status bar to go back to your previous selection.
This tool is especially useful when you accidentally clear your selection or add the wrong object and want to
go back to your previous selection. You can find this tool next to the Selection filter in the status bar.
To select by turning the mouse wheel

• Coincident objects: Objects often appear at the same location in 2D, such as a vertex and end point of
a line that are located at the same point in space. When selecting, check that you have selected the correct
object by turning the mouse wheel without moving the mouse.
• Edge shared by two surfaces or solids: Mousing over the edge shades the face that will be affected by
an action to the edge if you select it. Turn the mouse wheel to switch between the two faces.
• Vertex shared between two edges: Mousing over a vertex shades the edge that will be affected by an
action to the vertex if you select it. Turn the mouse wheel to switch between the edges.
• Face of a solid when only the edge is displayed (such as in a drawing sheet view): You can select the
face by turning the mouse wheel. The edge becomes a slightly thicker line when the face is highlighted.
• Edge loops: If Select edge loops using the mouse scroll wheel is selected in the Advanced Discovery
Live options, scrolling through edge loop choices pre-highlights the selection. Click on the pre-highlighted
edge loop to select it.

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The up and down arrow keys work the same as the mouse wheel. Hover over the element you want to select,
and press the up or down arrow keys to "scroll" through the possible selections. This is useful if you are on
a laptop or when you use a mouse that doesn't have a scroll wheel.
For more information about selecting facets and the related tools, see Selecting Facets.
Tool guides
Within the Select tool, the following tool guide is available:
The Select tool guide is active by default. This tool

lets you click, double-click, triple-click, Ctrl+click,
Shift+click, and Alt+click to select items.
Options
The following options are available for sketches:
this option and move a sketch curve, the curve will
move independent of other curves.
Cartesian dimensions Select a point in a sketch and then click this option
to see Cartesian dimensions from the point. Cartesian
dimensions show you the X and Y distances from the
point you select. If you don't have a point selected, it
shows you the X and Y distances from the origin.
When you select a point, the X, Y, and Z locations
display in the status bar.
Polar dimensions Select a point in a sketch and then click this option
to see Polar dimensions from the point. Polar
dimensions show you an angle and a distance from
the point you select. If you don't have a point selected,
it shows you the angle and distance from the origin.
Snap to grid Select this option turn snapping on or off while
sketching. The cursor will snap to the minor grid
spacing increment while you sketch. The defaults are
1 mm for Metric and 0.125 in for Imperial units. See
Units options to change the minor grid spacing.
Snap to angle Select this option to turn angle snapping on or off
while sketching. The cursor will snap to the angular
snap increment while you sketch. The default is 15
degrees. See Snap options to change the angular
increment used for snapping.

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12.2.1. Filtering the selection
Click the Selection Filter in the status bar to open the filter options. The options are:
• Smart
• All
º Bodies
º Faces
º Edges
º Sketch Curves
º Annotations
Notes
Dimensions
Other
º Planes
º Axes
º Points
º Images
º Faceted Bodies
º Blocks (SCDM only)
Volumes
Faces
Edges
Vertices
• Lightweight Components
• Transparent Objects
The Smart option is enabled by default and whenever you switch to another tool.
When Smart is Checked, all filters are checked and cannot be unchecked. Within the defined area, only the
highest checked item in the filter list will be selected. This differs between Design Windows and Drawing
Windows as follows.
• In a Design Window: Body, Face, Edge, Sketch Curve, Annotation, Plane, Axis, Point, ...
• In a Drawing Window: Annotation, Sketch Curve, Body, Face, Edge, Plane, Axis, Point, ...
The images below show only the body being selected in the Design Window when Smart is Checked.
Uncheck Smart to select all object types checked in the filter list. The images below show that all items are
selected in the Design Window when Smart is Unchecked.

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All is a shortcut for Checking/Unchecking all of the filter items.

When you switch to another tool, the filter selections are remembered but the Smart option is selected. If
you deselect the Smart option, the previously selected options remain selected while the previously deselected
options remain deselected.
The following Box selection options are available in the Selection Filter.
• Automatic selects faces and connected hidden faces
• Visible selects visible faces only
• Through selects visible and hidden faces
12.2.2. Selecting by drawing a box

The Using Box mode is found in the menu under the Select tool in the Edit ribbon group on the Design tab,
and also in the radial menu. You can access this menu while almost any tool is active. For example, if you
want to change selection modes while the Pull tool is active, just click the arrow under Select. The Pull tool
will remain active.
From the context menu, you can also choose Select > Using Box
The mode enables you to draw a box in the Design window to select objects for most tools. As you draw a
selection box, objects are highlighted (after a slight delay) to help you see exactly what will be selected.
Draw the box from left to right to select only the objects that are fully contained within the box. The box
appears as a solid line.
Draw the box from right to left to select everything the box crosses, even if it isn't fully enclosed by the box.
The box appears as a dashed line.
In the animation below, box mode is used twice with the selection filter set to Smart (the default) to select
the entire part. You can see vertices, edges, and faces highlighted for selection as the box is drawn. First
the part is selected by fully enclosing the part with a box drawn from left to right. Then the part is selected
by drawing a box from right to left that crosses over but does not enclose all faces on the part. You can
release the mouse button at any time to select the highlighted objects.

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To select objects by drawing a box
1. Click the arrow beneath the Select tool and click Using Box.
2. (Optional) Use the Selection Filter in the status bar to control what will be selected. See the
"Filtering your selection" section below for more detail.
3. Start drawing a rectangle in the Design window. Click and hold the left mouse button at one corner of the
area you want to box-select.
4. Hold the mouse button and draw a rectangle in the Design window.
• Draw the box from left to right to select only the objects that are fully contained within the box. The box
• Draw the box from right to left to select everything in the box, even if it isn't fully enclosed by the box.
The objects that will be selected are highlighted as you draw the box.
5. Release the mouse button to complete the box.
The objects are selected when you release the mouse button.
Changing your selection

Holding Shift while box-selecting adds to the selection. In the first image, the blue box is selected. After
holding Shift and box selecting, all of the boxes are selected:
Holding Ctrl while box-selecting toggles the selection. In the first image, the blue box is selected. After holding
Ctrl and box selecting, the blue box is deselected and the green boxes are selected:
Examples

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Box-selecting from left to right
Box-selecting from right to left
12.2.3. Selecting by drawing a freeform shape (lasso)

The Using Lasso mode is found in the menu under the Select tool in the Edit ribbon group on the Design
tab, and also in the radial menu. You can access this menu while almost any tool is active. For example, if
you want to change selection modes while the Pull tool is active, just click the arrow under Select. The Pull
tool will remain active.
This select mode enables you to draw a free form shape in the Design window to select objects for most
tools. As you draw, objects are highlighted (after a slight delay) to help you see exactly what will be selected.
In the animation below, lasso mode is used with the selection filter set to Smart (the default) to select the
entire part. You can see vertices, edges, and faces highlighted for selection as the shape is drawn. You can
release the mouse button at any time and a straight line is drawn from the beginning point to the current
point to complete the shape, and everything within the shape will be selected.
To select by drawing a freeform shape
1. Click the arrow beneath the Select tool and click Using Lasso, or click and hold in the Design window
to activate the radial menu and then select Lasso.

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2. (Optional) Use the Selection Filter in the status bar to change the type of objects that will be selected.
The Smart option is enabled by default and whenever you switch to another tool. Select Smart to select
the highest checked item in the list that is found in the boxed, lassoed, or painted area. Drawing a box or
freeform shape selects objects in the following order:
• In a Design Window: Body, Face, Edge, Sketch, Annotation, Plane, Axis, Point
• In a Drawing Window: Annotation, Sketch, Body, Face, Edge, Plane, Axis, Point
Deselect Smart to select all the selected object types. Click to select or clear the types of objects you
want to select.
3. Start drawing a shape in the Design window. Click and hold the left mouse button at the spot where you
want to start drawing the shape.
4. Hold the mouse button and draw a shape in the Design window.
You can make multiple loops, like drawing a figure 8.
5. Release the mouse button to complete the shape.
The shape will be closed by a straight line between your starting and ending points when you release the
mouse button.
Everything except inserted images is selected when you release the mouse button.
Note: You can activate Lasso mode by holding the Alt key while the Select tool is active. This hotkey only
works when you are using the Select tool, and not when another tool is active.
Example
Selecting three surfaces by drawing multiple loops
12.2.4. Selecting using polygon

The Using Polygon mode is found in the menu under the Select tool in the Edit ribbon group on the Design
tab, and under the Select tool in the Edit Group on the Sheet Metal tab. You can also right-click in the design
window and choose Select>Using Polygon. This selection mode enables you to select all objects within a
polygon you create. Each time you click, a new starting point for the next line is created. You control the
length and angle of each polygon line you create.
Use this mode to draw around a specific geometry or model feature you want to select, for example, a
protrusion of other geometry you may want to clearly identify. Using a polygon shape for selection can apply
when you are, for example, trying to select an irregular or angular shaped part, or assembly of parts.

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To select objects using a polygon

1. Select the Using Polygon tool.
want to select.
3. Click points to draw a polygon around the model feature that you want to select.
As you draw the polygon lines, selected objects highlight as they are pre-selected.
4. Double-click or cross the polygon lines to finalize the selection.
Example
Creating a polygon to select around a specific geometry.
12.2.5. Selecting by painting

The Using Paint mode is found in the menu under the Select tool in the Edit ribbon group on the Design
tab, and in the radial menu. You can access this menu while almost any tool is active. For example, if you
will remain active.
This select mode enables you to select faces, edges, and sketch curves in the Design window by "painting"
faces and edges that are adjacent to each other. As you paint, objects are highlighted to help you see exactly
what will be selected.
In the animation below, paint mode is used with the selection filter to select only the edges of the lower box.
Edges are selected as the mouse moves over them. You can release the mouse button at any time to select
the highlighted faces or edges.
To select by painting

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1. Click the arrow beneath the Select tool and click Using Paint, or click and hold in the Design window
to activate the radial menu and then select Paint.
want to select.
3. Click on the first object you want to select and hold the mouse button.
4. Drag the mouse onto adjacent faces or edges that you want to add to the selection.
The objects that will be selected are highlighted as you move over them with the mouse.
If you hold Ctrl you can move the mouse over an object without selecting it, or move the mouse over a
selected object to deselect it.
5. Release the mouse button to complete the selection.
12.2.6. Selecting using boundary

The Using Boundary mode is found in the menu under the Select tool in the Design tab Edit group. This
mode enables you to select all objects within a boundary.
To select objects using a boundary

1. Select the Using Boundary tool from the Select drop-down menu in the Edit ribbon group on the Design
tab.
The Select Bounds tool guide is enabled by default.
want to select.
3. Select the faces or edges you want to use to define a boundary.
You cannot select a combination of faces and edges.
The Select Bounds tool guide is sticky, so you do not have to hold the Ctrl key to add to your selection.
You can click in white space to clear your selections.
The objects remain selected as secondary references in case you need to add or subtract from the
boundary.
Note: You can select bounds (Ctrl+alt+selection) and seeds (Ctrl+selections), then click the boundary
tool under the Selection drop down menu to perform the boundary selection operation without actually
entering the Select tool. The Select Bounds tool guides does not display..
4. Click the Select Seed tool guide.

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5. Click any object within the boundary to use as the seed object.
You can select multiple seeds. All objects from the seed object to the boundary are pre-highlighted for
selection.
6. Click the Select tool to finalize the selection.
Example
Select faces to define a boundary and then select the seed object. All objects from the seed object to the
boundary are selected.
12.2.7. Selecting components

The Select Components mode is found in the menu under the Select tool in the Edit ribbon group on the
Design tab. You can access this menu while almost any tool is active. For example, if you want to change
selection modes while the Pull tool is active, just click the arrow under Select. The Pull tool will remain active.
In this selection mode, as you mouse over geometry, when you are over an object that is in a component,
that component will be pre-highlighted.
Pre-highlighting while box-selecting shows just the component bounding boxes. Faces, edges, etc. are not
pre-highlighted.

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12.3. Undo and Redo

Discovery Live stores all your actions from the moment you open the Discovery Live application until you
close it. This includes the use of all tools in all tabs, opening and closing files, and loading and activating
components. Every action is recorded and can be undone and redone.
Undo and redo allows you to have multiple models open and move between them making changes. You can
return to any window where you have been working and undo changes from the last time you worked in the
window.
Dependencies created between windows, however, will permanently merge the Undo operations for those
windows. For example, if you open a component of an assembly in a second window, a model dependent
on the first window, the Undo operations will be merged. Making changes in the first window and then choosing
to Undo those changes in the second window will undo the changes in both windows.
The undo list is set to 50 steps by default. You can modify this number, but we recommend that you keep
the default setting.
To undo or redo a tool action

Click the Undo and Redo tools in the Quick Access toolbar or press Ctrl+Z to undo and Ctrl+Y to
redo.
You can undo and redo actions until you have undone or redone every action in your session, or you can
jump to a particular action by selecting that action from the Undo and Redo menus. If undoing an action will
open or close a document or switch to a new Design window, a confirmation window is displayed.

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When you undo a tool action, the view is also changed to the view you used to perform that action.
To purge all actions

Select Purge from the Undo menu.
This clears the memory of all previous actions for the Discovery Live session.
To undo or redo a view

Click the Previous View and Next View tools on the status bar to undo and redo your design view
changes.
12.4. Designing
The tools you use for 2D and 3D sketching and editing are found in Discovery Live's Design tab. With the
design tools, you can sketch in 2D, generate and edit solids in 3D, and work with assemblies of solids.
In Discovery Live, there are three modes you can use to design: Sketch, Section, and 3D mode. You can
switch between these modes at any time.
When creating designs, you will use the following tools most often:
Use the Select tool to select 2D or 3D objects in your

Select design for editing. You can select vertices, edges,
axes, faces, surfaces, solids, and components in 3D.
In 2D, you can select points and lines. You can also
use this tool to change the properties of recognized
or inferred objects.
Use the Pull tool to offset, extrude, revolve, sweep,
Pull draft, and blend faces; and to round or chamfer corner
edges.
Use the Move tool to move any single face, surface,
solid, or component. The behavior of the Move tool
changes based on what you have selected. If you
select a face, you can pull or draft it. If you select a
solid or surface, you can rotate or translate it.
Use the Combine tool to merge and split solids and
Combine surfaces.
Section Mode Use Section Mode to create and edit designs by

sketching on and editing any cross-section through
the design.
Design tools are grouped into the following ribbon groups:
Clipboard Cut, copy, and paste 3D objects.

Orient Spin, pan, and zoom your design. You can also select
or create a view.
Sketch Create and edit lines, arcs, splines, rectangles, circles,
and points in 2D.

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Mode Switch between sketching in 2D, editing a

cross-section, and creating and editing objects directly
in 3D
Edit Edit 2D and 3D geometry.
Intersect Merge or split solids and faces.
Create Create other components for your design.
Body Create other components for your design.
If an operation runs more than three seconds, the Stop icon is activated in the status bar. Click to cancel
the current operation. You can also press and hold Esc to cancel out of any design action that is taking too
long.
When using any tool guide, you can click an empty point in the Design window to clear the tool guide selection
and return to the previous action within the tool.
12.4.1. Cutting, copying, and pasting

Select a tool from the Clipboard ribbon group to cut, copy, or paste any 2D or 3D object. You can use these
tools any time, even when you are designing with other 2D or 3D tools.
Objects are pasted into the active component. Objects that can be named (components, bodies, axes, or
planes) will retain their names when pasted.
When you cut and paste a solid or surface, the object retains its color and face style.
To cut an object
1. Select the object.
2. Select the Cut tool from the Clipboard ribbon group.

You can also press Ctrl+X or right-click in the Design window and select Cut from the context menu. If
you cut the face of a solid, it is converted to a surface.
To copy an object
1. Select the object.
2. Select the Copy tool from the Clipboard ribbon group.

You can also press Ctrl+C or right-click in the Design window and select Copy from the context menu.
To paste an object into the Design window

1. Cut or copy the object.
2. Select the Paste tool from the Clipboard ribbon group.

You can also press Ctrl+V or right-click in the Design window and select Paste from the context menu.
If you do not specify a location to paste, the copy is placed in its original location relative to the world
origin.

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When you paste an object and it is located outside of the visible area in the Design window, the zoom is
adjusted to make the object visible.
Note: Face edges that are Copied and Pasted create Curves. In some cases, there may be a very small
deviation between the curve and the underlying edge that was copied. Most cases involve spline edges
because of the way spline curves are constructed. A small number of cases may occur where lines and arcs
connect due how the connecting vertex is calculated.
To paste an object onto a face

1. Select all the faces of the object.
2. (Optional) Alt+click the face of the object you want to attach to the face.
The face is highlighted in blue.
3. Cut or copy the selection.
4. Click the face onto which you want to paste the object.
5. Paste the object.
The object is pasted on the face at the location you clicked. The blue face is attached to the clicked face.
To paste a round onto another edge

1. Select the face of the round.
2. Cut or copy the face.
3. Click the edge onto which you want to paste the round.
4. Paste the round.
To delete an object
1. Right-click the selected object (or set of objects).
2. Press Delete.
If you want to delete something and fill the gap with neighboring geometry, or create faces in the gap,
you should use the Fill tool.
If you delete the face of a solid, it is converted to a surface.
12.4.2. Sketching
Sketching is useful if you want to create a region that can be pulled into 3D. If you want to create a 2D layout,
and have no immediate need to generate 3D objects from the lines in the layout, then you should create a
layout.
Use the sketch tools to sketch shapes in 2D. When you exit the sketch, regions are formed by intersecting
lines. These regions will become solids and lines become edges when you pull your sketch into 3D with the
Pull tool. Even when pulled into 3D, a region can be decomposed back into its sketched lines for further
editing as long as any remnant of the lines is still unused in 3D.

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To use any of the sketch tools to sketch in 2D, you must first display the sketch grid. If you have a planar
surface highlighted, and press a sketch tool shortcut (such as L for the Line tool), you can mouse over planar
surfaces in the design to highlight surfaces for the sketch grid. (Press Esc while in this state to return to the
Select tool in 3D mode.) You can adjust the units and spacing of the grid, and we recommend that you fade
the scene under the grid to enhance the visibility of your sketch.
You can lock the base dimension base point when sketching multiple objects. Locking a base point enables
you to secure the dimensions of an object relative to that point, or, the dimensions of an object relative to
any object you previously sketched. As you sketch, you can enter coordinates for each successive point
relative to the previous point.
While you are sketching, you may need to orient your design. If you use the Spin, Pan, or Zoom tools to
reorient the sketch, click the navigation tool again or press Esc to continue sketching where you left off.
If you select Auto-extrude/revolve sketches in Section mode in the Advanced options, sketching in Section
mode will automatically extrude your sketch to 3D. The extrusion depth is set to 10 times the spacing of your
sketch grid. You can dimension this depth for any extruded sketch by entering a value in that dimension field.
If your are sketching on an already revolved face, the sketch is automatically revolved.
When you copy and paste sketch objects, they are placed in their original location relative to the center of
the grid. The objects will be highlighted when you paste, so you can easily move them to a different position.
Sketched objects are added to the Curves folder in the Structure tree as you create them. If the list of sketch
curves is long, then you will see More Curves in the list. Click More Curves to display the entire list.
1. Click Sketch Mode in the Mode group on the Design tab.
2. Choose where you want to sketch.
Hover over the planes and planar faces in your design to preview the location and orientation of the sketch
grid.
The sketch grid is placed automatically if you pre-select an object in the active component before you
click Sketch Mode. If you pre-select an origin object, the sketch grid will be aligned with its X and Y axes
and the sketch origin will be centered on the origin object. If you pre-select axes objects, the grid will run
through the axes.
If you previously selected a set of references that define a plane, the sketch grid is placed on the defined
plane. The sketch grid mini-toolbar allows you to switch from sketching on one plane to sketching on
another without leaving the sketch tools.
a. If the sketch grid is currently displayed, click Select New Sketch Plane in the mini-toolbar, or
right-click and select Select New Sketch Plane from the context menu.
b. Mouse over any existing geometry to display existing planes.

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c. Click to select the highlighted plane and display the sketch grid. Any vertices or edges on the plane
are drawn in the current layer color and bolded.
d. (Optional) Click Plan View in the mini-toolbar or in the Orient ribbon group to view the sketch grid
head-on.
3. (Optional) Move or rotate the sketch grid.

a. (Optional) Select any points, lines, or curves that you want to move with the sketch grid.
b. Click Move Grid in the mini-toolbar.

c. Use the Move handle to move or rotate the sketch grid. Highlighted curves will be moved with
the grid.
d. (Optional) Use the Orient To Object tool guide to orient the sketch grid to an object in the Design
window. The object does not have to lie in the sketch plane.
4. Select any sketch tool from the Sketch ribbon group.

You can draw points, lines, tangent lines, construction lines, rectangles, three-point rectangles, circles,
three-point circles, ellipses, splines, tangent arcs, three-point arcs, sweep arcs, and polygons using the
sketch tools. You can also create sketch lines by projecting the edges of 3D solids onto the sketch grid.
Discovery Live's sketch tools also let you split, trim, and offset lines, as well as create corners and rounded
corners.
5. Draw with the tool.
Mousing over the sketch grid snaps to points based on your snapping options. Press Shift to turn snapping
on and off.
While hovering, Discovery Live also provides extension lines when you are parallel to an edge or
perpendicular to an end point. For certain drawing tools, it displays indicators of tangency, line midpoint,
line end point, squares, and golden rectangles.
All tools let you enter dimensions while sketching. In some tools, you can press Shift at a reference point
to see dimensions from that point to the cursor.
When you are done sketching with the tool, you can:
• Click another sketching tool.
• Click Return to 3D Mode in the mini-toolbar or 3D Mode in the Mode group in the ribbon bar to pull
your sketch to 3D.
• Press Esc or click the Select tool in the Edit ribbon group to edit the sketch.
To lock a base point

1. Enter Sketch mode.
2. Select the Cartesian dimensions option in the Sketch Options panel.
3. Select the Lock base point check box in the Sketch Options panel.
4. Place the sketch on the sketch grid relative to your chosen dimensions from the locked base dimension
base point.

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To change the location of a base point

1. While in Sketch mode, while hovering over the base dimension point from which you want to take a
dimension, press Shift to dimension between the selected object and that point.
The Cartesian dimensions are now taken from this new base dimension base point.
To edit a sketch
You can also use the Move tool to edit a sketch.
To toggle between a curve and a construction curve

Right-click the curve and select Construction On/Off.
To mirror in Sketch mode

1. Draw a line or construction line.
2. Right-click the line and select Set as Mirror Line from the context menu.
3. Sketch on one side of the line to mirror the sketch on the other side.
You can only mirror geometry drawn after you set the mirror line. If you want to mirror existing geometry,
use the Mirror tool.
Sketch ribbon group

The tools on the left side of the ribbon group are used to create sketch and construction curves. The tools
framed by the lighter area on the right are used to edit sketches.
The Sketch ribbon group contains the following sketch creation tools:
Use the Line tool to sketch lines in 2D.
Use the Construction Line tool to draw lines that help you create an accurate sketch. These
lines become axes in 3D mode.
Use the Rectangle tool to draw a rectangle along the axes of the sketch grid.
Use the Three-Point Rectangle tool to quickly sketch a rectangle at any angle in 2D.
Use the Ellipse tool to sketch an ellipse in 2D.
Use the Circle tool to sketch a circle in 2D when you know the location of the circle's center and
radius, diameter, or a point on the circle's edge.

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Use the Three-Point Circle tool when you don't know the center of the circle, but you know where
the edge of the circle must be. This tool works with any combination of free points, known points,
or tangent attachments.
Use the Polygon tool to sketch a polygon with up to 32 sides.
Use the Tangent Arc tool to sketch an arc tangent to any single curve or line in your design.
Use the Three-Point Arc tool to create an arc by specifying its start and end points, and the
radius or chord angle.
Use the Sweep Arc tool to create an arc with a known center and end points.
Use the Spline tool to sketch splines in 2D. A spline is a continuously curved line, without sharp
boundaries (that is, without vertices).
Use the Point tool to sketch points in 2D.
Use the Face Curve tool to sketch a curve on a face of a solid.
The Sketch ribbon group contains the following sketch editing tools:
Use the Create Rounded Corner tool to trim back or connect two intersecting lines or arcs so
that they meet with an arc tangent at both ends.
Use the Offset Curve tool to create an offset of any line in the grid plane.
Use the Project to Sketch tool to project edges from a 3D object onto the sketch grid.
Use the Split Curve tool to split one line with another line or point.
Use the Bend tool to bend straight lines and edges to form an arc. You can also use the Bend
tool to adjust the radius of arcs and arced edges. Bend works on straight lines when you are
sketching and when you are editing in cross-section.
Use the Scale tool to display control handles you can use to manipulate a 2D object.
Sketching tool guides

The sketching tools have several tool guides that allow you to change the behavior of the tool. These guides
are active when appropriate:
Use Select Reference Curve to dimension a sketch based on an existing curve.
Use Move Dimension Base Point to move the base point from your starting point to a different
location. This is useful when you want to control the distance between your new sketch and existing
object.
Use Change Dimension Reference Angle to dimension a sketch based on a reference angle from
a point on an existing object.

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Sketching mini-toolbar
While you are sketching, the mini-toolbar provides quick access to the following actions:
Click Return to 3D Mode to switch to the Pull tool and pull your sketch into 3D. Any closed loops
will form surfaces or faces. Intersecting lines will split faces.
Click Select New Sketch Plane to select a new face to sketch on.
Click Move Grid to move or rotate the current sketch grid with the Move handle.
Click Plan View for a head-on view of the sketch grid.
Options
Curves.
displayed pink.
12.4.2.1. The sketch plane

The sketch grid indicates that you are performing actions in a 2D plane. Selection, sketching, creating layouts,
adjusting blend planes, cross-section editing, and annotation all use the sketch grid. You can adjust the units
and spacing of the grid, as well as how solids are displayed when the grid appears.

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To display a sketch plane

1. Select Sketch Mode or any sketching tool.
2. Click a face, plane, axis, or drawing sheet.
You can also select the combinations used to insert a plane to display a sketch grid at that location.
If you do not see the grid, make sure that the Show Sketch Grid box is checked in the Display tab's Grid
ribbon group.
To select a new location for the sketch plane

1. Click Select New Sketch Plane in the mini-toolbar, or right-click and select Select New Sketch Plane
from the context menu.
2. Mouse over any existing geometry to display existing planes.
3. Click to select the highlighted plane and display the sketch grid.
To move the sketch plane

1. (Optional) Select any points, lines, or curves that you want to move with the sketch grid.
2. Click Move Grid in the mini-toolbar.

The Move handle is now placed on the end point of the last line or curve you drew. This makes drawing
a trajectory in 3D space easier.
3. Use the Move handle to move or rotate the sketch grid.
To view the sketch plane head-on

Click Plan View in the mini-toolbar or in the Orient ribbon group to view the sketch grid head-on.
To switch to the last sketch plane

Right-click the plane and select Use Last Sketch Plane.
This command is in the context menu for all tools that can be used in both sketch and section modes, such
as Pull.
All closed sketch curves in the current plane are converted to surfaces.
The last plane used for sketching on is set as active, and dynamic plane mode is ended when you use the
Use Last Sketch Plane command.
To use Alt+Select in Sketch mode

While working in Sketch mode, you can align a sketch plane to any linear reference that you Alt+Select.
For example, on a block with angled planar faces, you can select a face and then Alt+Select an edge. The
Sketch grid aligns to the Alt reference.

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12.4.2.2. Moving the sketch grid

move the grid.

grid.

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12.4.2.3. Sketch tools

12.4.2.3.1. Lines
Use the Line tool to sketch lines in 2D or to draw lines between points on objects in 3D. These lines will
become edges when you pull your sketch into a solid with the Pull tool.
To draw lines on a sketch plane

1. Click Line in the Sketch group or press L.
You can dimension the points relative to other objects.
4. Continue selecting points to draw line segments.
If you want any section of the line to be an arc, right-click and select Switch to Arc, then click to set the
radius. Right-click and select Switch to Line to return to drawing straight lines between points. You must
create at least one line segment before using this option.
5. End the line:
• Press Esc.

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Note: Click and drag to draw one straight line.
To draw lines between points in 3D

1. Click Line in the Sketch group or press L.
2. (Optional) Select Define line from center in the Options panel to start drawing the line from its center
instead of an end.
5. Continue selecting points to draw line segments.
6. End the line:
• Press Esc.
To use a line as a mirror


Options
Define line from center Select this option to sketch a line from the center.
Click to define the center of the line, then click again
to set the length. You can also drag to draw the line.


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Curves.
displayed pink.
Examples
Sketching a line between two solids in 3D
12.4.2.3.1.1. Tangent lines

To draw a tangent line on a sketch plane

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2. Click the curve you want to draw tangent to.
3. As you move the mouse, the start point moves so that the line remains tangent to the curve.
4. (Optional) Dimension the line with a length.
You cannot dimension from another sketch object when creating a tangent line.
If you move your mouse over another curve, the line snaps so that it is tangent to the second curve. Hold
Alt to stop your cursor from snapping to curves.
To draw tangent lines between points in 3D

To use a tangent line as a mirror

To toggle between a tangent line and a construction line

Options

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Curves.
displayed pink.
12.4.2.3.1.2. Construction lines

Use the Construction Line tool to draw lines that help you create an accurate sketch. Construction lines
become axes in 3D. They are also useful for creating mirrors.
To draw a construction line

1. Select the Construction Line tool from the Sketch ribbon group.
2. (Optional) Dimension the first point relative to another sketch object.
4. (Optional) Dimension the line.
5. Click or press Enter to end the line.
By default, the line is dimensioned to its start point, but you can dimension to another sketch object.
To use a construction line as a mirror


Options
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Curves.
displayed pink.
12.4.2.3.2. Rectangles
Use the Rectangle tool in the Design tab or press R to draw a rectangle along the axes of the sketch grid.
When you exit the sketch, any rectangles become surfaces, and the lines become edges of a rectangular
solid when you pull your sketch into 3D with the Pull tool.
To draw a rectangle
1. Click Rectangle in the Sketch group or press R.

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3. Click to set the first corner.

4. Click to set the opposite corner of the rectangle.
Options
Define rectangle from center Select this option to sketch rectangles from their
can also drag to draw the rectangle. Hold the Alt key
while drawing a rectangle to toggle this option
on-the-fly.

Curves.
displayed pink.
Examples

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Sketching a square
Sketching a rectangle from its center
12.4.2.3.2.1. Three-point rectangles

Use the Three-Point Rectangle tool to quickly sketch a rectangle at any angle on the sketch plane. These
lines will become the edges of a rectangular solid when you pull your sketch into 3D with the Pull tool.
To draw a three-point rectangle

1. Click Three-Point Rectangle in the Sketch group.
3. Click to set the first corner of the rectangle.
4. Click to set the length of the second side.
Note: Click and drag to draw the first side, then click to set the length of the second side.
Options

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Define Rectangle from Center Select this option to sketch rectangles from their
can also drag to draw the rectangle. Alt+drag or
Alt+click to return to the standard behavior when the
option is selected.

Curves.
displayed pink.
12.4.2.3.3. Ellipses
Use the Ellipse tool to sketch an ellipse in 2D. The ellipse can become an elliptical solid or hole when you
pull your sketch into 3D with the Pull tool. You can also sweep the ellipse in 3D, or rotate it.

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To draw an ellipse
1. Click Ellipse in the Sketch group.
2. Click to set the center of the ellipse.
3. Click to set the overall length and angular orientation of the first axis.
4. Click to set the length of the second axis.
Options
Curves.
displayed pink.
12.4.2.3.4. Circles
Use the Circle tool to sketch a circle in 2D when you know the location of the circle's center and a point on
the circle's edge, or the radius or diameter. The circle can become a cylinder or hole when you pull it into 3D
with the Pull tool, or a sphere or torus if you rotate or sweep it.

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To draw a circle
1. Click Circle in the Sketch group or press C.
2. Click to set the circle's center.
3. Click to set the circle's diameter.
4. The circle will snap to existing sketches or determined circles and arcs in the plane of the sketch.
maintain tangency.
Options
Curves.

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displayed pink.
Examples
Editing a tangent circle by dragging the circle's center with tangency is maintained
12.4.2.3.4.1. Three-point circles

Use the Three-Point Circle tool when you don't know the center of the circle, but you know where the edge
of the circle must be. This tool works with any combination of free points, known points, or tangent attachments.
The circle will become a cylinder or hole when you pull it into 3D with the Pull tool. You can also rotate the
circle about a line to make a sphere or torus.
To draw a three-point circle

1. Click Three-Point Circle in the Sketch group.
2. (Optional) Select Three-point circle segment in the Options panel to create an arc that is a segment of
a three-point circle.
3. Click to set the first point on the circle's edge.
If you click a curve or line, the circle will be drawn tangent to the curve or line, unless you click the midpoint
or vertex.
4. Click to set the second point on the circle's edge.
If the circle disappears as you move your mouse over the sketch grid, then the cursor location cannot be
included in any circle drawn through the first two points and the current point. If you click a curve or line,
the circle will be drawn tangent to the curve or line unless you click the midpoint or vertex.
5. Click to set the last point on the circle's edge.

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maintain tangency.
Options
Three-point circle segment Check this option to create an arc that is a segment of a three-point circle.
To create an arc with this option, click to set the first point, click to set
the second point, then enter the diameter or click to set the final point.

Curves.
displayed pink.
Examples

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Editing a tangent circle by dragging the circle's center; tangency is maintained
Dragging (with the Select tool) a three-point circle drawn through a rectangle's vertex maintains the connection.
12.4.2.3.5. Arcs
12.4.2.3.5.1. Tangent arcs

Use the Tangent Arc tool to sketch an arc that is tangent to a curve or line in your design. This arc will become
an edge when you pull your sketch into 3D with the Pull tool.
To draw a tangent arc

2. Click the line or curve you want to draw tangent to.
This is usually done at the end point of a line, arc, or spline, but it can be on the line. If two lines share
an end point, use the scroll wheel to set tangency to the other line.
3. (Optional) Dimension the radius and chord angle.
The arc cannot end on its start point to make a circle or end on the same line as its start point.

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To draw a tangent arc between points in 3D

3. Click to set the first point of the arc.
The tangency indicator shows you how the new arc will be tangent with existing geometry if you click on
To edit a tangent arc

Drag the arc to edit it. When you drag a tangent arc, it increases its radius while maintaining its chord angle.
Options
Curves.
displayed pink.

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Examples
Arc sketched tangent to two circles
Editing a tangent arc maintains its connections
12.4.2.3.5.2. Three-point arcs

Use the Three-Point Arc tool to create an arc by specifying its start and end points, and the radius or chord
angle. This arc can be created tangent to another arc, line, or spline at its start. The arc will become an edge
when you pull your sketch into 3D with the Pull tool. As an option, you can also create a Three-Point Arc in
3D mode.
To draw a three-point arc

1. Click Three-Point Arc in the Sketch group.
2. Click to set the start point of the arc.
If the start point is on another line, arc, or spline, then the arc will initially be drawn tangent to that line,
arc, or spline.
4. Click to set the arc's radius.
You can dimension the chord angle or radius.
The arc will snap to tangent objects.

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Options
Curves.
displayed pink.
12.4.2.3.5.3. Swept arcs

Use the Sweep Arc tool to create an arc with a known center and end points. Tangency is not a factor in the
creation of this arc. The arc will become an edge when you pull your sketch into 3D with the Pull tool.
To draw a swept arc

1. Click Sweep Arc in the Sketch group.
2. Click to set the center of the arc.

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3. Click to set the start point and radius of the sweep circle.
You can dimension the chord angle or offset the angular dimension.
Options
Curves.
displayed pink.
12.4.2.3.6. Polygons
Use the Polygon tool to draw a polygon with between 3 and 64 sides. You can dimension the location of the
axis, the length of the radius, the orientation angle, and set the number of sides as you sketch the polygon.
The sides of a sketched polygon maintain their relationship to each other. When you pull a polygon into 3D,
faces with a polygon relationship are displayed with a pattern when you select the solid. Changing one face
or edge affects all the faces in the relationship.

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To draw a polygon
1. Click Polygon in the Sketch group.
2. (Optional) Select Use internal radius in the Options panel to dimension the polygon based on the diameter
of a circle inscribed within the polygon. Uncheck the option to dimension the polygon based on a
circumscribed circle.
3. Click to set the center of the polygon.
4. Drag the mouse to draw the polygon and change its orientation.
The orientation is the polygon's angle relative to the X and Y axis.
You can press Tab and type a number to change the diameter, orientation, or number of sides.
5. Click to complete the polygon.
The sides of the polygon are all related, and act as one object. When pulled in 3D, the edges and faces
of the polygonal solid will also maintain this relationship.
Tip If you trim a polygon sketch with the Trim Away tool, you can drag the original sides of the polygon
with the Select tool to recreate the polygon.
To set the number of sides

Press Tab and type a number while you draw a polygon.
or
1. In Sketch mode, select the polygon with the Select tool.
2. Right-click the polygon and select Properties.
3. Enter a value for the Number Of Sides property.
Polygons can have a minimum of 3 sides, and a maximum of 64 sides.
To remove the polygon relationship from the faces of a polygon solid

Right-click a face of the polygon and select Remove Association.

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Any changes you make to the face of the polygon will affect only that face.
Options
Use internal radius Select this option to dimension the

polygon based on the diameter of
a circle inscribed within the
polygon. Uncheck the option to
dimension the polygon based on a
circumscribed circle. In the image
below, the blue circle is inscribed
within the polygon and the orange
circle is circumscribed around it.

Curves.
displayed pink.
Examples

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Hexagonal head nut
A polygon pulled into a solid maintains the relationships between its sides. In this example, pulling one side
pulls all sides of the polygon.
12.4.2.3.7. Splines
12.4.2.3.7.1. Creating a spline

Use the Spline tool to sketch splines in 2D or to draw splines between points on objects in 3D. A spline is a
continuously curved line, without sharp boundaries (that is, without vertices). Splines can become edges
when you pull your sketch into 3D with the Pull tool. Sweeping along a spline in 3D lets you create smooth,
curvy shapes.

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To draw a spline on a sketch plane

4. Click to set the next points of the spline.
You can Dimension spline points by entering the coordinate distance from the start point to each point,
or dimension each point relative to another sketch object.
5. End the spline:
• Double-click to set the end point of the spline.
• Right-click and select Finish Spline.
• Press Esc.
• Click any other tool (except the Clipboard and Orient tools).
To draw a continuous spline

2. Select Draw continuous spline from the Spline section of the Sketch options panel.
3. Click and drag to draw the spline.
4. Release to finish drawing.
To draw a spline between points in 3D


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4. Continue selecting points to draw spline points.
5. End the spline:
• Press Esc.
To create a closed spine

You can create a closed spline in the following ways:
• When drawing a spline, end it on the start point.
• When editing the spline, drag one end point on top of the other point.
Once you have created a closed spline, you cannot edit it into an open spline.
Options
Curves.

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displayed pink.
Examples
Sketching a spline between points in 3D
12.4.2.3.7.2. Editing a spline

You can drag a spline, its spline points, or its control points while the Select tools is active. You can be in 2D
or 3D mode.
Spline points are the points along the spine that define the position of its curves. Spline points are displayed
as circles when you hover over a spline.
Control points are displayed outside of the spline, and define the curvature of the spline between points.
Control points are displayed as diamonds connected by a dotted line when you select a spline.
To move a spline
3. Click anywhere on the spline except for the defining points, and drag it to move it.
To edit a spline
1. Click the Select tool in the Edit ribbon group while in 2D mode.

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3. Click and drag on any spline or control point to move it, leaving the other spline and control points fixed
in space.
You can box-select spline points.
4. (Optional) Edit the dimensions associated with that point.
To change spline end points

1. Select the spline to display its end point control handle.
The end point control handle is a light blue point at the end of a dotted line extending outwards from the
end of the spline. In some cases, these end points may be located some distance away from your sketch.
Zoom out from the sketch until you can see the end point control handle.
If another line, arc, or spline shares that end point, the end point influence may snap into tangency with
that sketch entity. To adjust the end point influence in this case, move the mouse a short distance away
from the end point to display the end point control handle.
After it is moved, the end point will snap to its original tangency.
2. (Optional) In 3D, hold Alt and select a planar or linear object that you want the spline to be tangent with.
You can hold Alt and select a curve, edge or face if the curve, edge or face passes through the point. If
you select a face, the tangency at the point where the point intersects the curve or surface is used. The
default is the tangency direction with the least amount of curvature.
3. Drag the end point control handles to change the influence of that end point on the shape of the spline.
The control handle will snap back to its initial tangent direction, which is indicated by a dotted line.
The amount of the end point's influence can be controlled by dragging the end point control handle closer
to or further away from the end point.
To add spline points

3. Right-click anywhere on the spline except on the defining points, and select Add Knot to create another
spline point at that location.
To remove spline points

2. Click the spline to highlight it and display its defining points.
3. Right-click the point you want to remove and select Remove Spline Point.
The spline adjusts to accommodate the removal of the point.
To change the end point tangency of a spline

2. Select the spline in the Design window.
3. Set the value for Periodic in the Properties panel:

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• True: If you change this property to True, the tangencies of the beginning and end of the spline curve
will match to create a closed curve. If a spline curve is open and you set the property to True, the spline
will be closed, as shown here:
• False: If you change this property to False, the end tangencies of a closed curve don't match. If a spline
curve is closed and you set the property to False, the curve will become teardrop-shaped because the
end points will no longer be tangent, as shown here:
To extend a spline by pulling

1. Click the Pull tool in the Edit group on the Design tab while in 3D mode.
2. Click an end point of the spline and drag in the direction of the Pull arrow.
You can also click the end point, click the Up To tool guide, then click the object up to which you want to
pull.
Examples
Dragging a spline point
Dragging a control point

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Dragging end point control handles in 3D
12.4.2.3.8. Points
Use the Point tool to sketch points in 2D and 3D. Points are useful as a dimensional reference, for splitting,
and for creating a point on a line or curve through which you want to draw a three-point circle. You can also
project vertices in 3D to create points in the sketch.
To draw a point
1. Click Point in the Sketch group on the Design tab.
2. Choose a mode:
• If a sketch plane is not active, press Esc to sketch in 3D or click on an object or objects in the Design
window to make a sketch plane.
• If a sketch plane is active, click 3D Mode in the Mode group or press D to sketch in 3D.
3. (Optional) Dimension the point relative to another object.
4. Click to place a point:
• On a face or surface: click on a location on a face or surface.
• On an edge or curve: click on a location on the edge or curve.
• On the midpoint of a straight line between two points in 2D: hold Alt and Shift and select two points,
then click on the temporary point at the midpoint.
• On the midpoint of a straight line between two points in 3D: select two points.
• Projected onto a face: select a point and then a face to project onto.
• Projected onto an edge: select a point and then an edge to project onto.
• In a UV direction within a face/surface: select an existing point on a face and then a location on the
face to specify the direction.

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• Along an edge from an existing point on the edge: select a point on an edge and a location along
the edge.
You can also use temporary points, axes, and planes to help you create points. When hovering over, or
selecting on a point with the Select tool, the X, Y, Z locations of the point display in the status bar.
Tool guides
Use the Select tool guide to select a location for the
point.
Use the Select Direction tool guide to change the
direction of the dimension for the point.
Options
Curves.
displayed pink.
12.4.2.3.9. Trimming and Modifying


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12.4.2.3.9.1. Creating rounded corners

Use the Create Rounded Corner tool to trim back or connect two intersecting lines or arcs so that they meet
with an arc tangent at both ends. You can also use this tool with coplanar 3D lines, such as lines you created
by blending.
The sketch grid must be visible in the workspace before you can create rounded corners, which are also
known as fillets.
To connect two lines with a rounded corner

1. Click Create Rounded Corner from the Sketch group on the Design tab.
2. Select a line or arc.
The first line or arc you select will be extended, if necessary.
3. Mouse over another line to preview the round that will be created.
If you mouse over a line that is the edge of a solid, that edge will not change. Only a sketched line will
change. The radius of the arc is previewed as you move the mouse. Enter a radius to dimension it.
4. Select an intersecting line to trim the lines, or a non-intersecting line to connect the lines.
Where you click on the intersecting line defines the radius of the tangent arc, or you can dimension the
round (or chamfer) by entering its diameter.
If the lines intersect, click the part of the intersecting line you want to keep. If the lines do not intersect,
you can click anywhere on the line to extend the first line to form a rounded corner. Circles are never
trimmed.
For lines that meet at a corner, you can select and drag the vertex.
You can also enter the tool first and then make your selection.
To create multiple rounded corners using Ctrl

1. Sketch some curves with several vertices (e.g. a rectangle).
2. Enter the Create Rounded Corner tool.
3. Click a corner vertex and drag to preview the round.

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5. While holding Ctrl, click another corner vertex.Then release the Ctrl key and move the mouse to preview
BOTH rounds.

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7. Repeat for the remaining corners.
8. On the last corner (meaning no more Ctrl key selection), you will see all rounds previewing simultaneously.
9. Click to place the rounds or enter a radius value
To edit a rounded corner

Drag the rounded corner with the Select tool to change its radius. Tangency is maintained.
Options
The following options are available with the Create Rounded Corner tool.
Chamfer Mode Create an equal-sided chamfer instead of an arc.

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Disable Trimming Leave the underlying lines instead of removing them.
Examples
Rounding a corner with the Chamfer Mode option
Rounding a corner with the Disable Trimming option
Rounding a corner where the first line selected is extended
Rounding corners of 3D lines, then sweeping to create a pipe
12.4.2.3.9.2. Creating corners


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The sketch grid must be visible in the workspace before you can create corners.
To connect two lines with a corner

1. Click Create Corner in the Sketch group.
2. Click a line, arc, or spline.
3. Mouse over another line to preview the corner that will be created.
If you mouse over a line that is the cross-section edge of a solid or a silhouette edge, it will not change.
Only a sketched line will change.
4. Click an intersecting line to trim the lines, or a non-intersecting line to extend the lines.
5. If the lines intersect, click the part of the intersecting line you want to keep. If the lines do not intersect,
you can click anywhere on the line to extend the lines to form a corner.
Options
The following options are available in the Create Corner tool:
Trim/Extend curve If you select this option and click the first line, then click a second,
non-intersecting line, you extend the first line, but not the second. If the two
lines intersect, the first line is trimmed by the second line.
Examples
Creating a corner between arcs.

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Extending a spline to the intersection with another sketch curve.
12.4.2.3.9.3. Trimming lines

Note: Line segments to be removed appear in red.
The sketch grid must be visible in the workspace before you can trim lines.
To delete a bounded line

1. Click Trim Away in the Sketch group or press T.
2. Mouse over a line to preview the section that will be deleted.
3. Click to delete the highlighted line section.
The portion of the line you clicked is deleted up to any intersection with another 2D line or edge of a solid.
12.4.2.3.9.4. Offsetting curves

Use the Offset Curve tool to create an offset of any curve in the grid plane. If you are creating an offset spline,
you will get the best results with an offset distance appropriate to the curvature of your spline.
The sketch grid must be visible in the workspace before you can create offset curves.
To offset a curve
1. Click Offset Curve in the Sketch group on the Design tab.
2. Select the curves you want to offset.
Standard curve selection techniques apply, so you can double-click to select connected loops of curves.
Ctrl and Shift can also be used to extend or replace the selected items prior to offsetting.
You can also use box, lasso, and paint select modes to select multiple sketch curves. See Using the radial
menu to learn how to access these select modes.
If you select more than one curve, then they will be merged when they are offset.

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To clear the current selection, click an empty spot in the Design window.
3. Hover the mouse over a line or point and press Shift to create an offset from that curve or point.
As you move the cursor away from the selected curve, you can see a preview of the offset result. The
offset defaults to one grid square.
4. (Optional) Select an option to specify how intersecting offset curves should meet.
5. Enter a dimension or click to set the width of the offset.
Options
The following options are available in the Offset Line tool:
Close with corner Close intersecting offset lines with a corner.
Close with arc Close intersecting offset edges with an arc.
Close naturally Close intersecting offset edges with a curve.
Offset both ways Create two offset lines on either side of the selected
line.
Example
Highlighted line offset using each option. Shown from top to bottom: Close naturally, Close with corner, and
Close with arc.
12.4.2.3.9.5. Splitting curves

Use the Split Curve tool to split one curve with another curve or point. You can also use a 3D object that
intersects the curve, such as a plane or face. The segments of the split curve can then be selected and edited
independently.
The sketch grid must be visible in the workspace before you can split curves.
To split a curve
1. Click Split Curve in the Sketch group.
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2. Click the curve you want to split.

3. Click a curve or point that intersects the curve you want to split. The curve will be split at the intersection.
12.4.2.3.9.6. Bending
Use the Bend tool to bend straight lines and edges to form an arc. You can also use the Bend tool to adjust
the radius of arcs and arced edges. Bend works on straight lines when you are sketching and when you are
editing in cross-section.
You can insert a point curve text file to make a complicated bend.
To bend a line or edge

1. Click Bend in the Sketch group.
2. If you are working in Section mode, select the face that contains the edge.
3. Click and drag a line or arc to bend it or change its radius.
Enter a value to dimension the radius.
Options
Curves.

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displayed pink.
12.4.2.3.10. Inserting a face curve

You can draw spline curves on a 3D face using the Face Curve tool. These curves follow the contour of a
face. The face curve can be used like any other edge to modify the object.
To insert a face curve

1. Click Face Curve in the Insert group on the Design tab.
2. Click spots on the faces or edges of a part to draw the spline curve. Your spline can be drawn on one or
more faces, but can only be drawn on one object.
Face curves can also be sketched on mesh bodies by selecting facet points as spline points.
3. Double-click to end the curve or close the curve by clicking on your beginning point.
Now you are in editing mode and can change the curve as desired. The curve will not be applied to your
design until you complete the operation.
4. (Optional) Right-click a spot on the curve and select Add Face Curve Point to add a spline point.
5. (Optional) Right-click a spline point and select Remove Face Curve Point to delete the point.

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6. (Optional) Drag points to change the curve.

7. (Optional) Set the value for Periodic in the Properties panel:
• True: If you change this property to True, the tangencies of the beginning and end of the curve will
match to create a closed curve. If a curve is open and you set the property to True, the spline will be
closed.
• False: If you change this property to False, the end tangencies of a closed curve don't match. If a curve
is closed and you set the property to False, the curve will become teardrop-shaped because the end
points will no longer be tangent.
8. Click the Complete tool guide or press Enter to apply the curve to your design.
Tip: You will get much more predictable results if the face to face boundaries you are drawing over are
tangent. Click on the edges (tangent or not) to place a point for more control over the intersection point at
that boundary.
Tool guides
The Complete tool guide creates the face curve.
Examples
Sketching a face curve that is closed over tangentially-connected solid faces
The result of offsetting the edges that were created as a result of the face curve above
12.4.2.3.11. Projecting onto the sketch grid

Use the Project to Sketch tool to copy an edge or vertex of a solid to a 2D line or point that you can manipulate
with the sketch tools. You can also project a note onto the sketch grid. Projecting an axis onto the sketch
grid creates a construction line.
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Except when explicitly selecting a new sketch plane, this is the only sketch tool that can select items that are
not on the sketch grid. You can also select note text and project the text onto your sketch.
The sketch grid must be visible in the workspace before you can project edges onto it.
You can project a body onto a layout sketch plane on a drawing sheet.
To project an edge, vertex, or note onto the sketch grid

Mouse over your design to highlight the objects available for projection.
2. Click the edge, edge chain, vertex, or note text you want to project into the sketch plane.
Standard edge selection methods apply, so you can double-click, Ctrl+click, and Shift+click to create or
modify your selection.
You can also click and drag to draw a selection box enclosing the objects you want to project, including
silhouette edges.
The edge, vertex, or text appears as a sketched line to show that it is now a line or point in the sketch
plane.
Duplicate edges (that appear on top of each other) in the sketch are consolidated when you return to 3D
mode.
Tip If you have difficulty seeing a projected line, check that Fade Scene Under Grid is selected on the
Display tab.
To project a solid onto the sketch grid

2. Click on the Select Bodies tool guide if you want to select bodies in the design window.
You do not need the tool guide to select bodies in the Structure tree.
3. Select one of the following options:
• All body edges if you want all edges projected onto the sketch grid.
• Visible body edges if you want only the visible, or silhouette, edges projected onto the sketch grid.
• Body outline if you want to just project the body outline. Select a body in the Design window or Structure
tree.
Examples

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Projecting all body edges to the sketch grid
Projecting the body outline to the sketch grid

It may be necessary to use the tools in the Fix Curves group on the Repair tab if the sketch does not
automatically close into a surface.
12.4.2.3.12. Sketch Equations

Sketch Equations
Use the Equation tool in Sketcher to create curves based on mathematical equations.
You can select from a number of preset equations or write custom equations in Sketcher.
The image below shows a Sine Wave equation.
The equation is constructed in the Options panel. The image below shows the equation for the Sine Wave
shown above.

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You can enter an equation in the input fields for X and Y. Z is for 3D equations. You can enter a value to
offset the curve in the Z-direction.
Use the Equation tool in the Design tab to create 3D curves and surfaces based on mathematical equations.



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%APPDATA%\Roaming\SpaceClaim\SketchEquationCustoms.xml
To edit an equation curve

2. The Select Curve tool guide is active

3. Select the curve to edit
Editing an Equation Curve in 3D is limited to the range of the equation. For example, if a Sine curve has a
range of 4π, you can Pull an end to anywhere within the that range. You cannot make it longer (e.g. 6π)
If the curve has been Split, the ends of any of the pieces can be Pulled within the range of the original
equation.
To scale an equation curve

Use the Scale parameter and slider in the Options panel to scale an equation curve.
The Scale tool in Sketcher and 3D scaling with the Pull tool also work on equation curves.

Name Description
number
number

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The preset curves include those shown in the following table. All curves have default values.
Sine Wave Involute of Circle
Cosine Wave Lemniscate (Bernoulli)
Archimedes Spiral Limaҫon
Catenary Lissajous

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Epicycloid Logarithmic Spiral
Epitrochoid Normal Distribution
Hypocycloid Tractrix
Hypotrochoid Trochoid

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There are also 3D curves included in the presets. These are shown in the table below. All curves are at
default values.
Helix Slinky
Line Viviani's
12.4.2.3.13. Scaling sketches

12.4.2.3.13.1. Scaling sketches

Use the Scale tool to display control handles that you can use to manipulate a 2D object. The Scale tool
also works in Section mode on solids with only planar faces.
The Scale tool works for sketches that lie on a plane. If you need to scale sketches that lie on multiple planes,
see Scaling sketches with Pull.
To scale, rotate, or pan an object

1. Click Scale in the Sketch group on the Design tab.
2. Select a drawing or clipping plane.
3. Select any 2D object (including arcs and splines) or 3D edge.
You can hold Ctrl or draw a box in the Design window to select multiple objects.

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You can select individual spline points to change part of a spline curve.
4. Scale, rotate, or pan the object by doing the following:
• Scale: Drag the white control handle. You can press Shift while dragging to lock the aspect ratio. You
can also enter a dimension, including a percentage (such as 50%).
• Rotate: Drag the green control handle.

• Change the center of rotation and scaling: Drag the pink circle.
• Pan: Move the mouse over the dashed border so it changes to a solid line then drag the boxed object(s).
Options
The following option is available in the Scale tool:
Fix aspect ratio Select this option to keep the ratio between the sides
the same when you drag or enter a dimension. You
can also Shift+drag to keep the aspect ratio without
selecting this option.
Reorient the box Move and rotate the scale bounding box without
affecting the selected geometry.
this option and scale a sketch curve, the curve will
scale independent of other curves.

Curves.

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displayed pink.
Examples
The Scale tool's dimensions refer to the extents of the selected sketch object
Scaling in Section mode
12.4.2.3.13.2. Scaling sketches with Pull

You can scale sketch curves with the Scale tool, or you can use the Pull tool.
You should use the Scale tool when you want to scale sketch curves that lie on a plane. Use the Pull tool
when you want to scale curves that lie on multiple planes, as in the example below.

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To scale sketch curves with the Pull tool

2. Select the curves.
3. Click the Scale tool guide.
5. If Blend is highlighted in orange, click to turn this option off in the Options panel.
Scaling won't work if the Blend option is enabled.
6. Drag in the direction of the yellow guide arrow.
12.4.2.4. Working with sketch curves in 3D

You can use the following sketch tools in 3D mode:
Line Tangent Line
Spline Tangent Arc
Point
You can use the following tools from the Sketch group to change curves in 3D mode:
Create Rounded Corner can be used on curves when

they are coplanar.
Create Corner can also be used on coplanar curves.
Trim Away can be used to trim curves in 3D mode.
Split Line can be used to split curves in 3D mode.
Using other tools to create and edit sketch curves in 3D mode

There are several methods that can create or edit sketch curves in 3D mode:
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• Use the Pull tool to pull a point into a line or sweep a point along an edge.
• Use the Move tool to translate or rotate curves in 3D mode.
• Use the Face Curve tool to sketch on a face or surface.
• You can use the Extend tool on the Prepare tab with sketch curves in 3D mode.
• You can change the radius of a circle or an arc directly in 3D by selecting it with the Select tool.
Examples
Sketching a path and sweeping to create a pipe
12.4.2.5. Editing a sketch

You can edit the dimensions of sketched lines, arcs, and points using the Select tool. Tangency is maintained
when you edit a sketch.
To edit a sketch
Select the Select Reference Curve tool guide to dimension from another object, similar to the Shift+hover
functionality in other tools.
To edit the length and angle dimensions of a line

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1. Click the end point of a line or arc to edit the length or diameter and angle or chord angle dimensions of
the line or arc.
2. Mouse over the opposite end point of the line or arc to display a blue circle.
3. Drag to move the reference point for the dimension's length.
4. Enter the dimension for the length from the end point of the line to the new reference point.
5. Mouse over the line showing the end of the angle reference to highlight it in blue.
6. Drag the blue line to move the reference for the angle dimension.
If you move the angular reference 360°, the angle measurement is changed from clockwise to
counterclockwise.
7. Enter the dimension to adjust the angle of the line from the new reference line.
To edit the distance from another point

1. Click the midpoint of a line, the center of an arc, or any sketched point to display a dimension to a reference
point.
2. Mouse over the reference point, then drag the blue circles to the location you want to dimension from.
3. Click to set the new reference location.
To skew the X-Y lines, click the outer blue circle and enter the skew angle.
To change the properties of a sketch object

2. Select the sketch object to display its properties in the Properties panel.
You may need to adjust the width of the Properties panel or the columns within the properties panel. Place
your mouse over the vertical column line and drag to widen the column. Place your mouse over the border
of the panel and drag to widen the panel.
3. You can:
• Select a new color from the Color property to color the object.
• Switch between lines and construction lines by selecting a value from the Construction property.
• Switch between straight lines and mirror lines by selecting a value from the Mirror property.
• Enter the number of sides for a polygon in the Number of Sides property.
Tool guides
Select the Select Reference Curve tool guide and
click another sketch line to edit the dimensions from
the selected point to that sketch line.
Use the Move Dimension Base Point tool guide and
click any point to edit the dimensions from the
selected point to that point.

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Use the Change Dimension Reference Angle tool

guide and click to set the angle reference for the
selected point.
Examples
Editing a racetrack by dragging internal lines. You can drag to resize, rotate, lengthen, or make one side
larger than the other by dragging different lines or points in the sketch.
12.4.2.6. Copying a sketch

You can copy a sketch line in Sketch mode with the Select tool.
To copy a sketch line

Ctrl+drag (with the Select tool) while sketching to copy a sketch line.

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Press the spacebar while Ctrl+dragging a sketch line to dimension the distance between the first line and
the second, copied line.
You can also select a sketch line, copy it, and then select a point to paste the line onto the point.
12.4.2.7. Moving in two dimensions

Use the Move tool to move lines or points with the Move handle. When you move points or lines with this
tool, they do not maintain their connections to other lines or points. If you want to maintain the connections
in your sketch, use the Select tool to edit the sketch.
To move sketch entities

2. Select the curve or curves that you want to move.
• Ruler: Can be used to dimension the move. See the instructions below.
• Create patterns: Create a pattern of the selected objects. Pattern relationships of sketch curves and
points are lost when you go into Section or 3D mode.
of other curves.
• Other options in the Options panel are not relevant when you move sketch entities.
4. (Optional) To change the anchor location of the Move handle
• Drag the yellow center sphere on the Move handle.
5. (Optional) To change the direction or trajectory for the move,

• You can also Alt+click a point or line, or click the Move Direction tool guide, then click a point or line,
to orient one of the Move handle's axes toward that point or along that line.
7. To dimension the move,
a. Click Ruler in the Options panel.
b. Click an edge or face to anchor the ruler.

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c. Type a distance and press Enter.
12.4.2.8. Dimensional sketching

Discovery Live allows you to do precise, dimensional sketching internal to the current line and relative to
other lines and points. If a dimension cannot be edited, it does not highlight on mouse over.
To dimension the current line

1. Press the space bar to enter a value.
2. Press Tab to highlight and edit a secondary dimension.
3. Press Enter to accept the values.
Discovery Live allows you to enter mathematical expressions as dimension values.
To dimension relative to other lines and points

Hover the mouse over a line or point and press Shift to create a dimension relative to that line or point. If
you click a spline, the dimension is always created from the start point of that spline.
The dimension is displayed as Cartesian or Polar coordinates based on which coordinate system you select
in the Options panel.
To create an offset angular dimension

If the angular reference does not touch the arc center, parallel reference lines are created.
12.4.3. Design modes

In Discovery Live, there are three modes you can use to design: Sketch, Section, and 3D. These modes
make it clear when you are working in 2D vs. 3D, and clarify the difference between working in cross-section
(where you can alter 3D objects) and sketching (where you cannot alter 3D objects).
To switch modes
1. Click a tool in the Mode ribbon group.
You can also right-click an empty area of the Design window and select Sketch Mode, Section Mode,
or 3D Mode from the context menu, or press K (for Sketch mode), X (for Section mode), or D (for 3D
mode).
If you are sketching, you can also click Return to 3D mode in the Sketch plane mini-toolbar.
2. If you are switching from 3D mode to one of the other modes, select a plane to sketch on or create the
cross-section.
When you select an origin object or its center and click Sketch mode, the sketch plane is aligned to the
origin object's XY axis.
To flip the view while in section mode

Right-click and select Flip Viewing Direction while section mode is active.

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Mode ribbon group

The Mode ribbon group contains the following tools:
Sketch mode displays the sketch grid, so you can use any of the sketch tools to sketch in 2D.
Section mode lets you edit solids and surfaces by working with their edges and vertices in
cross-section. You can also use all the sketch tools in Section mode to create and edit solids and
surfaces in cross-section.
3D mode lets you work directly with objects in 3D space.
Examples
A design in section mode; the active component is displayed in the part color (magenta in this example) and
the inactive components are displayed in gray.
Switching from Sketch mode to 3D mode automatically converts closed sketched curves into surface objects
and the sketch curves become edges. Only the sketch curves that contribute to the closed surface are
converted to edges; leftover curves remain in the design as free curves.
12.4.3.1. Editing in cross section

Use Section mode to edit solids by working with their edges and vertices in cross-section. You can modify
faces, edges, planes, cylinders, rounds, and chamfers in section mode. You can edit solids and surface
bodies.
In Section mode, lines represent faces and points (or vertices) represent edges.
For example, to rotate a face around an edge, select the line that represents the face, Alt+click the vertex
that represents the edge, and pull. Moving a sketched line in Section mode does not move the solid it is
sketched on. You must move a section line (a line that represents a face) to modify a solid in Section mode.
Hatching is used to show the intersection of the cross-section plane and a solid. Arc centers are shown as
small cross marks. Hatching appears bolder inside faces to indicate what is shown in a cross-section view.
(See Examples, below).
You can use the following tools: Select, Pull, Move, Combine, Split Body, Shell, Offset, Fill, and all sketch
tools. Use the Select tool to edit spline faces (represented by a spline in cross-section). You can also cut,

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copy, and paste. We recommend that you clip the scene above the grid to enhance the visibility of the
cross-section.
To edit in cross-section
1. Select or de-select options based on whether you want to maintain and view relationships while you edit
in cross-section.
2. Select the face you want to use to create the cross-section plane, or select any faces, edges, or vertices
that define a plane.
If you are in a drawing sheet with cross-section views, you do not have to choose a face, as the plane of
the drawing sheet is automatically used as the section plane.
3. (Optional) Move or rotate the cross-section grid and click the Section tool when you are finished.
4. Click and drag the edges and vertices of the cross-section to edit them.
You can also bend edges with the Bend tool, and pull section points (edges) and section lines (faces)
with the Pull tool. If you set the Auto-extrude/revolve sketches in Section mode Advanced Discovery
Live option, sketch made with the sketch tools are automatically extruded or revolved to form surfaces
and solids when you begin the sketch on the edge of an existing surface or solid. To automatically revolve,
the sketch must be attached to a revolved face. If you do not begin the sketch on an existing edge, you
are switched to Sketch mode.
We recommend zooming into your design so that it is easier to select the correct entity. For example, if
you are trying to select an edge, but your design appears very small in the Design window, it is possible
to accidentally select a midpoint or end point of the edge instead. Moving the midpoint or end point of an
edge will not be reflected by a mirrored entity.
Options
The following options are available in the Section tool:
Maintain Mirror Select this option to maintain the influence of mirrors in your design while
editing.
Maintain Offset Select this option to maintain the influence of baselines in your design
while editing. Baseline faces are shown as blue edges when viewed in
cross-section.
Curve Fitter Options If the section plane passes through a Mesh object, the system will fit curves
through the facet points. Lines are displayed green and arcs are displayed
blue. The following options apply to the system-generated curves.

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• Fit curves - Uncheck this option if you do not want the system to fit
curves through the points.
• Tolerance - Determines how many points will be found, which also
determines how many curves will be created. The smaller the tolerance,
the more points will be found and the curves will be generated.
• Auto-merge - When checked On, the system will merge lines and arcs
to form splines. Splines are displayed pink.
Examples
Moving a spline point in section mode
Bold hatching indicates the hatching that would be shown on a drawing sheet cross-section view
Extruding while sketching in Section mode
12.4.4. Editing
Use the editing tools to create and edit 2D and 3D solids. You can select, pull, move (in 2D and 3D), edit in
cross-section, fill (heal), bend lines and edges, and tweak faces.
In Discovery Live, there is little need for a distinction between creating and editing. There is no hierarchical
feature tree, so you have considerable freedom when designing. Create a box by pulling on a rectangular
region. Edit the size of the box by pulling on one of its faces. Draw a rectangle to create a pull-able region.
Draw a rectangle on a face to create a new face.

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In general, you are either editing or creating with one of the main tools (Select, Pull, Move, Combine, or
sketching and editing in Section mode), the many secondary tools, or inserting relationships between faces
in the design (Shell, Offset, Mirror). Combining objects (intersecting, merging, cutting, etc.) is handled by the
tools in the Intersect ribbon group.
Selection is integral to face and edge manipulation. You can extend selections with standard controls
(double-click, Ctrl, Shift), by right-clicking and selecting from the Select menu, or using Discovery Live's
power selection functions.
A quick note about solids and surfaces: Discovery Live always converts a closed set of surface faces into a
solid. Similarly, sketched lines that clearly create regions on faces are replaced with real edges. The change
in face transparency and edge lines reflects this transformation.
You can cut, copy, paste, and detach objects in most tools.
You can also nudge objects in most tools. Hold Ctrl+Alt and the up or down arrow to nudge an object. The
up arrow increases the dimension and the down arrow decreases the dimension. If you nudge multiple times
then click Undo, all the nudges will be reverted. You can view and change the nudge distance in the Snap
options.
In Discovery Live, there are three modes you can use to edit your designs:
Sketch mode displays the sketch grid, so you can use any of the sketch tools to sketch in 2D.
Section mode lets you edit solids by working with their edges and vertices in cross-section.
3D mode lets you work directly with objects in 3D space.
Edit ribbon group

The Edit ribbon group contains the following tools:
Use the Select tool to select 2D or 3D objects in your design for editing. You can select vertices,
edges, curves, planes, axes, faces, surfaces, rounds, solids, and components in 3D. In 2D, you
can select points and lines. You can also select circle and ellipse centers, the midpoints of lines
and edges, and the internal points and end points of splines. The Select tool can also be used to
edit a sketch.
Use the Pull tool to offset, extrude, revolve, sweep, draft, scale, drape, and blend faces; use it to
round, chamfer, or extrude edges.
Use the Move tool to move one or more faces, surfaces, solids, or components. The behavior of
the Move tool changes based on what you have selected.
Use the Fill tool to fill in the selected faces with the surrounding surface or solid. The region must
be completely surrounded to be filled. You can also use the Fill tool to patch new surfaces through
loops of edges.
Use the Replace tool to replace one face (or multiple faces) with another face (or faces). You can
also use it to simplify a spline face that is very similar to a cylinder or plane, or to align a set of
planar faces that are almost aligned.
You can edit any face or surface with Tweak Face to change its surface geometry. This tool is
available in 3D mode and in drawings.

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12.4.4.1. Pulling
Use the Pull tool to offset, extrude, revolve, sweep, and draft faces; use it to round, chamfer, extrude, copy,
or pivot edges. You can also drag a point with the Pull tool to draw a line on a sketch plane.
The Pull tool can also be used on facets in Faceted Bodies.
Pulling the apex of a cone changes its height. Pulling through the base plane will invert the cone. Pulling a
loop of edges attached to a vertex will create conical faces at the corners when appropriate.
You can select a face, then pull, dragging anywhere to act, or you can click, drag, and release a highlighted
face. In general, the result of a pull stays selected or highlighted after the pull operation.
The action of the Pull tool depends on which faces and edges you select to work with, and which faces,
planes, or edges you select to drive the change. For example, if you choose to work with a face, then select
an edge to "drive" the pull, the Pull tool infers that you want to pivot the face around that edge. When multiple
actions can be inferred, you can use the Tool guides to correct the Pull tool's inference. The Pull tool
maintains any offset, mirror, pattern, or coaxial relationships.
When you pull a face, there are two main decisions you need to make. The first is to determine the direction
you want to pull in. A default direction is offered to you, but it can be overridden using the Direction tool
guide. The second is to determine what is going to happen at the edges of the face. By default, the edges
of the face are determined by its neighbors, but you can override this behavior by including the edges in your
Pull selection to create an extrusion. When you pull, connected chamfers are automatically removed and
replaced.
Note: If you entered the Design tab with sheet metal features selected, the Pull tool will work as it does in
Sheet metal. To work as usual, right click on the sheet metal part in the Structure tree and choose Suspend
To create and edit a solid

Mouse over faces and edges in your design to preview the natural Pull direction. If your mouse is over
multiple faces or edges, use the scroll wheel to preview the Pull direction for each one.
2. Select the faces, edges, and points you want to pull to create 3D solids or surfaces.
You can right-click in the Design window and select Anchor Pull Handle, then click to anchor the Pull
handle on another object. This command is useful when you want to dimension a Pull from a different
location than the center of a face.
If the Pull arrow appears gray instead of yellow, then the object is locked and can't be pulled unless you
unlock it. To unlock an object, right-click the object in the Structure tree and select Unlock.
3. (Optional) Alt+click to select the face or edge that will drive the change.

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You can also select the appropriate tool guide, then click the face, point, or edge. The driving edge or
face is shown in blue. If you select the Show cursor arrows Discovery Live option, arrows appear to
indicate the directions you can move your mouse to edit the selected object.
If you want to use an annotation dimension, see Driving modification with annotation dimensions.
Measurements can also be used to drive modifications.
To drive modifications with measurements.

a. Enter the Pull tool
b. Select a face, edge or vertex
c. Enter the Measure tool (shortcut is “e”)and measure any single object or measure between two objects
d. Click in the Measurement results (hover over measurements to display purple box). Once selected,
that single measurement will display on screen with arrows pointing to either object chosen for
measurement.
e. Click in the highlighted dimension box and modify the value for a one-time adjustment of the model
or create a Measurement Group which can be modified at any time.
f. Measurement groups can also be created from Area results. Modifying the group then adjusts the
model to produce a desired area. For example, create a Measurement group for the area of a side of
a box. While pulling the front of the box, you can enter a new area value for the side to complete the
Pull.
5. Click and drag in the direction of the Pull arrow to create or edit a solid.
6. If the correct pull arrow is not highlighted, press Tab or click the Pull arrow you want to use.
Press Shift to snap while pulling.
Press the spacebar or click on a dimension to enter a value.
To dimension the pull, type the distance you want to pull and press Enter. You can also type a dimension
in the dimension box in the mini-toolbar.
You do not have to click and drag on (or even near) the Pull arrow. In fact, we recommend that you move
your cursor away from the arrow for more precise control of the pull. The only important input to the Pull
tool is the direction in which you are moving the cursor. When you pull, contiguous solids are automatically
combined.
If you want to pull in a head-on view, use the ruler at the bottom right corner of the Design window to pull
instead of the Pull arrow. Slide the gray bar to the left to subtract material, and to the right to add material.

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If you pull through another object in the same component, the smaller object is merged into the larger
one, and receives the larger object's properties. If you pull multiple, touching surfaces, the smaller surfaces
are merged into the largest one. Select the No Merge option if you don't want objects merged.
Hold the Ctrl key while pulling to create a copy of the object that is offset by the distance you pull. You
can also hold Ctrl while revolving to create a copy of a surface. The influence of neighboring faces is
taken into account to trim or extend the edges of the copied face, when appropriate. You can use the Up
To tool guide with Ctrl to make a copy, and you can use the Both Sides option to make two copies that
are offset in opposite directions from the original. You can also use the Up To tool guide to pull surfaces
up to a reference edge.
Press Esc to cancel the Pull.
See the topics in the Table of Contents under Designing > Editing > Pulling for the list of actions you
can perform with the Pull tool.
Do it faster
1. Select the faces, edges, and points you want to work with.
In general, pulling a face increases the size of the solid, pulling an edge creates a surface, and pulling a
point creates a line or curve.
2. (Optional) Alt+click the face or edge that will drive the pull.
Pulling a curve
When you select a curve with the Pull tool, the direction of the extrusion is determined by the plane of the
curve.
The default direction to pull a curve is along the Z

axis.
If a curve lies on the Z axis, the pull arrow points in

the Y direction.
If you select two curves on the same plane, the pull

arrow points in the direction that is perpendicular to
the plane of the curves.

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If you select a curve that touches another curve, the

pull arrow points in the direction perpendicular to the
plane of the two curves.
Pulling curve ends

You can toggle between Tangent and Natural (curvature continuous) extension when dragging the end of a
curve. To drag the extension Tangent to the curve, press and hold Ctrl prior to dragging. You can release
the Ctrl key once you start dragging. If you do not press Ctrl, the extension is created Curvature Continuous.
• Works for Splines (extended or trimmed-back)
• Works for Arcs
Press Ctrl and drag to Pull the curve end tangent to the curve.

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Without pressing Ctrl, Pulling the curve end extends it with its natural curvature.
Pulling surface edges

Surface edges can be Pulled normal to their neighboring face. Press the Ctrl key when you begin the Pull.
Press Ctrl and drag to Pull the edge tangent to the surface.
Without pressing Ctrl, Pulling the edge extends it with its natural curvature.

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Tool guides
The Select tool guide is active by default. When this tool guide is active, you can perform
standard selection tasks, and create natural offsets and rounds. Select a face, parallel
faces, or surface edges to offset them. Select a solid edge to round it. Alt+click to select
the driving face or edge for revolves, directed extrusion, sweeps, and drafts.
Alt+double-click an edge to select an edge loop. Alt+double-click again to cycle through
alternate edge loops. You can select objects across multiple components to pull.
Use the Direction tool guide to select a straight line, edge, axis, origin axis, plane, or
planar face to set the pull direction.
Select a face to pivot or select a face and edge to revolve. Then use the Revolve tool
guide to select the straight line, edge, or axis around which you want to pivot or revolve.
Select any number of contiguous faces on the same body, then use the Draft tool guide
to select the plane, planar face, or edge around which you want to pivot. None of the
contiguous faces can be parallel to the neutral plane, face or edge around which you want
to pivot.
Use the Sweep tool guide to select the straight or curved lines or edges along which
you want to sweep. Faces and edges can be swept, and the sweep trajectory cannot be
in the same plane as the face.
Use the Scale Body tool guide to scale objects in 3D. See Scaling solids and surfaces.
Use the Up To tool guide to select the object that you want to pull to. The pulled object's
face or edge will mate with the surface of the selected body or be pulled up to a plane
through the selection. You can also use this tool guide to pull surfaces up to a reference
edge or facet. When pulling Up To a Facet reference, a dimension is displayed for further
editing. The object will be copied if you hold Ctrl.
The selection used for Up To can come from the Structure Tree, if it can be determined.
A single face surface is an example of an Up To selection in the Structure Tree.
Extends an edge or face to the nearest face. This option works similar to the Up To tool
guide, except you don't select the face to extend to.
You can use Full Pull to automatically pull edges up to the closest faces that intersect
with the object. The edges you select are extended in the direction of the Pull handle up
to the next set of faces or edges that fully bound the extension. The original surfaces that
the edges belong to are extended and new edges may be created; however, new faces
are not created.
Pull Options
options from the Options panel or the mini-toolbar:
Add Only add material when you pull. If you pull in a subtractive direction, no change
will occur. You can combine this option with other Pull options.
Cut Only remove material when you pull. If you pull in an additive direction, no
change will occur. You can combine this option with other Pull options.
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When this check box is selected and you pull a surface, the surface is extruded
Thicken surfaces into a solid. This is the default behavior. When the option is deselected and
you pull a surface, the surface is offset to a new location, changing the original
surface. When you hold Ctrl and drag a surface with the option selected or
deselected, the surface is copied and then offset.
Select this check box to maintain the offset relationship when pulling.
Maintain Offset
Pull Both Sides Select a single, detached edge, imprinted edge, surface, or helix then click
this option to pull both sides of the edge or surface at once.
Measure Opens the Measure tool. Selecting a measurement result returns you to the
Pull tool and displays the measurement value in a dimension box with an
arrow pointing to the measured object. Modify the value for a one-time
at any time.
Mass Properties Opens the Mass Properties tool. Selecting a mass property result returns
you to the Pull tool and displays the measurement value in a dimension box
with an arrow pointing to the measured object. Modify the value for a one-time
at any time.
an anchor edge or face. You can use the ruler to dimension the pull. The
direction must be specified to successfully create a ruler dimension. Press
Esc to cancel the ruler dimension.
When you are pulling an edge, select this option to create a rounded corner,
Round
which is also known as a fillet.
Note: The default minimum radius is 0.1 mm. Smaller radii can be specified
if the units are in micrometers, nanometers, or mils.
Chamfer When you are pulling an edge, select this option to create a chamfer.
surface.
The type of offset is determined by whether or not Offset edges by geodesic
calculation is selected in Advanced options. This option is selected by default.
When this option is selected, all the points on the offset edge are the same
distance from the initial edge. In the examples below, the original edge is
highlighted in green, the regular offset is shown in orange, and the geodesic
offset is shown in blue.

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Examples
Pulling the edge of a surface first simplifies the edge, then its neighboring edges are extended (or trimmed)
Pulling the edge of a surface while holding Ctrl makes a new surface that is tangent to the edge.
Pulling edges up to other edges with the Up To tool guide

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Pulling a point on a surface towards an Alt+clicked vertex
Pulling edges with the Full Pull option. If you select the lower edge of the green surface shown above, you
will receive an error because the neighboring surface does not extend past the end of the selected edge.
The edge on the right side of the face can be pulled with the option, because the neighboring face extends
beyond its length. A new edge is created, which is marked in red in the illustration on the right.
Pulling edges to their nearest neighbor with the Full Pull option
Pulling a sketched line on a planar face creates a surface in the same plane as the face

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Pulling the edge of a toroidal surface. Three directions are available for pulling.
Holding Ctrl while pulling a surface with the Both Sides option creates copies of a surface.
Pulling two edges with the Extrude (2a), Copy Edge (2b), and Pivot (2c) options.
Pulling a face offsets it, and its edges are influenced by neighboring faces.

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Pulling a face with its edges selected extrudes the face without influence from neighboring faces.
Pulling a conical face Up To a parallel cylindrical face replaces the cone with the cylinder if the axes are
close together. Otherwise, the conical face is replaced with a cylindrical face that is coaxial to the cone and
has the same radius as the cylinder.
Pulling a pocket with rounded edges down through the bottom of a solid transfers the rounds to the resulting
hole.
Pulling a surface up to a reference edge.
Pivot two separate edges together when pulling in one direction.
12.4.4.1.1. Offsetting or extruding faces

To offset or extrude a face
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2. Select the face or surface you want to offset or extrude.
You can select multiple surfaces and faces of solids to offset or extrude them simultaneously.
3. (Optional) Add edges to your selection.
Select the edges of the face that you want to extrude when you pull. (Any unselected edges are defined
by the neighboring geometry during the pull, creating an offset instead of an extrusion.)
4. (Optional) Select the Direction tool guide , then click the straight line, axis, or edge if you want to
offset or extrude in a different direction.
You can also Alt+click a straight line, axis, plane, origin axis, or edge. Sometimes Discovery Live guesses
your intent incorrectly when you Alt+click the direction line. If this happens, just use the Direction tool
guide to correct it.
The pull direction is shown in blue and the pull arrow is reoriented.
5. Click and drag the face in the direction of the Pull arrow.
Dragging a: Does this:

Solid face Offsets the face in its natural offset direction
Solid face and all its edges Creates an extrusion
Surface face Thickens or thins the face
Corner edge of a solid Creates a round, chamfer, or extrusion, depending
on the selected option
Round or chamfer Offsets the round or chamfer
Variable round Uniformly offsets the variable round
Cylinder, torus, or cone Offsets the cylinder, torus, or cone
To dimension the offset, type the distance you want to pull and press Enter.
Press and hold Ctrl to offset a copy of the face as a surface.
Neighboring faces automatically extend to bound the offset face.
You can also use the Up To tool guide to pull up to any edge, plane, surface, or face in your design. If
you pull a round, chamfer, or cylinder with the Up To tool guide, and pull up to similar geometry, the radius
or offset is changed to the dimension of the Up To face you select.
Options

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Examples
Selecting a face to offset
Selecting a face and edges to extrude
Selecting a face and edges, and setting a direction to extrude in a direction
Pulling an inner cylindrical surface up to an outer surface to create a solid ring

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12.4.4.1.2. Extending or extruding surface edges

You can extend or extrude the edges of any surface with the Pull tool. When you extend an edge, the pull
extends the neighboring faces without creating a new edge. Extruding an edge creates edges.
To extend or extrude the edge of a surface
Ctrl+click to select multiple edges.
3. Click the Pull arrow oriented along the surface to extend the edge. Press Tab or click the other Pull arrow
to extrude the edge in another direction.
4. (Optional) Ctrl+click the vertex of one or both neighboring edges to ignore their influence.
5. Drag in the direction of the Pull arrow to extend the edge or create a new surface perpendicular to the
old one.
If the correct pull arrow is not highlighted, press Tab or click the Pull arrow you want to use.
The natural direction of a surface edge is in the plane of the surface.
You can use the Up To tool guide to pull a linear edge up to a face, surface, edge, or point. If the face or
surface does not intersect the edge you are pulling, the edge will be pulled parallel to the selected object.
To dimension the extension, type the distance you want to extend the surface while you are pulling and
press Enter.
Options
Full Pull Extends an edge or face to the nearest face. This option works similar to the Up
To tool guide, except you don't select the face to extend to. If used to revolve or
sweep, click this option to revolve 360 degrees or to the next face, sweep through
the full trajectory, or blend through selected faces.
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surface.
Examples
Pulling the edge of a surface up to another edge forms a solid if it closes the body
Pulling the edge of a cylindrical surface extends the surface along a cylindrical path (A) unless you hold Ctrl
(B).

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Pulling the edge of a cylindrical surface with the No Merge option selected creates a new edge.
Pulling the edge of a cylindrical surface with the Both Sides option and holding Ctrl creates a new surface
tangent to the cylinder and extends in both directions from the edge.
Pulling an edge with the Pivot Edge option
Pulling an edge with the Copy Edge option

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12.4.4.1.3. Rounding edges

Use the Pull tool's Round option to round the edges of any solid. You can also round an inside or outside
corner of a surface. To create a rounded face between two faces, see Rounding between faces and surfaces.
Rounds are recognized as a face type, with their own options in the Properties panel. You can change the
Round value (true or false) and the Radius value. The Round value for a variable radius round is Varies.
You can change a constant- or variable-radius round with the Pull tool in section mode.
To round an edge
1. Click the Pull tool in the Edit group on the Design tab.
2. Select the edge or edges you want to round. Double-click to select a tangent chain.
You can also select the vertex of an inside or an outside corner of a surface.
3. Select the Round option in the Options panel or from the mini-toolbar. This option is automatically
selected for edges that can be rounded.
4. Click and drag the edge in the direction of the Pull arrow.
Note: The face hidden by the round is remembered, so that if you fill the round it can be displayed. If you
move a round, the face hidden by it is also moved.
Examples
Rounding the inside and outside corner of two surfaces.

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Pulling edges on geometry that automatically determines rounds will be variable radius.
When creating surface-to-surface rounds, the expansion direction depends on the order in which you select
the edges. In the example above, the rounds expand toward the left because the upper edge was selected
first.
Rounding the edge created by two rounds with one edge not tangent.
Pulling rounds in a tangent chain. Pulling the selected tangent chain does not change the round shown in
blue.

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Rounding elliptical edges.
To create a full round by selecting edges

2. Select the two edges on opposite sides of the face you want to become a full round, or select the circular
edge on the end of a cylinder.
You can select more than one pair of edges, and create full rounds between the pairs.
3. Pull the edges down so they are just rounded.
4. Slowly pull the mouse in the opposite direction, until the faces are no longer round, and continue pulling
until the full round appears.
To create a full round by selecting faces

2. Select the face where you want the full round.
3. Hold Ctrl and select the two side faces that will be tangent to the full round.
4. Right-click and select Full Round.
Example

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Creating a full round by selecting three faces
To convert a constant-radius round to a variable-radius round

2. Check the Edit as Variable Radius Round option.
To edit a variable radius round

• Click the Pull arrow on an end of the round face and drag toward or away from the face to adjust the radius
at the edge of the round.
• Click the Pull arrow pointing toward the center of the face and drag it along the face (or enter a length or
percent) to set another point where you can adjust the round's radius.
• Hold Ctrl and drag to copy a control point.
• Press Tab to switch among and edit the dimensions by typing a number.
• Two rounds that intersect at a shared edge can be made variable together by selecting the shared sharp
edge for modification. Both rounds become variable at that point. They can be made variable independently
by selecting the sharp end edge that is not shared by the rounds.
In the Pull tool, when you select an edge of a constant radius round, the Smooth option becomes enabled
if the geometry allows it. When checked, the transition between radius at each end of the round will vary
smoothly instead of linearly. Once set, the Smooth option remains set for subsequent rounds until you change
it.
The image below shows a Smooth variable radius round. Other editing examples follow.
Examples

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Editing a variable radius round

The variable radius round handles have a drag (ball) handle. The center Radius Handle cannot be dragged;
all radii values are adjusted at once.
Click the ball and drag to add and place a new radius handle.
Setting another point for adjusting a variable round's radius

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Selecting multiple edges to create a variable round across those edges
To remove a rounded edge
To remove a rounded edge with the Pull tool

This method completely removes the rounded edge.
3. Select the Round option in the Options panel or from the mini-toolbar.
The round is removed.
To remove a rounded edge with the Fill tool

This method removes the rounded edge and creates a round group in the Groups panel. You can right-click
the group and select Reattach Round to restore the rounded edge.
1. Click the Fill tool in the Edit group on the Design tab.
The round is removed and a round group is created.
12.4.4.1.4. Rounding between faces and surfaces

You can create a rounded edge across the gap between two faces or surfaces that would meet at a corner.
To create a rounded face on an edge, see Rounding edges.
When you round between faces of two solids, the solids must extend into the area where the rounded face
is created.

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To round between faces or surfaces

2. Select the faces you want to create a round between.
3. Select the Round option in the Options panel.

The pull arrow changes to indicate that a round will be created between the faces and a curve is displayed
to show you the direction of the round. Yellow cursor arrows show you the directions you can pull to create
the round if you have cursor arrows enabled.
4. Press Tab to cycle through all of the possible rounds that can be created between two faces or surfaces.
If the two faces you are rounding between are rounds, then Tab lets you choose either rounding between
or changing the radius of both existing rounds.
5. Click and drag in the direction of the Pull arrow.
When pulling Face-to-Face round,s you can match their radius to an existing round using the Up To tool
guide.
Note: Unlike rounds made on edges, the faces hidden by the round are not remembered. If you fill the round
it will be replaced by an edge.
Examples
Rounding between faces on two parts. Material exists in the area where the rounded face is created, so this
operation will succeed.

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A rounded face cannot be created between these faces because material doesn't exist in the area between
the parts where the round will be created.
This sequence shows creating a round between faces, then using the Fill tool to remove the round. The Fill
replaces the round with an edge and not with the original geometry.
Rounding between two surfaces creates a rounded surface.
12.4.4.1.5. Round modification

Some modifications fail because the entire round chain (along with all chains required to be removed by the
modification) are all included in the modification. In some cases, parts of the chain (or others, even far away
ones) are restricted by surrounding geometry and the modification fails. To make modifications more robust,
they are localized to the selected piece of the round.
A key to this working is that the ends of the localized section need to be “auto-capped”. In other words, they
need to be able to be closed off by a plane triangular face, essentially normal to the last-visited construction
edge. The following example illustrates this.
The radius is going to be increased at the selected edge.

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Localizing means that the round pieces on either side of the edge are removed first. For this to work, the
ends of the removed pieces need to be “capped” with a triangular face or be the start or end point of the
round chain. These end conditions are necessary to rebuild the new variable round between the ends.
An end cap is shown in the example below.
The Localized round can then be reconstructed with the modified radius as shown below.

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The image below shows an example where capping the end is difficult. The red circles highlight points where
there is ambiguity for capping. It's difficult to construct a capping face normal to the construction edge.
With Localization, the modification will fail if either of these edges is an end of a modified piece of the round.
Without Localization, the modification would include these areas and the modification would fail.

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In order to remove a round for modification, the side faces need to be able to Extend up and form a sharp
edge as shown below.
In some cases, extra surface patches can cause ambiguous situations where the sharp edge cannot be
determined and the round cannot be removed for modification. The image below is an example of a round
that cannot be removed because of face extension ambiguity.

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Round order
The order in which rounds are created influences the appearance and quality of the resultant geometry. The
Reverse Round Order button in the Round mini-toolbar Allows to reverse the order of selected rounds that
interact with other rounds.
You can change the order of round creation to clean up split rounds that produce extra edges as shown in
the example below.
A round is applied to an edge which is broken by existing rounds.

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Because the edge is broken, the new round is segmented.
Reversing the round order produces smoother rounds.
12.4.4.1.6. Chamfering edges

You can chamfer the edges of any solid by selecting the Pull tool's Chamfer option. Sketched chamfers that
you make using the Create Rounded Corner tool with the Chamfer option are recognized as chamfers when
they are extruded into a solid.
Chamfers are recognized as a face type, with their own options in the Properties panel. You can change the
Chamfer (true or false) and Distance values.
After you create the chamfer, you can adjust the setback distance of both sides and you can change its
offset. Drag the arrows above or below the chamfer to change the distance, or drag the arrow that is
perpendicular to the chamfer to change its offset. You can also pivot the edges and the chamfer's distance
properties will be updated with the new values.

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Note: When you make a hole in a chamfered face, the face is no longer a chamfer. You can still pull the
face, or the hole, but you cannot change the chamfer to a round or dimension the chamfer.
To chamfer an edge

2. Select the edge or edges you want to chamfer. Double-click to select a tangent chain.
4. Click and drag the edge in the direction of the Pull arrows.
Pulling the arrow that is normal to the chamfer face changes the offset distance for the whole chamfer.
Pulling either of the side arrows changes the setback distance of that side. You can press Tab to move
among the arrows.
To dimension the chamfer, right-click and enter a setback distance in the mini-toolbar, or press the space
bar, type the setback distance, and press Enter.
To create a chamfer with the same setback distance and size as an existing chamfer, use the Up to tool
guide and select an existing chamfer face. You can also select an edge with Up To to set the setback
distance.
Chamfer stop faces

Stop Chamfers have conical stop faces that mimic the effect of an angled cutting tool rotating and then
stopping somewhere in the middle of an edge.
1. Select a chamfered edge.

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• When you click the Chamfer option in the Pull tool, the edge ends switch to yellow cones that can be
dragged. This is similar to Pull Edge UI in Sheet Metal and sets the point where the simulated cutter
will stop.
• Note the conical stop face created at the chamfer's
end.

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• You can move both ends to create stop faces at both ends of the
chamfer.
Reverse Chamfer Stop has been added to Chamfer options. This flips the ‘direction' of the conical Stop
Face.
• The handle used to set the location of the Stop Face is a cone that indicates the orientation of the cutting
tool that would create the Chamfer.

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• Here it is 'reversed' or flipped 90
degrees.
• An Apex offset input box has been added to Chamfer options to offset the cone apex (the lowest point
of the cone) past the furthest extent of the intersection of the virtual cutter with the material.
Apex offset = 0 Apex offset = 1 Apex offset = 2
• The linear dimension in the image refers to the arc length of the un-chamfered part of the original edge.
Note in the example below that 7.22mm is the length of the arc between
points.
To modify a chamfered edge

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1. Select a chamfered edge or a chain of chamfered edges.

• To change the setback distance of one side of the chamfer, pull the arrow above or below the chamfer,
as shown below. Press the space bar while pulling to type a distance value. You can also change both
setback distances in the Properties panel and in the mini-toolbar. The Up To tool guide can be used to
pull the setback up to an object.
• To change the offset distance of the chamfer, pull the arrow that is perpendicular to the chamfer, as
shown below. Press the spacebar while pulling to type a distance value.
• To modify by Distance and Angle, select one of the side handles to display the mini-toolbar and click
the Angle dimension option. The selected side becomes the distance side and the other switches
to angle.
• To convert the chamfer to a normal face, select False in the Chamfer field of the Properties panel. You
can select True to convert a face to a chamfer; however, faces with holes cannot be modified as
chamfers. Changing this property does not change the geometry. See the instructions below to remove
a chamfer from an edge.
Note: Hold the Shift key while pulling a chamfer setback or offset to snap to existing edges.
To convert between rounded edges and chamfered edges

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2. Select the edge or edges you want to convert to chamfers or rounded edges.
Double-click to select a tangent chain.
You can't convert a chamfered edge if you have changed the setback distance(s).
3. Select the Chamfer option or the Round option in the Options panel or from the mini-toolbar.
The rounded edge is converted to a chamfered edge.
Note: You cannot convert a chamfer to a round if you have changed its setback distance(s).
To make a chamfer with the same setback and offset as another chamfer

2. Select an edge or an existing chamfer that you want to change.
3. Click the Up To tool guide.
4. Select the chamfer whose values you want to copy.
The first chamfer will be changed so its offset and setback distances are the same as the second chamfer.
To remove a chamfer with the Pull tool

This method completely removes the chamfered edge.

The chamfer is removed.
To remove a chamfer with the Fill tool

This method removes the chamfered edge and creates a chamfer group in the Groups panel. You can
right-click the group and select Reattach Chamfer to restore the chamfered edge.
1. Click Fill in the Edit group on the Design tab.

The chamfer is removed and a chamfer group is created.
Examples

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Pulling to enlarge an existing chamfer while holding Shift to snap to an edge. You can only snap to an edge
in this case when you pull an existing chamfer.
Using the Up to tool guide to change the offset and setback distances of a chamfer to match an existing
chamfer.
Creating a chamfer on multiple edges at the same time.
12.4.4.1.7. Extruding edges

You can extrude the edge of any solid by selecting the Pull tool's Extrude Edge option. You can also extend
and extrude surface edges.
To extrude an edge

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2. Select the edge or edges you want to extrude.
Ctrl+click to select multiple edges. Double-click to select a tangent chain.
The Pull arrow changes to show the two directions in which you can extrude the edge. One arrow is
the direction.
Click and drag the edge in the direction of the Pull arrow.
Press Ctrl to copy the edges.
Press Ctrl+C, then Ctrl+V to quickly copy and paste a selected set of edges in place.
the edge you are pulling, the edge will be pulled parallel to the face. If you pull the edge of a surface up to
To extrude a curve
2. Select the curve or curves you want to extrude.
Ctrl+click to select multiple curves. Double-click to select a tangent chain.
The Pull arrow changes to show the two directions in which you can extrude the curve. One arrow is
the direction.
Click and drag the curve in the direction of the Pull arrow.
Press Ctrl to copy the curves.
Press Ctrl+C, then Ctrl+V to quickly copy and paste a selected set of curves in place.
the curve you are pulling, the curve will be pulled parallel to the face. If you pull the curve of a surface up to
When extruding sketch curves into surfaces, the following rules apply to the resulting surface color.

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If all curves being pulled are the same color AND the curve colors
override their layer color, the surface is the same color as the curves.
If all curves being pulled are the same color AND the curves take
their color from a layer that is not the Active layer, the surface is the
color of the Active layer and not the color of the curves.

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If all curves are not the same color, the surface uses the Active layer
color.
If all curves are not the same color AND take their colors from
different layers, the surface uses the Active layer color.
Options

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Extrude Edge or When you are pulling an edge or curve, select this option to extrude the edge
Extrude Curve into a surface.
12.4.4.1.8. Pivoting edges

You can pivot the edge of any solid with the Pull tool's Pivot Edge option. You can also pivot two separate
edges together when pulling in one direction.
To turn a cylinder into a cone, select the Pull tool and the Pivot Edge option. Then click the edge of the
cylinder and pull it until it forms a point. To turn a truncated cone into a cylinder, click the small edge and pull
it out.
To pivot an edge
1. Select the Pull tool in the Edit group on the Design tab.
2. Select the edge or edges you want to pivot. Double-click to select a tangent chain or edge loop.
3. Select the Pivot Edge option in the Options panel, or from the mini-toolbar.
The Pull arrow changes to show the two directions in which you can move the edge to pivot the connected
faces. One arrow is highlighted to show the primary direction.
4. If the arrow pointing in the direction you want to pull is not highlighted, click the arrow or press Tab.
5. Drag the edge in the direction of the Pull arrow.
During the pull, the distance you have moved the edge is displayed. You can dimension the distance in
Section and 3D mode, and dimension the angle in Section mode.
You can hold Shift to snap to existing geometry.
Examples

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Simultaneously pivoting multiple edges.
Pivoting two separate edges together when pulling in one direction.
Dimensioning the pivot angle.
12.4.4.1.9. Revolving faces

You can revolve any face or surface with the Pull tool. The face or surface can lie on both sides of the revolve
axis.
To revolve a face
2. Select the surfaces, faces, or solids you want to revolve.
3. Alt+click the straight line, axis, or edge to set the revolve axis.
You can also select the Revolve tool guide, then click to set the revolve axis. The revolve axis is shown
in blue.
4. Click and drag in the direction of the Pull arrow to revolve the selected object, select the Up To tool guide
and click an edge, face, or plane, or select Full Pull from the Options panel or mini-toolbar.
Neighboring faces automatically extend to define the boundaries of the revolved faces of solids. Revolving
from a flat surface face has no neighboring faces, so it makes new face boundaries.

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To dimension the rotation, type the rotation angle and press Enter. The positive direction is shown by the
Revolve handle.
Note: Alt+click an axis, then mouse over a face and pull to revolve the face around the axis.
Options
Examples
Revolve using cut, 180 degree revolve, and a full revolve of an ellipse around an asymmetrical axis
Revolving a surfacing using Cut, when the surface lies on both side of the axis and is enclosed within a solid

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12.4.4.1.10. Revolving edges

You can revolve an edge to form a surface with the Pull tool. You can revolve the edge of a solid or surface.
To revolve an edge of a solid or surface
2. Select the edges you want to revolve.
4. Click and drag in the direction of the Pull arrow to revolve the selected edge or select the Up To tool guide
and click an edge or face to revolve up to.
Ctrl+click to select edges of faces along with the face to force the pull tool to create new neighboring
faces to contain these edges (essentially changing from a draft to a revolve). Unlike other CAD products,
Discovery Live allows revolving planar and non-planar edges and faces about lines that do not lie in those
planes. This allows skewed rotational solids and surfaces.
You can use the Up To tool guide when you revolve edges.
To revolve an edge of a surface
3. (Optional) Hold Ctrl and select an end point to maintain constant radius as the edge is revolved.
If you don't select an end point, the edge will follow influencing sides of surfaces or solids, if they exist.
A side influence can be another edge of the surface if it lies in the same plane, or a solid or surface that
touches the end of the edge. See the examples below.
5. Click and drag in the direction of the Pull arrow to revolve the selected edge.

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Options
Up To Pulls the element so it mates with the surface of the selected body or be pulled
Examples
Revolving the edge of a solid to create a surface.
Revolving an edge of a surface that is not in the plane of the surface makes an edge with a constant radius
because the edge has no side influence in this direction.

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Revolving an edge of a surface with side influence makes an edge that is influenced by adjacent edges.
Revolving an edge of a surface with side influence with its end-point selected makes an edge with a constant
radius.
Revolving an edge that crosses the axis will create more than one surface or solid if the edge is not symmetrical
across the axis.
12.4.4.1.11. Revolving helices

You can revolve a helix with the Pull tool. Path and geometry are previewed as you pull along the axis or
enter dimensions, as shown in the image below.
To revolve a helix
2. Select the face or edge you want to revolve.
3. Select the Revolve tool guide.

4. Click the axis you want to revolve around.
5. Select the Revolve Helix option in the Options panel.

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6. For points, select the Pull Both Sides option in the general Options panel to create a helix in both
directions.
7. Set the handedness of the helix by checking or unchecking the Right-Handed Helix option in the Options
panel. To create a Left-Handed Helix, uncheck the Right-Handed Helix option.
8. Pull along the axis to create the helix dynamically.
As you pull, you can enter dimensions in the helix dimension fields:
• Pitch is the amount that the helix face shifts per 360 degrees of rotation.
• Taper is the helix angle.
Press Tab to switch between dimension fields and Enter to accept the dimensions and create the helix.
To create a helix dimensionally

You can also create a helix by entering the height (the total length of the helix). Press Tab to switch between
dimension fields and preview the helix. Click the Full Pull option to create the entire helix based on the
dimensions.
Options
Right-Handed Helix Select this option to determine the direction in which the helix is revolved around
its axis.
12.4.4.1.12. Sweeping
You can sweep a face, edge, surface, 3D curve, or other object along a trajectory with the Pull tool. Sweeping
a face around a closed path creates a torus.
To sweep a face

2. Select the profile you want to sweep.
3. Select the Sweep tool guide, then click the sweep trajectory. The sweep trajectory is shown in blue.
Alt+double-click to select a tangent chain. Ctrl+click to add contiguous paths.

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You can also select the profile to sweep and then Alt+click the sweep trajectory or Alt+Ctrl+click multiple
trajectories. The sweep tool is selected automatically.
If the trajectory along which you want to sweep is a non-linear curve, you can also Alt+click the curve,
which selects the Sweep tool guide automatically.
If you select the Normal to Trajectory option, the sweep is aligned along the origin trajectory
To quickly sketch a face perpendicular to a desired trajectory, select the end of the trajectory and select
a sketching tool to place the sketch grid at that point. Then draw the face.
Select:
• Select Normal to Trajectory to keep the swept surface normal to the sweep trajectory. If your sweep
trajectory is perpendicular to the face you want to sweep, this option is enabled for you.
• Select Scale Sections to control the effect of the vector from the 0-to-X trajectory so that it controls
both orientation and scale of the sweep sections. Uncheck the box if you want the vector to control only
the orientation of the sweep sections.
• You can also select from the standard Pull options listed below.
5. Click and drag in the direction of the Pull arrow to sweep the selected objects, or select Full Pull from
the Options panel or mini-toolbar to sweep the entire length of the trajectory. If you select Full Pull and
the profile being swept is in the middle of the trajectory, it will be swept in both directions.
You can also use the Up To tool guide to select a face or surface on which you want to end the sweep.
Options
Examples

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Hexagons swept around circular and hexagonal sweep paths
Sweeping along a primary trajectory with Normal to Trajectory selected. Every section plane that is normal
to the origin trajectory is the exact same profile as the initial section, limited by the extents of the trajectory.
Sweeping along a primary trajectory with Normal to Trajectory not selected. Every section plane that is
parallel to the initial section profile is the exact same profile as that initial section, limited by the extents of
the trajectory.

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Sweeping a rectangle along a trajectory with Normal to Trajectory selected.
Sweeping a rectangle along a trajectory with Normal to Trajectory not selected.
Sweeping a hole along a trajectory by selecting the axis of the hole, then the trajectory.
If you sweep a non-continuous profile, separate swept surfaces are created.
12.4.4.1.12.1. Sweeping with multiple trajectories

You can Alt+Ctrl+click to select multiple trajectories to sweep along. The trajectory you click first is the origin
trajectory (labeled O) and the second trajectory is labeled X. If you select the Normal to Trajectory option,
the sweep is aligned along the origin trajectory. If the object being swept is in the middle of the sweep, you
can pull in either direction to sweep only in that direction.
Sweeps can vary the sketch entities (or edges) along the sweep trajectory. The trajectories can be thought
of as guides that make continual changes to the profiles as if they had been dragged while in Sketch mode.
Tangency and other constraints are maintained.

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When you sweep using more than two trajectories and Scale Sections is turned off, the profile lines and
curves will follow the trajectories individually and constraints are preserved. You can see an example in the
image below.
You can use a chain of tangent edges as a guide for Sweep.
The extent (or length) of a sweep is limited by the shortest trajectory. If the profile being swept intersects at
any point along the trajectory, you can pull in either direction to sweep only in that direction. You can also
select Full Pull to create a bidirectional sweep that extends throughout the trajectory.
The sweep preview includes the following visual elements:
• The blue square indicates the direction of the origin trajectory at its start, and is localized around the origin
trajectory's intersection with the profile to be swept.
• A right-angle symbol is displayed on the origin trajectory when you select the Normal to origin trajectory
option.
• The preview rectangles are green and scale with the sweep if you select the Scale sections option.
Sweep with two guides

In a sweep with two guides, every section plane that is normal to the origin trajectory has a profile section
that is aligned to the vector defined by the O-X vector in that plane, scaled by the length of the O-X vector,
and limited by the extents of the shortest trajectory. If there are two or more trajectories and the spline that
connects them (as a profile) is tangent to the surfaces that contain the trajectory edges, then the spline not
only scales and aligns to the O-X vector, but also deforms to keep that profile tangent, at all points along the
trajectories, to the neighboring surfaces. The profile does not have to touch the trajectories, but the profile
plane has to intersect with the trajectories.
You can also sweep with two closed trajectories:
Sweep along more than two trajectories

If the profile is composed of lines and circles, then guide curves will control the shape of the profile much the
same way a sketch is controlled by dragging the mouse. More specifically, there are three constraints: a line

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or circle that touches a guide curve will maintain the connection throughout the sweep, a circle with a guide
curve at its center will stay centered on that guide curve through the sweep, and any members of the profile
that are tangent will remain tangent. If the profile contains splines, then any lines or splines attached to a
guide curve will deform so they remain attached throughout the sweep. In this case, neighboring faces that
are tangent to the profile can be Alt+selected to specify that the profile should remain tangent to the neighboring
face throughout the sweep.
When sweeping, cross-sections can be displayed as a preview for their sweep along the trajectories, also
shown in the figure above. You can control the display of the cross-sections with the Animate Full Pull
Advanced Discovery Live option.
Sweep tangent to a surface

If you select a sweep trajectory that is the edge of a surface, and the object being swept is tangent to that
surface, then the initial tangency is maintained along the entire sweep, as shown in the figure below.
Sweep with a trajectory and an axis

If you sweep a profile along a trajectory with an axis as the secondary trajectory, then the profile normal is
maintained while the profile orientation changes as it is rotated around the axis.

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12.4.4.1.12.2. Sweeping with an axis

To set the orientation while sweeping

2. Select the object you want to sweep.
3. Alt+click the primary trajectory.
4. Ctrl+Alt+click the secondary trajectory.
5. Click the Rotate tool guide and click the axis or line that will set the orientation during the sweep.
6. Drag to create the sweep.
The object being swept must be in the plane that contains the axis and an intersection with the baseline
trajectory.
Examples
Setting the orientation of the selected object as it is swept along the trajectory.

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Variable sweep with axis. Every section plane that is cut through a point on the origin trajectory and through
the selected axis has a profile section that is aligned to the vector defined by the O-X vector in that plane,
scaled by the length of the O-X vector, and limited by the extents of the shortest trajectory. This makes every
section appear to radiate around that selected axis.
12.4.4.1.13. Drafting faces

You can draft faces around a plane or another face, edge, or surface with the Pull tool. Drafting changes the
angle of the selected contiguous faces. For example, a mold designer drafts faces to facilitate removal of
parts from the mold.
To draft a face
1. (Optional) Insert a plane around which you want to draft faces.
You need to do this when you want to draft around a plane that doesn't already exist as geometry in the
design.
3. Select the face or contiguous faces you want to draft.
4. Alt+click the plane, face (including rounds), or surface about which you want to draft. When using a surface
as a neutral plane, you can select the surface in the Structure Tree.

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You can also select the Draft tool guide , then click the face or surface. The draft plane, face, or
surface is shown in blue.
Tip: When you need to select more than one face or surface for the Alt-reference (or after selecting the
Draft tool guide) then you have to hold the Ctrl and the Alt keys while selecting the additional references.
If you select one edge loop, you can create an edge-driven draft. If you select two edge loops, you can
create a split draft.
5. Click and drag in the direction of the Pull arrow to draft the selected faces.
To dimension the draft, type the rotation angle while you are pulling and press Enter.
Options
• Add: Select the Add option to only add material. If you pull in a subtractive direction, no change will
• Cut: Select the Cut option to only remove material. If you pull in an additive direction, no change will
• No merge: Pulls without merging into other objects even when the object pulled intersects with an
existing object.
• Up to: Pulls the element so it mates with the surface of the selected body or be pulled up to a plane
through the selection. You can find this option in the mini-toolbar and it is the same as the Up To tool guide.
• Draft both sides: Select this option to pivot the face on the opposite side of the reference face as well
as the selected face.
Examples
Drafting a face about a round.

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Drafting non-contiguous faces.
Drafting around a plane that does not touch the faces being drafted.
Drafting faces around a plane. The drafted faces pivot around the face or plane you select as the draft plane.
Drafting both sides around the plane.
Drafting a face where a plane must be selected as the draft plane. See Inserting a plane for instructions to
create a plane.

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Drafting the offset faces (inside and the outside) of a shelled solid.
Drafting around a spline surface with the Draft both sides option selected
Drafting a set of surfaces about a planar surface not attached to the solid
12.4.4.1.14. Creating slots

You can create slots from holes using the Pull tool. You can also edit slots. Slots maintain the relationship
between their faces.
If you pull a hole with a rounded or chamfered edge into a slot, the slot will have a rounded or chamfered
edge.
Note: You must select the axis of the hole, rather than the axis of a round or chamfer on the hole. You will
not be able to pull the slot if you select the axis of the round or chamfer.
To create a slot

If you have trouble selecting the axis, hover first over the inside face of the hole and the axis will appear.

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Geometry
3. (Optional) Hold Alt and click on a face, edge, or vertex to set the direction or trajectory of the Pull.
4. (Optional) Select the Pull Both Sides option to create the slot in both directions.
5. (Optional) Select Full Pull to pull the slot along the full length of the trajectory, if you selected one.
6. Pull the axis or face of a hole to create a slot.
If you want to pull in a new direction, press the Tab key to change the direction of the Pull handles.
To create a curved slot

2. Select the Rotate tool guide and click the axis of the driving cylinder.
You can also Alt+click the axis of the driving cylinder.
3. Pull the hole to create a curved slot.
You can pull a curved slot 360 degrees to make a round cut.
To create a radial slot

cylinder. Click the Pull Direction tool guide and pull the hole to create a radial slot.
cylinder. Click the Pull Direction tool guide and pull the hole to offset the cylinder and create a radial
slot simultaneously.
• Select the Pull arrow that points toward the axis and pull.
If you want to lengthen a radial slot while keeping it the same distance from a radial face, Ctrl+click the
radial slot's axis and the face, then pull.
If you want to move a slot along with a radial face Ctrl+select the hole's axis and the face, then Ctrl+pull.
To create an offset of a radial slot

1. Select an axis of a slot.
2. Hold the Alt key and select the cylinder face or face to set the offset direction.
3. Hold the Ctrl key and pull or enter a radius value.

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To create a swept slot

2. Select the Sweep tool guide.

3. Click the sweep trajectory.
A sweep mode arrow indicates the beginning of the sweep.
4. Click and drag in the direction of the Pull arrow to sweep the selected objects.
You can also select Full Pull from the Options panel or the mini-toolbar to sweep the entire length of
the trajectory. If you select Full Pull and the face or surface being swept is in the middle of the trajectory,
it will be swept in both directions.
To edit a slot
You can modify a hole that was dragged to form a slot by pulling on any of the slot axes.
If the slot has a rounded or chamfered edge, double-click the round or chamfer to change its dimensions.
If you select Detach first in the Options panel, then the slot will become a solid if you use the Move tool to
move it off the body, as shown below.
To move a slot radially

1. Select the Pull tool.
2. Select both axes of the slot.
cylinder. Click the Pull Direction tool guide and Ctrl-drag to move the slot radially.
cylinder. Click the Pull Direction tool guide and Ctrl+drag to offset the cylinder and move the slot.
You can also move a hole radially by pressing Shift while dragging it with the Pull tool.

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To remove the slot relationship

Right-click a face of the slot and select Remove Association.
Any changes you make to the slot's face will affect only that face.
Examples
Pulling mirrored holes to create slots
Creating a circular slot by entering an angle dimension with the Pull Both Sides option
Creating a radial slot by selecting an axis or edge parallel to the hole's axis as the Pull direction

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Creating a slot using a vertex as the Pull direction
12.4.4.1.15. Scaling solids and surfaces

You can scale solids and surfaces with the Pull tool. You can scale multiple objects in different components.
To scale a solid, surface, or mesh

2. Select a solid, surface, or mesh (meshes also have a Scale tool in the Facets tab).
5. Pull to scale dynamically (a field appears to show the scale as you pull) or press the spacebar and enter
the scale.
You can enter mathematical expressions to calculate a scale factor.
To scale using an annotation dimension, click the spark icon next to the dimension and type a new
value.
Note: Select the solid or surface, Alt+click a vertex to anchor the scale, and pull.
To scale a solid asymmetrically

2. Select a solid body (Meshes can be scaled asymmetrically using the Scale tool in the Facets tab).
5. Hold Alt and select an origin axis, or hold Alt and Ctrl and select a point and a line.
6. Drag in either direction of the line to scale the part in that direction.
You can press the Spacebar and enter a scale value while you are dragging.


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To scale a datum plane or axis

2. Select the datum plane and/or axis and select a curve, surface, or solid.
You must hold Ctrl and select the plane. Box-select will not select it.
Examples
Scaling a solid asymmetrically
Scaling a plane and an axis with a solid
You can use annotation dimensions to scale an object. See Editing with annotation dimensions.

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12.4.4.1.16. Copying edges and faces

You can copy edges and faces by selecting the Pull tool's Extrude Edge option. You can also copy edges
and faces with the Move tool.
When copying and pasting the edge of a surface as a curve or line, the lines are placed on the active layer
and remain selected until you clear the selection. This feature is useful if you need references to rebuild a
surface.
To copy an edge or edges

2. Select the edge or edges you want to copy. Double-click to select a chain of edges.
3. Select the Copy Edge option in the Options panel or from the mini-toolbar.
You can also Ctrl+drag with the Pivot Edge or Extrude edge options selected to copy the edge.
The Pull arrow changes to show the two directions in which you can create copies of the edge. One arrow
is highlighted to show the primary direction.
4. If the arrow pointing the direction in which you want to copy the edge is not highlighted, click the arrow
or press Tab to change the direction.
5. Drag the edge in the direction of the highlighted Pull arrow.
During the pull, the distance between the copied edge and the new edge is displayed. When you create
an external edge, a surface is created between the copied edge and the new one.
Note: Press Ctrl and drag to copy the selected face.
Copying mesh edges

When you Copy and Paste mesh edges, the result is a polyline.

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Examples
Copying edges to create new edges on a face
When copying an edge, the edge adjusts based on the solid's geometry
Copying a round face

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Geometry
12.4.4.1.17. Pulling with the Select tool

You can pull with the Select tool or the Pull tool.
To pull with the Select tool

Drag the vertex of a selected face to another vertex to pull the selected face, as shown in the figures below.
Dragging a copy of a solid back into the solid
12.4.4.1.18. Pivoting with the Select tool

You can pivot an edge with the Select tool or the Pull tool.
To pivot an edge
Drag the vertex of a selected edge to another vertex to pivot the selected face, as shown in the figure below.

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Geometry
12.4.4.1.19. Using measure to drive pull

Measurements can be made, and the results used, while in the Pull tool.
To use measurements from within the Pull tool:

1. Enter the Pull tool
2. Select an object to pull
4. Click on the measurement result that will drive the Pull (hover over measurements to display a purple
e. At any time, clicking on the group in the Group tree will open the Pull tool and put the measurement
value in edit mode. Simply enter a new value and complete the Pull.
box. While pulling the front of the box, you can enter a new area value for the side to complete the Pull.

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12.4.4.2. Moving

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To Move objects

new location.
of other curves.

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Examples

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these.

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Example
To dimension a move

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dimension the move.
Examples
one move
Tool guides
tool guide.

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Section modes.
Options
dimension the move.
along a trajectory.
relationship.

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other curves.

selected object.


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to move.

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Examples
Moving two curves.


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Examples


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and unlocked.
you change.


in blue.

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pattern.

in blue.

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in blue.



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3. Press Enter.
To move a pattern


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pattern is skewed:
the pattern.


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3. Click Create NS.

tools.

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1. Click Move tool.

the options.

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Examples
Rectangular pattern
locked.

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To pull a solid
To pivot a solid

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or points.
tool.
Examples

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vertical curve.

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both.

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a "+" sign.

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assembly.

Examples

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move the grid.

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grid.



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box).

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12.4.4.3. Fill
Use the Fill tool to fill in the selected region with the surrounding surface or solid. Fill can "heal" many cuts
made into geometry, such as chamfers and rounds, subtractive revolves, protrusions, depressions, and
regions removed by removing regions in the Combine tool. When using Fill to fill a gusset, the bend geometry
on which the gusset is defined remains intact.
The Fill tool can also be used to simplify surface edges and cap surfaces to form solids. You can select a
combination of faces and edges to replace them with a single new face.

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Geometry
You can use the Fill tool in Sketch mode to fill a loop of sketch curves that is almost closed, but that has
multiple small gaps. If the gaps are too large, multiple error messages appear to show you where the gaps
are. You can also use it to concatenate multiple sketched curves.
You can also use the Fill tool when editing a layout. Fill functionality is useful when you sketch faces across
section lines, but do not want the section lines to split the surfaces when you switch to 3D.
When you change the geometry of a model, for example, the model's length, height, or width, the model's
fill pattern will automatically update to correctly re-fill to the model's new geometry.
Using the Fill tool

Click on one of the links below for detailed information about working with the Fill tool:
Sketch and layout curves

If you select one or more end points of sketch curves, the curves are concatenated into a single spline.
Neighboring sketch curves are merged into one selectable item with an underlying spline. The spline is not
displayed until the concatenated curve is modified:
Let's look at the following sketch curves:
One of the rectangles isn't closed. If we fill this rectangle, the loop is automatically closed and it becomes a
surface:
The gap in this loop is small enough for the Fill tool to automatically close. Larger gaps will not be closed. If
a gap is less than 1.5 times the length of the minor grid spacing on the sketch grid, the edges are extended

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The Fill tool also created surfaces from the other closed loops of sketch curves. The darker shaded areas
in the image above show where the surface parts overlap. If we move the rectangle, we can see the surface
that was created automatically:
The result only has edges for the sketch curves that we did not select, because the selected curves were
used to create a separate surface.
Now let's go back and close the open rectangle, and let the Fill tool automatically create surfaces without
selecting any edges:
This surface has edges for every closed sketch curve. The same thing automatically happens if we go from
sketch mode to 3D mode.
If we select all the sketch curves, then click Fill, we get a surface without any interior edges:
You can also fill layout and sketch loops:
And a loop of non-tangent 3D curves:

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Vertices
You can select any number of edge points in any order. Each edge point is removed and a spline is created
to make a smooth curvature change between the neighboring edges to the point:
If you Fill a vertex on a solid, the system attempts to merge coincident edges into a single edge:
Edges on surfaces
If you select one surface edge in the shape of a spline or arc, the edge is simplified into a straight line:
If you select two or more edges of a surface, the edges are simplified with a straight edge between the end
points:

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If you select an edge that is completely within a surface, the edge is removed:
If you select all the edges that enclose a surface, the surface is simplified into a rectangle based on its extents:
If you select a single edge that lies on an analytic surface, Fill will simplify it with the neighboring edges:
You can fill irregular gaps on a circular surface, and the gap is simplified into a straight edge. Use Fill again
on the straight edge, and the edge becomes round:
Chamfers on surfaces
Select a chamfer on a surface and then use the Fill tool to fill the chamfer.

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Edges on more than one face

If you select a chain of open, planar surface edges, Fill creates faces based on the edges you select:
or
If you select an open edge loop that belongs to multiple faces, Fill attempts to cap it with an analytic surface
(cylinder, cone, etc.):
If you select a series of planar edges, you will get a planar face:

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Geometry
If you select a series of surface edges that are not planar, Fill extends neighboring faces if the Patch Blend
option is off:
If the Patch Blend option is turned on,
If you select an edge loop and Alt+click to select neighboring faces, the new face will be tangent to any faces
you used Alt+click to select:
You can also extend neighboring faces to fill sliver gaps (double click to get loop):

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Geometry
If you select open edges of a self-intersecting surface, Fill tries to form a solid and remove excess (also works
in combine):
If you select an edge loop and use the Patch blend and Tangent extension options:
When you fill a loop of edges, you can use Alt and select curves and the new face(s) will pass through the
curves:

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Geometry
If you select an edge loop and guide curves, with or without the Tangent extension option (which applies to
areas not influenced by guide curves):
If you select an imprinted edge on the face of a surface or solid, the imprinted edge is removed. This works
the same as delete:
If you select laminar edge(s) of a solid or surface, Fill simplifies the edges by replacing them with a single
edge with the same geometry:
Solids
If you select faces, Fill deletes them and extends neighboring faces:
If you select a chamfer or round, Fill removes them and adds them to a named group:

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Geometry
If you select rounds with neighboring rounds, Fill creates planar caps (because rounds should not be extended
by definition):
If you select rounds on shelled parts, both faces of the shell are filled:
If you select joint edges created in Sheet Metal, the joints are removed:
If you select two imprinted edges, as shown below, they are combined into one edge:
Faces and edges or sketch curves

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With at least one face selected and at least one edge or sketch curve selected, Fill will remove the selected
faces and create a single new face using the removed faces and the selected edges as inputs:
If you select two faces or surfaces that don't touch, you can replace them with a single face. You must
double-click to select the gap between the faces:
Any combination of sketch curves, layout curves, surface edges, and

solid edges
When you select any combination of sketch curves, layout curves, surface edges, and solid edges that lie
in the same plane and form a closed loop, Fill creates a planar surface:
Meshes
Mesh internal loops and boundary loops can be filled with the Fill tool. The loops are filled with facets that
consider the curvature of the neighboring facets. This produces a very smooth and uniform fill. The newly
created facets are added to the selection set after the fill.

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Multiple mesh loops can be filled at once in three cases.

Separate loops on the Same mesh object that are NOT intended to be joined.
Separate loops on the Same mesh object that ARE intended to be joined
Separate loops on Different mesh objects that ARE intended to be joined

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Geometry
Loops on exterior and interior shells, when filled simultaneously, will create a wall thickness. Fill the interior
and exterior loops separately to continue the shell.
You can also use the Delete key to fill faces on a solid or surface.
To fill a region
1. Select the edges that define a surface region, or the faces that define a region within or on a solid.
You can select an object in the Structure tree to simplify it.
You can select faces and the Fill tool will automatically create a patch if you also select at least one edge.
To fill sketch or layout lines

1. Select a closed or almost closed loop of sketch lines.

If a gap is 1.5 times the length of the minor grid spacing on the sketch grid or less, the edges are extended
The mode is switched to 3D mode, and the filled loop becomes a surface.
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Geometry
You can select the face of a solid when only the edge is displayed (such as in a drawing sheet view) using
the scroll wheel. The edge becomes a slightly thicker line when the face is highlighted. If you fill lines in
a layout, you can then pull the surface into 3D from the layout, but remain in edit layout mode after this
action.
You can fill lines and edges whether or not the sketched lines you want to fill were sketched in the same
plane as the edges. (If the lines are imprinted on a face and become edges, filling those edges deletes
them.)
Note: Click the Fill tool in Sketch mode to fill any closed or almost closed loops and switch to 3D mode.
Tool guides
The Select tool guide is active by default. When this
tool guide is active, you can select edges and faces
to be filled. You can click an edge loop or use
box-select to select multiple objects.
select a guide curve.
The Complete tool guide generates the filled face.
Options
• Extend Fill: Fills selected edges by extending the neighboring
faces.

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Geometry
• Patch Fill: Fills the selected edges using the initial tangency of neighboring faces to create a smooth
patch.
• Tangent to all sides: Available for Patch Fill. Makes the patch tangent when possible to the neighboring
faces.
• Show UV grid: Enabled for Patch Fill. Displays a grid on the Fill preview to help visualize the contours.
Use the dropdown slider to adjust the density of the grid.
• Show deviation: Enabled for Patch Fill. Shows a Deviation analysis of the patch. You can set the color
and scale used to display the analysis.
In the Fill tool, using the Patch option, fill multiple areas at once using Alt-selected tangency influences and
preview the changes. In the example, the two loops are being filled simultaneously and previewed. Notice
the preview change when a different Point is Alt-selected.

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Examples
Simplifying edges
Simplifying edges across multiple faces
Filling with straight and curved edges

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Filling with curved edges as guides
Capping a surface
Capping a surface that crosses multiple edges
Selecting internal edges to keep them after filling. Selecting lines to simplify a surface by filling. Internal
edges are removed.
Filling edges to form a solid

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Geometry
Patch blend with and without tangent extension. The Tangent extension option is selected on the left, and
not selected on the right.
When selecting Guide Curves in the Fill tool, preview allows continued selection of multiple Guide Curves.
This enables you to understand how the Guide Curves influence the geometry.
Fill works on multiple-selected, disconnected edge loops in surfaces. Use this as a shortcut instead of filling
edge loops individually.

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Geometry
12.4.4.3.1. Removing rounds

Before you begin
time removing rounds, you may want to review Discovery Live's tutorials or technical support information,
online at Discovery Live.com for advanced techniques you can use when removing rounds.
• To ensure accurate and complete round removal, remove the rounds in the reverse order in which they
were created, as shown in the example below of a model with colored rounds:
To fill a round or chamfer

1. Click the Select tool guide.
2. Select the round or chamfer.
3. Click the Fill tool or press F to fill the round and create caps if necessary.

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Geometry
A Round Group is created in the Groups panel each time you fill a round.
You can fill any round created in Discovery Live, even a round that removes the underlying face, until the
round is changed by some other action.
To remove a round face

1. Select the round face.

If removing a face makes an invalid solid, the solid is converted to a surface.
If a round face is difficult to remove, try Alt+clicking it with the Fill tool, or using the Replace tool.
Capping multiple round faces

When multiple selected round faces are removed by the Fill tool, they are removed in a specific order so that
they can be restored by right-clicking and selecting Reattach Rounds for each group, in reverse order.
Usually you can select all the round faces and click the Fill tool to remove and cap them all. However,
sometimes this is not possible. In that case, select one round and fill it. If that works, undo and select that
round and the next. Undo. Continue adding rounds to your selection and trying to fill them until the fill fails.
Now you have identified one of the rounds that is causing the problem. Next, fill all the rounds that filled
successfully. Finally, repeat this process in the other direction of the round tangent chain. Once you have
filled all the rounds except for the one or two causing the problem, select the one causing the problem and
its two neighbors. Then click Fill. This process allows more options for the extension of neighboring edges
to intersect and cap the round.
If you are experiencing difficulty filling a chain of round faces, first split the round faces, then fill the newly
created faces, then fill the remaining round faces.
Examples
A difficult-to-remove round replaced before removing

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Geometry
Filling a corner round that was created as a surface - surface round in an imported design
About to fill imported geometry bounded by surface rounds
Filling a rounded edge chain - the original chain to be filled, chain after splitting round faces, and filled chain

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Geometry
If a round cannot be removed, a "stop face" is added and round removal is discontinued (A stop face is a
cap or vent face).
You can fill a chain of round faces when only one end of the round chain has a stop face.
Replace tool
As an option, when removing rounds, you can also use the Replace tool from the Edit group on the Design
tab, to replace one face with another. You can replace multiple faces with a single face, replace a single face
with multiple faces, or replace multiple faces with multiple other faces.

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Geometry
Sphere tool

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12.4.4.3.2. Replacing faces

Use the Replace tool in the Edit ribbon group on the Design tab to replace one face with another. You
can replace multiple faces with a single face, replace a single face with multiple faces, or replace multiple
faces with multiple other faces.
The Replace tool also lets you manually simplify or align complex faces and curves into planes, cones, and
cylinders. (If you want to automate this process, use the Simplify tool in the Adjust group on the Repair tab
to automatically find problem areas.)
To replace a face
1. Click the Replace tool in the Edit ribbon group on the Design tab.
2. Select the face you want to replace (that is, the target).
3. Select the face, surface, or plane you want to use to replace the target face (that is, the source).
You can select sources in the Design window or in the Structure tree.
Do it faster
1. Click the target face and Alt+click the source face, surface, or plane with the Select tool.
2. Click the Replace tool to replace the target face with the source face.
To replace multiple targets

2. Click the Target tool guide to make it sticky, then click each target face.
3. Select the source face, surface, or plane.
You can select a source in the Design window or in the Structure tree.
To replace a target with multiple sources

2. Select the target face.
3. Click the Source tool guide to make it sticky, then click each source face, surface, or plane.
selection method.
4. Click the Complete tool guide or press Enter to replace the target.

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To replace multiple targets with multiple sources

2. Click the Target tool guide, then click each target face.
Youcan also use any multiple-face selection method.
3. Click the Source tool guide twice to make it sticky, then click each source face, surface, or plane.
selection method.
4. Click the Complete tool guide or press Enter to replace the targets.
Examples
Replacing a target split face with a source surface
Replacing multiple target faces (the protrusion) with a single source face (the surface)
Replacing multiple target faces (in the depression) with multiple source faces (on the surface)
To align or simplify faces

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2. Click the Target tool guide, then click each face that you want to align or simplify.
If the selected faces are candidates for alignment or simplification, they are highlighted in red. Faces can
be aligned or simplified by the Replace tool if they are within Discovery Live 's alignment or simplification
tolerance of ±0.0001m.
3. Click the Complete tool guide or press the Enter key to align or simplify the highlighted faces.
To simplify curves
2. Ctrl+click each curve that you want to simplify.
If the selected curves are candidates for alignment or simplification, they are highlighted in red.
3. Click the Complete tool guide or press the Enter key to align or simplify the highlighted curves.
Example
Almost-planar faces highlighted for alignment
Faces highlighted for simplification
Tool guides
Select target faces using the sticky Target
tool guide.
Select source faces, surfaces, or planes using the

sticky Source tool guide.

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Click the Complete tool guide to replace the target

face with the source face, or to simplify or align the
target face.
12.4.4.4. Blending
You can create blends between points, edges, or faces.
To create a blend
• Enter the Blend tool
• Select a point, edge, or face
• Ctrl+Select a corresponding point, edge, or face
º You can select more than two objects
• The blend is previewed as you select
• Complete the blend
You can blend both closed and open sections to a single point as shown below.
Options
The following options are available in the Blend tool Options panel when you select the appropriate geometry
for a blend.
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• Rotational blend: Create cylinders and cones whenever possible during the creation of a blend. You must
have selected faces, points, or edges that can be rotated around a common axis.
• Periodic blend: Go all the way around when blending. The blend will begin and end at the first selected
object. You must have selected three or more faces, points, or edges that can be rotated around a common
axis, and that also span an arc greater than 180 degrees. (Blending between 3 equal-radius circle faces
creates a torus.)
• Ruled sections: Create straight edges when you blend. When you blend between faces, this option has
the same affect as selecting the face and its edges.
• Local guides: Selected guide curves only influence areas near to them.
• Clocked guides: Guide curves are oriented relative to the face edges instead being simply translated from
vertex to vertex.
• Sheet metal blend: Forces the tool to create developable surfaces. A developable surface is defined in
mathematics as a surface with zero Gaussian Curvature (i.e. a surface that can be flattened into a plane).
The tool attempts to create planes, cylinders, and cones, in that order to maximize the planar areas. It is
restricted to blending between two parallel planes.
• Normal to Centerline: When on by default, Normal to Centerline forces the Blend algorithm to keep
sections normal to the centerline. When off, the algorithm has more freedom to adjust sections so that a
surface can be created.

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Normal to centerline on Normal to centerline off
• Show UV grid: This option is ON by default to help visualize contours by displaying a grid on the preview.
Use the dropdown slider to increase or decrease the density of the grid.
Example

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When blending between colored objects, the blended geometry takes on the color of the object that was
selected first.
12.4.4.4.1. Blending between faces
You can blend between two or more faces with the Blend tool. Blended faces automatically simplify to analytic
geometry when possible.
Once you have created a blend, you can use the Tweak Face tool to edit the blended surfaces or faces.
To blend between two faces

2. Select the first surface or face.
3. Ctrl+Select the second surface or face.
A blend preview displays between the first two faces. Blend surfaces begin tangent to the edges of the
initial face and end tangent to the edges of the last face. You can Alt+Click on these faces to reverse the
tangent direction.

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4. (Optional) Alt+click the edges or lines you want to use as guides for the blend. There is also a tool guide
for selecting guide curves. Guide curves must touch all blend profiles.
5. Continue selecting surfaces or faces.
must have selected faces rotated around a common axis.
• Periodic blend: Go all the way around when blending. You must have selected three or more faces
rotated around a common axis, that also span an arc greater than 180 degrees. (Blending between 3
equal-radius circle faces creates a torus.)
• Ruled segments: Create straight edges when you pull between three or more surfaces or faces.
Checked Unchecked
• Clocked guides: Guide curves are oriented relative to the face edges instead being simply translated
from vertex to vertex.

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Sheet metal blend unchecked Sheet metal blend Checked
To blend a surface tangent to a face along a given direction

Select two curved faces and Alt+click a linear object, such as an axis, datum axis, sketch curve, or edge to
indicate the direction for finding two tangent locations.
Where you click when selecting the surface determines the approximate location of the edge of the surface.
The Blend tool previews the edges and the resulting surface.

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To blend a surface tangent to one face and through one curve/edge along
a direction
Select a face and a curve and Alt+click a linear object to set the direction.

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12.4.4.4.2. Blending between edges
Use the Pull tool in the Design tab Edit group to blend between two or more edges. You can select guide
curves for the edges to follow when creating the blend.
To blend between edges

2. Select the first curve or edge.
3. Ctrl+Select the second curve or edge.
A blend preview displays between the first two edges.
4. (Optional) Alt+click the edges or curves you want to use as guides for the blend. Guide curves must touch
all blend profiles.
5. Continue selecting curves or edges.
must have selected edges rotated around a common axis.
• Periodic blend: Go all the way around when blending. You must have selected three or more edges
• Ruled sections: Create straight edges when you blend between three or more curves or edges.
• Clocked guides: Guide curves are oriented relative to the edges instead being simply translated from
vertex to vertex.

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Clocked guides unchecked Clocked guides checked
When a blend between splines will self-intersect, the splines are modified slightly to prevent this from
happening.
Adding Tangency
Make the blend tangent to adjacent faces by Alt+Selecting them. In the image below right, the blue face was
Alt+selected to make the blend surface tangent to it.

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In the Blend tool, the system of Tangency and guide constraints sets up a system of equations that Discovery
Live solves to produce the Blend result. Certain cases create a system of equations which is Inconsistent,
meaning the equations produce a contradiction and have no solution.
The example below is one example of this.
In some cases, when Blending with a combination of Tangency and Guide constraints, conflicts between the
constraints can occur. In these cases, the conflicted geometry will highlight and an error message will be
displayed.

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Swept blends
A Swept Blend is a blend between two or more edges without local guide influence. The entire blend is swept
along the guide curve, as shown below.
If you check the Local guide option, the guide curve has a local effect on the blend.

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Swept blends are different from sweeps. Swept blends need at least two profiles, while sweeps use a single
profile. Sweeps give you limited control over the orientation and angle of the section along the trajectory, or
at the end cap, because it is always determined by sweeping the profile along the trajectory.
With swept blends, you specify the section shape and orientation explicitly at the ends and at specific points
along the trajectory (guide curve).
When you select more than one guide curve, the additional guide curves give you more control over the final
shape of the blend. Each guide curve affects entities in the profile that are closest to the curve. Vertices
between guide curves are controlled by curves blended between the neighboring guide curves.
Centerline Blends
The Blend tool allows you to select a Centerline Path for the Blend to follow between two planar profiles.
The Centerline does not have to touch either of the profiles, but the extension of the curves must pass
through the profile. Also, although it is called a “centerline,” the Path does not need to pass through the
center of each profile. Centerline distinguishes itself from Guide curves, which must touch the profile
edges.Multi-segmented curves or edges can be used as centerline blends provided the meet the following
criteria:
• Meet end-to-end without gaps
• Are piece-wise continuous or tangent
Centerline Blends Example

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The centerline consists of three lines and two tangent

arcs.
Select the oval and circle faces to preview the default

Blend.

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Select the Centerline tool and double-click

the centerline to select the curve chain. The preview
updates to show the Centerline Blend.
The centerline can pass through the profiles.

Note: In these examples, the centerline has been
changed to a spline.

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You can extend the spline using the Pull tool to pull
it beyond the profile plane.
The Blend can be created using the extended spline.

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The spline can be shortened so it does not touch the

profile planes.
The centerline can be moved normal to the original

plane. In this example, the spline was moved to the
right, which is normal to its original sketch plane.

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12.4.4.4.3. Blending between points
You can create a curve by blending between any combination of sketched Points, vertices, or endpoints.
Blend between any two points to create a line, or select multiple points to create a spline.
To blend between points

1. Enter the Blend tool.
2. Select the first point or vertex.
3. Ctrl+click to select multiple points or vertices.

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A blend preview displays between the first two points.

4. Ctrl+Select more points or vertices.
5. To make the curve tangent:
• Ctrl+click neighboring edges of the vertices if you want the blend curve to begin tangent to one or more
edges.
• Alt+click one or more neighboring faces if you want the blend curve to be tangent to the face(s).

• Rotational blend: Create arcs whenever possible during the creation of a blend. You must have selected
points rotated around a common axis.
• Periodic blend: Go all the way around when blending. You must have selected three or more points
• Ruled sections: Create straight line segments when you blend between three or more points.
12.4.4.5. Tweaking a face

You can edit any face or surface with Tweak Face to change its surface geometry. This tool is available in
3D mode and in drawings.
The degree (or complexity) of a primitive face is automatically increased when you edit it with the Tweak
Faces tool. This makes the editing process smooth and seamless, so curves are smooth when you add them.
Surfaces are checked for self-intersection when you modify the surface using its control points. You will
receive an error message if a change would create a self-intersecting surface.
If you save a selection in the Selection panel and it includes control points, the Face Edit tab will automatically
open when you load that selection.
To tweak a face
1. Click Tweak Face in the Edit group on the Design tab.

The Face Edit tab appears in the ribbon bar.
2. Select an editing method:
• Control Points to expose the control points for the face or surface so you can move them.
• Control Curves to expose the control curves for the face or surface so you can move them.

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• Blend Curves to edit faces or surfaces that can be recreated as a blend.

• Sweep Curves to edit faces or surfaces created with sweep.
3. Select a control point or curve on the face.

Hold Ctrl or draw a box to select multiple points or curves.
4. (Optional) Use the controls in the Select group to expand or contract your selection:
The U direction is indicated by blue lines in the Design window, and the V direction is indicated by red
lines.
• Click or to expand the selection so it includes all points in the U (blue) or V (red) direction.
• Click or to expand the selection so it includes the next point in the U (blue) or V (red) direction.
• Click or to reduce the selection by one point in the U (blue) or V (red) direction.
5. Select a tool to edit the face or surface:

• Add Control Curve
• Move
• Scale
• Or any other tool on the Design tab.
6. (Optional) Select Tweak face display options.

7. Click Close Surface Tools to close the tab and end your editing session.
To modify a control curve by creating a group

You can modify a control curve by creating a group. The group you create will display a ruler dimension that
you can edit to modify your curve.
12.4.4.5.1. Tweak face editing methods

You can think of the editing methods as modes. Different controls are displayed for each method, and these
controls allow you to adjust the face or surface differently.

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You can choose from the following methods:

Control points
Use this method when you want to change a face by moving its control points.
Control curves
Use this method when you want to change a face by changing its control curves.
Blend curves
Use this method when you want to change a face by changing its blend curves.
Sweep curves
Use this method when you are editing a face or surface created by sweeping and you want to change a face
by changing its sweep curves. The sweep curves are shown in blue and the surface that was swept is shown
in red. You can use these curves to make new sweep faces, and then manually swap out the new faces for
the old, but they can't be used to change the original swept solid.

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12.4.4.5.2. Add a control curve

You can add control curves to a face or surface when any editing method is active.
To add a control curve
1. Click Add Control Curve in the Edit group on the Face Edit tab.
The Tweak Face tool must be active for this tab to be visible.
2. Click the point on the face or surface where you want to add the control curve.
You can use temporary geometry to help you find the point where you want to add a control curve.
12.4.4.5.3. Tweak face display options

These display modes can help you see the contours of a face or surface.
• Grid displays a grid on your face or surface. This is similar to the Grid tool on the Measure tab.
• Curvature displays a gradient on your face or surface. The curvature with the largest radius is shown in
the maximum color. The curvature with the smallest radius, or no radius, is shown in the minimum color.
This is similar to the Curvature tool on the Measure tab.
• Porcupine displays a fringe graph on your face or surface. This display shows you the tangency of your
surface at multiple points.
• Show Off-Face Control Points displays all control points. If this option is not selected, you won't see
control points that don't affect the surface.
• Show Periodic Seams displays the beginning seam of the surface when you are editing periodic faces
(cylinders, cones, and other revolved surfaces). This may help you see of the characteristics or behavior
of some periodic faces as you edit.
To show a grid on your face or surface

1. Select Grid in the Show section on the Face Edit tab.
2. (Optional) Change the Color and Scale of the grid.
To show curvature on your face or surface

1. Select Curvature in the Show section on the Face Edit tab.
2. (Optional) Change the shading colors under Curvature in the ribbon group.
The maximum color is on the left and the minimum color is on the right.

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To show a fringe graph on your face or surface

1. Select Porcupine in the Show section on the Face Edit tab.
2. (Optional) Adjust the Density to change the number of fringes displayed along the curve.
3. (Optional) Adjust the Scale to change the length of the fringes relative to the amount of curvature.
12.4.4.6. Mathematical Expressions

The following expression elements are available:
• Infix (dyadic) operators: + - * / ^
• Prefix (monadic) operators: + -
• Functions: sin, cos, tan, asin, acos, atan, sqrt, log, log10, exp
• Constants: pi, e, root2, root3
• Units: m, cm, mm, yd, ft, ', in, ", deg, rad
Normal precedence rules apply:

1 + 2 * 3 ^ 4 = 1 + (2 * (3 ^ 4)) = 163
Parentheses are required for expression arguments and optional for simple arguments:
• sqrt 2 = sqrt(2) = 1.4142...
• sqrt 2*2 = (sqrt 2) * 2 = 2.8284...
• sqrt(2*2) = 2
Missing operators are inferred:

• 1 1/2 = 1 + 1/2
• 1'6” = 1' + 6”
• 1ft 6in - 17in = 1ft + 6in - 17in
• 1 2 3 4 5 = 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 = 15
• (1)(2)(3)(4)(5) = (1) * (2) * (3) * (4) * (5) = 120
• 2(1 + 2) = 2 * (1 + 2) = 6
• sqrt 2 sqrt 2 = sqrt 2 * sqrt 2 = 2
• 4(4atan(1/5) - atan(1/239)) = 4 * (4 * atan(1/5) - atan(1/239)) = pi
Units are applied to previous terms if units were not specified and are applied to subsequent terms unless
you override them:
• 1 + 1cm = 1cm + 1cm
• 1cm + 1 = 1cm + 1cm
• 1cm + 1 + 1mm = 1cm + 1mm + 1mm
• 1cm + 1 1/2 mm = 1cm + 1mm + 1mm / 2
Trigonometry functions work in radians by default, but you can enter degrees:
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sin(45 deg)
Numbers support standard form, but e is a built-in constant:
• 2e2 = 200 2e 2 = 2 * e * 2 = 10.873...
• 2e-2 = 0.02 2e - 2 = 2 * e - 2 = 3.436...
• 2e1 = 20 2e = 2 * e
12.4.5. Intersecting
You can use the intersect tools to merge and split a solid or surface in your design with another solid or
surface. You can merge and split solids or surfaces with other solids or surfaces, split a solid with a face,
and split a face with another face. You can also project the edges of a face onto other solids and surfaces
in your design.
Discovery Live's intersection capabilities include the full suite of geometry combination, all done with one
major tool (Combine) and two minor ones (Split Solid and Split). Combine always takes two or more objects.
The split tools always act on one object and that object is automatically selected from the cutter or projection
face.
To understand what the Combine tool can do, the first step is to know which objects can be handled. Solid
objects have faces that meet at corner edges. Edges that lie on faces can be deleted, but corners cannot.
Surface objects have faces that come together at internal edges, and are surrounded by outside edges.
Outside edges can be extended. Internal edges can be deleted if they are bounded by planar faces. For the
purposes of combine, planes can be thought of as surface faces that extend across the design.
When surfaces enclose a volume, they automatically change into solid objects. When edges of the same
surface become coincident, they will automatically merge. Planes cannot be split by any combine operation,
but they can be used to split with. In general, layer, color, and visibility in the structure tree propagates from
the first selected item (the target) to the result. What happens as a result of the combination can be overridden
with the options (both in the panel and the mini-toolbar). When you use the Combine or Split tools, the newly
created objects have the layer properties of the previous objects.
You have complete control over the pieces that solids and surfaces get cut into. When appropriate, Discovery
Live prompts you to remove regions, but you can choose to keep or remove those regions.
When using the intersect tools, the original, individual layers and colors of the objects are maintained.
Intersect ribbon group

The Intersect ribbon group contains the following tools:
Use the Combine tool to merge and split solids and

surfaces.
Use the Split Solid tool to split a solid by one or more
of its faces or edges. Then select one or more regions
for deletion.
Use the Split tool to create an edge on a face by
splitting it with another face or surface.
Use the Project to Solid tool to create edges on a
solid's face by extending the edges of another solid
or surface.

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12.4.5.1. Combining and splitting
The Combine tool is used to make combinations of objects. You can add (or merge) objects together and
you can subtract (or split) objects from each other. These actions are also known as Boolean operations.
Tool guides for the Combine tool are sticky, and appear with a double outline when you click them. The tool
guide remains selected so you can perform the same action repeatedly without holding the Ctrl key. To
unstick a tool guide, click it again, click another tool guide, or click an empty place in the Design window.
When you use a pattern with the Combine tool, the entire pattern is merged or used to cut the target.
To split solids and surfaces
1. Click Combine in the Intersect group on the Design tab.

2. Select the target solid or surface that you want to split.
You can select objects for Combine in the structure tree.
You can use temporary geometry to split an object.
You can use a locked body as a cutter with the Combine tool, but you cannot use it as target. See Locking
and unlocking objects.
3. (Optional) Select the following options:
• Merge when done: Merge all newly-created, touching solids or surfaces when you exit the Combine
tool.
• Imprint curves: Create edges at intersections instead of selecting regions.
• Keep cutter: Keep the cutting surface in your design. If this option is not selected, then the cutting
surface is automatically deleted as soon as you select it.
• Make all regions: Cut the target object with the cutter object and the cutter object with the target object.
The target and cutter must be the same type of object.
4. Select one or more object to use as the cutter.

Depending on the option you chose, the cutting surface will be kept or deleted. You can see the solids
or surfaces created by the cut in the Structure panel.
Move your mouse over the target solid to see the regions created by the cut.
5. (Optional) Select the split region(s) that you want to delete.
To merge solids and surfaces
1. Click Combine.

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2. Select the target solid or surface.

You can select objects for Combine in the structure tree. You can also box select multiple solids or surfaces
to merge them in one operation.
Solids can be merged with solids, and surfaces with surfaces. Solids and surfaces can only be merged
if the surfaces make a region that can be added to or cut out of the solid.
3. Click the Select Bodies to Merge tool guide or hold the Ctrl key.
4. Select the solid(s) or surface(s) that you want merged with the target.
Do it faster
Hold Ctrl and select the solids or surfaces you want to combine, and then click the Combine tool to merge
them.
To make 3D curves at the intersections between faces
1. Click Combine.
2. Select the target solid or surface.
Tool guides
Tool guides for the Combine tool are sticky, and appear with a double outline when you click them. The tool
guides remain selected so you can perform the same action repeatedly without holding the Ctrl key. To
unstick the tool guide, you can click it again, click another tool guide, or click an empty place in the Design
window.
The Select Target tool guide is active by default. If

you did not pre-select the target solid or surface, you
can select it from within the Combine tool using the
Select tool guide.
Click the Select Bodies to Merge tool guide to select
multiple solids or surfaces to merge together.
The Select Cutter tool guide activates once you

select a target. When this tool guide is active, click
to select the solid or surface you want to use to cut
the target. You can Ctrl+click when this tool guide is
active if you need to add other bodies to your cutter
selection.

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The Select Regions tool guide activates once the

target is cut. When this tool guide is active, mouse
over the target to preview the regions created by the
cut. Click a red region to delete it.
Options
The following options are available for the Combine tool. Select one or more of these options from the Options
docking panel, or right-click and select them from the mini-toolbar:
• Make solids: Solids are made when possible where the target and cutter objects intersect. When you
select this option, you can choose any of the following:
º Merge when done: Select this option to merge all newly-created, touching solids or surfaces when you
exit the Combine tool. You can also click on white space anywhere in the Design window to complete
the merge. Hidden objects are not merged. This saves you the extra step of selecting all the cut-up
regions after you are done with a complicated slice-and-dice session, and manually merging them all
back together.
º Keep cutter: Discovery Live assumes that you created a cutter object to be used only for cutting. If you
want to keep the cutting surface in your design, select this option. If this option is not selected, then the
cutting surface is automatically deleted as soon as you select it. In other words, cutter objects are normally
"used up" unless you select this option. A kept cutter can be a surface or solid, but either way only the
regions of the target can be removed.
If you are splitting surfaces, check this option to prevent the cutter object from being split by the target
object.
This option is automatically selected if the cutter object is locked.
º Make all regions: Select this option to cut the target object with the cutter object and the cutter object
with the target object. Target and cutter must be the same type of object, either both solids or both
surfaces. Because this option can create a large number of regions, it can be helpful to use this option
along with the Merge When Done option to quickly merge all remaining regions when you click another
tool or press Enter to finish using Combine.
• Make curves: Select this option to make 3D curves where the target and cutter object intersect. The curves
are created in the active part, rather than the part that the first body belongs to.
º Imprint curves: Select this option to create edges at intersections instead of creating 3D curves. You
will not be able to preview regions for deletion. As soon as a region is selected for deletion, this option
is disabled. The edges are created on the first body you select.
• Extend intersections: Select this option to extend the intersection of partially intersecting surfaces so the
underlying surface is completely split.
Examples
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You can use Combine to cut or merge coincident surfaces. (The delete region step is not shown in the first
illustration.)
12.4.5.1.1. Merging solids and surfaces

Use the Combine tool to merge solids and surfaces.
To merge solids and surfaces
1. Select the Combine tool from the Intersect ribbon group or press I.
2. Click the first solid or surface.
3. Ctrl+click additional solids or surfaces to merge them.
The Structure tree shows the merge.
Note: Ctrl+click the solids or surfaces you want to combine in the Structure tree, then click the Combine
tool to merge them.
Solids can be merged with solids, and surfaces with surfaces. Solids and surfaces can only be merged if the
surfaces make a region that can be added to or cut out of the solid. For example, if you select the face of a
cylinder, copy and paste it, then you can merge it with the solid used to create it.
12.4.5.1.2. Merging solids

You can merge two or more solids with the Combine tool.
To merge two solids
1. Select the Combine tool from the Intersect ribbon group.

2. Click the first solid.
3. Ctrl+click the second solid to merge it with the first solid.
The second solid takes on the color and visibility properties of the first solid. The Structure tree shows
the merge.

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To merge multiple solids
1. Select the solids you want to combine using box selection.

The solids take on the color and visibility properties of the merged solid that appeared top-most in the
Structure tree. The Structure tree shows the merge. You can also select the Combine tool, select the first
solid, then Ctrl+click each individual solid you want to merge.
Notes on merging multiple solids:

• When there are two bodies selected, and the second body selected (the tool) has multiple instances, the
tool is made independent before being merged with the target.
• When more than two bodies are selected, all instances that are consumed by the Merge are made
independent. Those that are not merged are left as instances. The merge result is in the first non-instanced
body of the selection.
• When all the bodies in an instance of a component are merged, the merged body is made in that component.
The component is Not made independent.
• If all bodies of a component are consumed by the Merge, the empty components are now removed.
12.4.5.1.3. Merging surfaces

You can merge surfaces with the Combine tool. Surface must share edges to be merged. If surfaces enclose
a volume, you can use the Combine tool to quickly convert the enclosed volume into a solid and trim the
extra.
Sometimes, if you manipulate a surface so that it becomes self-intersecting, you may need to create a solid
from the surface that remains.
To merge surfaces that share edges

2. Click the first surface.
3. Ctrl+click the second surface to merge it with the first surface.
The second surface takes on the color and visibility properties of the first surface. The Structure tree
shows the merge.

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To merge surfaces that enclose a volume

1. Select the surfaces that intersect to form an enclosed region using box selection.

The enclosed region becomes a solid and takes on the color and visibility properties of the merged surface
that appeared top-most in the Structure tree. The Structure tree shows the merge.
To create a solid from a self-intersecting single surface

1. Click the Select tool in the Edit ribbon group.
2. Select the "open" edge of the set of surfaces, shown in black.
3. Click the Combine tool.
To repair a self-intersecting surface

2. Double-click the edge loops.
3. Click the Combine tool.
Examples
Six surfaces enclosing a volume, box-selected and combined with the Combine tool
Repairing a self-intersecting surface with the Combine tool

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Ctrl+click to select an open edge loop of a surface, then close the surfaces with the Combine tool
12.4.5.1.4. Merging surface protrusions

You can merge a surface that forms a protrusion to a solid.
To merge a surface protrusion

2. Click the first solid.
3. Ctrl+click a surface that could create a protrusion on the solid to merge it with the solid.
The surface becomes a protrusion on the solid and takes on the color and visibility properties of the first
solid. The Structure tree shows the merge.
12.4.5.1.5. Capping a surface with a plane

Ctrl+click a surface and a plane to cap the surface.
12.4.5.1.6. Removing material from a solid

Use the Combine tool to remove material from a solid based on the intersection of a solid or surface. You
can remove the material defined by a surface that forms a depression, or remove a solid completely enclosed
within another solid.
Remove material from a solid with a surface that forms a depression

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2. Click the solid you want to cut.
3. Click the surface you want to use to create a depression.
4. Mouse over the solid to see the regions created by the cut.
5. Click the region you want to delete.
The regions you can delete are highlighted in red.
Remove an enclosed volume from a solid

1. Create the exterior solid and interior solid in two different components.

3. Click the exterior solid.
4. Click the interior solid to use it as the cutter.
5. Click the interior solid to delete it.
12.4.5.1.7. Splitting bodies and surfaces

Use the Combine tool to split bodies and surfaces.
To split bodies and surfaces
1. Click the Combine tool from the Intersect ribbon group or press I.
2. Select the body or surface you want to cut.
The Select Cutter tool guide is activated.
3. (Optional) Control the behavior of the cut by selecting options.
4. Click the surface you want to use to cut the body.
Depending on the option you chose, the cutting surface will be kept or deleted. Review the information
in the Structure panel to see the bodies or surfaces created by the cut.
Mouse over the target body to see the regions created by the cut.
5. Click each region you want to delete.
When you are finished selecting the areas to be deleted, click the Select Target tool guide to combine
some more, or select another tool.

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Note: If you want to split a body by a face of the body, select the Split Body tool.
If you want to create an edge on a face, select the Split tool.
To split the target object with the cutter object and the cutter object with
the target object
2. Select the Make all regions option.
3. Click the objects you want to cut.
Target and cutter must be the same type of object, either both bodies or both surfaces.
4. Mouse over the surface to see the regions created by the cut.
Because this option can create a large number of regions, we recommend using this option along with
the Merge When Done option to quickly merge all remaining regions when you click another tool or press
Esc to finish using Combine.
Example

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Using two surfaces as the cutter, when the surfaces can't be merged outside of the region where they intersect
the target. The two surfaces are merged to create a cut in the target.
12.4.5.1.8. Splitting a surface

Use the Combine tool to split solids. Surfaces can be split by solids, planes, patterns of planes, and other
surfaces.
To split a surface by a solid or plane

2. Click the surface you want to cut.
3. Click the solid, plane, or patterns of planes you want to cut the surface with.
To split a surface by another surface

2. Click the surface you want to cut.
3. Click the surface you want to cut the surface with.
You can Ctrl+click multiple surfaces that together completely intersect the target surface to fully cut the
surface. You can box-select surfaces that only partially intersect the target surface to partially cut the
surface.

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12.4.5.1.9. Splitting a solid with a surface, plane,

or another solid
Use the Combine tool to split solids. Solids can be split by surfaces, planes, patterns of planes, and other
solids.
Split a solid with a solid

3. Click the solid you want to cut with.
Split a solid with a surface or a plane

3. Click the surface you want to cut the solid with.
You can Ctrl+click multiple surfaces that together completely intersect a solid.
If available, you can select a pattern of planes from the structure tree to cut the solid.

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12.4.5.2. Using the Split Body tool

The Split Body tool works in two modes:
• "Slow mode" is activated by clicking a Split Body tool guide. In this mode, once a tool guide is clicked, it
remains selected until another tool guide is clicked. This mode works just like any other tool.
• "Fast mode" automatically activates tool guides and moves you through the workflow. This predictive mode
allows you to box-select multiple cutters to add even more efficiency.
You can use the Split Body tool to:

• Split a body by its edges
• Split a body by its faces
• Split a body by a plane
• Split a body by patterns of planes
You can select a body or surface from the Structure tree as the target and a plane or patterns of planes from
the Structure tree as the cutter. When selecting patterns of planes as a cutter, you can also use Shift-Select
or box select to select specific planes within the pattern.
To split a body by one of its faces

1. Click the Split Body tool from the Intersect ribbon group.
2. Select the body to be split.
3. Select the faces or edges you want to use to cut the body.
Hold Ctrl and click or draw a box to select multiple faces or edges.
You can create temporary geometry and select it to cut the body.
4. Mouse over the body to see the regions created by the cut.
5. (Optional) Click a region to delete it.
When you are finished deleting regions, select another tool.
If the selected edges do not completely encircle a portion of a body or surface, no region selection can
occur.
Note: Select a face with the Select tool, then select the Split Body tool to cut the body with the face.
To selectively split a body:

1. Click the Split Body tool in the Intersect group on the Design tab
2. Select the body
3. Check ON the Local Slicing option
4. Click the cutter plane; you will see a blue outline which previews local slicing locations for splitting the
body
5. Click a blue outline preview to cut the body; the Select Regions tool guide is then activated however,
holding the Ctrl key or clicking the Select Cuts tool guide allows you to create additional cuts

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6. Click a region to delete it
If you need to make multiple cuts on the same target body, manually click the Select Cuts tool guide to make
it sticky before step 5.
A cylindrical surface can also be used for Local Slicing.
Use the Create Split Surfaces option to create surfaces at the intersection of the target and cutter.
Tool guides
The Select Target tool guide is active by default. When this tool guide is active, click to select the
body to split.

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The Select Cutter tool guide is active by default. When this tool guide is active, click to select the
face you want to use to cut the body.
The Select Cuts tool guide activates when the Local Slicing option is selected. Possible cuts are
highlighted where the plane intersects the body. Mouse over the cuts to highlight them for selection.
The Select Regions tool guide activates once you once the body is cut by the face. When this tool
guide is active, mouse over the target to see the regions created by the cut. The regions you can
delete are highlighted in red.
Options
The following options are available in the Split Body tool. Once you select the edge or face to pull, select
these options from the Options docking panel, or right-click and select them from the mini-toolbar:
Merge when done Select this option to merge all touching bodies or
surfaces when you exit the Split Body tool. Hidden
objects are not merged.
Extend faces Extends the selected cutter face to cut through the
target body.
Local Slicing Select this option with the Select Cuts tool guide to
choose specific cuts made by a plane passing through
the entire body, including those with a cylindrical
surface. To Create split surfaces
Example
Body split by a spline face
12.4.5.3. Splitting a face

Use the Split tool to split Faces and Edges.
To create an edge on a face

1. Click Split in the Intersect group on the Design tab.
The Select Target tool guide is enabled.
2. Select the face you want to split.
3. (Optional) Select a tool guide.
Mouse over faces or edges in your design to preview the edge that will be created on the target. Dimensions
are displayed along the U and V edge of the face.

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Tip: You can use the Tab key to cycle through the tool guide options, or with the pointer over the selected
face, cycle through the dimensions.
4. Click to select the face, plane, or edge you want to use to split the selected face. You can select multiple
faces and use box select.
You can hold Shift and hover over an edge while selecting the cutter points. The midpoint on the edge
will be marked with a yellow ball in parentheses. The x and y dimensions will emanate from that point.
5. The Select Results tool guide remains active until there is only one split line remaining, so you can
remove all but one split line without reactivating the tool guide
Example
Dimensioning from the midpoint of an edge to split a face.
Splitting with curves outside of the face

You can Split faces using Curves, whether they are touching the face or not. Connected curves can be used
as the cutter by holding the Shift key. An example is shown below.
To split a face with another face, plane, or patterns of planes


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2. Click the face to be split.

3. Click the Select Cutter Face tool guide.
4. Mouse over the faces and planes in your design to preview the edge that will be created on the target.
You can also select a patterns of planes in the structure tree to split the face. When selecting patterns of
planes as a cutter, you can also use Shift-Select to select specific planes within the pattern.
5. Click the face, plane, or patterns of planes to split the selected face with an edge.
To split a face using a point on an edge or surface

Surfaces are parameterized using two variables labeled U and V. The location of each point on a surface
can be described with coordinates (u, v). With the Select UV Cutter Point tool guide, you select a UV point
on the surface or one of it's edges.

2. Click the Select UV Cutter Point tool guide.
3. Mouse over a surface or it's edges to preview the split edges that will be created.
4. Click a point on the surface or edge to split the selected face.
Clicking a UV point on a surface splits it into four

pieces.
Clicking a UV point on an edge splits it into two

pieces, along a constant U or V coordinate.
For a chain of tangent faces, the split propagates
across all tangent faces at the constant U or V
coordinate.

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To split a face using two points

2. Click the Select Two Cutter Points tool guide.
3. Click a point on an edge.
4. Mouse over the face or edges to preview the edges that will be created.
5. Click a point on another edge or on the face to split the selected face.
Examples
Previewing edges that can be created using the Select Cutter Point and Select Two Cutter Points tool guides
Splitting a face in section mode by selecting points on a section line
Splitting multiple faces with the Select Two Cutter Points tool guide
To split a face using a perpendicular line from a point on an edge

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2. Click the Select Perpendicular Cutter Point tool guide.
3. Click a point on an edge.
4. Mouse over edges of the face to preview the edges that will be created.
5. The distance and percentage along the edge is displayed. You can Press the Space bar and Tab key to
change these values.
To split a periodic face

2. Click the Select Target tool guide.
3. Select the periodic face you want to split.
4. Click the point of the face where you want it split, as shown below.
5. The Select Results tool guide is now active, so you can click edges that you don't want to keep, as shown
on the left of the image below. The result after the two straight edges have been removed is shown on
the right.
To split an edge, curve, or beam

2. Click the Split Edge tool guide.
3. Select the edge, curve, or beam you want to split.
4. The edge highlights and the split is previewed with dimensions (length and percent) and a count. The
count is the number of pieces the edge will be split into. The default count is two.
5. Click the point where you want to split, as shown below (left image) or select a plane (right image).
6. The Select Results tool guide is now active, so you can click edges that you don't want to keep, as shown
on the left of the image below. The result after the two straight edges have been removed is shown on
the right.

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Tool guides
The Select Target tool guide is active by default. If you did not pre-select the target face or surface,
you can select it from within the Split tool using the Select tool guide. Ctrl+click multiple surfaces
or solid faces in the same plane to split them all.
Use the Split Edge tool guide to split edges, curves, or beams.
The Select Cutter Face tool guide activates once you select a target. When this tool guide is active,
click to select the face or surface you want to use to create an edge on the target.
The Select UV Cutter Point tool guide activates once you select a target. Mouse over an edge to
preview the new edges that will be created. Click to create the edge on the selected face. You can
mouse over an edge with this tool guide to display and edit the length along the edge, and the
percentage of the edge that is between the first point and the end point.
The Select Perpendicular Cutter Point tool guide activates once you select a target. Select an
edge to preview where the perpendicular split will be made. Click to create the edge on the selected
face. The face is split perpendicular to the edge you select.
The Select Two Cutter Points tool guide activates once you select a target. Click to select the
first point on an edge, then mouse over another edge to preview the new edge that will be created.
Click to create the edge on the selected face. The shortest line is drawn between the two points.
You can mouse over an edge with this tool guide to display and edit the length along the edge, and
the percentage of the edge that is between the first point and the end point.
Select the Select Results tool guide, then click newly created edges to remove any edges you
don't want to keep.
Options
The following option is available in the Split tool:
Make Curves Select this option to create sketch lines instead of

splitting the face.

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12.4.5.4. Projecting to a solid

Use the Project tool to create edges on a solid's face by extending the edges of another solid, surface,
sketch, or note text.
When you project onto a face, the tool makes a new surface to hold the projected edges, if possible.
To project the edges of a face, surface, sketch, or note text to a solid

1. Click Project in the Intersect group on the Design tab.
2. Select the edges, face, surface, sketch, or note text whose edges you want to project.
Select an object in the Structure tree to project all the edges of the object.
The projection occurs perpendicular to the selected object onto the nearest solid faces. The nearest solid
faces are determined automatically.
3. (Optional) Click the Select Direction tool guide and select a face or edge to change the direction of the
projection.
4. (Optional) Click the Select Target Faces tool guide and select the face(s) on which you want the edge
projected.
5. Select from the following options in the Options panel:
• Project through solids: Project the edges on all faces through the entire solid instead of just the faces
closest to the object you project.
• Project silhouette edge: Projects the outline, or silhouette, of a part. You must set the direction using
the Select Direction tool guide.
• Extend projected edges: Extend the projected curves to the edge of the face(s) they are projected on.
• Extend target faces: Extend the target face when the projected face is larger than the target. See the
example below.
The projection preview is shown in purple, and will be updated based on the options and tool guides you
use.
6. Click the Complete tool guide or press Enter to project the edges.
Projecting points
Sketched 3D Points can also be projected onto surfaces using the Project tool. The projected points are
created as Datum Points so that they can be pinned.
In the example below, points were sketched to trace out the shape of a mouse button and then projected
down onto the top surface of the mouse. The workflow is the same as projecting Faces, Surfaces, Curves,
Edges, or Note Text.

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Tool guides
The Select Curves tool guide allows you to select

the curves you want to project.
The Select Direction tool guide allows you to select
the direction in which the curves will be projected. If
you don't use this tool guide, the curves will be
projected in both directions.
The Select Target Faces tool guide allows you to
select the face(s) that the curves will be projected
upon.
The Complete tool guide projects the edges.
Options
Project through solids Project the edges on all faces through the entire solid
instead of just the faces closest to the object you
project.
Project silhouette edge Projects the outline, or silhouette, of a part. You must
set the direction using the Select Direction tool guide.
Extend projected edges Extend the projected curves to the edge of the face(s)
they are projected on.
Extend target faces Extend the target face when the projected face is
larger than the target. See the example below.
Examples

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Projecting a sphere onto a planar face. Because a sphere has no edge to project, you must choose Project
silhouette edge in the Options panel.
Projecting an edge with the Extend target faces option enabled. The rectangular face was chosen with the
Select Target Faces tool guide.
12.4.6. Datum Objects and Relationships

12.4.6.1. Inserting a plane

You can define a plane by selecting various faces, edges, axes, or lines in your design. You can select any
combination of coplanar axes, curves, edges, and coordinate axes.
The plane will extend a small amount beyond the edges of the face to make it easier to work with. The plane
will maintain this margin around all the objects in your design, extending and trimming itself as you add,
remove, or move solids within your design.
Planes are useful for creating layouts and annotations. Planes are not linked to the geometry used to create
them; they must be explicitly selected to move along with other items. You can also use a plane to quickly
clip your design to show only the geometry behind the plane.
Datum planes adjust their extent based on zoom level and objects within the plane, including curves. The
Include Curves property, set to true by default, is especially useful for beam-centric models with many curves.
To insert a plane
1. Click Plane in the Create group on the Design tab.
2. Select one of the following:
Select a: To insert a plane:

Planar face That contains the face
Planar face and point Through the point and parallel to the face

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Select a: To insert a plane:

Planar face and edge Through the edge and perpendicular to the face
(useful when creating a sweep path)
Two parallel planar faces At the midpoint between the two faces
Axial or cylindrical face Tangent to the face at the selection point
Two axial faces with parallel axes Tangent to both faces as close as possible to the
selection points
Planar edges That contains the edges
Axis That contains the axis
Two axes That contains the axes
Two origin axes That contains the axes
An origin Three orthogonal planes
Axis (or line) and one point That contains the axis (or line) and the point
End point of any line Through the end point and normal to the line at the
end point
Control point of a spline Through the selected point and perpendicular to the
plane that contains the spline
Three points That contains those three points
Line sketched on a plane Through the line and normal to the plane
Line and point on the line Through the line and the point
Two planar lines That contains those two lines
Two points Through the two points
Two points and a Plane or planar face Through the two points and perpendicular to
selected plane or planar face
3. (Optional) Click the Build Plane tool guide to select reference objects, then select a temporary (dotted)
plane to create the one that you want from the possible planes. See Inserting temporary points, axes,
and planes for detailed information about creating temporary planes.
4. An error message is displayed in the status bar if your selection does not define a plane.
To insert a plane tangent to a cylinder and parallel to a plane

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Select a plane, Ctrl+click a cylinder, then click the Plane tool.
To insert a plane tangent to a cylinder and perpendicular to a plane

Select a cylinder, Ctrl+click a plane, then click the Plane tool.
To insert a plane through the mid-point between two points

1. Select the Plane tool.
2. In 3D mode or Section mode, Alt+Shift+click two points to create a temporary plane that includes the
midpoint.
3. Click the temporary plane.
To insert a plane parallel to the screen

1. Select the Plane tool.
2. Activate the Align to Screen tool guide

3. Hover over geometry to preview the plane through the selected geometry and parallel to the screen.
4. Select the geometry to create the plane.
To clip your design with a plane

Right-click a plane and select Clip with Plane. To restore the view of your design, right-click the plane and
select Clip with Plane again.
Planes, axes, and annotations are not clipped.
Examples
An edge and the axis of a coordinate object selected to create a plane.
To change the appearance of a plane

You can use the Fill, Outline, and Clipface options to change the appearance of a plane.
• Fill: Set to Automatic by default. Automatic causes geometry behind the plane to look lighter than geometry
outside the plane boundaries. If you change to No Fill, all geometry will have the same opacity.

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• Outline: Set to Automatic by default. Automatic you see the outline of the plane. If you change to No
Outline, the plane is invisible unless selected.
• Setting planes to No Fill and No Outline is useful when dimensioning parts. It is easier to see annotations
when planes are less visible.
• Clipface: Sets the Clipface color override for each clipping plane in the design window. It does not change
the color of the plane itself, just the color of the face the plane is touching.
12.4.6.2. Inserting an axis

You can extend any axis in your design to make it available for revolves or rotations. The axis will extend a
small amount beyond the edge of the space containing your design. It will maintain this margin extending
and trimming it as you add, remove, or move objects in your design. Axes are not linked to the geometry
used to create them (unless they are an extension of existing axes); they must be explicitly selected to move
along with other items.
To insert an axis
1. Click Axis in the Create group on the Design tab.
2. Select one of the following:
Select: To insert an axis:

Axial face That contains the face's axis
Two, non-parallel planar faces At the intersection of the theoretical planes
containing the two faces
Linear edge That contains the edge
Cylinder and tangent plane At the intersection of the cylinder and plane
Line That contains the line
Origin axis Along the origin's axis
Circle or arc That contains the center point and is normal to the
line
Point and a plane Through the point and normal (perpendicular) to the
plane
Two points Through both points
Three axes At the point where a cylinder's axis would be
positioned between the three axes
3. (Optional) Click the Build Line tool guide to select reference objects, then select a temporary (dotted)
line to create the one that you want from the possible axes. See Inserting temporary points, axes, and
planes for detailed information about creating temporary lines.

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To insert an axis through the mid-point between two points
1. Click in the Edit group on the Design tab.

2. Hold Alt+Shift and select two points to create two temporary axes that cross at the midpoint.
3. Click the temporary axis.
4. Click Axis in the Insert group on the Design tab.
Examples
Creating an axis by selecting the axes of three cylinders
12.4.6.3. Inserting points

You can create 3D points anywhere on the 3D geometry.
To insert a point
1. Click Point in the Create group on the Design tab.
2. Select a point, vertex, or location on a face, surface, curve, or edge.
World Origin coordinates are shown for selected Datum Points in the Status Bar.
Points can be Patterned in the Move tool and Linear and Circular Pattern tools.
Points can be dragged and dropped in the Structure Tree.
Move to New Component and Move Each to New Component work for selected Points.
12.4.6.4. Inserting an origin

You can insert an origin at any location in your design where you can anchor the Move tool. You can anchor
a ruler to an origin, and snap to origins while in Sketch mode. This allows you to dimension from an origin
and quickly move the sketch grid to an origin. You can also insert an origin at a solid's center of mass or
volume.

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To insert an origin
1. Click Origin in the Create group on the Design tab.
2. An origin is previewed attached to the cursor.
3. Move the cursor to position the origin. The origin will adjust its orientation based on the type geometry it
is on.
4. Click to place the origin.
To insert an origin based on selected faces

1. Select one, two, or three faces.
2. Click Origin in the Create group on the Design tab.

3. The origin is created based on the following:
a. If one planar face is selected, the origin is created at the center of the face.
b. If two intersecting faces are selected, the origin is created with XY in the first plane, Y aligned in the
intersection of the two planes.
c. If three intersecting faces are selected, the origin is created with XY in the first plane, Y aligned in the
second, and Z placed at the intersection of the third plane with Y.
To insert an origin using the Move tool

2. Position the Move handle where you want the origin to appear.
3. Select the Origin tool in the Insert ribbon group to insert an origin.
The origin appears in the Design window and in the Structure tree.
To insert an origin at the mid-point between two points

1. Select the Move tool.
2. Alt+Shift+click two points to create a temporary point at the mid-point.
3. Click the temporary point to place the Move handle there.
4. Select the Origin tool in the Insert ribbon group.

The origin appears at the midpoint.
To insert an origin at the center of mass or volume

1. Click Mass tool from the Analysis group on the Measure tab.
2. Select the solid at whose center you want to place the origin.
Axes appear at the center of mass or volume.
3. Select the Origin tool in the Insert ribbon group..

The origin appears at the center of mass or volume.

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To place the sketch grid on an origin

1. Select the vertex of an origin.
2. Enter sketch mode.
The sketch grid is now located on the x and y axis of the selected origin.
To define the origin for a newly created component

2. Alt+click the origin.
3. Right-click a solid and select Move to New Component from the context menu.
You can also create a new component and then drag and drop the solid into that component while the
origin is Alt-selected.
4. Right-click the component in the Structure tree and select Open Component.
The component opens in a new design window.
5. Display the world origin.
The world origin in the new design window is positioned at the same location as the alt-selected origin.
Example
Alt+selecting an origin when creating a new component. The image on the left shows the World Origin and
an origin created on the solid. The image on the right is the component opened in a new design window with
the world origin in the location it was placed on the object.
12.4.6.5. Pinned datums

Datums can be Pinned to the location at which they were created using RMB>Pinned.
Pinned Datums will move if their creation references are moved.
If a Datum is created and subsequently moved from its original (created) position (with respect to its creation
references) RMB>Pinned will be grayed out.
The following apply to all pinned datums

• Pinned datum icons in the tree are highlighted to distinguish them from normal
• Ctrl+drag to copy in the Move tool works for all pinned datums. The original datum remains pinned but the
new copy is unpinnable.
• Datum Planes and Axes are now automatically unpinned when they can no longer be constructed from
the reference objects. For example, when a reference face is changed from a plane to a cylinder.

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• The Datum Plane, Line, and Point tools are sticky (they stay on until you enter another tool) like normal
tools.
• If any of a Pinned Datum's references are deleted, the system forces the datum to be unpinned. The datum
will not be placed with respect to the remaining references. This applies to Planes, Lines, and Points.
• Datum Planes, Lines, and Points that are constructed exclusively from other pinned datums become pinned
by default. For example, a datum axis will be pinned by default if it is constructed from a point pinned to a
face.
• The Move handle is disabled when all selected objects are pinned datums (axes, planes). Since they are
pinned, these objects cannot be Moved. If unpinned datums, or other objects, are included in the selection,
the Move handle is enabled, but the pinned datums will not Move. To allow copying, the Move handle
becomes enabled when the Ctrl key is pressed.
The following apply to pinned datums in components

• You can Cut/Copy/Paste by parent component.
• You can set the Visibility by parent component.
• Note that when pinned datums are moved to a new component, they become unpinned and subsequently
unpinnable
• Datums can only be pinned if All of the references are in the same component. Allowing references from
multiple components can result in unintentional Assembly-like constraints.
Pinned Planes
• In the graphics area, Pinned Datums are also given a green color and they have their corners rounded.
The image here shows the plane selected to emphasize the color.
• The pinned datum Reference is also highlighted when the plane is selected.
• If any of the pin references are deleted, the plane is automatically unpinned.
• You can NOT pin datum planes created from temporary references (using ALT+SHIFT.)
• Only Datum Planes that are NOT moved from their original position can be pinned. Planes moved away,
and then back to their creation references, CANNOT be pinned.
• Planes created using the Build Plane tool guide cannot be pinned. The references used in creating these
planes are temporary and are not remembered outside of the tool.
Pinned Axes
• Un-pin a Datum Line if any of the references are deleted.
• Pinned axes are given a green color to distinguish them from normal axes.
• Pinned Axes attached to pinned datum points on faces will adjust when the faces are edited with Tweak
Face, Pull>Offset, Move, Bend, etc.
• Axes created using the Build Line tool guide cannot be pinned. The references used in creating these
planes are temporary and are not remembered outside of the tool.
Pinned Points
• Currently pin to an existing point/vertex, or to the midpoint between two other points.
• Face and Edge point connections have been added.
• You can now box-select Points
• Pinned Datum Points now store their latest location to ensure proper placement if the pin reference becomes
invalid by deletion or geometry change.
• 3D Datum Points can now be moved with the Move tool if they are not pinned.

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• When you Bend a face that has pinned datum points, the points follow the face at a well-chosen location.
12.4.6.6. Inserting temporary points, axes, and

planes
You can create temporary points, axes, and planes while working with other tools. Temporary objects can
be used to dimension to and create other objects. For example, you can use them to create a ruler dimension,
or anchor the Move handle on them.
To clear a temporary object, select the object and press Delete. A temporary object also disappears when
you click in an empty space with the Selection tool or create another temporary object.
Alt+Shift+click: 2D example: 3D example:

A point For curves: A tangent line and a For solids: A plane that is normal
perpendicular plane. to the view direction (or parallel to
the plane of the screen)
Two points 2D and 3D: A midpoint between two points and a bisecting line
Three points (not applicable in 2D) A plane
Two parallel lines or edges A line midway between two lines A line midway between two edges
(2D) and planes that intersect the edges
and the line (3D)

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Two parallel planes (not applicable in 2D) A plane midway between two
planes
Two non-parallel lines, edges, or Two bisector lines and the An axis between the two points at
axes intersection point (2D) the closest approach between each
other, and a point and a midplane
at the middle distance along that
axis (3D)
Two non-parallel planes (not applicable in 2D) Two bisecting planes and the edge
where the planes intersect

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Three planes (not applicable in 2D) The point where the three planes
intersect
An arc 2D and 3D: A circle that completes the arc
A conical face and its axis (not applicable in 2D) The point where the conical face
would come to a point
Ellipse 2D and 3D: The major and minor foci

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A line or edge and a point that is 2D and 3D: Axis from the point normal to the edge and a second axis
not in line with the line or edge parallel to the edge through the point
An axis and an intersecting face or (not applicable in 2D) The point at the intersection of the
surface axis and the plane of the face
A curve and an intersecting face or (not applicable in 2D) The points where the face would
surface intersect the curve, and the axes
that pass through the points, are
tangent to the curve, and are on
the same plane as the curve. One
point and axis are created if the
face would only intersect the curve
at one point.
A point and a face or surface (not applicable in 2D) Plane that is tangent to the face
and a point that is normal to the
axis from the face to the point

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A point and a line or edge 2D and 3D: A plane through the line or edge, or a plane that is normal
to the plane that goes through the point. If a line is chosen at a particular
point, then that location on the line can also be used as a point
reference.
(2D and 3D produce the same
result, shown on the right)
A line or edge and a planar face 2D and 3D: Planes that are perpendicular to the face and go through
the line or edge.
(not applicable in 2D)
12.4.6.7. Linear patterns

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You can create patterns of:

• Protrusions or depressions (including slots)
• Points, planes, origins, or axes
• Sketch curves
• Notes
• Lightweight text
• Components
Patterns can be made from a mix of object types, such as a pattern of holes (faces) and bolts (imported
components). You cannot create a pattern of threads. You can use the Undo button, Ctrl+Z or Redo
button, Ctrl+Y when creating a pattern.
To create a one- or two -dimensional linear pattern

1. Click the Linear tool in the Create group on the Design tab.
in blue.
5. Select the Define Pattern tool guide.
When the pattern is previewed, any members which cannot be created are shown in red. Members that can
be created are shown in blue.

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In Discovery Live, any pattern member can be used to modify the pattern after you create it. If the change
cannot be made to all pattern members, the member that cannot change is still part of the pattern.
and unlocked.
you change.

pattern.

3. Press Enter.

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To move a pattern

pattern is skewed:
the pattern.
Use the Up To tool to move a pattern member up to another face or edge. Pattern dimensions (such as
Count and Length) display as expected.

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3. Click Create NS.

tools.
The components will be propagated to the pattern.
Examples
Rectangular pattern

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locked.
12.4.6.8. Circular patterns
You can create patterns of:

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• Protrusions or depressions (including slots)

• Points, planes, origins, or axes
• Sketch curves
• Notes
• Lightweight text
• Components
Patterns can be made from a mix of object types, such as a pattern of holes (faces) and bolts (imported
components). You cannot create a pattern of threads. You can use the Undo button, Ctrl+Z or Redo
button, Ctrl+Y when creating a pattern.
To create a one- or two - dimensional circular pattern

1. Click the Circular tool in the Create group on the Design tab.
3. Select a line, edge, axis, sheet metal marker, or a set of points to set the direction of the pattern.
Note that a Circular Count of one, in a two dimensional pattern, will create a single radial pattern.
in blue.
5. Select the Define Pattern tool guide.
When the pattern is previewed, any members which cannot be created are shown in red. Members that
can be created are shown in blue.

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and unlocked.
you change.
• In patterns of patterns, associations of children of the first pattern are maintained. An example is shown
below. The height of all the bosses is changed by changing one. You can do this by using the Move tool
to pull up, adjusting the height.
• Patterned curves can now be moved. Previously, you could move one of the members and the rest would
not follow. The example on the right shows the previous behavior. The line on the left was used to create
a six member pattern. When the line is later moved, the other members do not follow.

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• Pattern dimension display now remains when you enter the Move tool. Previously, the pattern dimensions
disappeared and only the faces were displayed. This led to confusion about what was selected for the
Move. The images below show the new, correct behavior.

2. Click the Circular pattern tool.

3. Set the Pattern type to One-dimensional.
4. Enter the Circular count and Angle.
5. Click on the circular axis.

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To create a single radial pattern, set the Pattern type to Two-dimensional and enter a Circular Count of
1.

3. Press Enter.
To move a pattern


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3. Click Create NS.


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tools.
12.4.6.9. Fill patterns
You can create Fill patterns of:

• Protrusions (including sheet metal forms)
• Depressions (including slots and standard holes)
• Faces (Closed curves on a face)
Components can be assembled to a Fill pattern (e.g. a bolt component assembled into a pattern of holes).
Threads cannot be patterned.
You can use the Undo button, Ctrl+Z or Redo button, Ctrl+Y when creating a pattern.

1. Click the Fill tool in the Create group on the Design tab.
2. Select a protrusion or depression to be the first member (leader) of the pattern. The Direction tool guide
activates.
Pattern Type: Grid, Offset, or Skewed
Modify the X Spacing or Y Spacing for Grid or Offset patterns.
Modify Row X Offset, Row Y Offset, Column X Offset, and Column Y Offset for Skewed patterns.
in blue.

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When the pattern is previewed, any members which cannot be created are shown in red. Members that can
be created are shown in blue.
Grid Patterns
Grid uses the X and Y Offset values to produce a simple grid pattern.
Offset Patterns
Offset uses the X and Y Offset values to produce a grid but also offsets alternate rows.
Skewed Patterns
Skewed allows you to get a tighter nesting of pattern members using individual X and Y offsets for rows and
columns.

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The meaning of the offsets is shown graphically below.
To edit a fill pattern's properties

With a fill pattern node selected in the Structure tree, you can:
• For hole patterns in Sheet Metal, right-click and select Lightweight Pattern to toggle a pattern between a
lightweight pattern and regular pattern. When selected, a check mark displays next to the Lightweight
Pattern command. This speeds up the display of hole patterns in Sheet Metal which can contain hundreds
or thousands of members.
node, then right-click and select Update Pattern
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To move a pattern

pattern is skewed:
the pattern.


3. Click Create NS.


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tools.
12.4.6.10. Shelling a solid

Use the Shell tool in the Insert ribbon group on the Design tab to remove one of the faces of a solid and
create a shell of a specified thickness. You can then use the Shell tool to remove other sides of the shell.
Discovery Live automatically creates an offset relationship between the sides of the solid for you.
You can also create a closed shell without removing a face.
Shelled solids can have chamfers and rounds, and the faces can be drafted. The chamfer or rounded edge
will be created and maintained on both offset faces. A shelled solid with a chamfer is shown in cross-section
below.
To create a shell
1. Click the Shell tool in the Create ribbon group on the Design tab.
Mouse over the solids in your design to highlight the faces that could be removed.
2. (Optional) Enter a value into the dimension field to change the thickness of the shell.
Enter a negative number to create the shell thickness from the outside of the solid.
3. Select the face you want to remove.
The face is removed and a shell is created. The baseline of the offset is shown in blue. If you did not
change the thickness, the default thickness is set by the minor grid spacing.
4. (Optional) Continue clicking to remove additional faces.
To create a closed shell

1. Select the solid.
2. Click the Shell tool.
An internal shell is created.
To edit a shell
Right-click the shell to change its thickness.
Tool guides
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The Remove Faces tool guide is active by default. Select a face of the solid to remove it and create
a shell. Ctrl+click to remove multiple faces.
If you create a shell, then add a protrusion onto it, you can extend the shell through the protrusion by
clicking the More Shell tool guide, then clicking the newly added protrusion.
The Complete tool guide creates the shell and reactivates the Remove Faces tool guide so you can
create another shell.
Examples
An open shell and a closed shell
12.4.6.11. Creating an offset relationship

Use the Offset tool to create an offset relationship between two faces. This relationship will be maintained
in the other 2D and 3D editing tools. For example, when you select an offset face with the Pull tool, the offset
dimension is displayed. Baseline faces do not display a dimension.
To create an offset relationship

1. Click the Offset tool in the Create ribbon group.
Mouse over your design to see the faces eligible for offset relationships.
2. (Optional) Select options.
Select the Find All Same Offset option if you want to select all contiguous face pairs that have the same
offset distance as the pair you selected. If this option is not selected, the offset relationship is only created
for the selected pair of faces.
3. Click the first face.
4. Click the second face.
You have now established an offset relationship between the face pair and other contiguous face pairs
with the same offset distance (if the All the Same option is selected). The Toggle Baseline tool guide
activates.

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5. (Optional) Click to select the baseline face(s).

When you move one of the faces with a design tool, the other face in the offset pair moves to maintain
the offset relationship. When you fill one face of an offset pair, the other face is also filled.
Tool guides
The Face Pair tool guide is active by default.
When the Toggle Baseline tool guide is active, click

the faces that you want to be the baseline of the
offset.
Example
An offset relationship between two cylindrical faces causes both to change when you change the diameter
of either cylinder
12.4.6.12. Creating mirror relationships

Use the Mirror tool in the Insert ribbon group on the Design tab to mirror any geometry that can be moved
with the Move tool. You can insert a mirror plane between two faces, associating the faces so you can edit
them together. You can copy a solid, surface, face, or curve from one side of a mirror plane to the other.
You can mirror curves, points, and axes without leaving sketch mode or cross section mode. When you mirror
a curve, changing its geometry does not propagate to the other side.
You can mirror solids that contain patterns of features on a face, and the pattern will be updated on both
sides. The pattern must be created before the solid is mirrored.
The plane becomes a persistent mirror once you create geometry using the mirror. The mirror relationship
is maintained when you use other 2D and 3D tools to edit your design.
Mirrored components have a mirrored icon in the Structure Tree and maintain their mirror relationships when
they are exported.
Mirrored objects are created on the same layer as the original object. Mirrored points do not maintain their
mirror relationship.
To mirror an object
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1. (Optional) Create the plane you want to use as a mirror using the Insert Plane tool and position it with the
Move tool.
2. Click Mirror in the Create group.

The Select Mirror Plane tool guide is enabled.
3. Click the plane to use as a mirror.
4. Click the Mirror Body or Mirror Face tool guide.
5. Mouse over the solids or faces in your design to preview the solid, surface, or face that will be created
on the other side of the selected mirror plane.
6. Click the object you want to mirror.
7. The mirror plane is created and will persist in other tools.
You can click objects in your design or click a component in the Structure tree.
If you enclose a volume by mirroring faces, a solid is created.
To remove a mirror face or plane

1. Click Mirror in the Create group.
The Select Mirror Plane tool guide is enabled.
2. Click the Remove Mirror tool guide.

3. Click the face from which you want to remove the mirror relationship. You can also Box-select any number
of faces.
You can temporarily disable a plane in any tool. Select a mirrored face to display the mirror plane, then
click the mirror icon to disable the mirror. Click the mirror icon again to enable the mirror.
Options
• Merge mirrored objects: When you use a face as the mirror plane, or when the mirror plane lies on a face
of the source object, the two mirrored objects will be merged. Deselect this option to make a new object,
as shown below.
• Create mirror relationships: If you deselect this option, only the geometry is created and not the mirror
relationship. Changes to either object will not be reflected in the other, as shown below.

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You can create a mirror plane between two symmetrical faces in your design.
To set up a mirror relationship

1. Click the Mirror tool in the Create ribbon group.
2. Click the Setup Mirror tool guide.

As you mouse over the faces in your design, the eligible faces are highlighted. A face is eligible if it is
symmetrical to another face in your design.
3. Click a face.
4. Click a parallel face.
The second face is highlighted in blue and the mirror plane appears halfway between the two faces. Edits
to one face will now be mirrored on the other face. Geometry in between the two faces will be updated
accordingly.
You can create mirror relationships by finding similar faces on the other side of an existing mirror.
To find similar faces on the other side of a mirror
1. Click the Setup Mirror tool guide.

2. Click a face.
Ctrl+click to select multiple faces.
3. Alt+click a mirror plane.
Identical faces equidistant from the mirror plane are highlighted in blue, and a mirror relationship is created.
Tool guides
The Mirror Plane tool guide is active by default. Select a face or plane to use it as a mirror. (You
can also use this tool guide to select another mirror plane to use if one is already selected.
The Mirror Body tool guide activates automatically once you select a mirror face or plane. Mouse
over the solids in your design to preview the solid that will be created by the mirror. Click a solid to
mirror it.
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Once you select a face or plane to use as a mirror, use the Mirror Face tool guide to select the
faces you want to mirror. Mousing over the faces before you click them previews the face that will
be created by the mirror. Click a face to mirror it.
The Mirror Component creates a left-hand transform and does not create a mirror relationship
between the two components or subassemblies.
The Setup Mirror tool guide can be used any time to create a mirror plane between two faces.
Only those two faces will be affected by the mirror. To create a relationship among many faces,
Ctrl+select faces and then select a mirror plane to auto-detect identical faces equidistant from the
mirror plane.
Use the Remove Mirror tool to remove the mirror relationship between faces. You can select to
faces with a mirror relationship, or use box-selection to select any number of mirrored pairs.
Examples
A mirrored solid with a pattern of features is updated when the count is changed from 7 to 5 on one side.
Mirroring a sketched circle. Modifying the circle does not change the geometry of the mirrored circle.
Mirror associations are maintained in the Pull tool using the Copy Edge and Extrude Edge options. The
behavior for Copy Edge is on the left and Extrude Edge is on the right.

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A mirrored surface body that becomes a closed body after the mirror now becomes a closed body. Start with
a solid body, detach a face to make two surface bodies, and create a plane at the opening.
Mirror the surface body to see a solid body with the detached surface in the mirror plane.
12.4.7. Bodies
12.4.7.1. Geometry from Equations

Geometry from Equations
You can select from a number of preset 3D equations or write custom equations in the tool.

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The image below shows a Helicoid surface.
The equation is constructed in the Options panel. The image below shows the equation for the Helicoid
shown above.
You can enter an equation in the input fields for X, Y, and Z is for 3D equations.
Use the Show UV grid option to display a grid on the surface and adjust the grid density using the dropdown
slider. The grid helps visualize the surface contours.

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Use the Equation tool in the Design tab to create 2D curves based on mathematical equations.

2. (Optional) Click the Select Origin tool guide and select an equation origin
5. Click Complete to create the equation surface

2. (Optional) Click the Select Origin tool guide and select an equation origin

%APPDATA%\Roaming\SpaceClaim\SurfaceEquationCustoms.xml
To edit an equation
2. The Select Body tool guide is active

3. Select the body to edit it's equation
4. (Optional) Click the Select Origin tool guide and select a different origin
To scale an equation surface

Use the Scale parameter and slider in the Options panel to scale an equation surface.
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3D scaling with the Pull tool also works on equation surfaces.

Name Description
number
number

The preset equations include those shown in the following table.
Catenoid One Sheet

Hyperboloid
(Two sheets consists
of separate top and
bottom Hyperboloid
surfaces, and can be
made with two
equations with
inverted ranges)

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Geometry
Helicoid Paraboloid
Hyperbolic Radial Wave

Paraboloid
12.4.7.2. Creating a cylinder

Use the Cylinder tool to sketch the cylinder's axis in 2D and create its diameter in 3D.
If you select a 3D curve or edge before you click the Cylinder tool, the cylinder is created as a swept pipe.

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To draw a cylinder
1. Click Cylinder in the Body group of the Design tab.
2. (Optional) If you want to dimension the first end point of the axis, press Shift and hover the mouse over
a line or point to create a dimension relative to that line or point.
3. Click or press Enter to set the first end point of the axis.
4. (Optional) Dimension the axis.
5. Click or press Enter to set the other end point of the axis.
By default, the axis is dimensioned to its first end point. You can also press Shift and hover the mouse
over another line or point to create a dimension relative to that line or point.
6. (Optional) Dimension the cylinder's diameter.
8. Click or press Enter to set the diameter of the cylinder.
To create a swept pipe

1. Select a 3D curve or edge.
If the curves or edges include angles, a spherical surface is added at the angle. If you use the Fill tool on
the spherical joints, the corners are converted to sharp corners. See the examples below.
2. Click Cylinder in the Body group of the Design tab.

3. Click in the Design window to set the diameter of the cylinder.
Options
The following options are available in the Cylinder tool.
Add Add material to create a solid cylinder.
Cut Remove material when the cylinder intersects another

object.

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No Merge Creates a cylinder without merging into other objects

even when the cylinder intersects with an existing
object.
Near-side body only Add material only on the near side when the cylinder
intersects another object.
Examples
Tube with nubs
Using the Near-side body only option to add cylinder material only on the near side of a thin placement wall

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Geometry
Creating a swept pipe with the Cylinder tool
Creating a swept pipe with the Cylinder tool, then using Fill on the spherical joint to create a sharp corner
12.4.7.3. Creating a sphere

You can quickly create a sphere using the Sphere tool.
To create a sphere
1. Select the Sphere tool from the Body group of the Design tab.
2. (Optional) Click No Merge in the Properties panel if you don't want the sphere merged with existing bodies.
3. (Optional) Click Cut in the Properties panel to remove material from existing bodies where they overlap
the sphere.
4. Click to set the center of the sphere and the plane in which the sphere's radius is dimensioned.
As you move the mouse, you can see a preview of the sphere. Sphere creation works best when you
move the cursor in the x-y direction of the plane indicated by the first click.
5. Click to set the radius of the sphere.
To create a sphere over a face or edge

1. Select one or more faces or edges.
2. Select the Sphere tool from the Body group of the Tools tab.
A sphere is created that minimally covers the selected faces and/or edges.
Options
The following options are available in the Sphere tool.
Add Add material to create a solid sphere.

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Cut Remove material when the sphere intersects another

object.
No Merge Creates a sphere without merging into other objects

even when the sphere intersects with an existing
object.
Near-side body only Add material only on the near side when the sphere
intersects another object.
Examples
Using the Near-side body only option to add sphere material only on the near side of a thin placement wall
Creating a sphere over a face or edge
Selecting faces and clicking the Sphere tool to create a sphere, then clicking the Sphere tool multiple times
to enlarge the selected sphere

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12.4.8. Dimensions
You can dimension every element in your design, from lines in sketches to faces of solids. In Discovery Live,
dimensions are not constraints. Rather, they are tools for precise control during the creation or modification
of a design. In Discovery Live, if you do want to save a dimension with your design, use the Ruler Dimension
option when pulling or moving. You can save the ruler dimensions as Groups for later edits.
Whenever dimension fields appear, you can press the spacebar or click on them to enter a value, and press
Tab to switch between fields.
You can use mathematical expressions in a dimension.
To dimension a sketch line during creation
1. Press the spacebar (or just type) to enter a value in the highlighted field.
2. Press Tab to switch between dimension fields.
3. Repeat step 2 until you have entered all the dimensions.
4. Press Enter to accept the values and return to sketching.
The dimensions persist until you select another tool or begin drawing another sketch object.
To dimension the start, end, or middle point of a sketch line from another
point in your sketch
1. Hover the mouse over the point from which you want to dimension.
2. Press Shift.
As you move your mouse around the sketch grid, a dimension will appear from the point you indicated to
the mouse location.

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Geometry
6. Press Enter to accept the values and place the point that begins or ends your line.
To dimension existing sketch lines
1. Click the Select tool.

2. Select the sketch object you want to change.
3. Dimension the item's size or location by doing one of the following:
• Press the spacebar (or just type) to enter a value in the highlighted field.
• Drag the selected item to change its size or location.
• Hover over a point in your design and press Shift to dimension between the selected object and that
point.
• Press Shift while dragging to dimension from the current mouse location.
To dimension while moving or pulling
1. Select a direction for the move or pull.

5. Press Enter to accept the values and move or pull the selected object the distance you entered.
To create a ruler dimension

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2. Select the faces or edges whose location you wish to specify.
3. Select a direction for the dimension.
4. Select Create Ruler Dimension from the Options panel or right-click and select it from the mini-toolbar.
The start point of the dimension is set as the location of the Pull arrow or Move handle.
5. Click an object to set the end point of the dimension.
Use the scroll wheel if multiple objects appear at the same point in the Design window.
6. Enter a value.
7. Press Enter to accept the value and complete the move or pull.
Press Esc to hide the ruler dimension.
You can make more than one change per ruler dimension.
To create an angular ruler dimension
1. Select the Move tool and switch to Section mode.

2. Select the section line (that represents a face) that you want to rotate.
3. (Optional) Anchor the Move handle to the object around which you want to rotate by dragging the center
sphere or using the Anchor tool guide.
4. Select the rotational axis of the Move handle.
5. Select Create Ruler Dimension from the Options panel or right-click and select it from the mini-toolbar.
An angular dimension indicator appears from the red linear axis of the Move handle.
6. Select the end reference for the angular dimension.
7. Enter a value for the dimension.
12.4.9. Detaching
You can detach individual pieces of a sketch, or detach objects or faces in 3D. You can detach protrusions
to move them with the Move tool's Detach First option.
To detach in 2D
Alt+drag with the Select tool to detach the selected item when sketching. Use the 2D Move tool to detach
items and move them.
To detach in 3D
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2. If you want to detach an object, Ctrl+click all its faces to select them.
3. Right-click the object and select Detach from the context menu.
To detach a cylinder
2. If you want to detach a cylinder, Ctrl + click the cylinder surfaces to select them.
3. Right-click the object and select Detach from the context menu.
12.4.10. Checking geometry

You can check the geometry for solids and surfaces. The geometry is checked for all possible ACIS errors.
Select errors and warnings in the dialog to highlight the associated geometry in the Design window, as shown
below.
To check an object's geometry

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1. Right-click a solid or surface in the Structure tree.

2. Select Check Geometry.
You can click Stop in the status bar or press Esc to cancel the operation if necessary.
A dialog will open that lists any errors or warnings found.
3. Select errors and warnings in the dialog to highlight the associated geometry in the Design window.
4. Select Zoom to fit selection to automatically zoom in to the problem area in the Design window.
5. Click Close when you are finished.
12.5. Changing the display

The tools you use to customize the appearance of your design within the design window are found in Discovery
Live's Display tab.
• Customize your design by modifying which objects are displayed, the style in which solids and edges are
displayed, and the color in which solids appear in your design.
• Paint display properties from one object to another.
• Create layers to save different customizations and display characteristics.
• Customize the workspace by creating windows or splitting the window to display multiple views of your
design.
• Show or hide workspace tools.
• Configure the docking/detached location of all your workspace windows.
• Create views to save the camera perspective and assign the view to a hotkey.
Display tools are grouped into the following ribbon groups:
Orient Quickly display a particular view of your design.

Style Determine how the solids in your design will be displayed.
Camera Open the Camera options for Flythrough and set perspective
Window Create new design windows, split windows, and quickly switch between windows.
Grid Determine how the sketch grid and the geometry above or below the grid is displayed
Display Display or hide tools in the Design window.
12.5.1. Views
12.5.1.1. Orienting your home view

Use the Home tool to return the orientation of your design to the default, trimetric view. You can customize
the Home view tool so that it displays your design with a specific orientation, location, and zoom level.

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Compared to the isometric view, the trimetric view orients your design so that the front face is angled slightly
towards you and less of the top is shown. The isometric view is on the left and the trimetric view is on the
right.
To display the Home view

Click the Home tool in the Orient ribbon panel or press H.
To customize the Home view

1. Use the other Orient tools to set up a view of your design in the workspace.
2. Select Home > Set As Home View to make the view in the active Design window the Home view.
Now, when you click the Home tool, your custom view is displayed. Your home view is saved with your
design.
Click Home > Reset Home View to return the Home view to the default, trimetric view.
12.5.1.2. Display a head-on view of the sketch grid

Click the Plan View tool in the Orient ribbon group or in the Sketching mini-toolbar to display a head-on
view of the sketch grid or the selected plane or planar face.
If this tool is disabled, select a plane or planar surface or display the sketch grid.

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12.5.1.3. Selecting a view

Use the View tool to display a trimetric or isometric view of your design. You can also display a head-on view
of the top, bottom, front, back, right, or left side. Your design's orientation in the head-on views is determined
by Discovery Live's default coordinate system.
towards you and less of the top is shown. Compare the two views in the image below. The isometric view is
on the left and the trimetric view is on the right.
To select a view
Select the view you want from the View tool menu in the Orient ribbon group.
When you hover over a view name in the list, a preview of the view is displayed.
If you have Animate changes to view projection selected in the Advanced Discovery Live options, the
change in view state is animated.
To display a trimetric or isometric view of your design

Select Trimetric or Isometric from the View tool menu.
To display a head-on view of your design

Select Top, Bottom, Front, Back, Right, or Left from the View tool menu.
12.5.1.4. Snapping to a view

Use the Snap View tool to display a head-on view of a selected face or plane. You can also use the tool to
throw the highlighted face or plane to the top, bottom, right, or left. On a drawing sheet, flipping one view
also flips all related views.
Snap View works on objects with a direction: planes, datums, cones, torii, curves and edges. For non-linear
curves, the direction is determined by the direction between the endpoints.
You can only use this tool in 3D mode; it is disabled in Sketch and Section modes.

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To snap the view
1. Click Select or press S.
2. Click Snap View in the Orient group.

3. Use objects in the Design window to orient your view:
• Click and release on a plane, point, cone, torus, curve, or edge.
If the object is not oriented head-on, then it will rotate so the face you click is viewed head-on, like this:
If the object is already oriented head-on, then it will rotate 90° counter-clockwise or it will rotate so it is
square with the Design window, like this:
• Click, drag, and release a plane, point, cone, torus, curve, or edge to throw it up, down, left, or right.
If the object is not oriented head-on, then it will rotate so the face you click is viewed head-on and square
with the Design window, like this:
If the object is oriented head-on, it will rotate 90° in the direction you drag, like this:
• Click anywhere in empty space to rotate the view 90° counter-clockwise, like this:

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4. Repeat until you see the view you want.
12.5.2. Orienting designs

Select a tool from the Orient ribbon group to orient your design in the workspace. You can use these tools
at any time, even when you are designing with other 2D or 3D tools.
Note: Drag the middle mouse button to spin, Shift+drag it to pan, and Ctrl+drag it to zoom. You can switch
between spinning, panning, and zooming by pressing and holding Ctrl (to zoom) or Shift (to pan). When you
release the key, you will return to spinning.
Orient ribbon group

The Orient ribbon group contains the following tools:
Use the Home tool to return the orientation of your

design to the default, trimetric view. You can
customize the Home view to show your design with
any orientation, location, and zoom level.
Click the Plan View tool to display a head-on view of
the sketch grid or the select plane or planar face.
Alt+select an edge to orient the plan view horizontally
or vertically.
You can use the Spin tool to re-orient your design in
any direction. Spinning your design allows you to view
it from any angle.
Use the Pan tool to move your design within the
Design window.
Use the Zoom tool to display your design closer or
farther away in the Design window. You can zoom
the design to fill the Design window, zoom into an
area, or zoom in or out a preset amount.
Use the View tool to display a trimetric or isometric
view of your design. You can also display a head-on
view of the top, bottom, front, back, right, or left side.
Use the Snap View tool to display a head-on view of
a face. You can also use the tool to "throw" the
highlighted face to the top, bottom, right, or left by
dragging it toward the edge of the Design window.
Use the Rotate tool to rotate your design 90 degrees
in the plane of the screen. You can rotate your design
clockwise or counterclockwise.

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Use the Next and Previous arrows (or left/right arrows

on your keyboard, or browser next/previous buttons)
to change your view to the previous or next
orientations.
Orient modes
When you click the Spin, Pan, and Zoom tools, they stay enabled until you click them again, press Esc, or
click another tool.
Undoing and redoing views
You can undo and redo views using the Previous View and Next View tools on the status bar.
You can also use the left and right arrow keys, or any system-defined browser forward or back method such
as special keyboard buttons.
12.5.2.1. Spinning your design

When you click the Spin tool, it stays enabled until you click it again, press Esc, or click another tool.
To spin your design

1. Click Spin in the Orient group on the Design tab or in the status bar.
You can also select one of the following from the Spin drop-down:
• On Center to spin around the center of your design.
• On Cursor to spin around the cursor location.
• Rotate 90 Clockwise to rotate your design 90° in a clockwise direction.
• Rotate 90° Counterclockwise to rotate your design 90° in a counterclockwise direction.
2. Click and drag to spin your design.

If you start dragging on a highlighted line, edge, or axis, you can rotate your design around it. You can
remove this feature by setting the advanced Discovery Live option Rotate about pre-selected object in
spin. (Press Alt and drag to rotate around a highlighted object whether or not this option is selected.)
Note: Set the Rotate about pre-selected object in spin option. Then, when working in any tool, position
the middle mouse button on the face, edge, plane, or axis about which you want to spin your design, and
drag to spin.
You may find it easier to reach a desired orientation if you use short mouse drags to spin the design a
little bit at a time.

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If you double-click a face while using the Spin tool, the face is zoomed so that it fills the design window.
You can also switch to the Zoom tool temporarily by holding down the Ctrl key while turning the mouse
wheel.
To switch between spin, pan, and zoom commands

While one of the Spin, Pan, and Zoom commands in the status bar is active, you can switch to any of the
others using the Ctrl and Shift keys.
Active Command Press and Hold

Spin Ctrl to Zoom
Spin Ctrl+Shift to Pan
Pan Ctrl to Zoom
Zoom Ctrl+Shift to Pan
While holding Ctrl to Zoom, you can use the LMB or the mouse wheel for zooming in and out.
To set the spin center

Right-click anywhere in the Design window, select Spin Center, and select one of the following:
• Set: Sets the spin center to the center of the object you have selected. If you don't have an object selected,
the spin center is set to the spot where you right-click. If you previously set the spin center, setting it again
will change it to your current selection. You don't need to clear the spin center to set it again.
• Clear: Clears the spin center. When you rotate your view in 3D, the spin will be centered based on the
option you select in the Spin tool.
• Locate: Centers the view on the spin center, if one is set.
To display the spin center indicator

Select Spin Center in the Show group on the Display tab to see an indicator of your spin center in the Design
window when you spin your view. The indicator only appears while you spin, and it changes when you have
a spin center set. The default indicator is shown below on the left. The indicator below is shown when you
have the spin center set.
To rotate your design
Orientation Shortcuts
An orientation indicator is located in the lower left corner of the Graphics window. You can use it to snap to
views and rotate the view.

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Click on an axis or one of the colored balls to snap the view to snap that axis normal to the screen. The balls
are the intersection of an axis on the opposite side of the block from it's label. The image below shows the
result of clicking on the Z-axis.
As the mouse gets near the indicator, arrow arcs appear.
Click on an arrow to rotate it 90° in that direction.
You can also drag on the arrow to rotate the view. As you drag, the view rotates in 5° increments. To rotate
smoothly, press and hold the Shift key while dragging.
Turntable spin mode

Turntable spin mode is enabled in the Navigation pane of Discovery Live Options. It rotates the view using
the top of your design as the up direction and the location of your mouse as the rotation axis. This is the spin
method commonly used in architectural CAD packages.
The cursor changes to indicate when you are in Turntable Spin mode.
To understand Turntable spinning, picture the World Origin as a turntable

• The model sits on the XY-plane.
• The Z-axis is the axis of rotation.
• Spinning is based on cursor movement as follows:
º Left-to-Right movement spins about the Z-axis
º Up-and-Down movement spins the XY-plane.
You can see the difference by orienting the World Origin with the Z-axis horizontal.

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Cursor movement Left-to-Right spins the model only about the Z-axis
Cursor movement Up-and-Down Also spins the model only about the Z-axis
A combination of both movements Also spins the model only about the Z-axis
12.5.2.2. Panning your design

Use the Pan tool to move your design within the Design window.
When you click the Pan tool, it stays enabled until you click it again, press Esc, or click another tool.
To pan
1. Select the Pan tool from the Orient ribbon group or status bar.
2. Drag to move your design around the Design window.
If you double-click a face while using the Pan tool, the face is zoomed so that it fills the design window.
You can also switch to the Zoom tool temporarily by holding down the Ctrl key while turning the mouse
wheel.
Note: When working in any tool, Shift+click the middle mouse button and drag to move your design.
In Discovery Live Options, you can add panning scroll bars to the Design window. Go to Popular Options
and check the Show scroll bars in the design window option ON.
12.5.2.3. Zooming in and out

Use the Zoom tool to display your design closer or farther away in the Design window. You can zoom the
design to fill the Design window, zoom into an area, or zoom in or out a preset amount.
When you click the Zoom tool, it stays enabled until you click it again, press Esc, or click another tool.
To zoom in and out

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1. Select the Zoom tool from the Orient ribbon group or status bar.
2. Click where you want to center the zoom.
3. Drag down to zoom into your design; drag up to zoom out.
You can also use the scroll wheel to zoom in and out.
Note: When working in any tool, Ctrl+click the middle mouse button, then drag up and down to zoom. You
can also press Ctrl+ or Ctrl- to zoom in or out a preset amount.
To use the zoom legend

You can toggle the Zoom Legend on and off using the Show menu in the Display ribbon group.
The Zoom Legend highlights when you hover over it, indicating you can click and drag it to a new location.
To switch between spin, pan, and zoom commands

While one of the Spin, Pan, and Zoom commands in the status bar is active, you can switch to any of the
others using the Ctrl and Shift keys.
Active Command Press and Hold

Spin Ctrl to Zoom
Spin Ctrl+Shift to Pan
Pan Ctrl to Zoom
Zoom Ctrl+Shift to Pan
While holding Ctrl to Zoom, you can use the LMB or the mouse wheel for zooming in and out.
To zoom the design or a selected face or edge to fit the Design window
Select Zoom > Extents or press Z.
The design or selected face or edge is zoomed so that it fills the Design window. When working with a drawing
sheet, it will fit the drawing sheet to the Design window. If you resize the Design window, the design will also
be resized until it again fills the Design window.

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To zoom into a selected area

1. Select Zoom > Zoom Box In.
You can also right-click in the Design window and select View > Zoom Box In from the menu.
2. Click and drag to select the area.
Two rectangles appear as you draw. The dotted rectangle shows your selection; the solid rectangle shows
what will be displayed in the Design window. When you mouse-up, the design pans and zooms until it
fits within the area.
To zoom in and out a preset amount

Select Zoom > Zoom In to bring your design closer. Select Zoom > Zoom Out to move your design further
away.
When working in any tool, press Ctrl and + or Ctrl and - to zoom in and out a preset amount.
12.5.2.4. Rotating your design

Use the Rotate tool to rotate your design 90 degrees in the plane of the screen. You can rotate your design
clockwise or counterclockwise.
To rotate your design 90 degrees

Click the Rotate tool .
To change the rotation direction

Select Rotate > Rotate 90 Counterclockwise.
Your design rotates 90 degrees counterclockwise and the Rotate tool icon changes to . Clicking the Rotate
tool will continue to rotate in the counterclockwise direction.
Select Rotate > Rotate 90 Clockwise to rotate your design in the clockwise direction and set the Rotate
tool to rotate clockwise.
12.5.3. Styles
12.5.3.1. Applying colors

The color of solids, surfaces, and components are normally determined by the layer color; however, you can
override the layer colors for objects. By default, all objects are placed on Layer0, which is green. You can
modify the color of edges, faces and bodies when selecting an object.
See Working with Layers to change the layer color or move an object to a different layer.

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See Changing object transparency to change the transparency of an object.

Use the Color tool in the Style ribbon group of the Display tab to override the layer color for solids, surfaces,
faces, and curves, or the color of individual faces on a 3D markup slide. When you add a Custom Color in
the color palette, it is added to the bottom of the menu and it is saved between Discovery Live sessions.
If you change the color when nothing is selected, the color will become the default for new objects. This
allows you to set the color for things you haven't created yet, without using layers and default layer colors.
To override the layer color of a solid, surface, face, or curve

1. Select one or more solids, surfaces, faces, curves, or components in the Design window or Structure tree.
You can select a body by selecting one of its faces or edges, then selecting Body as the Target.
If you select a component, then the color of all of the component's children will be changed.
2. Click Color in the Style group on the Display tab.
3. Select a color.
If the color you want is not in the list, click More Colors and select a color or create a new custom color.
4. Choose Randomize Colors to let the system assign colors to the selected objects
5. (Optional) Set the transparency of the object. See Changing object transparency.

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To override edge color

1. Select any edge on a solid or surface.
3. Select a color.
This color will be used for all edges of the solid.
To remove color overrides and return the object to the layer color and
transparency
You can select a body by selecting one of its faces or edges, then selecting Body as the Target.
If you select a component, the color of all of the component's children will be changed.
2. Click Color in the Style group and select Remove Color Override.
To view an object's color properties

1. Select the object in the Design window or Structure tree.
2. Look for the Style attribute in the Appearance section of the Properties panel.
This property shows how the appearance of an object is overridden in the Style group:
• By Layer indicates that the object is assigned to a layer other than Layer 0, which affects its default
appearance.
• By Color indicates that the object's color has been set via the Color tool.
• By Style indicates that the Transparent or Opaque buttons in Style Override have been toggled for the
object.
12.5.3.1.1. Changing object transparency

By default, the transparency of an object is determined by its layer color and whether or not the object is a
surface. Surfaces are displayed as semi-transparent to visually distinguish them from solids. You can override
the transparency of objects using the Color tool.
In a graphics editing application, color is assigned to an Alpha channel (ARGB, for example). Discovery Live
follows this standard convention and also treats transparency as a property of the object's color.
The hierarchy of rendering overrides is as follows:
• The opacity setting for the layer is used if no other transparency is set for the object.
• The transparency setting from the Color tool or Style Painter overrides the transparency of the layer.
• Style Override makes the object opaque or transparent, regardless of face or layer settings. These overrides
are automatically deselected when you change the transparency of an object using the Color tool or Style
Painter.
To change the transparency of an object


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Hold the Ctrl key to select more than one object.

3. Choose the Opacity box.
To override an object's transparency

2. Click Style Override in the Style group on the Display tab.

3. Select one of the options:
• Transparent to make the object 35% transparent.
• Opaque to make the object completely opaque.
Deselect so neither override is selected if you want to use the object's transparency setting.
Note: If any subset of the body's faces is made transparent, Style Override is disabled, because there
is a mix of opaque and transparent faces.
To reapply the layer color and transparency

1. Select one or more solids, surfaces, faces, or curves in the Design window or Structure tree.
2. Select Remove Color Override from the Color tool on the Display tab's Style ribbon group. You can see
this option in the image of the Color tool above.
To apply per-face transparency

1. Select a face.
2. Open Color in the Display tab and set the Transparency for the selected face.

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3. Review the properties for the selected face. By default, the Style property will be By Color, By Style so
the Body Style overrides the Face style and the Transparency is overridden.
4. Open Style Override in the Display tab and note that Opaque is the active Body Style.
5. Click the active style (Opaque) to disable it.
Note: Style Override appears disabled.

The face transparency displays.

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12.5.3.2. Line styles

You can apply a custom line style and line weight to the lines in your designs and drawing sheets. The line
styles you choose apply to annotations, center marks, center lines, and drawing sheet cross-section view
arrows, hatching, hatched area borders, and detail view boundaries. You can apply line styles to individual
objects or to all the objects on a layer. The width that you set is exactly the width that will be printed when
you print an unscaled drawing sheet.
You can set the default line styles for various objects in the Discovery Live options. Setting the line styles
individually overrides the default setting.
Line styles can be assigned to layers so that you can have different line styles for sketch and layout lines.
To apply a line style

1. Select the objects or layer to which you want to apply the line style.
2. Select the line style from the Line Style tool menu.
3. Select the line weight from the Lineweight menu in the Style group on the Display tab.
12.5.3.3. Layers panel

Layers can be thought of as a grouping mechanism based on visual characteristics. Visual characteristics
include visibility, color and line style. Layers are managed in the Layers panel and accessed and modified
with the Layer tool in the Display tab Style group.
The default layer color for new documents can be set in the Appearance section of Discovery Live Options.
Layers are especially useful when you want to hide annotation planes.
Sheet metal parts have a set of default layers when the part is in an unfolded state. They are:
• Dimension
• Bend Lines Up
• Bend Lines Down
• Bend Dimensions
• Forms
To create a layer
Right-click in the Layers panel and select New.
This layer becomes the activate layer. Any objects created are automatically placed on this layer.
To place an object on a layer

1. Select one or more objects to assign to the layer.

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2. Right-click a layer to open the context-sensitive menu.

3. Choose Assign to layer.
To rename a layer
Right-click the layer in the Layers panel and select Rename or click the layer name and slowly drag to the
right.
Layer0 cannot be renamed.
To delete a layer
Right-click the layer in the Layers panel and select Delete.
Layer0 cannot be deleted.
To delete empty layers

Right-click in the Layers panel and select Remove Empty Layers.
To activate a layer
1. Right-click a layer to open the context-sensitive menu.
2. Choose Make Active.
3. New objects created are assigned to the active layer.
To set layer visibility

1. Select a layer in the Layers panel.
2. Click to show the objects on the layer. Click to hide them.

If an object is located on a layer with the visibility turned off, and the object in the Structure tree is set to
show visibility by layer, the object is not visible in the Design window, and cannot be acted on by the
design tools. Layer visibility can be overridden in the Structure tree.
You cannot hide the active layer.
Use Hide Others on an inactive layer to make it active and hide the other layers.
You can make a hidden layer active which automatically makes it visible.
To set the visibility of layout lines and imported, DWG and DXF lines
Select Solid or Hidden from the layer's line drop-down in the Layers panel.
To modify the layer color

1. Select a layer in the Layers panel.
2. Select a color from the drop-down.

You can also specify a custom color by selecting Custom Color and using the Color window.

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You can override the layer color for solids, surfaces, faces, or curves. See Applying colors to design elements.
12.5.3.4. Applying a graphics style

Discovery Live offers several different styles to view your design. You can apply styles to your entire design
or drawing sheet, to individual layers, or to individual views in your drawing sheet.
To apply a graphics style to your design
1. Click Graphics in the Style group on the Display tab.

2. Select a graphics option:
• Shaded: The default and recommended view; displays solids and surfaces as three-dimensional, shaded
objects.
• Enhanced Shaded: Solids and surfaces are displayed as three-dimensional, shaded objects. The
shading represents the exposure of the scene to ambient lighting, with shadows and highlights to improve
rendering.
• Wireframe: Only the edges of objects are displayed. The wireframes are the same color as the edges.

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• Hidden Line: Objects are displayed as wireframes with hidden lines displayed in a light gray.
• Hidden Line Removed: Objects are displayed as wireframes and hidden lines are not shown.
All objects in the Design window will be displayed in the style you select.

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12.5.3.5. Applying a rendering style

The Rendering Style tool, in the Style group of the Display tab, allows you to change how solid faces are
rendered. You can choose between a shiny, light reflective finish (Metallic), a matte finish (Plastic), a
sketched finish (Brushed), or a hatch line finish (Hatched). Assigning different rendering styles to a model
helps you to better visualize parts, assemblies, or components as you develop your design.
In the images below, all four rendering styles are used: the top of the pitcher is set to plastic. The handle and
pitcher are brushed. The blade base is hatched, and the base of the pitcher is set to metallic:
In the image set below, Regular display mode is shown on the left and Quick Rendering mode is shown
on the right. Regular mode uses a single light source, while quick rendering mode uses multiple lights and
reflects a background of sky and clouds on surfaces to give them depth and interest:

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To change the rendering style of a solid or surface

1. Select the solid or surface.
2. Click Rendering Style in the Style group on the Display tab.

This icon changes to reflect the current setting, but always appears as a shaded sphere.
3. Select Hatched, Brushed, Metallic or Plastic to apply that surface style to the selected solid or surface.
Working with Keyshot rendering

After installing Keyshot™, each Discovery Livestartup automatically retrieves installed Keyshot materials
and preview images to provide you with the most recent rendering materials available.
Rendering with Keyshot can now be performed on lightweight assembly components. Lightweight components
are a graphics-only representation of a design; only the component's graphical information is loaded. Rendering
designs with lightweight components reduces CPU memory and file size, which enhances Discovery Live
speed and performance.
Rendering with Keyshot can now be performed on mesh objects. Some very large objects can only be loaded
as mesh objects when there is insufficient RAM. Rendering mesh objects reduces CPU memory and file
size, which enhances Discovery Live speed and performance.
12.5.3.6. Displaying edges

Use the Edges option tool in the Style group on the Display tab to customize which edges are displayed.
These settings are saved with the document, but are only used for 3D display. The edge display options
apply to the design in the current Design window tab, and not other designs you may have open in other
tabs in the Design window.
See Applying colors to change the color of edges.
To change edge display options

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1. Click Edges in the Style group on the Display tab.

2. Select any combination of the following options:
The examples below show each option disabled and then enabled.
• Tangent: Display lines indicating tangent edges and edges that do not span a face.
• Surface: Display all edges on surfaces.
• Solid: Display all non-tangent edges on a solid.
• Silhouette: Display the lines that indicate the silhouetted edges of all curved surfaces. This option
affects only Wireframe, Hidden Line, and Hidden Line Removed graphics styles.
• Mesh: Display facet edges on an STL model. You can toggle the display of internal mesh edges and
open meshes edges on boundaries. You can sketch on the mesh object and your sketch tools will snap
to the facets.
• Soft: Display the soft edges of imported SketchUp models. This option is ON by default.
12.5.3.7. Painting display properties from one

object to another
Use the Style Painter tool to apply the display properties of one object to another object. The tool applies
color and transparency intelligently from one object type to a different object type.

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You can select a component in the Structure tree as the target for the Style Painter tool. The color and
transparency are applied to all solids in a component. You cannot select a component as the source object,
and only the solids in the target component are changed.
In the example below, the red part is semi-transparent and has blue edges. The style from the red block was
painted to the green block and to the note. The color, transparency, and edge color of the red block was
copied to the green block. Only the color of the red block was copied to the note, because a note doesn't
have transparency or edge color.
To paint display properties from one object to another

1. Click Style Painter in the Clipboard group on the Design tab.
2. Select the source object that you want to copy the display properties from.
3. Select the target object that you want to copy the display properties to.
The Select Target tool guide automatically becomes active so you can paint the properties of the source
to as many targets as you like by simply clicking on them.
If you can't select the object you want, such as an edge, try scrolling the mouse wheel over the object.
4. If you want to paint properties from a different source object, click the Select Source tool guide or hold
Ctrl and select a different source object.
The Select Target tool guide automatically becomes active again so you can click on as many targets
as you want.
12.5.4. Flythrough
Flythrough is a display mode intended to give you the impression you are inside the model looking around.
When setting up a flythrough mode, typically the screen is split with one viewport to show the camera position
and one for flying through.

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To flythrough your design

1. Click the Show Camera Options button in the Display tab
• Camera settings are per scene, not per window
2. Click the button to activate Flythrough in Viewport 1

• Camera type will change to Perspective
• You can choose a camera type
• Orthographic - Parallel lens
• Perspective - Divergent lens
3. In the Flythrough viewport, spin and zoom to fly through the model
• MMB positions the spin center where you clicked the MMB
• MMB+Alt rotates around the Camera position
4. (Optional) Open a second viewport to control the camera position or trajectory.

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To position the camera

1. Click the Identify Viewport button to show viewport numbers
2. In the Options Panel, click the Show Camera button
3. Choose a viewport for the camera in the Show Camera dialog box
• The camera position is shown in the selected viewport (default is 0) and your model as seen from the
camera position is shown in the active viewport (default is 1)
• You can change the activate viewport by clicking in them or selecting them from the Active Viewport
dropdown in the Options panel
4. (Optional) Adjust the Width or Height of the camera film

• This adjusts the zoom level in the camera viewport
• When you click in either the Width or the Height inputs, the corresponding film edges highlight in the
scene
• You can also hold the ALT key while zooming IN/OUT in the Flythrough window to increase/decrcease
the width and height
5. (Optional) In the camera viewport, position the camera using the Move tool
To move the camera with the Move tool

1. Turn the Camera ON in a viewport
2. Turn Flythrough ON in another viewport
• If Flythrough is OFF, you cannot select the camera to move it
4. Select a part of the camera to move. Referring to the image below, you can select either the Sight Line
(light blue line), Target End (blue dot), or Camera End (green dot).

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5. Use the Move Handle to position the camera

6. Moving the green dot moves the Camera End. The Target End remains fixed as if you are walking around
the Target End while keeping your eyes pointed at the Target End.
• The Move Handle reorients after the move to show that it remained pointed at the Target End during
the drag.
7. Moving the blue dot moves the Target End while maintaining the Camera End position. This has the effect
of moving the object in space while keeping the Camera fixed (like moving the object while keeping your
eyes pointed at the camera).
• The Move Handle reorients after the move to show that it remained pointed at the camera during the
drag.
8. Moving the Sight Line moves the Camera as a whole
• Dragging linear directions maintains the camera orientation during the move
• Dragging rotational directions pivots the camera about the sight line midpoint
9. Use the Up To tool guide to attach the camera to selected geometry
• Attaching the Camera End and then moving the Target End linearly rotates the camera while it is fixed
to the selected geometry

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• Attaching the Target End and then moving the Camera End linearly is like walking around while keeping
the camera fixed on the target
To move the camera along a predefined tragectory

With the Camera attached to a curve, you can use the Move Along Trajectory tool guide to move the camera
along a predetermined path.
1. Select the Sight Line to Move
2. Click the Up To tool guide
3. Select the curve endpoint
4. Orient the camera to establish the viewing direction

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5. Click the Move Along Trajectory tool guide

6. Select the curve
7. Start dragging along the curve
8. The camera follows the curve and the view direction moves accordingly

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9. Continue dragging until the end of the curve
12.5.5. Sketch grid styles

You can modify whether the sketch grid is displayed, and how the geometry above or below the grid is
displayed in each Design window. You may want to use one style when you are examining a component,
and another when you are creating new geometry within a component. You can further customize the sketch
grid by hiding section lines and faces using Discovery Live options.
To show or hide the sketch grid

Check the Show Sketch Grid box in the Grid ribbon group on the Display tab to display the sketch grid. The
sketch grid appears in all the sketching tools. Displaying the sketch grid allows you to snap to grid lines and
provides a visual cue to the orientation of your sketch within your design
To determine how geometry above or below the grid is displayed

• Check the Fade Scene Under Grid box to make the geometry under the sketch grid more transparent.
Sketch curves outside the current sketch plane appear faded, while layout curves are unaffected.
• Check the Clip Scene Above Grid box to hide the geometry above the sketch grid.
To clip your design with a plane

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Right-click a plane and select Clip with Plane. To restore the view of your design, right-click the plane and
select Clip with Plane again.
Planes, axes, and annotations are not clipped.
Examples
Fading the scene below the grid makes it easier to see when you sketch in section mode.
Examining a section with the scene clipped above the grid
12.5.6. Displaying workspace tools

You can adjust the display of workspace tools and the display of your design in the Design window using
the Show drop-down list of tools in the Display ribbon group on the Display tab, and by modifying Discovery
Live options.
To customize the tools displayed while you are working with your design
Discovery Live offers the following tools on the Display ribbon group on the Display tab to assist you while
creating, editing, and detailing your designs:
• Check the World Origin box to display the axes that set the default orientation of the design in the Design
window.
• Check the Spin Center box to mark the center of the spin when using the Spin tool. (This is the same as
the Show Spin Center Discovery Live option.)
• Check the Zoom Legend box to display the zoom legend in the Design window.
• Check the Lineweight box to change the line style to the thickness set by the Lineweight tool in the Style
ribbon group.
• Check the Face Highlight box to enable pre-highlighting of faces.
• Check the Face Spotlight box to show a spotlight attached to the cursor when passing over faces.
• Check the Body Glow box to enable highlighting for pre-selection and selection of bodies. This setting
applies to all windows.

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• Check the Vertices box to show all vertices in the model. Vertices are not shown on closed periodic edges
(for example, on a cylinder). This setting works on a per-window basis; enabling it in one window has no
effect on other windows.
• Check the Body Interference box to show any bodies that are intersecting. This setting works on a
per-window basis; enabling it in one window has no effect on other windows.
• Check the Ambient Occlusion Only box to render the display with a diffuse, non-directional shading effect
that approximates how light should be shining on any specific surface based on the light source and, if
included, the environment. The shading represents the exposure of the scene to ambient lighting, for
example, interior surfaces of a model are typically more occluded and will appear darker than the exposed
outer surfaces. This option can be used when the Enhanced Shading option is enabled.
In the example, the image on the left is rendered with Ambient Occlusion and shows the shadows and
highlights that are missing in the image on the right.
• Check the Adjacent Entities box to display faint highlighting on adjacent faces when you hover over an
edge and on adjacent edges when you hover over a vertex. Scrolling the mouse wheel switches between
adjacent entities. This feature is useful in selecting the correct edge or face to extrude.
• Check the Layout Lines box to display sketch curves on layout planes.
• Check the Offset Baseline Faces box to display offset relationships with blue shading.
• Check the Standard Holes box display Standard Holes in blue. When unchecked, Standard Hole faces
display in the normal face color.
• Check the Lightweight Components box to display Lightweight components. This also has a flyout for
setting Lightweight component transparency.
• Check the Environment box to display according to the settings in the Appearance panel.
To display other workspace tools, modify the settings in the Popular Discovery Live options.
You can also display journal-related tools by checking the Show Journal Tab option in the Popular Discovery
Live options.
Examples

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Hovering over an edge with Adjacent Entities highlights the faces shared by the edge
12.5.7. Showing and hiding objects

You can use any of these methods for setting the visibility of objects in the Design window:
• Right-click an object in the Design window and select Hide Others to view only that solid, surface, or curve.
• Right-click anywhere in the Design window and select Show All to make all objects visible.
• Right-click an object in the Structure tree and select Always Visible from the context menu. The object
will remain visible if you hide its layer, but this setting has no effect on other visibility commands such as
Isolate or hiding its parent component by deselecting its check box it in the Structure tree.
• Right-click a face and select the Face context menu.
º Hide Face hides the selected faces. Hidden faces allow objects behind them to be selected without using
the scroll wheel.
º Hide Other Faces hides all faces except for the selected faces.
º Inverse Face Visibility inverts the current visibility state for all faces. Hidden faces (even those hidden
By Body) become Visible. Visible faces become hidden.
º Show All Faces shows all faces, whether they were hidden By Face or By Body.
• Deselect the check box in the Structure tree to hide the object in the Design window. The object icon is
displayed in gray. You can also right-click an object in the Design window and select Hide (or select it in
the Design window and press Ctrl+H) to turn the visibility of the object off.
• Select the check box next to the object in the Structure tree to set the visibility of the object to the layer
visibility. If the layer is hidden, then the object will be hidden. If the layer is visible, then the object will be
visible.
If the layer visibility is on, the icon appears normally. If the layer visibility is off, the icon appears like the
Solid_LayerHidden icon in the figure above. You cannot work with hidden objects in the Design window.
Note: Shift+click and Ctrl+click multiple objects to work with them as a group.
12.5.8. Displaying lightweight components

Lightweight components are a graphics-only representation of a design. You can adjust the transparency of
the lightweight components in your design. If you do not see lightweight components when you open or insert
a design, make sure your settings are configured to display them.
To adjust the transparency of lightweight components

1. Click the Transparency icon on the status bar.

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2. Adjust the slider to set the opacity of the lightweight components in the Design window. All lightweight
components are displayed with this opacity.
To make a lightweight component appear solid

Select a lightweight component and press Ctrl+Shift+F8 to make the component appear solid. All other
lightweight components still appear dim.
Before dimming, the lightweight components appear slightly transparent and their edges aren't displayed.
After dimming, all components regardless of lightweight status, become dim except the selected lightweight
component.
12.6. Assemblies
12.6.1. Views
12.6.1.1. Orienting your home view

Use the Home tool to return the orientation of your design to the default, trimetric view. You can customize
the Home view tool so that it displays your design with a specific orientation, location, and zoom level.

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towards you and less of the top is shown. The isometric view is on the left and the trimetric view is on the
right.
To display the Home view

Click the Home tool in the Orient ribbon panel or press H.
To customize the Home view

1. Use the other Orient tools to set up a view of your design in the workspace.
2. Select Home > Set As Home View to make the view in the active Design window the Home view.
Now, when you click the Home tool, your custom view is displayed. Your home view is saved with your
design.
Click Home > Reset Home View to return the Home view to the default, trimetric view.
12.6.1.2. Display a head-on view of the sketch grid

Click the Plan View tool in the Orient ribbon group or in the Sketching mini-toolbar to display a head-on
view of the sketch grid or the selected plane or planar face.
If this tool is disabled, select a plane or planar surface or display the sketch grid.

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12.6.1.3. Selecting a view

Use the View tool to display a trimetric or isometric view of your design. You can also display a head-on view
of the top, bottom, front, back, right, or left side. Your design's orientation in the head-on views is determined
by Discovery Live's default coordinate system.
towards you and less of the top is shown. Compare the two views in the image below. The isometric view is
on the left and the trimetric view is on the right.
To select a view
Select the view you want from the View tool menu in the Orient ribbon group.
When you hover over a view name in the list, a preview of the view is displayed.
If you have Animate changes to view projection selected in the Advanced Discovery Live options, the
change in view state is animated.
To display a trimetric or isometric view of your design

Select Trimetric or Isometric from the View tool menu.
To display a head-on view of your design

Select Top, Bottom, Front, Back, Right, or Left from the View tool menu.
12.6.1.4. Snapping to a view

Use the Snap View tool to display a head-on view of a selected face or plane. You can also use the tool to
throw the highlighted face or plane to the top, bottom, right, or left. On a drawing sheet, flipping one view
also flips all related views.
Snap View works on objects with a direction: planes, datums, cones, torii, curves and edges. For non-linear
curves, the direction is determined by the direction between the endpoints.
You can only use this tool in 3D mode; it is disabled in Sketch and Section modes.

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To snap the view
1. Click Select or press S.
2. Click Snap View in the Orient group.

3. Use objects in the Design window to orient your view:
• Click and release on a plane, point, cone, torus, curve, or edge.
If the object is not oriented head-on, then it will rotate so the face you click is viewed head-on, like this:
If the object is already oriented head-on, then it will rotate 90° counter-clockwise or it will rotate so it is
square with the Design window, like this:
• Click, drag, and release a plane, point, cone, torus, curve, or edge to throw it up, down, left, or right.
If the object is not oriented head-on, then it will rotate so the face you click is viewed head-on and square
with the Design window, like this:
If the object is oriented head-on, it will rotate 90° in the direction you drag, like this:
• Click anywhere in empty space to rotate the view 90° counter-clockwise, like this:

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4. Repeat until you see the view you want.
12.6.2. Parts
12.6.2.1. Inserting another design

You can insert another design created in Discovery Live or another application as a component of your
design. The design is inserted as an external component, linked to the external file. You can make this
component internal to your own design. Lightweight components are displayed with solid edges and transparent
faces until you right-click the component and select Load component from the context menu.
You can also insert an image file or a video file.
To insert another design as a component

Drag and drop a file from outside Discovery Live into the Design window, or follow the steps below.
1. Select Open from the File menu or click in the Quick Access toolbar. You can also insert into an existing
design using the File tool in the Part group on the Assembly tab.
2. Navigate to and select the design you want to include as a component, then click Open on the Open
Design window. You can select more than one Discovery Live document, and they will be inserted as
components.
You can select from the Files of type drop-down menu to filter the files list.
Progress is displayed on the status bar until the design is inserted as an external component. You can
insert multiple copies of the same component. Modifying one of these components will modify every copy
unless you make them internal to your design.
If the design consists of multiple files and some files can't be found, you will get the Missing Files dialog
which allows you to browse to locate these files.
To replace one component with another

1. Right-click the component in the Structure tree.
2. Hover over the Source option then select Replace Component from the context menu.
3. Navigate to and select the design you want to use as a replacement.
4. The component is replaced.
Make an external component internal to your design

1. Right-click the external component in the Structure tree.
2. Hover over the Source option then select Use Internal Copy from the context menu.

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If your design includes multiple copies of an external component, making one of them internal does not
affect the other copies. Making another copy of the same external component internal creates a second
instance of the same internal component.
12.6.2.2. Standard Parts

12.6.2.2.1. Downloading TraceParts

Discovery Live connects you directly to the TraceParts Web, where you can choose from millions of modeled
parts. This service is free of charge with a valid Discovery Live license.
To download a part from the TraceParts Web

1. Select TraceParts Web from Standard Part of the Part group of the Assembly tab.
2. Select a part from the categories on the left side of the web page.
A technical drawing is displayed along with a description, PDF documentation, and available part sizes.
3. Select the part you want to download, then choose a CAD format (2D AutoCAD, 3D Acis 6.3, or 3D
Discovery Live ) and click Add to Caddy.
TraceParts directs you to a page with your caddy displayed at the top of the page.
4. (Optional) Select "version for CAD direct export" or 2009+.
5. When the part becomes available in the caddy, click Download.
6. Choose an option for opening or saving the zip file and click OK.
The zip file downloads to your machine. Unzip the file to extract an scdoc and a text file of the part. You
can then open the part in Discovery Live.

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12.6.2.2.2. Downloading CADENAS models

You can access and download models from the CADENAS website. Unlike TraceParts, you cannot insert
CADENAS models directly into Discovery Live.
Using the CADENAS 3D Models button in Standard Part of the Part group of the Assembly tab, you to
access their website, where you can select and download files onto your computer. You can download models
in any of their supported formats.
12.6.3. Assemble
12.6.3.1. Making objects tangent

The Tangent tool enables if a model is loaded, and it aligns two faces so they are tangent or aligns a face
tangent with a line, point, or plane. Possible face types include planes, cylinders, spheres, and cones.
See the printable Assembly constraints reference chart for descriptions of all assembly constraints.
Click to replay
Note: You can use the Tangent tool to move objects without assigning assembly conditions. If the objects
belong to different components, uncheck Create conditions in the Assembly Options panel before moving.
To define a tangent condition

1. Click Tangent in the Assembly group on the Design tab.
The Align tool guide is enabled by default.
2. Select an edge or face of the component that you want to move.
The Reference tool guide is enabled.
3. Select an edge or face of the component that you want to remain stationary.
The components align. You can control the alignment animation with the Animate Full Pull Advanced
Discovery Live option.
The constraint is added to the components in the Structure tree.
If you want to align to the other side of the plane, right-click the assembly condition in the Structure tree
and select Reverse Sense.
Do it faster
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Hold Ctrl and select the component that you want to move and the component that you want to remain
stationary, then click Tangent in the Assembly group on the Design tab.
To reverse the sense of a tangent condition

Right-click a Tangent condition in the Structure tree and select Reverse Sense to align the components to
the opposite side of the alignment plane.
You can also modify the Reversed value to True or False in the Assembly Condition section of the Properties
panel.
To define an offset distance for a tangent condition

1. Select the Tangent condition in the Structure tree.
2. Change the angle value in the Offset property in the Properties Panel.
To make objects tangent without an assembly condition

1. Click Tangent in the Assembly group on the Design tab.
2. Uncheck Create conditions in the Options panel.
3. Select an edge or face of the object that you want to move.
4. Select an edge or face of the object that you want to remain stationary.
Tool guides
The Align tool guide allows you to select the

component to move.
The Reference tool guide allows you to select the
component to remain stationary.
12.6.3.2. Aligning objects

The Align tool aligns two points, lines, planes, origins, or a combination of these elements. If you select a
cylindrical or conical face, then the axis is aligned. If you select a spherical face, then the center point is
aligned. You can define a ball joint assembly condition using Align by selecting the face of the ball and then
the face of the socket. The ball rotates within the socket no matter where you place the move handle on the
ball part.

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Click to replay
Note: You can use the Align tool to move objects without assigning assembly conditions. If the objects
To align objects
1. Click Align in the Assembly group on the Design tab.
You can Ctrl-click to select multiple objects.
Note: The Align tool aligns objects within a tolerance of 0.1 mm. This tolerance cannot be modified.
Do it faster
Use the Select tool to click the component you want to move, then Ctrl+click the component you want to
remain stationary. Then click Align in the Assembly group on the Design tab.
To reverse the sense of an align condition

Right-click an Align condition in the Structure tree and select Reverse Sense to align the components to the
opposite side of the alignment plane.
panel.
To define an offset distance for an align condition

1. Select the Align condition in the Structure tree.
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To align objects without an assembly condition

1. Click Align in the Assembly group on the Design tab.
2. Uncheck Create conditions in the Options panel.
Tool guides
The Align tool guide allows you to select the

component to move.
The Reference tool guide allows you to select the
component to remain stationary.
Examples
Clicking on the Align assembly condition in the Structure tree highlights the faces.
Pulling one face of the aligned pair changes one object and moves the other.

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Pulling an adjacent face has no affect on the aligned pair.
Defining a ball socket using align.
12.6.3.3. Orienting objects

The Orient tool enables if a model is loaded, and it rotates components so the selected elements are oriented
in the same direction.
Click to replay
Note: You can use the Orient tool to move objects without assigning assembly conditions. If the objects
To define an orient condition

1. Click Orient in the Assembly group on the Design tab.

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Do it faster
Hold Ctrl and select the component that you want to move and the component that you want to remain
stationary, then click Orient in the Assembly group on the Design tab.
To reverse the sense of an orient condition

Right-click an Orient condition in the Structure tree and select Reverse Sense to align the components to
the opposite side of the alignment plane.
panel.
To define an offset angle for an orient condition

1. Select the Orient Direction condition in the Structure tree.
To orient objects without an assembly condition

1. Click Orient in the Assembly group on the Design tab.
2. Uncheck Create conditions in the Assembly Options panel.
Tool guides
The Align tool guide allows you to select the component to move.
The Reference tool guide allows you to select the component to remain stationary.

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Examples
Orienting two components that have an Align constraint on their axes turns the second part you select.
12.6.3.4. Locking the orientation and position of

components
The Rigid tool locks the orientation and position of two components to each other.
Note: The Rigid tool is enabled when you select appropriate objects that belong to different components.
To define a rigid condition

1. Hold Ctrl and select an edge or face of the two components that you want to remain stationary with each
other.
You can also select two components in the Structure tree.
2. Click Rigid in the Assembly group on the Design tab.

The constraint is added to both components in the Structure Tree.
12.6.3.5. Creating gear conditions

The Gear tool constrains two objects so one of the objects rotates in response to the rotation of the other
object. Gear conditions can be created between two cylinders, two cones, a cylinder and a plane, or a cone
and a plane.
Note: The Gear tool is enabled when you select appropriate objects that belong to different components.
The animated example below shows how anchoring different parts in the assembly affects the behavior of
the gears. First we turned the gray component without anchoring it or the rose components. Then we anchored
the rose component that is highlighted and turned the gray component. Watch the purple buttons on the rose
components to see the difference.
Load GearsExample.scdoc and try it yourself. Try turning on the anchor constraints in the gray or rose
components and then use Move to rotate a component.
Note: If you are using the online version of the help, the model will be downloaded as a zip file. You need
to save it to your disk and change the file extension from ".zip" to ".scdoc"

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To define a gear condition

1. Hold Ctrl and select an edge or face of the two component that you want to define as gears.
2. Click Gear in the Assembly group on the Design tab.
The constraint is added to the components.
To reverse the sense of a gear condition

Right-click a Gear condition in the Structure tree and select Reverse Sense to align the components to the
opposite side of the alignment plane.
panel.
To reverse the rotation direction of a gear condition

1. Select the Gear condition in the Structure tree.
2. Right-click and select Reverse Rotation Direction.
By default, gears rotate in the opposite direction to the gear turning them. You can reverse this to simulate
a belt or chain drive, in which both gears spin in the same direction.
Examples
Several examples of gear constraints

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Click to replay
12.6.3.6. Anchoring components

The Anchor tool fixes the position of a single component in 3D space.
Note: The Anchor tool is enabled when you select an appropriate object that belongs to a component.
To define an anchor condition

You can also select the component in the Structure tree.
2. Click Anchor in the Assembly group on the Design tab.

The constraint is added to the component. If the component is selected with the Move tool, the move
handle is disabled.
To remove the anchor condition, right-click on the Anchor object under the component in the Structure tree.
12.6.3.7. Moving parts in an assembly

You can set up virtual mechanisms by defining mating conditions in your assembly. These relationships are
solved when you move any related part in the assembly.
For example, load the file SliderMechanism.scdoc and move the purple component (Component5) in the
direction of the black arrow shown on the left in the image below.
Note: If you are using the online version of the help, the model will be downloaded as a zip file. You need
to save it to your disk and change the file extension from ".zip" to ".scdoc"

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When you move a component that has a mating condition, the Move handle is positioned at the constraint
and the axes that are constrained can't be moved. If the assembly constraints only allow movement in one
direction, then that direction will be automatically selected. For example, if you move a component with a
Center Axes assembly constraint, the Move handle is positioned on the axis and you can only move the
component in directions that will keep the axes aligned.
You can solve assembly mechanisms by changing ruler dimensions or annotation dimensions, and they can
be saved as groups for modification. The images below show movement of the SliderMechanism assembly
that is driven by a change to the annotation dimension.

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12.6.3.8. Assembly Constraints Reference Chart

Assembly Constraints

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12.6.4. Edit
12.6.4.1. Selecting
You can select vertices, edges, planes, axes, faces, surfaces, rounds, bodies, solids, and components in
3D. In 2D, you can select points and lines. You can also select circle and ellipse centers, the midpoints of
lines and edges, and the internal points and end points of splines.
You can select components and other objects in the Structure tree and use the Selection panel to select
objects in the same part that are similar or related to the object currently selected.
Objects that can't be selected are dimmed in the Design window.
Your selection list is shown in the status bar at the bottom of the Discovery Live window. Status bar labels
display both pre-selected and selected objects. Hover over the status message for a detailed list of what you
have pre-selected or selected, including primary and secondary (Alt+selected) objects.
Select modes
You can click the arrow on the Select tool to use the following optional modes:
• Using Box: Click and hold the mouse button while drawing a box in the Design window. If you draw the
box from left to right, all objects fully enclosed within the box will be selected. If you draw the box from right
to left, all objects touching the box will be selected.
• Using Lasso: Click and hold the mouse button while drawing a freeform shape. All objects fully enclosed
by the shape will be selected.
• Using Polygon: Click and move the mouse to draw a line, then click again to draw the next connecting line,
so that you create a polygon shape around the area you want to select.
• Using Paint: Click and hold the mouse button while highlighting adjacent faces and edges. All edges and
faces that you move the mouse over will be selected. Release the mouse button to finalize your selection.
• Using Boundary: Select faces or edges that define a boundary, click the Select Seed tool guide, and click
any object within the boundary. All objects from that seed object to the boundary are selected.
• Select Components: In this selection mode, as you hover over geometry, when you are over an object that
is in a component, that component will be pre-highlighted. This mode is set on a per window basis. It can
be On in one window and Off in another.
No matter which mode you use, the objects that will be selected are highlighted to preview your selection.
You can use the Selection filter to control what gets selected. To select or deselect all available filters, select
the All checkbox.

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Note: If you entered the Design tab with sheet metal features selected, the Select tool will work as it does
in Sheet metal. Right click on the sheet metal part in the Structure tree and choose Suspend Sheet Metal in
the context menu.
To select
The most commonly used selection methods are:
• Click to select an object.
• Double-click to select an edge loop. (Double-click again to cycle through alternate loops.)
• Triple-click to select a solid.
• Drag (or select Using Box from the Select tool menu) to create a selection box.
• Press Ctrl+A to select all similar objects, such as bodies, faces, edges, or points on the same solid or
surface part. For example, if you have a sketch curve selected when you press Ctrl+A, then only sketch
curves will be selected.
• Hold Ctrl and select to add or remove items from the selection. Ctrl with box-selection toggles the selection;
Shift with box-selection adds to the selection.
• Hold Alt and select to create a secondary selection set.
Examples
Click once to select a face:

similar, connected faces (face loops):
Triple-click to select a solid:
Click once to select an edge:

connected edges (edge loops):

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1. Select the Select tool from the Edit ribbon group.
2. Hover over the vertices, edges, faces, bodies in the workspace to preview the selectable items in your
design.
If multiple objects occur at your cursor location, use the scroll wheel or arrow keys to preview each one.
Click to select a vertex, edge, face, or body in 3D; click to select a line or point in 2D.
To select: Do this:
All the edges around a face or closed loop Double-click an edge or line. Double-click again to
select the next loop of edges. Repeat as necessary.
You can also right-click the edge or line and choose
one of the loop options in the Select menu.
When you repeatedly double-click outside surface
edges, the selection cycles through open loop,
tangent chain, and face loop, then repeats through
that list.
All tangent faces Double-click a face. (Tangent faces are created by

rounds or when edges are drawn on a face.)
Contiguous edges or faces Click one face or edge, then Shift+click another face
or edge to select all the faces or edges between the
two.
The sides (but not the top and bottom) of a solid Triple-click the solid and Ctrl+click the top and
bottom to remove them from the selection.
A solid or surface body Triple-click the solid, or right-click on the solid and
select Select > Body.
An entire sketch Triple-click the sketch.
A component Right-click on the component and select Select >
Component. This option is available only when you
right-click an object within the active component.
All objects of same type as selected object Select an object and press Ctrl+A.
All the objects in the active component (except Click Select All in the Select tool menu, or right-click
layout surfaces) and select Select > Select All from the context
menu. The types of objects selected depend on
whether you are in Sketch, Section, or 3D mode.
Layout surfaces Click the object in the Structure tree.
Anything within a selection box See Box-selecting.
A lightweight component Check the Lightweight Components box in the
Options panel. Then right-click and select Select >
Component.
The inverse of the current selection (in the active Right-click a selected object and select Select >
component) Inverse Selection.
A protrusion Right-click on a protrusion and select Select >
Protrusion.

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To select: Do this:
A depression Right-click inside a depression and select Select >
Depression.
One member of a pattern Right-click a pattern member and select Select >
Pattern Member.
All members of a pattern Right-click a pattern member and select Select >
All Pattern Members.
Anything partially in a selection box Click and drag from the lower right to upper left
when drawing a selection box.
The inverse of the current box selection Press and hold Ctrl while box-selecting to toggle
the selected state of the objects within the selection.
Objects that are behind other objects ("query Hold the Ctrl key and turn the mouse wheel.
selection")
If any object was part of a group selection used to perform an action, the other parts of the group are
highlighted when that object is selected. Click again to select the entire highlighted group.
When selecting within a view on a drawing sheet, you can only select those objects that are on the
cross-section plane, or that are within the boundary of a detail view. Box selecting in Sketch mode selects
only sketch lines. Box-selecting in Section mode selects only section lines.
(Optional) Ctrl+click and Shift+click to add or remove items from the selection set.
Ctrl+click to add or remove one item from the selection set. Shift+click to add everything between your
first click and the Shift+click to the selection. You can add or remove items both in the workspace and on
the Structure tree. You can also press Ctrl and drag to add the items within the selection box to the
selection.
(Optional) Alt+click to create a secondary selection set.
Hold down the Alt key while performing any of the other selection techniques (double-click, triple-click,
Ctrl, Shift) to create the second selection set. Alternate selections are shown in blue, and are used to
guide the actions of the Pull and Move tools.
To clear a selection
Click any empty space in the Design window or select Clear Selection from the Select tool menu.
To revert your selection

Click Revert Selection in the status bar to go back to your previous selection.
This tool is especially useful when you accidentally clear your selection or add the wrong object and want to
go back to your previous selection. You can find this tool next to the Selection filter in the status bar.
To select by turning the mouse wheel

• Coincident objects: Objects often appear at the same location in 2D, such as a vertex and end point of
a line that are located at the same point in space. When selecting, check that you have selected the correct
object by turning the mouse wheel without moving the mouse.
• Edge shared by two surfaces or solids: Mousing over the edge shades the face that will be affected by
an action to the edge if you select it. Turn the mouse wheel to switch between the two faces.

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• Vertex shared between two edges: Mousing over a vertex shades the edge that will be affected by an
action to the vertex if you select it. Turn the mouse wheel to switch between the edges.
• Face of a solid when only the edge is displayed (such as in a drawing sheet view): You can select the
face by turning the mouse wheel. The edge becomes a slightly thicker line when the face is highlighted.
• Edge loops: If Select edge loops using the mouse scroll wheel is selected in the Advanced Discovery
Live options, scrolling through edge loop choices pre-highlights the selection. Click on the pre-highlighted
edge loop to select it.
The up and down arrow keys work the same as the mouse wheel. Hover over the element you want to select,
and press the up or down arrow keys to "scroll" through the possible selections. This is useful if you are on
a laptop or when you use a mouse that doesn't have a scroll wheel.
For more information about selecting facets and the related tools, see Selecting Facets.
Tool guides
Within the Select tool, the following tool guide is available:

lets you click, double-click, triple-click, Ctrl+click,
Shift+click, and Alt+click to select items.
Options
The following options are available for sketches:
this option and move a sketch curve, the curve will
move independent of other curves.
Cartesian dimensions Select a point in a sketch and then click this option
to see Cartesian dimensions from the point. Cartesian
dimensions show you the X and Y distances from the
point you select. If you don't have a point selected, it
shows you the X and Y distances from the origin.
When you select a point, the X, Y, and Z locations
display in the status bar.
Polar dimensions Select a point in a sketch and then click this option
to see Polar dimensions from the point. Polar
dimensions show you an angle and a distance from
the point you select. If you don't have a point selected,
it shows you the angle and distance from the origin.

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Snap to grid Select this option turn snapping on or off while

sketching. The cursor will snap to the minor grid
spacing increment while you sketch. The defaults are
1 mm for Metric and 0.125 in for Imperial units. See
Units options to change the minor grid spacing.
Snap to angle Select this option to turn angle snapping on or off
while sketching. The cursor will snap to the angular
snap increment while you sketch. The default is 15
degrees. See Snap options to change the angular
increment used for snapping.
12.6.4.1.1. Filtering the selection

Click the Selection Filter in the status bar to open the filter options. The options are:
• Smart
• All
º Bodies
º Faces
º Edges
º Sketch Curves
º Annotations
Notes
Dimensions
Other
º Planes
º Axes
º Points
º Images
º Faceted Bodies
º Blocks (SCDM only)
Volumes
Faces
Edges
Vertices
• Lightweight Components
• Transparent Objects
The Smart option is enabled by default and whenever you switch to another tool.
When Smart is Checked, all filters are checked and cannot be unchecked. Within the defined area, only the
highest checked item in the filter list will be selected. This differs between Design Windows and Drawing
Windows as follows.
• In a Design Window: Body, Face, Edge, Sketch Curve, Annotation, Plane, Axis, Point, ...
• In a Drawing Window: Annotation, Sketch Curve, Body, Face, Edge, Plane, Axis, Point, ...
The images below show only the body being selected in the Design Window when Smart is Checked.

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Uncheck Smart to select all object types checked in the filter list. The images below show that all items are
selected in the Design Window when Smart is Unchecked.
All is a shortcut for Checking/Unchecking all of the filter items.

When you switch to another tool, the filter selections are remembered but the Smart option is selected. If
you deselect the Smart option, the previously selected options remain selected while the previously deselected
options remain deselected.
The following Box selection options are available in the Selection Filter.
• Automatic selects faces and connected hidden faces
• Visible selects visible faces only
• Through selects visible and hidden faces
12.6.4.1.2. Selecting by drawing a box

The Using Box mode is found in the menu under the Select tool in the Edit ribbon group on the Design tab,
and also in the radial menu. You can access this menu while almost any tool is active. For example, if you
will remain active.
From the context menu, you can also choose Select > Using Box
The mode enables you to draw a box in the Design window to select objects for most tools. As you draw a
selection box, objects are highlighted (after a slight delay) to help you see exactly what will be selected.
Draw the box from left to right to select only the objects that are fully contained within the box. The box
Draw the box from right to left to select everything the box crosses, even if it isn't fully enclosed by the box.
In the animation below, box mode is used twice with the selection filter set to Smart (the default) to select
the entire part. You can see vertices, edges, and faces highlighted for selection as the box is drawn. First
the part is selected by fully enclosing the part with a box drawn from left to right. Then the part is selected
by drawing a box from right to left that crosses over but does not enclose all faces on the part. You can
release the mouse button at any time to select the highlighted objects.

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To select objects by drawing a box
1. Click the arrow beneath the Select tool and click Using Box.
2. (Optional) Use the Selection Filter in the status bar to control what will be selected. See the
"Filtering your selection" section below for more detail.
3. Start drawing a rectangle in the Design window. Click and hold the left mouse button at one corner of the
area you want to box-select.
4. Hold the mouse button and draw a rectangle in the Design window.
• Draw the box from left to right to select only the objects that are fully contained within the box. The box
• Draw the box from right to left to select everything in the box, even if it isn't fully enclosed by the box.
The objects that will be selected are highlighted as you draw the box.
5. Release the mouse button to complete the box.
Changing your selection

Holding Shift while box-selecting adds to the selection. In the first image, the blue box is selected. After
holding Shift and box selecting, all of the boxes are selected:
Holding Ctrl while box-selecting toggles the selection. In the first image, the blue box is selected. After holding
Ctrl and box selecting, the blue box is deselected and the green boxes are selected:

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Examples
Box-selecting from left to right
Box-selecting from right to left
12.6.4.1.3. Selecting by drawing a freeform shape

(lasso)
The Using Lasso mode is found in the menu under the Select tool in the Edit ribbon group on the Design
tab, and also in the radial menu. You can access this menu while almost any tool is active. For example, if
you want to change selection modes while the Pull tool is active, just click the arrow under Select. The Pull
tool will remain active.
This select mode enables you to draw a free form shape in the Design window to select objects for most
tools. As you draw, objects are highlighted (after a slight delay) to help you see exactly what will be selected.
In the animation below, lasso mode is used with the selection filter set to Smart (the default) to select the
entire part. You can see vertices, edges, and faces highlighted for selection as the shape is drawn. You can
release the mouse button at any time and a straight line is drawn from the beginning point to the current
point to complete the shape, and everything within the shape will be selected.

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To select by drawing a freeform shape
1. Click the arrow beneath the Select tool and click Using Lasso, or click and hold in the Design window
to activate the radial menu and then select Lasso.
want to select.
3. Start drawing a shape in the Design window. Click and hold the left mouse button at the spot where you
want to start drawing the shape.
4. Hold the mouse button and draw a shape in the Design window.
You can make multiple loops, like drawing a figure 8.
5. Release the mouse button to complete the shape.
The shape will be closed by a straight line between your starting and ending points when you release the
mouse button.
Everything except inserted images is selected when you release the mouse button.
Note: You can activate Lasso mode by holding the Alt key while the Select tool is active. This hotkey only
works when you are using the Select tool, and not when another tool is active.
Example

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Selecting three surfaces by drawing multiple loops
12.6.4.1.4. Selecting using polygon

The Using Polygon mode is found in the menu under the Select tool in the Edit ribbon group on the Design
tab, and under the Select tool in the Edit Group on the Sheet Metal tab. You can also right-click in the design
window and choose Select>Using Polygon. This selection mode enables you to select all objects within a
polygon you create. Each time you click, a new starting point for the next line is created. You control the
length and angle of each polygon line you create.
Use this mode to draw around a specific geometry or model feature you want to select, for example, a
protrusion of other geometry you may want to clearly identify. Using a polygon shape for selection can apply
when you are, for example, trying to select an irregular or angular shaped part, or assembly of parts.
To select objects using a polygon

1. Select the Using Polygon tool.
want to select.
3. Click points to draw a polygon around the model feature that you want to select.
As you draw the polygon lines, selected objects highlight as they are pre-selected.
4. Double-click or cross the polygon lines to finalize the selection.
Example
Creating a polygon to select around a specific geometry.
12.6.4.1.5. Selecting by painting

The Using Paint mode is found in the menu under the Select tool in the Edit ribbon group on the Design
tab, and in the radial menu. You can access this menu while almost any tool is active. For example, if you

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will remain active.
This select mode enables you to select faces, edges, and sketch curves in the Design window by "painting"
faces and edges that are adjacent to each other. As you paint, objects are highlighted to help you see exactly
what will be selected.
In the animation below, paint mode is used with the selection filter to select only the edges of the lower box.
Edges are selected as the mouse moves over them. You can release the mouse button at any time to select
the highlighted faces or edges.
To select by painting
1. Click the arrow beneath the Select tool and click Using Paint, or click and hold in the Design window
to activate the radial menu and then select Paint.
want to select.
3. Click on the first object you want to select and hold the mouse button.
4. Drag the mouse onto adjacent faces or edges that you want to add to the selection.
The objects that will be selected are highlighted as you move over them with the mouse.
If you hold Ctrl you can move the mouse over an object without selecting it, or move the mouse over a
selected object to deselect it.
5. Release the mouse button to complete the selection.

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12.6.4.1.6. Selecting using boundary

The Using Boundary mode is found in the menu under the Select tool in the Design tab Edit group. This
mode enables you to select all objects within a boundary.
To select objects using a boundary

1. Select the Using Boundary tool from the Select drop-down menu in the Edit ribbon group on the Design
tab.
The Select Bounds tool guide is enabled by default.
want to select.
3. Select the faces or edges you want to use to define a boundary.
You cannot select a combination of faces and edges.
The Select Bounds tool guide is sticky, so you do not have to hold the Ctrl key to add to your selection.
You can click in white space to clear your selections.
The objects remain selected as secondary references in case you need to add or subtract from the
boundary.
Note: You can select bounds (Ctrl+alt+selection) and seeds (Ctrl+selections), then click the boundary
tool under the Selection drop down menu to perform the boundary selection operation without actually
entering the Select tool. The Select Bounds tool guides does not display..
4. Click the Select Seed tool guide.
5. Click any object within the boundary to use as the seed object.
You can select multiple seeds. All objects from the seed object to the boundary are pre-highlighted for
selection.
6. Click the Select tool to finalize the selection.
Example
Select faces to define a boundary and then select the seed object. All objects from the seed object to the
boundary are selected.
12.6.4.1.7. Selecting components

The Select Components mode is found in the menu under the Select tool in the Edit ribbon group on the
Design tab. You can access this menu while almost any tool is active. For example, if you want to change
selection modes while the Pull tool is active, just click the arrow under Select. The Pull tool will remain active.

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In this selection mode, as you mouse over geometry, when you are over an object that is in a component,
that component will be pre-highlighted.
Pre-highlighting while box-selecting shows just the component bounding boxes. Faces, edges, etc. are not
pre-highlighted.
12.6.4.1.8. Selection panel

Use the Selection panel to select objects in the same part that are similar or related to the object currently
selected. The results list is based on the geometry you select for the search. See the examples below to see
what happens when you select each of the search results.
To select objects similar to the currently selected object

1. Select any 3D object.
2. Click the Selection tab to display the Selection panel.
The Selection tab is initially located at the bottom of the Structure panel.
3. (Optional) Select the Search all bodies option to search all bodies in the active component.
The following selection categories can be selected on more than one body:
• Edges: Same length, Same length with same orientation, Equal or smaller radius hole.
• Faces: Equal rounds, Equal or smaller rounds, Equal or smaller chamfer, Equal or smaller hole, Same
area, Same place, Equal radius cylinder.

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4. (Optional) Select a category from the drop-down list to show only those objects with the selected
relationship.
Select All Types to display all the geometry related to your selection.
5. (Optional) If you turn off Automatically calculate power selection results in the Selection options page
of Discovery Live Options, then you must click to search for related objects in your design. Otherwise,
the search results are automatically displayed.
Related objects are displayed in the main area of the panel. Mouse over the objects in the list to highlight
those objects in the Design window.
6. (Optional) Set the Power Selection Relative Tolerance in the Selection options page of Discovery Live
Options to find items within a tolerance of the target size.
7. (Optional) Click a blue link to change that parameter in the search.
8. Click any number of the related objects in the list to add them to the current selection.
Selection categories
Selection categories are presented in the table below.

Beams Beams based on profiles or Beams based on the profile of
length the currently selected beam.
Beams with lengths <=, =, or
>= the length of the currently
selected beam.
Block Selects blocks based on their Find all Free blocks that you Mapped, Swept or Free
volumes type: Mapped, Swept or Free want to convert to swept or
mapped blocks to get an all
(SCDM
hex mesh.
Only)
Bodies Bodies based on volume This power selection category All bodies with volume <=, =,
compared with the currently is especially useful when you or >= the volume of the
selected body. need to find and delete currently selected body.
multiple, small items in a
design, such as fasteners.
Bodies Finds bodies that have not Finds bodies that have still not All unmeshed bodies
Mesh State been meshed. been meshed so that you can
mesh the remaining bodies.
(SCDM
Only)
Bodies Finds bodies that have similar All bodies with element size =
with Mesh mesh options defined on them. x
Options
(SCDM
Only)

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Coaxial Objects with the same axis Coaxial hole
faces
Coaxial protrusion
Coaxial cylinder
Coaxial surfaces
Components All instances of the selected Components

component.
Edges Edges that are like the Edges with same length
currently selected edge
Edges with same length and
same orientation
Edges with same length in
same face
Surface edge loop
Hard sheet metal edges
Edges with Find edges that have mesh Find all edges that have the All edges with divisions = x
Mesh Size sizing controls defined on same number of divisions
All edges with mesh control
Controls them. assigned to control the mesh
flow.
(SCDM
Only)
Face with Find faces that have a match Faces with match control
match control defined on them.
control
(SCDM
Only)
Faces with Find faces that have a All faces with Boundary Layers
Boundary boundary layers control defined Control
Layers on them.
Control
(SCDM
Only)
Faces with Find faces that have a mapped All faces with mapped mesh
Mapped mesh control defined on them. control
Mesh
Control
(SCDM
Only)
Faces with Find faces that have mesh All faces with element size = x
Mesh Size sizing controls defined on
All faces with mesh size control
Control them.
(SCDM
Only)

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Features Groups of faces that form Protrusion
protrusions, depressions, inner
Depression
faces, or that enclose other
faces Inner faces
Enclosed by
Midsurface Midsurface faces with the Finding zero thickness faces Faces and Bodies
Face same thickness (including and surface bodies allows you
Thickness zero) to verify that thickness has
been assigned to all faces and
surface bodies in the model.
Offset Faces that have an offset All offset baseline faces
faces relationship defined
All offset faces
Faces with same offset
All coincident faces
Patterns Pattern members, entire Pattern member

patterns, or recognized
Recognized pattern
patterns
All pattern members
Note: If the pattern does not
have a pattern relationship in
Discovery Live, you must hold
Alt and select the face that
contains the pattern members
in order to select a recognized
pattern.
Rounds Rounds and chamfers Equal radius rounds

Rounds within a range of
values, including equal or
smaller radius rounds
Equal or smaller-sized
chamfers
Variable radius round faces
and chains of faces even if
they are composed of a mix of
constant and variable faces
Same Faces and faceted bodies of Faces and faceted bodies

Color the same color
Same Curves of the same color, type, Faces with the same color as
Curve and length the originally selected face
Type
Same Hole Standard Holes with the same Standard Holes
Dimensions Hole Dimensions

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Same size Faces that have the same Equal radius cylinder
radius or area
Equal radius hole
Equal radius protrusion
Faces with the same area
Holes equal to or smaller than
Surface holes equal to or
smaller than
Sheet Sheet Metal objects Miter Corners

Metal
Same Junction type and
parameters
Beads and Forms with the
same parameters
Suppressed All bodies suppressed for

Items physics
Sweepable Finds bodies that have a Find bodies that have a natural All sweepable bodies
Bodies natural sweep path for sweep path to be automatically
(SCDM meshing. meshed. Other bodies may
Only) require more manual user
intervention.
To find all the edge loops of a surface

1. Select a surface that contains one edge loop.
2. Select Surface Edge Loop in the category list.
This option is useful when edge loops appear on top of each other in the Design window.
To select and create recognized patterns

1. Select a protrusion or depression that is a member of the pattern.
2. Hold Alt and select the planar face that contains the potential pattern.
You must select this face in order to recognize a pattern.
3. Select Recognized Pattern from the Related list.
4. Right-click the potential pattern and select Create Pattern from the context menu to convert the selected
protrusions or depressions into a pattern.
5. (Optional) Select a face of a pattern member to display the count and dimensions for editing.
To select faces that surround an internal void

1. Click a face of the solid with internal faces.
2. Select Inner Faces from the category list.

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To find all faces within the range of areas between two faces
1. Select two faces.
2. (Optional) Click in the Selection panel.

The search results display all faces in your design with an area between the two faces you selected.
To select all same color faces

1. Open a model with different colors on multiple faces of the model.
2. Select a face of a particular color.
4. Click the Faces with same color option under the Same color folder in the Selection panel.
All the faces with the same color as the originally selected face will be selected.
To select all surface bodies based on surface area

1. Open a surface model.
2. Select a surface body.
4. Click the All surface bodies with area option under the Bodies folder in the Selection panel.
All the surface bodies with areas <=, =, or >= the area of the originally selected surface body will be
selected.
Examples
The round face is selected in the model shown below.
In the Selection panel, three categories are displayed.

• Rounds
º All rounds equal to or smaller than 3 mm
• Features
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º Depression
• Same Color
º Faces with same color
The faces highlighted below are selected when you click All rounds equal to or smaller than 3mm.
The faces highlighted below are selected when you click Depression.
All faces are selected when you click Faces with same color since all of the model faces are the same
color.
12.6.4.1.9. Using the radial menu

This menu gives you quick access to the most commonly used tools and makes it easy to choose a select
mode while another tool, such as the Pull tool, is active. The radial menu supports secondary selection. For
example, you can select one of the Pull tool guides, then select loops of edges with the radial menu, whether
or not a primary reference was selected.
When the radial menu is displayed on a multi-touch screen, touch input is processed only within the menu
to avoid accidental dismissal of the menu.
You can change radial menu options in Popular options.

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To use the radial menu

1. Press and hold the left mouse button, then right-click to display the radial menu.
You can also press O to open the radial menu.
If your mouse is over an edge when you open the radial menu, the radial menu for edges is shown.
2. Click in the center of the radial menu to toggle between select modes and tools.
The active tool is highlighted in orange.
3. Mouse over or click one of the select modes or tools to activate it.
The radial menu disappears and the cursor changes to indicate the active select mode or tool.
You can click outside of the menu or press Esc to close the menu without making a selection.
Examples
Opening the radial menu for an edge
12.6.4.2. Moving

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To Move objects
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new location.
of other curves.
Examples

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these.

Example

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To dimension a move

dimension the move.
Examples
one move

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Tool guides
tool guide.

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Section modes.
Options
dimension the move.
along a trajectory.
relationship.
other curves.

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selected object.



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to move.

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Examples
Moving two curves.


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Examples


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and unlocked.
you change.


in blue.

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pattern.

in blue.

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in blue.



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3. Press Enter.
To move a pattern


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pattern is skewed:
the pattern.


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3. Click Create NS.

tools.

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1. Click Move tool.

the options.

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Examples
Rectangular pattern
locked.

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To pull a solid
To pivot a solid

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or points.
tool.
Examples

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vertical curve.

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both.

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a "+" sign.

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assembly.

Examples

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move the grid.

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grid.



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box).

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12.6.5. Configurations
12.6.5.1. Managing Configurations

Managing Configurations
The Configurations group of the Assembly tab allows you to create, copy, and remove views of your models.
In addition to these configuration options, you can use the Explode tool to see views of individual components
of your model and add tracelines between components using the Traceline tool.
Note: Only the default configuration will be passed into Workbench.
To add a configuration
1. Click Add in the Configurations group of the Assembly tab.
If a Configuration other than Default is selected in the drop-down list, the default selection for the Move
tool changes to Component.

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2. Rename the Configuration, as desired.
To remove a configuration
1. Select a Configuration from the drop-down list in the Configurations group of the Assembly tab, and
then click Remove.Configuration is removed from the drop-down list.
To copy a configuration
1. Select a Configuration from the drop-down list in the Configurations group of the Assembly tab, and
then click Copy.
Configuration is copied and added to the drop-down list. By default, the copy is now selected.
2. Rename the copied Configuration, as desired.
To toggle a configuration as Explodable

1. When a configuration is added, by default it is Explodable as indicated by the open lock icon next to the
drop-down list .In explodable mode, any assembly mating constraints are disabled to allow the exploded
view.
2. Click the lock icon to disable Explodable and enable assembly mating constraints.The icon changes to a
closed lock .
3. Clicking the lock icon toggles between explodable and not explodable.
To explode an assembly
1. Select a Configuration other than Default from the drop-down list in the Configurations group of the
Assembly tab. Be sure the configuration is Explodable.If no such configuration is available, click Add
to create a Configuration.The name of the top-level assembly in the Structure tree will be renamed to
indicate an exploded view.
2. Click Explode.The tool guides for selecting an assembly is enabled.

3. With the Select Subassembly To Explode tool guide, select the assembly to be exploded.The selected
assembly will be highlighted with a shaded bounding box in the Design window. Hidden components are
ignored when exploding.

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The tool guide for setting the direction of explosion is enabled.
4. With Select Explosion Direction selected, select an edge, axis, or origin axis to set the direction
of the explode.
An exploded preview is displayed using bounding boxes.
Tool guides to reposition the exploded view (optional) or complete the explosion are enabled.
5. (Optional) Use the arrows or the anchor to reposition the exploded components relative to the rest of the
model.
Use the Move Exploded Components tool guide to drag the exploded view in the direction of the
arrows.
Use the Anchor Component tool guide to lock the position of one component. All others will be
moved relative to the anchor in the exploded view.

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6. Set the spacing for the exploded view in the Options-Explode panel. The default Spacing is Normal,
but other options are available : Custom, Close, Normal, and Wide.
Custom uses the slider in the Options panel to set the spacing visually for your exploded components.
7. Click Complete .
NOTE: You cannot disable the exploded view and reapply any assembly mating constraints using the
Exploded lock tool on an exploded configuration. You should create a new configuration in that case.
(Optional) Use the Level option in the Options-Explode panel to set the number of assembly levels to
explode.
The default Level 1 will explode only the selected assembly. Selecting a higher Level will explode
sub-assemblies, if they exist, under the selected assembly in the Structure tree.

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Bodies need to be inside components in order to be exploded. In this example, each body in the Shaft
assembly was in its own component whereas all bodies in the Housing assembly were in a single component.
Explode tool groups items together

The Explode tool will automatically group certain items together during an explode. This option automatically
groups items by centers, ensuring that components that share the same axis are moved together. In the
example below, the wheels and axles are not in subassemblies, but you would want them to explode together.
To change Configurations for individual Drawing Views

1. Select an individual Drawing View in the Structure Tree.
2. Select a Configuration in the Configurations section of the Assembly tab for the selected view.
Note: Drawing Views and Sheets with active configurations can be deleted.

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Section and Detail Views, which are created based on an existing view, will synchronize with the
Configuration assigned to the parent view.
Tracelines can be added to the exploded views of your model.
To add tracelines
1. Click Traceline in the Configurations section of the Assembly tab.
2. Use Select 1st reference face to select the reference face to start the traceline.
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3. Use Select 2nd reference face to select the reference face to end the traceline.
4. Click Complete . Traceline is drawn between the two closest points of the two selected faces.
Note: To delete a traceline, click it and click Delete.
To control traceline appearance

You can control how tracelines appear in your model by setting affiliations.
The following affiliation behaviors occur by default.
• New Tracelines are affiliated with all existing Configurations.
• Existing Tracelines are automatically affiliated with new Configurations.
• Copied Configurations inherit Traceline affiliations.
Traceline affiliations are controlled in the Properties panel.

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1. Select a traceline.
2. Toggle its affiliation using the drop down in the Properties panel.
When set to False, the selected traceline is hidden in that configuration.

3. When in the Traceline tool, all tracelines are shown. Tracelines not affiliated with the current configuration
are dimmed.
Moving a Traceline
When you select a traceline, the highlighting is more pronounced and drag handles appear at the ends and
corners.
Click and drag a corner handle to move a segment.

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Click and drag an end to move it to a new face.
Note: For cylindrical faces, the end point appears on the traceline at the point that is closest to the other
selected face.
Move tool in the Assembly tab
When a non-default Configuration is active, Move in the Edit group of the Assembly tab is enabled.
Its icon indicates that it is in Select Component mode.
Also, while a non-default configuration is active, Move in other ribbon tabs has the Select Components
tool guide active.
12.7. Measuring and analyzing

The Measure tab contains the tools you use for measuring, displaying interference, and analyzing quality in
your design.
The tools are grouped into the following ribbon groups:
Inspect Tools for displaying measurements of the edges,

faces, and solids in your design.
Interference Tools for displaying edges where solids intersect each
other or volumes created by the intersection of solids,
surfaces, and components in your design.
Quality Tools for detecting anomalies or discontinuities in
surfaces that shading cannot show.
12.7.1. Quick measurements

A simple measurement is displayed in the status bar when you select a single object or a pair of objects.
This measurement is displayed using the units and precision set in Units options for the current document.
The Measure tool also has a Units option to switch units for the measured values without changing units for
the document.
If the text in the quick measure area is cut off, move your mouse over the text area to show all of the text.

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To measure: Select:
Distance between two objects • Two parallel linear objects (lines, edges, axes)
• Two parallel planar objects (faces, surfaces, planes)
• Two points or vertices
• One point or vertex and one curve or edge (curved
or linear) - displays the shortest distance from the
point to the curve or edge
• One point and one analytic face, edge, or curve -
displays the projected distance of point onto face,
edge, or curve
• Two parallel, but not concentric, cylindrical faces -
displays the distance between the axes
• Two non-concentric circular edges or arcs - displays
the distance between the centers
Length of an object • A linear object (line, edge)
Radius of an object • A circular object (circular edge or curve, cylinder,

sphere)
Angle between two objects • Two non-parallel linear objects (lines, edges, axes)
• Two non-parallel planar objects (faces, surfaces,
planes)
• Two analytic curves that share an end point -
displays the angle between the curves at the point
where they meet
Offset • Two concentric cylindrical faces

• Two circular edges that are in the same plane
X, Y, Z coordinates from the world origin • A point or vertex
12.7.2. Inspecting
Select a tool from the Inspect ribbon group to display measurements for the edges, faces, and solids in your
design.
Inspect ribbon group

The Inspect ribbon group contains the following tools:
Use the Measure tool to display measurements of

the edges and faces in your design. Select from this
tool's menu to display edges and volumes of
intersection.
Use the Mass Properties tool to display volume
information for the objects in your design.
Use the Check Geometry tool to check geometry for
common problems.

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12.7.2.1. Displaying measurements

Use the Measure tool to display measurements of the edges and faces in your design. Any values displayed
on screen are automatically copied into the Clipboard and can be pasted into another document.
The Measure tool is accessible in the Ribbon and from within the Pull and Move tools. Measurement values
are selectable only when the tool is invoked within Pull or Move.
You can select units for measurement in the Discovery Live Units options. You can also modify the Precision
and Angular Precision values in the Measure Tool options.
The document origin is displayed by default. You can hold Alt and select the origin or its axes as reference
objects, and the distance in that direction (or all three) is displayed.
If you hold Alt and select an origin, then you will see a preview of the X, Y, and Z distance from the origin.
This preview changes as you move your mouse over objects in the Design window. If you hold Alt and select
any plane, then the preview shows the distance from the point under the mouse to the plane. If you hold Alt
and select a line or axis, then the preview shows the distance from the point under the mouse to the line.
Clicking on an object sets the dimensions in the results box.
Negative values are displayed for the results when you select an origin and the measurement is negative in
the direction of one or more axes.
To view a measurement
1. Click Measure in the Inspect group on the Measure tab.

Mouse over your design to preview the faces and edges eligible for measurement.
2. Select points, curves, edges, or faces to display measurement information.
Ctrl + Selecting multiple objects displays measurement between them as appropriate. The value Min.
distance between objects displays an exact measurement of the minimum distance between the objects
you selected.
Selecting multiple faces displays their total area.
Triple-click on a body to display its total surface area. Selecting a whole body in the Measure tool also
reports the overall X, Y, and Z direction extents.
3. (Optional) Hold Alt and select a reference object.

The reference can be a point, curve, edge, face, plane, axis, or origin.
You can measure to an axis of an origin object.
4. (Optional) Hover over a measurement value to display the mini toolbar.

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• Click Copy to copy the value to the clipboard for pasting into Notes, etc.
• Click Flag to create a Flag Group to capture the measurement and ensure unwanted changes
cannot be made.
• Click Record to record parameters as a script in the script editor window, when scripting is enabled.
When measuring edges and curves, the Minimum and Maximum Curvature locations are highlighted in
the geometry when you hover over the result as shown below.
Flag groups
Flag groups capture measurements and ensure that unwanted changes are NOT made to the model.
To create a Flag group:

1. Measure the geometry that you do not want to change
2. Hover over the measurement.
3. Click the Flag Group icon next to the measurement.

4. Open the Groups panel and see that a Flag Group has been created.
In the Groups panel, the group is shown with a Locked icon to indicate that it will prevent modifications.
The measurement value is also listed.
To create a Flag group from a dimension annotation:

1. Click on a dimension annotation.
2. Click the Lock icon next to the measurement.

3. Open the Groups panel and see that a Flag Group has been created.
Flag group example:

This example steps through the Flag Group functionality using a simple block.

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The right face area is added to a Flag Group.
Modifications to the model that do NOT change

the right face area can be made as usual.

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Here a Pull operation is performed that changes

the right face area.
Because of the Flag Group, the model snaps

back with a warning message.
You can Unlock a Flag Group by right-clicking
on it in the Groups panel and choosing Unlock.
After it is unlocked, the icon changes to indicate
that it is unlocked and can be modified.
At this point, the Measurement value is also the
Current value, as indicated by the listings in the
Groups panel.

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With the group unlocked, you can make

changes to the right face. The face still blinks
red and a warning is issued to inform you of the
new measurement.
The icon changes to indicate that the
measurement has changed from its original
value.
To make this new value the Measurement
value, right click on the group in the Groups
panel and choose Reset. This makes the
Measurement value and the Current value the
same and it changes the group's icon to indicate
that it is still unlocked.
To Lock the group at this new value, right click
on the group and choose Lock.
If modifications result in the disappearance of the Flag Group's measured object, the flag group is deleted.
Use Undo to get it back.
Tool guides
The Select objects to measure tool guide is active by default. This tool guide allows you to select
the object you want to measure.
The Select plane or origin tool guide allows you to set the measurement directions by selecting an
origin, origin axis, line, or plane. You can hold Alt and select the origin to display the X, Y, and Z
coordinates from the origin to the object being measured or between the objects if you select two
objects. You can select a plane or origin in the Structure tree or the Design window.
Examples

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Measuring between two points.
Measuring between two points, with a reference face Alt+selected, so the projected distance is appended
to the measurement.

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Measuring between two points, but the origin is Alt+selected as a reference, so the X, Y, and Z distances
are shown.
Measuring the distance between two sketch points

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Measuring the angle between a sketch curve and a face. The sketch curve is extended until it intersects the
face. Angle to surface normal is the angle between the extended curve and a line that is perpendicular to
the surface at the intersection point. Angle to surface is the angle between the extended curve and a plane
tangent to the surface at the intersection point.
12.7.2.2. Displaying mass properties

Use the Mass Properties tool to display volume information for the objects in your design.
If you use the tool on a surface, it will display the total surface area. If there are multiple surfaces on the
same plane, the tool displays the total surface area for all the surfaces. To display the surfaces' individual
surface areas, use the Measure tool.
To view mass properties of an object

1. Click Mass Properties in the Inspect group on the Measure tab.

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With the Select Body tool guide active, select a solid in the Structure tree or by triple-clicking it in the
Design window to display its volume, center of mass, and principle moments and axes.
2. A small origin appears at the center of volume with its axes oriented in the direction of the principle axes.
To calculate the principle moments and axes for another point, hold Alt and select an origin to add it to
your selection.
To calculate the actual moment of inertia, multiply the moment measurement by the density of the solid.
The axis is indicated with x, y, z values; in the figure above, these values are (0, -1, 0). The first number
is the red axis of the origin, the second is the green axis, and the third is the blue axis.
3. For beam objects ensure that the Material Name property is set as appropriate to display the mass and
center of mass properties in addition to the volume.
To measure the projected area of an object or objects

2. Click the Select datum plane tool guide.
3. Select the objects you want to measure.
You can also hold Alt and select the object without using the tool guide.
The projected area and estimated precision is displayed in the Design window.
To measure the properties of a planar section

2. Click the Select Planar Face or Section Loop tool guide.
Select a planar area.
Note: Mass Properties for planar sections are approximated using edge tessellation.
To select a coordinate system

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3. Click the Select Coordinate System tool guide and select a coordinate system or coordinate system
axis.
The center of volume and moment and axis are measured from the origin/axis chosen rather than the
default origin (0, 0, 0).
12.7.2.2.1. Measure a projected area

You can measure the projected area of one or more objects. The objects are projected onto a plane, and
the area of their silhouette is measured.
To measure the projected area of an object or objects

3. Select Show projected area in the Options panel to see a shadow of the projected area.
4. Click the Select Datum Plane tool guide or hold Alt and select the plane you want the objects' silhouette
projected on.
The projected area and estimated precision is displayed in the Design window.
12.7.2.3. Checking geometry

You can check the geometry for solids and surfaces. The geometry is checked for all possible ACIS errors.
Select errors and warnings in the dialog to highlight the associated geometry in the Design window, as shown
below.

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To check an object's geometry

1. Right-click a solid or surface in the Structure tree.
2. Select Check Geometry.
You can click Stop in the status bar or press Esc to cancel the operation if necessary.
A dialog will open that lists any errors or warnings found.
3. Select errors and warnings in the dialog to highlight the associated geometry in the Design window.
4. Select Zoom to fit selection to automatically zoom in to the problem area in the Design window.
5. Click Close when you are finished.
12.7.3. Displaying interference
Use the Curves tool to display the edges where solids intersect each other, as shown in the example
below with a block and a sphere.
Use the Volumes tool to display volumes created by the intersection of solids, surfaces, and components
in your design, as shown in the example below.

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To display the edges of intersection

1. Click Curves in the Interference group on the Analysis tab.
2. Select intersecting objects to see their edges of intersection.
To display volumes of intersection

1. Click Volumes in Interference group on the Analysis tab.
2. Select objects to display their intersection in green.
You can also select multiple faces by box-selecting or selecting in the Structure tree.
Interference with thread intersections are not reported.
3. (Optional) Click the Create Volume tool guide and select an area of interference to create a new solid
from the volume.
Tool guides
The Select Targets tool guide allows you to select

the objects for which interference will be shown.
The Create Volume tool guide allows you to select
an area of interference and create a new solid from
the volume.
Options
The following options are available:
• Collapse to parent component: All of the component's sub-components are treated as part of a single
solid when performing the volume interference calculation. Select this option to optimize performance.

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12.7.4. Analyzing quality

The tools in the Quality ribbon group allow you to detect any anomalies or discontinuities in a surface that
shading cannot show.
Quality ribbon group

The Quality ribbon group contains the following tools:
Use the Normal tool to display the normal direction

("inside" or "outside") of faces or surfaces.
Use the Grid tool to display the curves that define any
face or surface in your design.
Use the Curvature tool to display a fringe graph of
the curvature along curves or edges.
Use the Dihedral tool to display a fringe graph of the
angle between two faces along the selected edges.
Use the Draft tool to display a fringe graph of the
selected surfaces, where each value is an angle
measurement.
Use the Stripes tool to reflect a virtual 3D cube "room"
on the selected faces.
Use the Deviation tool to show the distance from a
source, or reference, body to a selected body or Mesh
body.
12.7.4.1. Displaying normal direction

This tool will display the normal direction of faces or surfaces in your design. The normal direction is the
"outside" of the face or surface. The normal can be flipped when you import models. Use this tool to check
and fix face normal directions.
To display normal directions for faces

1. Click Normal in the Quality group on the Measure tab.
2. Select an object, face, or surface. Ctrl+click to select multiple faces and surfaces, or select an object in
the Structure tree.
The normal direction of each face or surface at the point where you click is displayed.

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3. If you find an incorrect normal, right-click the face or surface and select Reverse Face Normal.
Options
The following options are available with the Normal analysis tool:
Show face normal using Arrow Display the normal direction using an arrow.
Show face normal using Color Display the normal direction using colors. Select colors for the front
("outside") and back ("inside") using the drop-down menus. Use contrasting
colors to make it easier to see which faces were incorrectly reversed on
import.
Examples
Displaying face normals using arrows
Displaying face normals using colors
12.7.4.2. Displaying a face (UV) grid

Use the Grid tool to display the curves that define any face or surface in your design. This tool displays a
visual representation of the mathematical expression of the surface. The grid lines represent the mathematical
expression used to generate the surface. You can use it to identify a low quality surface. For example, a face
may look fine, but the underlying mathematical representation is unnecessarily complicated or poorly
parameterized. You would have problems changing the face using other tools.
If you find a face with underlying problems, you can delete the face, then use the Fill tool with the Patch
Blend option or the Replace tool to generate a new face.
To view a face or surface grid

1. Click Grid in the Quality group on the Measure tab.
2. Select a face or surface. Ctrl+click to display the grid on multiple faces and surfaces.
Click in an empty area in the Design window to hide the grid.

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Options
The following option is available with the Grid analysis tool:
Shading Select Grid or Checker from the Texture menu. Use

this option to increase performance with large or
complex designs.
Wire Slide the scale or click - or + to set the scale of the
grid.
Examples
Face grids with grid shading, checker shading, and wire
Face grids displayed on a blended face and on a sphere
12.7.4.3. Displaying curvature

Use this tool to show curvature values along faces or edges. You can use this analysis to identify areas with
very tight curves that can be difficult to offset or turn into thin solids.
You can also use the visualization to evaluate curvature continuity along a set of faces or edges. Curvature
continuity is when the curvature values change in a smooth, continuous manner. You can see continuous
curves because the data points will gradually change length or the transition between face coloring is even
and smooth. Sudden changes in the length of the data points or color on a face indicates non-continuous
curvature.

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To display edge curvature

1. Click Curvature in the Quality group on the Measure tab.
2. Select a line, curve, or edges. Ctrl+click to select multiple lines or edges, or select an object in the Structure
tree.
You can change the shading colors in the options panel.
You can change the color, scale, and density of the data points in the options panel.
Tip Select Edges in the selection filter, then box select to select all the edges in your design.
The visualization for edges shows lines at data points along the edge. The greater the curve's radius, the
longer the data point. Straight edges won't show any data points because they don't have curvature.
To display face curvature

1. Click Curvature in the Quality group on the Measure tab.
2. Select a face or Ctrl+click to select multiple faces.
You can change the shading colors in the options panel.
In addition to the face curvature display, the absolute values for minimum and maximum curvature are
displayed in the Properties panel.
The curvature with the smallest radius is shown in the maximum color (red is the default). The curvature
with the smallest radius, or no radius, is shown in the minimum color (gray is the default).
Each line length of the fringe graph represents a curvature value C = absolute value (1/r) when a surface
or body is selected.
Options
The following options are available with the Curvature analysis tool:
Show edge curvature using:
Color Select a color for the fringe graph from the drop-down
menu.
Scale Slide the scale or click + or - to increase or decrease
the relative size of the fringe graph.
Density Slide the scale or click + or - to increase or decrease
the density of sampling (the number of lines created
along the edge).
Shading Select Shading to display face curvature using color.
Select colors for Min and Max from the drop-down
menus.
Examples

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Displaying face curvature using color
12.7.4.4. Displaying a dihedral graph

This tool can be used to visualize tangency (or lack of tangency) between two faces. You won't see any data
points if you select an edge between two tangent faces. Non-tangent faces will show data points because
the angle is more than 0. The larger the angle between the faces, the longer the fringe lines will be at each
test point.
You can use the Repair dihedral tool guide to make the faces tangent. You should only use this tool guide
if the faces are already close to tangent. Neighboring edges are not modified to be tangent as well, so the
results can be unexpected if the faces are not close to tangent.
To display a dihedral graph
1. Click Dihedral in the Quality group on the Measure tab.

2. Select a dihedral edge. You can Ctrl+click to select multiple edges.
Data points show the angle between the faces along the edge. Longer data points are shown for larger
angles, or, variable dihedral angles
The Analysis section of the Properties panel displays both minimum and maximum edge dihedral angle
values.
Options
The following options are available with the Dihedral analysis tool:
Color Select a color from the drop-down menu.

Scale Slide the scale or click - or + to decrease or increase
the relative size of the fringe graph.
Density Slide the scale or click - or + to decrease or increase
the number of points along the edge where the angle
is measured and displayed.

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12.7.4.5. Displaying draft angles

This tool will help you identify the amount of draft and direction on each face in a design.
You can use this tool to analyze parts that will be molded. Faces shown in red (the default color for a negative
draft angle) may not release properly from a mold. You should input the draft angle you consider necessary
for proper release. The draft angle may depend on a number of factors, including material choice and design
constraints.
To display draft
1. Click Draft in the Quality group on the Measure tab.
2. Click the Draft Direction tool guide and select a face, surface, or the World Origin to set the draft direction.
If you don't first set the draft direction, the angle is measured with respect to the Z axis.
3. Set the Angle in the options panel.
The face highlight color is based on the angle you specify. A face will be highlighted in the positive color
if the angle of the face is greater than the Angle value and the negative color if its angle is smaller in the
direction you specify. You can change these colors in the Options panel.
4. Click the Draft Select tool guide and select a face to check its draft angle. You can also Ctrl+click to
select solids and surfaces, box-select or select objects in the Structure tree.
A color graph of the selected surfaces is displayed. Each value is an angle measurement between the
surface and the selected plane.
Tool guides
The Draft Select tool guide is active by default. Use it to select the face(s) for which you want to
display draft angles.
Use the Draft Direction tool guide or Alt+click to select an alternate reference for the draft direction.
Use the Draft Curve tool guide to select a temporary curve (created by the faces selected, draft
direction, and angle of one or both sides) to create the curve in the Structure tree. Curves appear
in the current layer color.
Options
The following options are available with the Draft analysis tool:
Direction Select One or Both to display the draft angle in one or both directions.

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Angle Slide the scale or click - or + to set the minimum angle to display.
Color Select colors from the drop-down menus to indicate positive and negative draft
angles.
Color Transition Slide the scale or click - or + to adjust the color transition between sharp and
smooth. The higher this setting, the more gradual the transition between
positive and negative faces.
Create shadow lines Display shadow lines where the angle of the face is the same as the draft
angle.
Examples
Draft analysis with color transition low (sharp)
Draft analysis with color transition set to high (smooth)
The shadow line on these examples show where the angle of the curved face is the same as the draft angle.
The example on the left is shown with the Color Transition option set low, and the example on the right shows
the Color Transition set high.
12.7.4.6. Displaying stripes

This tool will reflect an infinite striped plane on the selected faces (or on all the faces of the selected solid).
This tool is useful to show how the smoothness of a surface.

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Use this tool to visualize and check tangency and curvature continuity between faces. For example, two
surfaces may appear to have a smooth transition, but the Stripes tool will reveal an irregularity.
In the example above, the area marked with A has good continuity. The stripes line up almost perfectly across
the edge. The area marked with B does not have good continuity. The stripes do not quite line up at the
edge.
If you find irregularities in your design, you can repair them using the following tools:
• Tangency (on the Prepare tab)
• Merge Faces (on the Prepare tab)
• Fill with the Patch Blend option (on the Design tab)
To display stripes
1. Click Stripes in the Quality group on the Measure tab.
2. Select the face that you want to appear striped. Ctrl+click to select multiple faces or select an object in
the Structure tree.
Options
The following options are available with the Stripes analysis tool:
Color Select light and dark colors for the pattern from the
drop-down menu.
Density Slide the scale or click + or - to increase or decrease
the stripe density (the number of lines in the pattern).
Examples

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12.7.4.7. Displaying deviation

Use this tool to show the distance from a source, or reference, body to a selected body or Mesh body. Use
this analysis to see how closely the geometry of two bodies match up. For example, you would use the
Deviation tool when you reverse engineer a design from mesh data to see how closely your design matches
the mesh.
The Deviation tool also works to show deviation between meshes.
To display deviation
1. Click Deviation in the Quality group on the Measure tab.

2. Select a body or a mesh as the source, or reference, body.
3. Select a second body as the target body.
When you have two bodies selected, the system automatically calculates the deviation.
Only one Mesh can be selected.
Note: In a small number of cases, deviation results may be exaggerated. You should take sample
measurements in the areas of maximum inside and outside deviation to rule out the chance of exaggeration.
Options
The following options are available with the Deviation analysis tool:
Show edge curvature using
Source body sample spacing Select the method for defining the sample point
spacing.
• Body - Use body faceting vertices as sampling
points
• Percentage - Enter a percentage of the body's
diameter to define sample spacing
• Length - Enter a length to use as the sample
spacing
Show Display controls:

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• Shading - Use textured shading to indicate

deviation
• Porcupine - Use lines to indicate deviation
• Sample points - Show sample points in the
deviation display
• Target - Show the target body in the display
• Transparent Target - If the target body is
displayed, show it as transparent
Color transition Slide the scale or click + or - to increase or decrease

the smothness of the transition between colors in the
display.
Tolerance Display deviation results above a specified tolerance.
Colors Select colors for the display.
• Inside distance - Choose a color for displaying
distances to sample points inside of the target body
• Outside distance - Choose a color for displaying
distances to sample points outside of the target
body
• Distance within tolerance - Choose a color for
displaying distances within the specified tolerance
12.8. Facets
Additive manufacturing overview

Discovery Live has tools that allow you to prepare models for Additive Manufacturing, that is, 3D Printing.
3D Printers use STL files to build up a model in layers. Discovery Live's Facets tab contains tools for working
with facets and preparing them for export to a 3D printer.
• Working with faceted bodies describes the options available for working with faceted bodies.
• Selecting Facets describes the options available for selecting facets and modifying the selection.
The ribbon is organized in groups of tools that, from left to right, step through the process of creating a Facets
body for the printer.
• Cleanup has tools that remove defects which can cause problems for downstream operations.
• Organize has tools for separating and joining disconnected facet regions (for example, shells).
• Modify has tools for working with facet geometry.
• Adjust has tools for smoothing facets, reducing the number of facets, and making the facets more uniform.
• Inspect has tools for measuring thickness and finding overhangs.
• Create has tools for previewing the faceted body.
• Edge Display has toggles for displaying:
º Internal facet edges are shared by two connected facets
º Open facet edges belong to one facet
º Over-connected facet edges are connected to three or more facets and cannot be resolved by 3D
printers

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12.8.1. Selecting facets

You can select facets and then modify the selection using the following tools in the Select group in the Facets
tab. The drop-down menu on the Select option also allows you to select facets Using Box, Using Lasso,
Using Polygon, or by Using Paint. You can also choose to Extend Facets Selection or Select Facets by
Geometry, which enables the transfer of selections from one body to another.
Use the Expand tool to add an additional row of facets around the current selection. Clicking this tool
multiple times allows you to expand the selection by one row each click.
Use the Shrink tool to reduce the current selection by one row of facets. Clicking this tool multiple
times allows you to shrink the selection by one row each click.
Use the Fill tool to select all remaining facets that are bounded by the current selection.
Expand Tool:
The Expand tool lets you select additional rows of facets around the current selection.
To expand facets:
1. Select facets.
2. Click Expand to select a row of facets around the current selection.

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Using the same steps above, facet edges can be expanded to adjacent triangles.
Facet vertices can also be expanded to adjacent triangles.

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Shrink Tool:
The Shrink tool lets you reduce the current selection by one row of facets.
To shrink facets
1. Select facets.
2. Click Shrink to reduce the current selection by one row of facets.

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Fill Tool:
The Fill selects all remaining facets that are bounded by the current selection.
To fill facets
1. Select facets.
2. Click Fill to select all remaining facets.

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Note: If the Fill adds less than five facets, a warning is issued.
Using a slider to adjust selection

After double-clicking a facet, a slider can be used to adjust the initial selection.
1. Double-click facets.
2. Move the slider up and down to adjust the initial selection.

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The selected facets can be added to a group. The slider will be dismissed after a triple-click on the facet
selection.
Using a slider to unselect Facets

Select facets with Box-Select or the Double-Click Slider.
While holding Ctrl , use the Double-Click Slider to unselect facets.

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Selecting facet edges:

In addition to selecting facets, you can select facet edges and edge loops.
Use Shift+Double-click on sharp (>60°) internal edges that form an isoline (i.e. edges that are nearly
continuously tangent to each other as the line propagates).
The selection will be the best polyline found and not necessarily a complete loop. As you can see in the
image below, the selection stops at the cylinder because adjacent edges are not within the tolerance (<10°)
to be considered tangent.
Use Ctrl+Shift+Double-click on sharp edges to select multiple mesh edge isolines.

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Use Double-click on Boundary mesh edges to highlight and select the boundary edges
12.8.2. Faceted body cleanup

3D Printing requires that the faceted body be watertight and free of self-intersecting facets, or other defects.
The Cleanup tools identify and fix facet defects.
The Cleanup group in the Facets ribbon contains the following tools for finding and fixing problems in faceted
bodies.
Use the Check Facets tool to list problems with the

faceted body that will adversely affect the 3D Printing
process.
Use the Auto Fix tool to automatically search for, and
fix any facet defects.
Use the Shrinkwrap tool to create a faceted wrapper

that closes gaps, around the model.
Use the Holes tool to find and fix holes in faceted

bodies.
Use the Intersections tool to highlight areas of
self-intersection.
Use the Fix Sharps tool to find and fix sharp spikes
that need to be flattened.

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Use the Over-Connected tool to find and fix facets

connected to too many other facets.
Note: Additive Manufacturing technology is capable of producing interior voids (enclosed, hollow spaces)
that would not be possible with traditional manufacturing methods. Depending on the additive process used,
the void may contain unused resin, powder, or support materials. If voids need to be in the finished part, it
is good practice to build it in halves or add access holes to remove the unused materials.
12.8.2.1. Automatic faceted body cleanup

The Check Facets and the Auto Fix tools are quick ways to find and fix problems in faceted bodies.
Checking Facets tool:
Use the Check Facets tool to list problems with the faceted body that will adversely affect the 3D Printing
process.
Problems detected include the following:
• Multiple pieces (facet regions or shells)
• Non-watertight facets
• Self intersections
• Over-connected (non-manifold) edges
To check facets:
1. Select a Faceted body in the Structure tree
2. Click the Check Facets tool
3. A dialog appears listing any issues found
4. Click Zoom to fit in the dialog to zoom in on selected problems in the list
The Check facets tool can also be used in an Action-Object workflow by entering the tool and then selecting
the faceted body.
Auto Fix tool:
Use the Auto Fix tool to automatically search for, and fix any facet defects. Geometry operations
performed by the tool do not remove Named Selections.The Auto Fix tool performs the following sequence:
1. Fix self-intersections
2. Close holes using the methods described the find and fix example below.
• If there is surrounding curvature, the hole is closed using the Patch method.
• If the surrounding edges are approximately planar, the hole is closed using the Cap method.
3. Recheck for self-intersections
4. Fix self-intersections
5. Remove void shells
6. Fix inverted normals
7. Fix non-manifold edges and vertices

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To Auto Fix a faceted body:

1. Click the Auto Fix tool
2. Select a Faceted body in the Graphics window
3. Problem areas are fixed
12.8.2.2. Fixing facet intersections

Self-intersecting facets can cause problems for 3D printing. Use the Intersections tool to highlight areas of
self-intersection.
To check for intersections:
1. Click the Intersections tool

2. Select a Faceted body in the Graphics window
3. Areas of self-intersection are highlighted
• The model is also made transparent if any intersections are found
4. Click Complete to fix the intersections
Tool guides
The Complete tool guide fixes any intersections

found.
12.8.2.3. Fixing over-connected facets

Over-connected facets cannot be 3D printed. There can be over-connected edges and over-connected
vertices. Over-connected edges are facet edges that are shared by more than two facets. In the image below,
two bodies share a single edge which means the shared edge belongs to four facets. In this case, the vertices
at the end of the edge are also over-connected because there is no volume beneath them.

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To find and fix over-connected facets:
1. Click the Over-connected tool

2. The tool finds any over-connected facets and highlights them
3. Select highlighted areas to fix using the Select Problem tool guide
4. Exclude problem areas using the Exclude Problem tool guide
5. Use the Select Geometry tool guide to select geometry that is not a problem
6. Click Complete to fix all remaining areas
When the Over-connected tool is used on the example shown above, it creates a small faceted volume
around the over-connected edge. The image below shows the result when zoomed-in to the edge.
Tool guides
The Select Problem tool guide is active by default. This tool guide allows you to select and fix problem
areas that are automatically found by the tool.

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The Select Geometry tool guide allows you to select geometry that was not found as a problem area.
The Exclude Problem tool guide allows you to exclude areas from selection and fixing.
The Complete tool guide fixes all remaining problem areas.
12.8.2.4. Fixing holes

You can find and fix holes using the Holes tool. It works like other Find-and-Fix tools in the Repair tab.
To find and fix holes in faceted bodies:

1. Click the Holes tool to find and highlight holes
2. The tool highlights holes that can be filled
3. Set any of the Options described below as needed
4. Use the Select Problem tool guide to holes to fill
5. Click Complete to fill all holes or the selected holes
Tool guides
The Select Problem tool guide is active by default.

This tool guide allows you to select and fix problem
The Select Geometry tool guide allows you to select
geometry not highlighted by the tool
The Exclude Problem tool guide allows you to
exclude areas from selection and fixing.

select curves to influence the shape of the patch.
The Exclude Regions allows you to exclude regions

in multi-region patches.
The Complete tool guide fixes all remaining problem

areas.
Options
The following options are available to control how holes are filled:
Patch Attempts to match the contour of the surrounding

facets.

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Cap Creates a simple cap over the opening.

Together Considers multiple openings together.
Separately Considers multiple openings separately.
Review the examples to see how the tool guides and options can be used.
Examples:
The following example shows the use of a few of the tool guides and the Cap option.
Click the Select Geometry tool guide and select

the contour.
The preview shows that the default patch will not

produce an angled face.

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Click the Select Guide Curves tool guide and select

the curves, or Alt-select them. notice that the
preview now goes through the curves.
With the Select Guide Curves tool guide active, it
is considered sticky (as if the Ctrl key were being
held down) to allow multiple selection and selection
toggling.
Clicking Complete shows that the face is not flat.
To make it flat, Undo the fill and use the Exclude

Regions tool guide to exclude the angled face.
Notice that the excluded region is shown in a dim
gray to indicate it will not be included.

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In the Options panel, set the Cap option. Then click

the Select Problem tool guide and the select the
remaining loop.
Click Complete.
The following examples show the use of the Together and Separately options.
Two loops on the outside of a sphere is a case that should

be filled together, as they are both intended to be
occupying the same physical space (that is, the outside
of the sphere).

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The Together option ensures that the patch completes

the shape.
If the Separately option is used, the gap is closed (one

at a time) so a loop and a separate surface remains.
This shelled bowl is an example where the Separately

option is more likely to be used.

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The Separately option ensures that each patch completes

the surrounding shape both outside and inside.
The Together option considers the surrounding shape of

both holes at the same time and transitions between the
two holes.
12.8.2.5. Fixing sharps

Faceted bodies may contain sharp spikes that need to be flattened. You can use the Fix Sharps tool to find
and fix any sharps in the mesh. It works like other Find-and-Fix tools in the Repair tab.
To find and fix sharps:
1. Click the Sharps tool

2. Based on the options settings, if any sharps are found, they are highlighted.

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Convex and concave sharps are found.

3. (Optional) Change the option settings as needed.
4. Use the Select Problem tool guide to select and fix individual sharps.
The concave sharp is flattened.

5. Use the Exclude Problem tool guide to exclude problem areas.
6. Use the Select Geometry tool guide to select geometry not found as a problem area.
7. Click Complete to fix all remaining highlighted sharps.
Tool guides

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geometry that was not found as a problem area.
The Complete tool guide fixes all remaining problem

areas.
Options
The following options are available to control how sharps are fixed:
Sharp edges This applies to the angle between normals of facets that share an edge. Any
edges with an edge angle greater than the specified angle will be found.
Sharp vertices This applies to the angle between normals of any two facets that share a
vertex. Any vertices with an angle greater than the specified angle will be
found.
Convex Convex sharps are found. These are sharps that point outward.
Concave Concave sharps are found. These are sharps that point inward.
12.8.2.6. Shrinkwrap
Some faceted models contain gaps that will cause problems for 3D Printing. For example, assemblies have
multiple parts fastened together but there are small gaps between the component parts. The Shrinkwrap
tool allows you to create a single, faceted model that can be sent to a 3D printer. As the name implies,
Shrinkwrap creates a faceted wrapper around the model that closes gaps.
The human foot shown below is a faceted model from scanned data. Notice that there are many tiny facet
regions.

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To create a shrinkwrap
1. Open a faceted model that contains gaps. The foot model used in this example, has small gaps between
the bones of the foot. The initial Gap size is chosen based on the size of the selected body.
2. Select the Shrinkwrap tool

3. Change the Shrinkwrap Options if desired
4. Select a Facet Body in the Graphics Window or the Structure Tree
5. Click Complete to create the Shrinkwrap.
6. The completed shrinkwrap is shown below. Notice how the tiny facet regions have been wrapped into a
single faceted body.

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Tool guides
The Select Bodies tool guide is active by default. It allows you to select solid or faceted bodies to
shrinkwrap.
The Select Tight-Fit Faces or Facets tool guide allows you to select faces where the shrinkwrap will
fit tightly.
The Complete tool guide completes the shrinkwrap.
Zoom Legend
The Zoom Legend appears at the lower-right of the screen. If the zoom legend is on before entering this tool
or is turned on while using this tool, it will remain on when exiting the tool.
Options
The following options are available for shrinkwrapping:

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Gap size Enter a value that sets the maximum distance

between facet regions that will be considered a gap.
Distances above this value will be considered
acceptable and will not be closed.
Keep original bodies When checked on, the original faceted bodies will not
be removed after the Shrinkwrap is created.
Preserve features When checked on, you need to set an Angle
threshold.
Angle threshold Enter an angle, in degrees, that determines the
smoothness of the shrinkwrap. Facet angles above
the threshold will not be smoothed by the shrinkwrap.
Secondary size Specify a facet size (smaller than the Gap Size) to
apply to selected facets. This allows you to refine the
shrinkwrap locally.
Example using the Select Tight-Fit Faces or Facets tool guide:
Use the Select Tight-Fit Faces or Facets tool guide to control shrinkwrap facets in selected areas.
The following simple example shows how the tool guide works.
The body is selected for shrinkwrapping.

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The default settings produce a crude shrinkwrap.
Click the Select Tight-Fit Faces or Facets tool guide and

double-click the top face. This face will be tightly fit in the
shrinkwrap.
Notice that the facets fit tightly on the selected face. It is

important to note that the controlling effect falls off as a
function of distance from the selected area.

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Non-faceted 'helper' geometry can also be selected. Here,

the face of the block is coincident with the faceted face.
The helper geometry has the same effect.

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Multiple faces can be selected.
Both faces are tightly fit.

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The image on the right has a secondary size of 1 mm.

Notice how that effects the resulting shrinkwrap.
Using a secondary facet size

To control Facet Size, check the Secondary size option and enter a value. The image below sets a secondary
size of 10 mm for facets created on the top face.
Secondary size is more useful for refining the shrinkwrap to preserve the initial shape. An example is shown
below.

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This faceted model has a distinct profile shape.
Using the default gap size 8 mm)and no Secondary size

specified, Shrinkwrap produces a very rough approximation
of the profile.
1. Check the Secondary size option ON

2. Enter a Secondary size of 2 mm
3. Click the Select Tight-Fit Faces or Facets tool guide
4. Select facets around the profile to apply the secondary
size
Click Complete and see that the secondary size follows the
profile.
Using shrinkwrap on solid bodies

You can use the Shrinkwrap tool on solid bodies. The example below shows a simple example.

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The solid block will be shrinkwrapped.

The top face is selected using the Select Tight-Fit
Faces or Facets tool guide.
The faceting for the shrinkwrap is driven by the current

settings in the Convert tool.
12.8.3. Organizing faceted bodies

The Organize group has the following tools for organizing faceted bodies and regions.
Use the Separate tool to separate each disconnected faceted region of a faceted body into individual
faceted bodies. A typical use of this tool is to separate the inner and outer regions of a shelled faceted
body.
Use the Separate All tool to separate all of the faceted bodies in the design that have multiple
disconnected regions into individual faceted bodies. This would be used for designs with multiple
shelled faceted bodies.
Use the Join tool to combine multiple faceted bodies into a single body and stitch them together when
possible..
A single faceted body can have any number of regions. A common example is a shelled faceted body which
has both an inner and an outer faceted region in one body. Another example can be created by saving a
Discovery Live model, which contains several separate solid bodies, as an STL file. It gets imported in
Discovery Live as a single faceted body but has several separate facet regions.
Separate Tool:

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1. Click the Separate tool

2. Use the Select Shells tool guide to select a shelled faceted body and separate it.
3. Use the Select Meshes tool guide to select a faceted body with disconnected regions and separate them.
4. Select a facet shell or facet region.
5. The selection is then converted to a separate faceted body.
Tool guides
The Select Shells tool guide is active by default. Use

it to select a shell and separate it from its faceted
body.
Use the Select Faceted Bodies tool guide to select
a faceted body and separate it into pieces.
Options
The following options are available to set the type of regions to include:
Over-connected Include over-connected facet regions (i.e. regions

joined at a single edge or point)
Connected Include only normally connected facet regions
Example using Separate

The image below shows a shelled faceted body. The section view shows the interior and exterior regions.
After separation, there are two faceted bodies. The image below shows the interior faceted body highlighted.

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Geometry
Separate All Tool:

1. Click the Separate All tool or Right-click on a Faceted Body in the Structure Tree and click Separate
All.
2. All facet regions, in all facets bodies, are converted to separate facets bodies.
The image below shows a simple example of a single faceted body with multiple disconnected regions.
Join Tool:
1. Click the Join tool
2. Use the Select Faceted Bodies tool guide to join selected bodies one-by-one.
a. Select a body to serve as the target. All subsequently selected bodies will be joined to the target.
b. Select bodies to join to the target.
3. Use the Select Target Mesh tool guide to join all facets bodies to the selected target body.
a. Select the target body.
b. All other faceted bodies are automatically joined to the target.
Tool guides

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Geometry
The Select Faceted Bodies tool guide is active by

default. Use it to select faceted bodies to join
one-by-one. The first body selected is the target to
which all other selected bodies are joined.
Use the Select Target Faceted Bodies tool guide
to select a target faceted body. All other faceted
bodies are then automatically joined to the target
body.
12.8.4. Modifying faceted bodies

The Modify group contains tools for combining, splitting, shelling, scaling, and thickening faceted bodies.
The table below summarizes the tools.
Use the Merge tool to combine two faceted bodies

into a single body.
Use the Subtract tool to subtract an intersecting region

from one faceted body using the other intersecting
faceted body.
Use the Intersect tool to create a new faceted body
from the intersecting region of two faceted bodies.
Use the Split tool to split a faceted body using a cutter.
Use the Shell tool to create a thin wall on a closed

faceted body.
Use the Scale tool to scale the selected faceted body
relative to a selected point.
Use the Thicken tool to add thickness to a faceted

surface body.
12.8.4.1. Merging faceted bodies

The Merge tool combines two faceted bodies, or a faceted body and a solid body.

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Geometry
Merging faceted bodies is a boolean operation similar to the Combine tool in the Design tab.
For Boolean tools, ensure that:
• The first faceted body you select is altered by the second
• The second faceted body is “consumed” by the first
• After the operation, the first faceted body is still in the Structure tree but the second is not
To Merge facets bodies:
1. Click the Merge tool

2. Select the first faceted body
• The first faceted body is highlighted in blue
3. Select the second faceted body or a solid body
4. The two bodies are merged into one
• If a solid body is merged with a faceted body, the solid body is converted to a faceted body
Options
The following options are available to control how bodies are merged:
Keep original bodies Retain the original bodies after the intersection.
The Merge tool also works on two Open facets bodies to automatically create the union that produces a
single, closed faceted body. An example would be two halves of a shelled body merged into a closed shelled
body.
Patterned components are up-selected in the Boolean tools. In the example below, the cylinders were made
as a pattern. Highlighting one pattern member highlights the entire pattern.

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12.8.4.2. Subtracting faceted bodies

The Subtract tool removes the intersecting region between two faceted bodies, or a faceted body and a
solid body.
Subtracting faceted bodies is a boolean operation similar to the Combine tool in the Design tab.
To Subtract facets bodies:
1. Click the Subtract tool

3. Select a second faceted body or a solid body to use as a cutter, or box-select multiple cutters
4. The second body is subtracted from the first
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Options
The following options are available to control how bodies are subtracted:
Keep cutter Retain the cutter body after the operation is complete.
12.8.4.3. Intersecting faceted bodies

The Intersect tool creates a new faceted body from the intersecting portion of two faceted bodies, or a
faceted body and a solid body.
Intersecting faceted bodies is a boolean operation similar to the Combine tool in the Design tab.

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Geometry
To Intersect facets bodies:
1. Click the Intersect tool

3. Select the second faceted body, or a solid body
4. The two bodies are intersected
Options
The following options are available to control how bodies are intersected:
12.8.4.4. Splitting faceted bodies

Faceted bodies can be split using a plane or surface as a cutter.

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Geometry
To Split a faceted body:

1. Click the Split tool
2. Select a faceted body
• The selected faceted body highlights in blue
3. Choose a Cap option (see images below)
4. Select a plane, or surface, to use as a cutter
5. The faceted body is split into two separate faceted bodies
Options
The following options are available to control how bodies are split:
Don't cap Leave an opening after the split.

Cap Cap the opening that results from the split
Cap with internal points Cap the opening that results from the split but use
extra points in the interior of the cap to produce better
triangles.
The images below show examples of the different options.

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Geometry
No Cap Cap Cap With Internal Points
12.8.4.5. Shelling faceted bodies

Use the Shell tool to add thickness on the inside or outside of a faceted body.
To Shell a faceted body:

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Geometry
1. Click the Shell tool

3. Click Complete
4. The Shell is added and a new faceted body is shown in the Structure Tree
Tool guides for a simple shell

The Select Solid or Faceted Body tool guide is

active by default. It allows you to select solid or
faceted bodies to shell.
geometry or facets to be removed when shelling.
The Complete tool guide completes the shell.
Zoom Legend
Options
The following options are available to control how bodies are shelled:
Inside Remove material inside and leave a thin wall to the

inside of the original body.
Outside Remove material inside and leave a thin wall to the
outside of the original body.
Thickness Enter a value for the shell thickness in model units.
Keep original bodies Create a new shelled faceted body and retain the
original body.

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Infill Type Choose the type of infill structure to be created for

adding strength to the shelled body when it is 3D
printed.
Use density attributes Allows you to create variable Lattice Infills that
distribute material based on the Density Attributes
from lattice optimization workflows in Workbench.
More material is concentrated in regions of high
density and less material is in low density regions.
Note: This option is only available when the model
contains Density Attributes from Workbench.
Example using the Select Geometry tool guide

A simple block will be shelled.
Using the Select Geometry tool guide, the top face

is selected for removal.

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Geometry
Click Complete and the block is shelled with the top

face removed.
You can also select facets to remove from the shell.

Here, instead of removing the face, only the selected
facets will be removed.
Now the shell is a little more interesting.
Adding Basic Infill to shells

Printing the bunny model above could take a long time and a lot of material, if the entire volume is filled.
Infill lets you shell the interior of a model and add an internal support structure. This provides strength while
reducing material costs and printing time.
The tool has several options for controlling the size, shape and percentage of the volume filled.

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Geometry
Tool guides for a shell with Basic infill


Basic Infill options

When you set the Infill Type to be Basic, the following options are available to control the infill:
Shape The infill shape options are separated into three

groups, with multiple options in each. See
Extrusions, Lattices, and Minimal Surfaces below
for descriptions of the infill shapes available.
Sizing Options The sizing options are linked. Changing one will adjust
the others.
• Fill % Percentage of the shell volume filled by material
• Length Determines the size of the basic shapes used in the

infill pattern
• Thickness Sets the infill wall thickness
Preview Options Allow you to control how the preview is displayed and
positioned
• Direction Choose the X, Y, Z axis, or the Screen to set the
preview direction.
• Offset Use the dropdown slider to drag the preview along
its normal direction. Use the Reset button to go back
to the previous location.
To shell and add infill using basic shapes

2. Set the Thicken direction to Inside.
3. Set the Thickness of the shell wall.
4. Choose whether or not to keep the original Faceted Body after it is shelled.
5. Choose the Basic option.
6. Select the Faceted Body to shell.
7. Choose an Infill Shape.
• Use the drop-down list to select a group - Extrusions, Lattices, or Minimal Surfaces
• Select a desired infill shape

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8. Set the Infill Size options.

9. Adjust the Preview.
• Choose a Preview Direction (X, Y, or Z).
• Use the Offset slider to move the preview section along the Preview Direction.
• Click the Reset button to go back to the original Offset location.
10. Click Complete.
11. The Shell is added and a new Faceted Body is shown in the Structure Tree.
The images below show preview for Square and Hex Infill shapes.
The Y-axis is chosen for the preview Direction and the Offset was adjusted to place the preview near the
middle of the model along the Y-axis.
The image below shows the model shelled with a Hex infill. The body was split and moved to expose the
Infill.

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The image below shows the model shelled with a 3D lattice infill.
Note: Lattice infills are sensitive to the coarseness of the faceting. Coarse facets produce lattice infills faster.
Coarseness is controlled when you convert a solid body to a faceted body using the Convert tool. When
converting, use a Maximum Angle in the neighborhood of 30° to get fewer facets and speed up the lattice
calculations.
Extrusions

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Geometry
Square
Extruded square grid.
Triangle
Extruded triangle grid.

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Geometry
Hex
Extruded hexagonal grid.
3D Hex
3D hexagonal grid similar to honeycomb
structures. Cross-sections alternate between
hexagons and square.
Lattices
Select a Lattice structure and Lattice trimming option.
Select a Lattice structure

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Geometry
Lattice
Three dimensional lattice infill pattern
Regular Cube Lattice

Simple cube lattice infill pattern

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Geometry
Cube Lattice With Center Supports

Cube lattice with supports from all corners of
the cube intersecting at the center of the cube
Cube Lattice With Side Cross Supports

Cube lattice with cross supports between edges
on each face of the enclosing cube

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Geometry
Cube Lattice With Side Diagonal Supports

Cube lattice with diagonal supports between
vertices on each face of the enclosing cube
Cube Lattice With Bottom Center

Cube lattice with supports that meet at the
bottom face center of the enclosing cube

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Geometry
Cube Lattice With Bottom Center Without

Vertical Supports
Cube lattice with supports that meet at the
bottom face center of the enclosing cube but
without vertical supports
Double Pyramid Lattice

Double pyramid lattice with lateral supports

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Geometry
Double Pyramid Lattice With Cross

Double pyramid lattice with internal cross
supports
Diamond Lattice
Double pyramid without the lateral supports

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Geometry
Double Pyramid Lattice And Face Diagonals

Double pyramid in the center of the lattice with
diagonals on faces of the enclosing cube
Octahedral-1

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Geometry
Octahedral-2
Tetrahedral Faceted Lattice

Boundary conforming lattice structure, where
the lattice elements follow the edges of
tetrahedra.

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Geometry
Triangle Surface Faceted Lattice

Uniform surface lattice, smoothly connected at
the vertices with triangular holes.
Hexagon Surface Faceted Lattice

Smoothed Voronoi dual to the triangular
surface mesh. Holes are on average
hexagonal.
Select a lattice trim option

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Geometry
None: No explicit trimming is done. The internal

lattice structure is trimmed by the original part,
which may leave dangly lattice pieces that are
not connected to other lattice pieces

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Remove partial segments: trims the dangling

pieces back so that every lattice has at least
two lattice edges ending in it.

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Boundary conforming: builds a Triangular

Lattice between the surface of the geometry
shell and the interal lattice structure.
NOTES:
• The Boundary conforming and Remove partial segments options are not available for the following
lattice types, since they are already boundary conforming by design.
º Tetrahedral Faceted Lattice
º Triangle Surface Faceted Lattice
º Hexagon Surface Faceted Lattice
• Lattice trimming is not available for the three dimensional infill pattern "Lattice".
Minimal Surfaces

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Geometry
Gyroid
Belongs to Triply Periodic Minimal Surfaces.
Schwarz P
Two intertwined congruent labyrinths, each with
the shape of an inflated tubular version of the
simple cubic lattice.

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Geometry
Schwarz D
Two intertwined congruent labyrinths, each
having the shape of an inflated tubular version
of the diamond bond structure.
Neovius
A triply periodic minimal surface, dividing space
into two infinite non-equivalent labyrinths.

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Geometry
Lidinoid
A triply periodic minimal surface similar to a
gyroid.
Adding Custom Infill to shells

You can also use Custom shapes for the Infill. In the example below, the "X" shape will be used as a Custom
Infill.
Tool guides for a shell with Custom infill


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Geometry

The Select Sketch tool guide allows you to select a
sketch to be used as the custom infill shape.
Custom Infill options

When you set the Infill Type to be Custom, the following options are available to control the infill:
Pattern Choose a Square Grid pattern or Rectangular Grid

pattern
Sizing Options
• Scale to Fit When you choose this option, you enter a length for
scaling the selected custom infill shape. This allows
you to increase or decrease the size of the custom
shape. The option is Off by default, which uses the
custom shape as-is.
• Thickness Sets the infill wall thickness
Fill Options
• Fill Shape The selected shape will be filled with material leaving
voids between the shapes.
• Fill Spaces The space between the shapes will be filled leaving
a void in the interior of the selected shape.
To shell and add infill using custom shapes

2. Set the Thicken direction to Inside.
3. Set the Thickness of the shell wall.
4. Choose whether or not to keep the original Faceted Body after it is shelled.
5. Choose the Custom option.
6. Select the Faceted Body to shell.
7. Click the Select a Sketch tool guide.
8. Select the sketched shape to use as the infill.
9. Choose an Infill a Square Grid or Rectangular Grid pattern.
10. Set the Sizing.
11. Choose what to Fill(void between shapes or the shape itself).
12. Click Complete.
13. The Shell is added and a new Faceted Body is shown in the Structure Tree.
The images below show some examples.

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Geometry
The "X" shape in the lower left corner is chosen as

the custom infill.
Scaled to fit is used with a larger dimension to create
a larger space between shapes.
Fill Shape was chosen to fill the custom shape and
leave a void between shapes.
The "X" shape in the lower left corner is chosen as

the custom infill.
Scaled to fit is NOT used so the shape is applied
as-is, which creates and a smaller space between
shapes.
Fill Shape was chosen to fill the custom shape and
leave a void between shapes.
12.8.4.6. Scaling faceted bodies

Faceted bodies can be scaled smaller or larger relative to a selected point.

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Geometry
To scale a faceted body:
1. Click the Scale tool

2. (Optional) Toggle on/off the scaling directions in the Options panel to scale non-uniformly.
3. Select a faceted body in the Graphics window
4. Select a point on the faceted body to scale about
5. Drag to change the scale or press the Spacebar and enter a scale value
You can also scale the faceted body using the Pull tool.
Tool guides
The Scale faceted body tool guide is active by

default. This tool guide allows you to select and fix
problem areas that are automatically found by the
tool.
The Select point tool guide allows you to select
geometry not highlighted by the tool
Options
The following options are available to control scaling:
Scaling directions You can toggle On/Off the X, Y, and Z directions to

scale non-uniformly. All directions are On by default
for uniform scaling.
12.8.4.7. Thickening faceted bodies

Use the Thicken tool to add thickness to a surface faceted body.
To thicken a surface faceted body:

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Geometry
1. Create or import a surface faceted body.
2. Click the Thicken tool

3. Choose a thickening Direction in the options panel
4. and enter a thickness value in the options panel
5. Select the surface faceted body.
6. Exit the tool or Undo, change the options, and reselect the surface faceted body.
Options
The following options are available to control thickening:
Inside Add thickness to the inside.

Outside Add thickness to the outside.
Both Add thickness in both inward and outward directions.
Thickness Enter the total thickness value in model units.
Fix intersections Fix intersections that occur because of the thickening.
Zoom Legend
12.8.5. Adjusting facets

The Adjust group contains tools for smoothing facets, reducing the number of facets, and making facets
more uniform (Regularize).
Use the Smooth tool to smooth out rough facet

regions.
Use the Reduce tool to reduce the number of facets

in a faceted body.
Use the Regularize tool to make the aspect ratios of

selected facets more consistent.
Smooth Tool:
The Smooth tool is typically used on imported faceted bodies.

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To Smooth facets:
1. Click the Smooth tool

2. Change the Smooth Options if desired
3. Select facets or a faceted body.
4. Click Complete to smooth the selection.
5. You can continue to click Complete to further smooth the facets.
You can also select facets or a faceted body and then enter the Smooth tool.
Options
The following options are available for smoothing facets:
Angle threshold Determines if an angle stays sharp or gets smoothed

Smooth type Determines which of the following algorithms is used
for smoothing
• Flatten Peaks Flatten Peaks works locally on slightly rough areas.
Topology is maintained and local spikes are reduced.
• Add Facets The Add Facets option allows vertex positions to
move, achieving generally smoother results but
possibly with significant changes in volume and
triangle count.
• Volume Aware Volume Aware smoothing keeps the triangle count
the same and tries to maintain the original volume.
Angle threshold
This option determines if an angle stays sharp or gets smoothed. Vertices on edges with faces coming
together at angles above the Angle Threshold will not be moved or changed. The example below shows a
block that has all 90° edges except for two which are 45°. With an angle tolerance of 60°, only the two 45°
edges get smoothed and the 90° edges are left alone.

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Geometry
Smooth type
Determines which of the following algorithms is used to do the smoothing.
• Flatten Peaks:
º Flatten Peaks keeps the triangle count the same.
º It mostly knocks down spikes.
º The example below shows how repeated application of Flatten Peaks smoothing works on slightly rough
areas.The number of facets remains the same and the spiked areas are brought down closer to the
surroundings.
• Add Facets:
º The original vertex positions and the new vertex positions are allowed to move.
º The amount of movement depends on how smooth the surroundings are.
º In sharp areas, the amount of movement will be large.
º In smoother areas, the amount of movement may be barely noticeable.
º Because of the movement, the Add Facets option will, in general, produce smoother results.
º The Add Facets option can produce results that are very noticeable as shown in the example below. The
final result is achieved with several smoothing passes.

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Geometry
• Volume Aware:
º Volume Aware does not change topology.
º It tries to maintain the sharps and minimize volume loss.
º The example below shows how Volume Aware smoothing works on the rough faceted body.
Reduce Tool:
This tool reduces the number of facets, which influences 3D printing time. You control the amount of reduction
through the Reduce Options.

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Geometry
Original mesh Reduced mesh
To Reduce the number of facets:
1. Click the Reduce tool

2. Change the Reduce Options if desired
3. Select a faceted body or box-select facets.
4. Click Complete.
5. The model or selection is re-faceted with fewer triangles.
6. You can continue to click Complete to reduce further.
You can also make your selection and then enter the tool.
Options
The following options are available for reducing the number of facets:
Triangle reduction Determines if an angle stays sharp or gets smoothed

Maximum deviation Determines which of the following algorithms is used
for smoothing
Triangle reduction is the percentage reduction you want to achieve. The default is 20%.
Maximum deviation controls the distance between triangle edges and the actual edges of the part. It
influences the number of triangles used to approximate curved edges. See the images below.

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Geometry
Larger Maximum Distance Smaller Maximum Distance
Regularize Tool:
This tool improves the quality of selected facets by making their aspect ratios more consistent. You control
the process with the Regularize Options. Geometry operations performed by the tool do not remove Named
Selections.
A selection of facets is regularized.
To Regularize selected facets:
1. Click the Regularize tool

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Geometry
2. Change the Regularize Options if desired.

3. Select a faceted body or box-select facets.
Note: The default value for regularize is determined based on the selected facets on the body.
4. Click Complete.
5. The model or selection is re-triangulated.
6. You can continue to click Complete to regularize further.
You can also make your selection and then enter the tool.
Options
The following options are available for regularizing facets:
Max edge length Sets the maximum edge length.

Angle threshold Determines if an angle stays sharp or gets smoothed
The Angle threshold option sets the facet-to-facet angle limit when regularizing the selected facets. Vertices
on edges with faces coming together at angles above the Angle Threshold will not be moved or changed.
Zoom Legend
The Zoom Legend appears at the lower-right of the screen for the Regularize tool. If the zoom legend is on
before entering this tool or is turned on while using this tool, it will remain on when exiting the tool.
12.8.6. Inspecting facet bodies

The Inspect group contains tools for checking faceted bodies for overhangs, thickness, and cavities. These
items need to be considered for 3D printing.
Use the Overhangs tool to detect and highlight

areas of the faceted body that protrude out at angles
up to 90°
Use the Thickness tool to check the minimum
thickness of a faceted body.
Use the Cavity tool to find cavities that are
completely enclosed inside a faceted body.
12.8.6.1. Facet Overhangs

Overhanging geometry is an important consideration in 3D printing because it may require special supports.
This can add cost and setup time to the process.
The Overhangs tool detects and highlights areas of the mesh that protrude out at angles up to 90°. You can
set the Overhang Angle option to look for any angle up to 90°.
The Overhangs tool works on both faceted and solid bodies. You can choose to select highlighted overhangs
for additional processing or to modify the body to minimize the overhang area.

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Geometry
To check a body for overhangs:
1. Click the Overhangs tool

2. Select a body.
3. Click the Select Direction tool and select a solid or facet edge to set the direction to look for
overhangs. ALT-select also works for selecting a
direction.
Options
The following options are available for detecting overhangs:
• Overhang Angle Enter a value in degrees. Faces that overhang by More Than the specified angle will be
detected and highlighted.In the example below, the overhang is at 65°. The Overhang Angle is set to
. ° 46

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• Ignore Small AreasEnter a value. Overhangs with areas Smaller Than the specified value will be ignored.In
2
the example below, there is a small overhang with an area of 20 mm . It is found when Ignore Small Areas
2
is checked OFF, but ignored when the option is checked ON and set to 30 mm .
To convert the highlighted overhang(s) to a Selection

When the Overhangs tool finds overhanging facets or geometry, click the Convert to Selection tool guide
to add them to a selection.
To minimize the overhang

When the Overhangs tool finds overhanging facets or geometry, click the Minimize Overhang Area tool guide
. This creates a copy of the Facets body and then orients it to a position that minimizes the Overhang
area. This orientation could be used in 3D printing to have minimal overhang.
12.8.6.2. Sharp Edges

The Sharp Edges tool identifies sharp edges on faceted and solid bodies, but it does not fix them.

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Edges on overlapping faces are also identified.
To find sharp edges:
1. Select the Sharp Edges tool .

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2. Set the options for finding sharp edges.

3. Click a faceted or solid body to find edges sharper than the Max edge angle specified.
Based on the options settings, if any sharp edges are found, they are highlighted.
Options
The following options are available for finding Sharp Edges:
Max edge angle This is the angle between normals of faces that share an edge. Any edges
with an edge angle greater than the angle specified will be highlighted.
Converting Highlighted Edges to a Selection

When the Sharp Edges tool finds sharp edges on facets or geometry, click the Convert to Selection tool
guide to add them to a selection.
12.8.6.3. Facet Thickness

Thickness is important for planning 3D printing. The Thickness tool lets you measure the thickness based
on facet normals or relative to the printer vertical direction.
To check faceted body thickness
1. Click the Thickness tool

2. Enter a Minimum thickness in the Options panel or use the default value.
You can also click the arrow to open a slider for setting the Minimum thickness. The Thickness display
changes dynamical as you drag the slider.
3. (Optional) Click the 3D Printing Direction tool guide and select an face, edge, point or axis parallel to
the printer vertical direction.
4. Select a faceted or solid body.
Although solid bodies can be selected in the Thickness tool, they will produce no results.
The results are shown shaded with areas that are less than the Minimum thickness shown in red. An example
is shown below.

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Tool guides
The Select Faceted Body tool guide is active by

default. Use it to select a faceted body to analyze.
Use the 3D Printing Direction tool guide to select a

line, edge, or axis for the 3D printing direction.
Options
Minimum thickness Enter a value in model units. Any areas that have a
thickness Less Than the minimum thickness will be
detected and highlighted.
Sample spacing Controls the maximum distance between sample
points. Smaller values will create more samples and
better visualization, but will also increase the
computation time of the tool.
Zoom Legend
Examples
The Sample spacing tool is intended for solid bodies. The images below show the tool applied to a solid body
and faceted body.

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Geometry
12.8.6.4. Facet Cavities

The Cavity tool finds cavities that are completely enclosed inside faceted bodies. It's important to identify
cavities because they can trap excess 3D printer material. The Cavity tool works on both faceted and solid
bodies.
To check a body for cavities
1. Click the Cavity tool

2. Optional: Check Max Opening and enter a value for finding small openings.
• Solid bodies can have small openings used for draining excess material
• These small holes can prevent cavities from being found in these areas.
3. Select a body.
4. Cavities are detected.
Example
In this example, three bodies will be checked for cavities. The left solid body is a shelled block, the faceted
body in the middle is shelled with a Basic Hex Infill, and the right solid body is shelled with a 1 mm diameter
hole through the top and bottom walls.

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A clipping plane is used to show the interior details.
The Cavity tool gives the following results.
The left solid body has one cavity.

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The middle faceted body has 42 cavities due to the

Hex Infill.
The right solid body has a through hole so no cavities

are found. However, the through hole is small (1 mm)
and small openings can cause problems for draining
the excess material.
Click the Max Opening option and enter “1”.
One cavity is now found and the small openings are
highlighted in red.
12.8.7. Create
12.8.7.1. Creating a faceted body

Use the Convert tool to convert solid bodies into facets bodies.
The Convert tool has a Progress Bar and a Stop button for meshes that take longer to generate.
To Convert a solid body to a faceted body:
1. Click the Convert tool

• The selected faceted body highlights in blue
3. Choose a Cap option (see images below)
4. Select a plane, or surface, to use as a cutter
5. The faceted body is split into two separate faceted bodies
When converting a B-Rep model to a faceted model, you can double-click a face to select the underlying
topology. In this example, the first image shows the original model. The second image shows the faceted
model with faces selected (shown in orange). The selected faces correspond to the colored faces in the
original model.

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Options
The following options are available for converting solid bodies to faceted bodies:
Keep original bodies Retain the original solid bodies after conversion
Max distance Controls how far facet edges are away from model
edges.
Max angle Controls how far facet edges are away from model
edges.
Aspect ratio Enter a number from 1 to 10. Facets will be created
with aspect ratios near the specified value.
Max edge length Generated facets will have edge lengths less than or
equal to the value entered.
Use the Keep original bodies option if you want to retain the original solid bodies. Converting a solid body
to a faceted body consumes the original solid.
These are the same options (geometrically-speaking) as the ones that control STL export.
Regardless of the context in which these options are used, they control the facet creation required by facet
modeling tools, whether it is for the explicit, user-directed Convert, or the behind-the-scenes conversion
required by other facet modeling tools.
Max distance controls how far facet edges are away from model edges. The images below show the effect
of Max distance on the mesh of a cylinder. These examples keep the Aspect ratio fixed at 3 and the Max
edge length set to 4 mm.

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Max Distance = 0.75 mm Max Distance = 0.01 mm

Max angle = 20-degrees Max angle = 20-degrees
Notice how the settings change the facets along the edge of the circle. The interior is a flat plane, so 45-degree
triangles are the most efficient facets.
The example on the left shows the default Max distance of 0.75 mm. This refers to the gap seen in the
zoomed-in (top) image. Decreasing the Max distance to 0.01 mm results in more facets along the edge,
which brings the facet edges closer to the cylinder edge, as seen in the example on the right.
Max angle also controls how far facet edges are away from model edges. Decreasing the Max angle will
result in more facets along curved edges. This example shows the result of decreasing the Max angle from
20 degrees to 1 degree.

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Max Distance = 0.75 mm

Max angle = 1-degree
Aspect ratio will prevent distorted triangles. Without a fixed Aspect ratio and without a Max edge length,
you can get more distorted triangles as shown in the following images.
No set Aspect Ratio or Maximum No set Aspect Ratio or Maximum No set Aspect Ratio or Maximum
Edge Length Edge Length Edge Length
Max Distance = 0.75 mm Max Distance = 0.75 mm Max Distance = 0.01 mm
Max angle = 20-degrees Max angle = 1-degree Max angle = 20-degrees

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12.9. Repairing problems

Discovery Live can import a variety of native and neutral CAD formats, but you may need to clean up and
repair this data for use in Discovery Live and for CAE. The Repair tab includes tools you can use to repair
imported models and prepare your designs for export and analysis.
The Repair tools are presented in the following groups:
• Solidify
• Fix
• Fix Curves
• Adjust
In general, when you need to repair geometry imported from another source, you use the tools in the order
they are presented in the ribbon (left to right).
Tools in the Solidify group fix problems that may exist in imported data, which prevent the model from being
solid.
Use the Stitch tool to combine surface part faces that

are touching at their edges.
Use the Gaps tool to repair gaps between faces.
Use the Missing Faces tool to fill missing faces.
Tools in the Fix group fix problems that may exist in imported data, which can exist in a solid model but cause
problems when you edit or modify the geometry.
Use the Split Edges tool to remove extraneous points

on edges.
Use the Duplicates tool to detect and fix duplicate
faces.
Use the Extra Edges tool to detect and remove edges
that are not needed to define the model.
Use the Bad Faces tool to detect faces that have
corrupt rendering.
Tools in the Fix Curves group fix problems that may exist in imported data, which cause problems when
working with curves.
Use the Curve Gaps tool to detect and fix gaps

between curves.
Use the Small Curves tool to detect and remove small

curves and fix the resulting gaps.
Use the Duplicate Curves tool to detect and remove

duplicate curves.
Use the Fit Curves tool to improve selected curves

by replacing them with lines, arcs, or splines.

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Tools in the Adjust group help you modify characteristics of your design that will affect analysis.
Use the Merge Faces tool to combine two or more

faces into a single face.
Use the Small Faces tool to remove small faces from
your design.
Use the Tangency tool to change nearly tangent faces
so they are tangent.
Use the Simplify tool to simplify complex faces and
curves.
Use the Inexact Edges tool to repair edges that do
not fit together precisely.
Use the Relax tool to reduce the number of control
points in imported surfaces to make them more stable.
Use the Straighten tool to straighten faces that are
at unwanted angles.
12.9.1. Navigate through issues

The Navigate ribbon group allows you to quickly jump through all the problems identified by a tool on this
tab.
To navigate identified issues

Click the Next or Back buttons to view each problem.
Click Select to convert the problem area into a selection and exit the tool for manual fixing.
Select Zoom to Fit to zoom in on each problem when you click next or back.
Select Clip Volume to put a Clip Volume spheres around the problem areas. You can then use the Next and
Back buttons to make them current.
Problem areas are found.

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Clip Volume places clipping spheres around the problem areas.
Zoom to fit the current problem.
12.9.2. Solidify
12.9.2.1. Stitch adjacent faces

The Stitch tool combines surface part faces that are touching at their edges. When the merged faces form
a closed surface, a solid is automatically created. You can use this tool to repair multiple surface parts that
are in separate components. Coincident faces are detected and removed before Stitch merges surfaces into
a single body.
To stitch faces together

1. (Optional) Select one or more surface parts or a components.
Selecting objects before starting the tool will limit the tool's results to those objects.
If you select a component, all surface parts in the component that have touching faces will be merged.

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2. Click Stitch in the Solidify group on the Repair tab.

The edges of faces that can be merged are highlighted.
3. (Optional) Change the Maximum distance slider in the Options panel to adjust the distance between
parts that are automatically detected.
4. Select the Check for coincidence checkbox to find any edges or planes that are coincidental to each
other.
5. Click the highlighted faces that you want to merge.
The faces are merged when you click on them.
6. (Optional) Click the Select Geometry tool guide to select faces that were not automatically detected.
7. Click Complete to merge all highlighted faces.
Tool guides

faces that were not automatically found. Hold Ctrl to
select multiple objects or box select in the design
area.
The Complete tool guide merges the highlighted

faces.
Options
Maximum distance The maximum distance between faces that is

automatically detected by the tool. The maximum
distance value can be adjusted using a slider in the
Options panel.
Check for coincidence Set this option to check for coincidence within the
model.
Maintain components When you call a stitch, stitching will isolate each
component and attempt to sew surface bodies within
that component. It will not stitch surface bodies across
components. This option is on by default.

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12.9.2.2. Repair gaps

The Gaps tool removes gaps between faces. These gaps are usually found on parts imported from other
CAD systems when the native format allows faces to fit together loosely.
This tool only works for edges that are paired. Paired edges are edges that are within the maximum distance
along their length or that share an end point and are within the maximum angle you set in the tool's options.
Use the Missing Faces tool if you need to repair a part with edges that are not paired. When a gap is adjacent
to a larger hole, this tool only repairs the gap and not the hole.
To remove gaps
1. Click Gaps in the Solidify group on the Repair tab.

The tool will automatically detect and highlight gaps in an object, as shown in the image above.
2. Select the object(s) you want to change:
• Use the Select Problem tool guide to select highlighted areas that you want to change. The cursor will
change to a hand when you move the mouse over a problem area. This tool guide is active by default.
• Use the Select Geometry tool guide to select edges that were not automatically detected.

• Maximum Angle: The maximum angle between any neighboring edge pairs in the potential missing
face edge loop.
• Maximum Distance: The maximum distance between any pair of edges in the potential missing face
edge loop.
4. Use the controls in the Navigate ribbon group to view each problem one at a time before you fix it.
• Click Next or Previous to step through and highlight each identified problem.
• Select Zoom to Fit if you want to automatically zoom in on the problem in the design area when you
click Next or Previous.

Discovery Live adjusts neighboring faces to remove the highlighted gaps.
Tool guides

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This tool guide allows you to select problem areas
that are automatically found by the tool.
edges that were not automatically found. Hold Ctrl to
select multiple edges or box select in the design area.
The Complete tool guide fills faces between all

highlighted edges.
Options
Maximum angle The maximum angle between any neighboring edge

pairs in the potential missing face edge loop.
Maximum distance The maximum distance between any pair of edges
in the potential missing face edge loop.
12.9.2.3. Find and correct missing faces

The Missing Faces tool automatically detects and fills missing faces on an object. This tool should be used
to find missing faces on imported designs.
Use the Fill tool to fill faces when you know where the edges of the new face should be. Use the Missing
Faces tool to identify missing faces and fill them automatically or choose which missing faces you want
created.
As a precaution, if your design includes any open edge loops, first be certain that the loop(s) are not simply
imported parts that may have been designed as a surface body with open regions.
To find missing faces

1. Click Missing Faces in the Solidify group on the Repair tab.
The tool will automatically detect and highlight missing faces, as shown in the image above.

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• Use the Select Geometry tool guide to select edge loops that were not automatically detected.

• Minimum Angle: The minimum angle between all neighboring edge pairs in the potential missing face
edge loop.
• Minimum Distance: The minimum distance between all of edges in the potential missing face edge
loop.
Note: The tool looks for missing faces that meet both of the minimum measurements.
• Fill: Fix the missing face by extending neighboring faces until they intersect.
• Patch: Fix the missing face by creating a new face through the bounding edges of neighboring faces.
To repair edge loops, select Patch and insert a new blended face. This new face will include each
relevant tangent neighboring face, enabling you to close any selected edge loops with the smoothest
possible inside surface, thereby creating a more realistic design..
• Try both: Fix the missing face by extending neighboring faces. If that does not work, Discovery Live
will attempt to fill by creating a patch.
• Allow multiple faces: Fix a hole in the surface with two or more missing faces.

Discovery Live creates a new face using the method you selected in the Options panel.
Tool guides

edges between faces that were not automatically
found. Hold Ctrl to select multiple edges or box select
in the design area.
The Complete tool guide creates new faces in areas

that are highlighted.

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Options
Minimum angle The minimum angle between all neighboring edge

pairs in the potential missing face edge loop.
Minimum distance The minimum distance between all of edges in the
potential missing face edge loop.
Fill Fix the missing face by extending neighboring faces
until they intersect.
Patch Fix the missing face by creating a new face through
the bounding edges of neighboring faces.
Faces with a high level of detail on a boundary may
have one or more short edges. To make a smooth
patch on a boundary, short edges are automatically
removed when patching.
Try both Fix the missing face by extending neighboring faces.

If that does not work, Discovery Live will attempt to
fill by creating a patch.
Allow multiple faces Fix a hole in the surface with two or more missing
faces.
12.9.3. Fix Curves

12.9.3.1. Repair split edges

The Split Edges tool detects and merges coincident edges that do not mark the boundaries of new faces.
To consolidate split edges

1. Click Split Edges in the Fix group on the Repair tab.
The tool will automatically detect and highlight split edges, as shown in the image above.

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Discovery Live consolidates the highlighted areas.
Options
Maximum Length Set the Maximum Length to search the model for split edges that are no longer than
the specified length.
Minimum Angle Use the Minimum Angle option to detect open edges on surfaces that are close to
tangent. An open edge is defined as an edge on the outside boundary of a surface and
not connected to another surface. This option must be enabled for the tool to find the
edges.
The image below shows an example of using the Minimum Angle option to find open edges that are close
to tangent. After fixing the edges found, they are made tangent, resulting in continuous tangent edges.
Tool guides

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points that were not automatically found. Hold Ctrl to
select multiple points or box select in the design area.
The Complete tool guide consolidates all highlighted

areas.
12.9.3.2. Extra edges

The Extra Edges tool works like Merge Faces but operates on edges. Instead of merging two faces by
selecting the faces, you select the edges between faces to remove the extra edge and merge the faces.
You should only merge faces that are tangent or close to tangent; otherwise, the results may not be what
you expect.
Note: The Extra Edges tool is only intended to be used as preparation for analysis. Merging faces simplifies
the model by removing edges and makes the model more difficult to modify.
Tool guides


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area.
The Complete tool guide merges the highlighted

faces.
To remove edges
1. Open a model which needs edges removed.
2. Click the Extra Edges tool in the Fix group of the Repair tab.
3. Edges which can be removed are highlighted.
4. Click the Complete tool guide to remove all edges at once.
5. You can also select areas to be excluded from fixing.
Discovery Live removes the edges and merges the faces.
12.9.3.3. Duplicates
The Duplicates tool detects and fixes duplicate faces. Discovery Live highlights the duplicates and will remove
them all, or you can select duplicates to exclude from being fixed.
Tool guides


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area.
The Complete tool guide removes the highlighted

faces.
To find and fix duplicate faces

1. Open a model which needs faces removed.
2. Click the Duplicates tool in the Fix group of the Repair tab.
3. Duplicate faces which can be removed are highlighted.
4. Click the Complete tool guide to remove all duplicates at once.
5. You can also select areas to be excluded from fixing.
Discovery Live removes the duplicate faces.
12.9.4. Fix
12.9.4.1. Fit curves
The Fit Curves tool attempts to create fewer and better curves to replace selected curves which may
not be continuous or tangent. You can also replace a curve with simple line segments as in the example
above.
Tool guides

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geometry that were not automatically found. Hold Ctrl
to select multiple objects or box select in the design
area.
The Complete tool fixes the curves.
To fix and replace small curves

1. Click the Fit Curves tool in the Fix Curves group of the Repair tab .
2. Select or box-select the curves you want to fix.
3. Set the Maximum distance option to determine the curves that will be found and how closely new curves
will follow old curves.
4. Choose Fix Options to set the types of replacement curves to use.
• Lines
• Arcs
• Splines
• Correct tangency: Check this option to make arcs tangent that are otherwise slightly non-tangent.
5. Small curves are highlighted and new curve start and end points are indicated.
6. Click on problem areas to fix them or click the Complete tool guide.
The images below show the effect of the Check tangency option.
Without the Check tangency option checked, only one tangency is found.
With the Check tangency option checked, a slightly non-tangent arc is made tangent.

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12.9.4.2. Curve gaps

The Curve Gaps tool finds any gaps between curves and closes them. It can extend and/or move lines to
close the gaps.
Tool guides

area.
The Complete tool repairs the gaps.
To fix curve gaps

1. Click the Curve Gaps tool in the Fix Curves group of the Repair tab.
2. Set the Maximum distance option or keep the default value
3. Gaps within the maximum distance tolerance are highlighted.
12.9.4.3. Duplicate curves

The Duplicate Curves tool finds any overlapping curves and deletes any extra curves.

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Tool guides

area.
The Complete tool removes the duplicate curves.
To fix duplicate curves

1. Click the Duplicate Curves tool in the Fix Curves group of the Repair tab.
2. Duplicate curves are highlighted.
12.9.4.4. Small curves

The Small Curves tool finds any curves smaller than a specified length.

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Tool guides

area.
The Complete tool removes the small curves and

repairs the gaps they leave.
To find small curves

1. Click the Small Curves tool in the Fix Curves group of the Repair tab.
2. Set the Maximum length option or keep the default value.
3. Curves within the maximum length tolerance are highlighted.
4. Click the problem areas to fix them or click the Complete tool guide.
12.9.5. Adjust
12.9.5.1. Merge faces

The Merge Faces tool replaces two or more neighboring faces with a single new face that closely fits the
original faces. Use this tool to simplify a model before you export it for analysis. Merging faces can result in
a smoother mesh on the solid.
You should only merge faces that are tangent or close to tangent; otherwise, the results may not be what
you expect.
You can't select edges when using the Merge Faces tool. You should use the Fill tool on the Design tab
when you need to select an edge and a face to fill in a missing face. The Missing Faces and Gaps tools on
the Prepare tab also perform this function.
Note: The merge faces tool is only intended to be used as preparation for analysis. Merging faces simplifies
the model by removing edges and makes the model more difficult to modify.

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To merge faces
1. Click Merge Faces in the Adjust group of the Repair tab.

2. Select two or more faces you want to merge.
3. If you want to retain tangency between the new face and an existing face, click on the Maintain Tangency
tool guide and select the face with which you want to retain tangency.
Discovery Live replaces the selected faces with a new face.
Tool guides
The Select tool guide is active by default. You can also select by drawing a box in the design
window.
The Maintain Tangency tool guide allows you to select faces with which you want to retain tangency.
The new face will be tangent to the face(s) you select. You can also use Alt+click to select faces
for tangency.
The Complete tool guide replaces the selected faces with a single face.
12.9.5.2. Remove small faces

The Small Faces tool detects and removes small and sliver faces in your design. You may want to remove
these faces before you export the design for analysis if they will have a negligible impact on the analysis
accuracy but a significant impact on its speed.
If the small face is tangent to a neighboring face, the tool will merge the small face with the neighboring face.
If no neighboring face is tangent, the tool will extend neighboring faces to remove the small face.

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To remove small and sliver faces
1. Click Small Faces in the Adjust group of the Repair tab.

The tool automatically finds small faces in the active component and highlights them in the design area,
as shown in the image above.
• Use the Select Problem tool guide to select highlighted areas that you want to adjust. The cursor will
• Use the Select Geometry tool guide to select faces that were not automatically detected.
3. Set the Maximum area and Maximum width in the Options panel. Faces that are smaller than the
maximum area and thinner than the maximum width will be found and highlighted for adjustment.

Discovery Live will remove the Selected faces.
Tool guides
The Select Problem tool guide is active by default. You must select objects that you want to adjust
in the Structure tree while this tool is active.
The Select Geometry tool guide allows you to select small and sliver faces that were not
automatically detected. The face will only be removed if it is smaller than the maximum area and/or
width in the Options panel.

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The Complete tool guide removes all the faces that are highlighted.
Options
Maximum area Faces that are smaller than the maximum or area will
be found and highlighted for adjustment.
Maximum width Faces that are thinner than the maximum width will
be found and highlighted for adjustment.
12.9.5.3. Simplify a design

This tool examines a design and simplifies complex faces and curves into planes, cones, cylinders, lines,
arcs, etc. This automates the one-by-one Simplify capability found in the Replace tool.
To simplify a design
1. (Optional) Select the faces you want to simplify.
You may want to pre-select faces on large designs because it can be easier to simplify a region at a time.
2. Click Simplify in the Adjust group of the Repair tab.

3. (Optional) Click the Select Geometry tool guide to select faces to simplify that aren't automatically
detected.
4. Click the Select Problem tool guide and click on a highlighted face to simplify the face or click the
Complete tool guide to simplify all highlighted faces.
Tool guides


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faces and curves that were not automatically found.
Hold Ctrl to select multiple objects or box select in
the design area.
The Complete tool guide replaces all the highlighted

objects with simplified faces and curves.
12.9.5.4. Repair inexact edges

The Inexact Edges tool finds and repairs edges that have been inaccurately defined and do not meet precisely.
These types of edges are usually found in designs imported from other CAD systems, particularly from
conceptual design systems.
To repair inexact edges

1. Click Inexact Edges in the Fix group of the Repair tab.
The tool will automatically detect and highlight gaps in an object, as shown in the image above.

Discovery Live redefines the edges so they meet precisely.
Tool guides

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The Complete tool guide recalculates all the

highlighted edges to increase the precision between
faces or surfaces.
12.9.5.5. Straighten faces

The Straighten tool is used to look for holes and planar faces that are inclined at angles less than a specified
value.
The examples below show how the tool straightens the faces.
The hole is adjusted equally relative to the center. So, the top edge shifts to the Left and the bottom edge
shifts to the Right.
The face is adjusted about its center. So, the left end adjusts Upward and the right end adjusts Downward.
To straighten holes and faces
1. Click Straighten in the Adjust group of the Repair tab.

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2. (Optional) Click the Select Geometry tool guide to select surfaces to straighten that aren't automatically
detected.
3. Click the Select Problem tool guide and click on a highlighted hole or planar face to straighten it or click
the Complete tool guide to straighten all highlighted holes and planar faces.
Tool guides

the design area.

surfaces with new surfaces based on the Fix Options.
The SelectPlaneOrOrigin tool guide allows you to
select an origin, origin axis, line, or plane to use for
the measurement direction.
Find Options
• Maximum angle: Find faces inclined at less than the specified angle.
Fix Options
• Snap faces to nearest: Angularly misaligned faces will be adjusted to the snap tolerance, making it easier
to put model dimensions to round numbers. The images below show an example.
Precision is set to 3 decimal places with the trailing zeroes option turned on.
Snap faces to nearest is checked On.
The top face will be straightened by rotating the right edge down and the left edge up.

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Snap faces to nearest = 0.001mm
12.9.5.6. Relaxing surfaces

The Relax tool is used to look for surfaces that may have too many control points and reduce the number of
points. Reducing the number of control points 'relaxes' the surfaces and makes them more stable.
To relax a surface
1. Click Relax in the Adjust group of the Repair tab.

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2. (Optional) Click the Select Geometry tool guide to select surfaces to relax that aren't automatically
detected.
3. Click the Select Problem tool guide and click on a highlighted surface to relax or click the Complete tool
guide to relax all highlighted surfaces.
Tool guides

the design area.

surfaces with new surfaces based on the Fix Options.
Find Options
• Maximum distance: Find faces whose control points are less than the specified distance apart in either
direction.
• Minimum points: Find faces with more than the specified number of control points in either direction.
Fix Options
• Density of points: Point density to apply when relaxing the surface.
12.9.5.7. Adjust tangency

The Tangency tool detects edges between faces that are close to tangent and adjusts the faces so they are
tangent.
If a faces is near tangent with more than one neighboring face, you will get the best results if you make all
the edges tangent at the same time.

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To adjust tangency between faces
1. Click Tangency in the Adjust group of the Repair tab.

The tool automatically finds near-tangent faces in the active component and highlight their edges in the
design area, as shown in the image above.
• Use the Select Geometry tool guide to select edges between faces that were not automatically detected.
3. Set the Maximum angle in the Options panel.

The tool will automatically detect near-tangent faces again when you change this value. For best results,
keep this angle as small as possible.

Discovery Live adjusts the highlighted edges so their adjacent faces are tangent.
Tool guides
The Select Problem tool guide is active by default. This tool guide allows you to select problem
The Select Geometry tool guide allows you to select edges between faces that were not
automatically found. Hold Ctrl to select multiple edges or box select in the design area. When you
hover over an edge, you can see the two faces that would be affected by the change.
The Complete tool guide makes all highlighted edges tangent.
Options
Maximum angle The maximum angle to detect for tangency. For best
results, keep this angle as small as possible.

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12.10. Preparing designs for analysis

Use the tools in the Analysis group to create or subdivide bodies for analysis.
Use the Volume Extract tool to create a solid based

on an enclosed region within a part.
Use the Midsurface tool to create a surface midway

between two offset faces.
Use the Enclosure tool to detect coincident faces,
edges, or vertices and imprint them to allow for mesh
connections.
Use the Spot Weld tool to define points on two faces
that represent weld points.
Use the Weld tool to define edges where the welds
will be created.
Use the Wrap tool to wrap geometry around a target
model.
Use the Split by Plane tool to split a part based on a
plane.
Use the Imprint tool to imprint coincident faces.
Use the Extend tool to extend surface edges or curves

up to intersecting bodies.
Tools in the Remove group help you easily remove elements to simplify your designs.
Use the Interference tool to merge parts that clash.
Use the Rounds tool to remove rounded edges from

a design.
Use the Faces tool to remove features from a design.
Use the Short Edges tool to find edges shorter than

a specified length that may impact meshing results.
Tools in the Detect group help you easily find geometry problems in your designs.
Use the Bad Faces tool to detect faces that have

corrupt rendering.
Use the Sharp Edges tool to find sharp edges on
faceted and solid bodies.
Use the Clearance tool to find small gaps between
parts.
Create and edit beam objects with the tools in the Beams group.

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Use the Profiles tool to select a profile for a beam

object.
Use the Create tool to define a beam using a profile

from the library.
Use the Extract tool to define a beam and profile from
a solid.
Use the Orient tool to change the orientation or axis
of the beam.
Use the Connect tool to find endpoints and endpoint
connections that can be extended or moved to
connect to a nearby beam.
Use the Split tool to find endpoint connections
between Solidified beams, where one Beam endpoint
lies somewhere in the middle of another Beam.
Use the Display tool to change how beams and shells
are displayed.
12.10.1. Analysis
12.10.1.1. Extracting volume

Use the Volume Extract tool in the Analysis group on the Prepare tab to create a solid that represents
the internals of a part or assembly (including meshes). A solid named Volume is created in the Structure
tree, and the bodies used to generate the volume are temporarily transparent when the volume is created.
Note: If an edge will be removed when you use the Volume Extract tool, that edge will flash red and you will
receive a warning message. This can happen when you select a capping edge that will be removed when it
is merged with the rest of the model. The highlight identifies the problem so you can pick a different edge.
To create a volume body
1. Click the Volume Extract tool in the Analysis group of the Prepare tab.
2. Click the Select Faces tool guide to select the faces that enclose the volume of the area. Alternatively,
click the Select Edges tool guide to select the edge loops that enclose the volume of the area.
Only select faces or edge loops that you intended to use to enclose the volume area. You can double-click
to select more than one contiguous edge. You can also click a selected face or edge to deselect it. If you
hover over a face that contains internal edge loops, the edge loops are highlighted. Click the face to select
the highlighted edge loops.
For Faceted bodies, use Shift+Double-Click on a facet edge to select a faceted loop.
3. Click the Select Seed Face tool guide and select a face inside the volume area. The Select Seed Face
tool guide is used to select a face to determine the inside of the enclosed volume. You only need to use
this tool guide if the Volume Extract tool fails to correctly identify the inside of the volume.
4. If necessary, click the Select Cap Faces tool guide to cap a face.

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5. (Optional): Select the Preview inside faces checkbox to activate the Preview slider. Your model
immediately updates to paint a preview of the inner faces shown in red at 100%. Click the Play button to
preview the faces in an animation, or use the slider to manually preview the faces. Move the slider to the
left and right to see a progression of how the faces were captured.
When previewing the faces, all Select tools and context menu Select tools, as well as all Volume Extract
tool guides, are disabled until the Preview checkbox is turned off.
Discovery Live creates a solid part based on the volume you defined.
To update the volume body

Right-click the volume part (named Volume by default) in the Structure tree. Select one of the following
commands:
• Update Volume Body as Created updates the volume body based on objects that were visible when the
volume was created (regardless of their current visibility). Use this option for simple regeneration.
• Update Volume Body in Context updates the volume body based on objects that are currently visible in
the design area. Use this option to remove bodies from the volume calculation.
Tool guides
The Select Faces tool guide activates by default when you select the Volume Extract tool, and
selects faces whose edges seal an enclosed region. This is a shortcut to selecting all the edges
that are detected in a face. You can Ctrl+ Select multiple seed faces, and then choose to click
on a different tool guide. Once you create a volume, the Select Faces tool guide resets by default.
The Select Edges tool guide selects edge loops that enclose a region. Edges are used to stop
the propagation of face selection, emanating face-wise outward, starting at the selected seeds.
The Select Cap Faces tool guide selects optional capping faces. This is important when an internal
edge loop is either not simply fillable, or when you want some non-standard fill geometry to be
created.
The Select Seed Face tool guide selects a face that lies within the volume you want to enclose.
If this is not chosen, then Discovery Live chooses an arbitrary face to start from, and test whether
any bounded volumes are created. If they are not, another face will automatically be selected and
the algorithm will re-start. Select a face here to save this iteration time.
The Complete tool guide creates the volume solid based on the edges and seed face you select.
Options
Merge created volume Merges the created volume into the outer shell to effectively fill the inner
cavity. This option is useful if the outer volume is of main interest.
Imprint capping edges Leaves the capping faces intact so that the location of the inlets and
outlets can be seen.

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Create share topology Creates share topology between the volume extracted and the input
bodies.
Preview inside faces Enables you to preview the selection of inner faces and detect leaks.
Click the Play button to preview the faces in an animation, or use the
slider to manually preview the faces.
Examples
The faces enclosing the region of interest and a seed face are selected to extract the volume of interest.

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Preview the selection of inner faces for the volume extraction and detect leaks. Click the Play button to
preview the faces in an animation, or use the slider to manually preview the faces.
12.10.1.2. Creating midsurface faces

This tool creates a surface midway between two offset faces. The midsurface faces are automatically extended
or trimmed to adjacent faces, and the distance between the faces is stored as a thickness property. You can
use these surfaces for FE analysis.
Color highlighting shows you face pairs that have been selected, as shown below. The midsurface face will
be offset from the cyan faces. Green indicates that a face is paired with a cyan face. Unselected faces and
faces without offsets are shown in the original color.
The thickness of the original model face offsets are stored as a property named Thickness in the Midsurface
section of the Properties panel. This is a face property, so you must select the face in the Design window
rather than in the Structure tree, even if it is a single face. You can change this property, and it is included
in the ANSYS data when it is sent out to ANSYS via the Discovery Live add-in.
The Midsurface tool detects and removes small faces of midsurfaces that are created when an edge is equal
to half of the part thickness.
If the Midsurface tool finds missing faces because neither side can be offset, you will receive an error message
in the error box that lists the faces. If the tool fails to create midsurface parts, the problem faces or edges
are highlighted.

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Midsurfaces inherit the material properties of their parent components, but you can change the material
properties for the midsurface object.
To create midsurface faces by selecting offset pairs

1. Click Midsurface in the Analysis group of the Prepare tab.
2. Select the Use selected faces option in the Options panel.
This option automatically detects all offset face pairs on a body with one or more offset distances.
3. Click on a face for which you want to create a midsurface.
4. Click on a second face that makes an offset pair with the first face. All face pairs that have the same offset
distance will be added to the selection.
5. Click detected face pairs to remove them or click undetected face pairs to add them.
Two faces may be detected as a pair because they have the same offset distance as the face pairs to be
midsurfaced. Click on the blue face to remove the pair from selection.
A face pair that should be midsurfaced may not be detected because its offset pair is not a perfect offset
of the first face. Click on the face you want offset to add it to the selection. Its midsurface will be offset
using the thickness of neighboring detected face pairs.
6. (Optional) Click the Select Faces tool guide or hold the Ctrl key and select additional face pairs with a
different offset distance.
When you add face pairs, all face pairs with the same offset distance will be added to the selection.
7. Click the Complete tool guide when you are finished selecting faces.
When you successfully create a midsurface, the solid will become semi-transparent and the surface will
be opaque until you select a different tool or clear your selection.
Midsurface bodies are created in a component in the Structure tree, and are named using the name of
the original object and appended with MidsurfaceN, where N is a unique number.
Midsurfaces are shown in the Structure Tree with a default name that includes the assigned thickness. When
you rename the surface, the thickness is appended to the new name.
When you right-click on a Midsurface in the tree, you can select the source body using Select>Midsurface
Source.
To create midsurface faces based on an offset range

1. Click Midsurface in the Define group on the Prepare tab.
2. Select Use range in the Options panel.
The face pairs with offset distances within the range are automatically detected. If you have face pairs
selected, the range will automatically change to include the offset distance.
3. Click the body for which you want to detect offset face pairs.
4. Change the Minimum thickness and Maximum thickness values in the Options panel as needed.
Face pairs within this range will be selected; face pairs outside this range will be removed from the
selection.
5. Click the Complete tool guide when you are finished selecting faces.

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To add or remove faces from selection

• To add or remove a detected face pair, click either face in the pair.
• The midsurface distance will be offset from this face the same distance as adjacent faces, regardless of
any potential offset pair for this face.
• If the face has an offset pair that was previously selected, the pair will be deselected.
• You may need to remove a face from selection if it is paired incorrectly.
To change the thickness of a midsurface face

1. Select the midsurface face in the Design window.
2. Change the Thickness property in the Properties panel.
You can remove the Midsurface association by setting the Thickness to 0.
To make a midsurface body from a regular open surface body

1. Select the surface in the Structure tree.
2. Change the Thickness property in the Properties panel.
Tool guides
The Select Faces tool guide is active by default. This tool guide allows you to select a pair of offset
faces, and all other face pairs with the same offset distance are automatically detected.
The Add/Remove Faces tool guide allows you to select additional faces to offset or remove detected
face pairs from the selection.
The Swap Sides tool guide allows you to switch the face pairs. You may need to do this when you
detect pairs with more than one offset distance, and the offset relationships are incorrectly detected.
The Complete tool guide creates the midsurface faces.
Options
Use selected faces Select this option to create midsurfaces for only the faces you select.
Use range Select this option to create midsurfaces on all faces in the specified
thickness range.
Thickness tolerance Change the value of this option to detect offset spline faces with an offset
value within the tolerance amount.
Create midsurfaces in Select Same component to create the midsurfaces in the same
component as the part you selected for midsurfacing. Select Active
component to create the midsurfaces in the active component.

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Group midsurfaces Select this option to create midsurfaces in a new sub-component.

Deselect the option to create the midsurface objects in the component
you select in the option above (same component or active component).
Extend surfaces Select this option to extend surfaces to another surface.
Trim surfaces Select this option to trim surfaces to another surface.
Examples
Selecting an additional face pair with the Use selected faces option and the Select Faces tool guide. All
face pairs with the same offset are added to the selection.
Removing a face that was automatically detected but not desired as a midsurface pair.
Extend Surfaces is ON by default. Because it's obvious in the above example, the surfaces meet even when
Extend Surfaces is turned OFF.

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When the edges are rounded, the surfaces meet with Extend Surfaces turned ON. They do not meet with
Extend Surfaces turned OFF.
Trim Surfaces trims the surfaces to the extent of the original body. In the example above, the slope at the
bottom shows two different results. In the second image with Trim Surfaces turned OFF, the midsurface will
extend to the extent of the largest face of the pair. In the third image with Trim Surfaces turned ON, the
midsurface is trimmed to the sloped face.
12.10.1.3. Spot Weld

The Spot Weld tool creates points on two faces that represent weld points. Each spot weld consists of two
points: one on each face that is to be welded together. Each point must lie on a face or edge. For export to
ANSYS, each point must lie on a different solid or surface part.
When spot weld points are found on another body, the set does not include points with mates within the
same body, as shown below. Weld points in a set that have mates are blue and points that do not have mates
are gray.

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Spot welds are updated with changes to the guiding edges or base faces.
• If a guiding edge disappears, the points created along it are removed.
• If a mate face moves out of the search range the weld point, the pairs to that mate face will disappear.
• If the mate face moves back into the range, the point pairs will reappear.
• If pairs cannot be found for all of the points on the base face, the spot weld is marked in the Structure tree
with an error icon showing that it is no longer valid.
Dimensions for spot weld point patterns are displayed in the Design window. These dimensions look the
same as dimensions for other patterns.
Exporting to ANSYS
Spot welds defined for the design can be exported to ANSYS. ANSYS DesignModeler and ANSYS Workbench
recognize the weld points with the following limitations:
• Only points with mates can be used for simulation.
• You may place weld points between multi-body parts if the two bodies belong to different parts. Spot welds
defined between bodies in the same part are not transferred to simulation.
• You can approximate seam welds by placing weld points on the guiding edge with an offset of zero, if no
mating face is found on either side of the base face.
• Discovery Live supports spot welds of more than two weld points (more than two components are welded
together at one location), but Simulation does not; Simulation ignores any weld points after the first two
supplied.
If a spot weld joint in Discovery Live contains a spot weld with more than two weld points, then a chain of
pairs of weld points is transferred to Simulation as separate spot welds, and each two-point spot weld is
listed separately under the Connections node. For example, if a single Discovery Live spot weld connects
parts A-B-C-D, this is transferred as three separate spots welds: A-B, B-C, and C-D.
To define weld points

1. Click Spot Weld in the Analysis group of the Prepare tab.
2. Select base face.
This is the face or faces on which the weld points will be defined. You should select a single face or a
chain of tangent faces.
3. Click the Select guiding edges tool guide and select an edge.

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This is the edge along which the weld points will be defined. The tool searches for mating edges in the
following directions:
a. The surface normal.
b. The opposite direction of the surface normal.
c. If no match is found for a or b, then the direction perpendicular to both the surface normal and edge
tangent is searched.
You can hold Ctrl and double-click to select a chain of edges.

4. (Optional) If you want to define a different mating face, click the Select mating faces tool guide and select
a mating face.
You can select more than one face. Clicking on a mating face removes all previously selected faces and
holding Ctrl adds a face.
• Start offset: The distance of weld points from the beginning of the guiding edge.
• Edge offset: The distance of weld points from the guiding edge.
• End offset: The distance of weld points from the end of the guiding edge.
• Number of points: The number of weld points to define for each edge chain.
• Increment: The distance between weld points.
You can set either the number of points or the increment. The last value you enter will be used. For
example, if you change the number of points, the increment will automatically update. If you then change
the increment, the number of points will change.
• Search range: The distance to search for mating faces from the guiding edge.
6. Click the Create spot weld tool guide to define the spot welds.
To redetect mating faces

1. Right-click a face with spot welds.
2. Select Redetect Mating Faces.
Spot welds will be placed on any new nearby faces.
Tool guides
Use the Select Base Faces tool guide to select the face or faces on which the weld points will be
defined. You should select a single face or a chain of tangent faces.
Use the Select Guiding Edges tool guide to define the edge along which the weld points will be
defined.
Use the Select Mating Faces tool guide to change the mating face from the face that is automatically
detected. You can select more than one face. Clicking on a mating face removes all previously
selected faces and holding Ctrl adds a face.

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The Complete tool guide completes the spot weld definition.
Options
Start offset The distance of weld points from the beginning of the
guiding edge.
Edge offset The distance of weld points from the guiding edge.
End offset The distance of weld points from the end of the
guiding edge.
Number of points The number of weld points to define for each edge
chain.
Increment The distance between weld points. You can set either
the number of points or the increment. The last value
you enter will be used. For example, if you change
the number of points, the increment will automatically
update. If you then change the increment, the number
of points will change.
Search range The distance to search for mating faces from the
guiding edge.
Example
Spot welds that cross over multiple nearby welded parts
12.10.1.4. Weld
You can weld surface bodies to other surface bodies or to solid faces.

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To weld surface bodies manually

1. Click the Weld tool in the Prepare tab
2. Click the Select Edges tool guide
3. Select edges where the Weld body will be created
• Ctrl-select individual edges or select chains or loops
4. Click the Select Target Faces tool guide
5. Select a target face where the Weld body will attach
• Use the Ctrl key to select multiple target faces
• The edges can extend beyond the selected faces
• The tool will determine the extent of the Weld
6. Click the Complete tool guide to create the Weld body
To find potential weld sites

1. Click the Weld tool in the Prepare tab
2. The Select Problem tool guide is active by default
3. Based on the Maximum Length value in the Weld tool Options, the model is searched to find potential
Weld sites
4. Change the Maximum Weld length if needed
5. Weld sites are highlighted as in other Find/Fix tools
6. Select individual sites for Weld creation or click Complete to create Welds at all sites found
You can add a Thickness to a Weld by selecting it and editing its Properties.
Tool guides
The Select Problem tool guide is used for selecting

sites found and creating welds at the sites.

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The Select Edges tool guide is used for manually

selecting edges where welds will be created.
The Select Target Faces tool guide is used for

selecting the faces where welds will attach.
The Exclude Problem tool guide is used for excluding
sites found.
The Complete tool guide creates the weld.
Options
Maximum Length This is a length in model units that represents the

maximum length for a weld. All potential welds that
are equal to, or less than, the Maximum Length will
be found.
Examples:
The following example shows how you can find potential Weld sites and create welds.
Enter the Weld tool. By default, the tool will find any sites that
can be welded with a length less than, or equal to, the Maximum
Length specified in the tool Options.
Any sites found are highlighted.

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Using the Select Problem tool guide, you can select individual
sites to create welds. Here, one of the sites is selected.
The weld is created at the selected site.
Clicking the Complete tool guide creates the remaining welds.

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12.10.1.5. Wrap
The Wrap tool lets you wrap geometry around a target model. The example below shows both a solid and
a surface wrapped onto a cylinder.
A solid block and a circular surface are wrapped around a cylindrical target body using the Wrap tool.
Sketched Curves and Notes can also be wrapped around a target body.
Sketched Curves and a Note are wrapped around a target body using the Wrap tool.
Layers of solid geometry can be wrapped. Consider a circuit board that is not flat, for example. Components
layered onto the board need to follow the contours of the board. An example of the final circuit board is shown
below with transparency in the board to show a component underneath.

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A contoured circuit board with layers of components wrapped onto it.

The starting model for the circuit board is shown below. Notice that the components are at two different
heights and they extend beyond the board. The spacing of the solids is based on their proximity to the first
selected solid to be wrapped.
Components are about to be wrapped onto the contoured board.

The board is selected as the target and the first set of components is selected for wrapping. it includes a
base layer of components and a second layer that rest on top of the first. Notice the starting point indicated
by the yellow handles on the right. By default, the handle locations are set to the shortest distance between
the Source and the Target. They can be moved to different locations if desired. In the image below, the
default location is used for the first set of components. The wrapped locations are previewed in purple.

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The wrapped component locations are highlighted in purple.

The image below shows the completed wrap for the first set of components.

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The first set of wrapped components is completed.

The last component gets wrapped underneath the board. Notice how the start point is initially at the shortest
distance. This would distort its spacing relative to the first set of components.
The default spacing of the last component.

In order for the component to map too the correct location, an origin is selected as the start point. This will
maintain the original spacing of the component relative to the other components.

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Using an origin as the start point ensures the proper spacing.

There are two options for the Wrap tool.
• Imprint as edges: This is a checkbox. When Checked, no solid or surface geometry is wrapped. Solid and
surface boundaries, and curves, are imprinted on the target.
• Delete source geometry: The source geometry is deleted after it is wrapped.
To wrap geometry and text

1. Open the Prepare tab.
2. Click Wrap in the Manufacturing group.
3. The Select Target tool guide is active by default.
4. Select the Target body.
5. The Select Geometry tool guide becomes active.
6. Select the geometry, curves, points, point patterns, or notes to wrap around the target.
7. (Optional) Click the Select Start tool guide and select a Datum Point or Origin to use as a start point for
the wrap.
You can drag the source and target start points to reposition the wrap
8. (Optional) Set the Wrap Options.
• Imprint as edges
• Delete source geometry
9. Click Complete to wrap the selection.

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12.10.1.6. Creating enclosures

An enclosure is a solid around a body or bodies that has a cushion around the enclosed solid(s). The enclosure
can be a box, cylinder, or sphere, as shown below.
Enclosures are used by analysis tools to simulate fluid.
To create an enclosure
1. Click Enclosure in the Analysis section of the Prepare tab.
2. Select one or more solid or faceted bodies in the Design window or Structure tree.
These bodies will be inside the enclosure.
3. Set the Default cushion amount.
This is a percentage of the minimum enclosure size, and determines the initial distance between the
enclosed object(s) and the closest point of the enclosure to the objects. You can adjust the distances by
typing in the fields in the Design window.
4. Select the shape of the enclosure in the Options panel: Box, Cylinder, Sphere, or Custom shape.
If you select Custom shape, you must use the Custom Shape tool guide to select a solid to use as the
enclosure shape.
5. (Optional) Click the Set Orientation tool guide and select a line, axis, or origin to change the orientation
of the enclosure.
The enclosure is oriented with the world origin by default.
6. (Optional) Deselect the Symmetric dimensions option to set the cushion distance different for dimensions
that are opposite each other.
7. (Optional) Type a value to adjust the cushion values, if necessary.
Press Tab to move among the cushion values.
8. (Optional) Enable Create share topology to create share topology between the enclosed body and the
input bodies.
9. Click the Complete tool guide when you are finished.
The enclosure is created in a sub-component of the active part.
Tool guides
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Use the Select Bodies tool guide to select the bodies

that will be enclosed.
Use the Set Orientation tool guide to change the
orientation of the enclosure relative to your design or
the axis of a coordinate system.
Use the Custom Shape tool guide to select a solid
to use as the custom shape when you set the
enclosure type to Custom in the Options panel.
Click the Complete tool guide when you are finished.
Options
Default cushion This is a percentage of the minimum enclosure size,

and determines the distance between the enclosed
object(s) and the closest point of the enclosure to the
objects. You can change adjust the distances by
typing in the fields in the Design window.
Enclosure type Select an enclosure shape from the list. If you select
Custom shape, you must use the Custom Shape
tool guide to select a solid to use as the enclosure
shape.
Symmetric dimensions Forces the dimensions to remain symmetric. Deselect
this option if you want to enter values for dimensions
and you don't want the opposite dimensions changed.
Create share topology Creates share topology between the enclosed body
and the input bodies.
Examples
Changing the cushion by typing in the field doesn't change the size of the opposite cushion. The Symmetric
dimensions option must be disabled.

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Changing the orientation of the enclosure so it is aligned with the edge highlighted in yellow aligns the
enclosure with that edge.
If the associated body is modified, you can update the enclosure using the context menu item found by
right-clicking on Enclosure in the Structure tree.
12.10.1.7. Splitting by plane

The Split by Plane tool splits parts based on a plane. It is intended to be used to split symmetrical parts for
analysis. This tool is similar to Split Solid, except Split by Plane allows you to select an axis, point, or edge,
to use as splitting plane locations which are not allowed by Split Solid.
The part below has been split along the length of its handle. The purple and green parts are symmetrical,
and can be analyzed faster than the whole part.

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To split by plane
1. Click Split by Plane in the Analysis group of the Prepare tab.
2. Select the object(s) you want to split.
3. Select a plane to split the object:
• To split the part on the same plane as a face, edge, or point, click Select Cutter and select a reference
face, edge, or point.
• To define a temporary plane based on design elements, click Build Cutting Plane and select faces,
edges, or points to define the plane. You can select more than one face, edge, or point, and the cutting
plane will be created that bisects the elements. The wrench in the image above is tapered. Using the
Build Cutting Plane tool guide, you can select the top and bottom of the wrench to create a plane that
bisects the wrench along its plane of symmetry.
4. To delete objects created by the split, click the Select Regions tool guide and mouse over the parts
created by the split. The regions will be highlighted. Click to delete the region.
Discovery Live splits the solid along the plane.
Tool guides
The Select Target tool guide is active by default. Use this tool guide to select the object that will
be split.
Use the Select Cutter tool guide to select a reference face, edge, or point with which to cut the
part. Use Ctrl to select more than one object. The plane is previewed in gray before you select the
reference object.
Use the Build Cutting Plane too guide to select faces, edges, or points to create a temporary
plane with which to cut the object. The temporary plane(s) are shown with a dashed line. Select a
temporary plane to complete the split.
Use the Select Regions tool guide to select regions that will be removed. You can move your
mouse over regions that were created and highlight them before you click to delete.
Options
Merge when done Select this option to merge all touching solids or surfaces when you exit the
tool. Hidden objects are not merged. This saves you the extra step of selecting
all the cut-up regions after you are done and manually merging them all back
together.

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12.10.1.8. Extend adjacent faces

Use this tool to extend or trim surfaces and merge them with nearby parts, or to extend or trim sketch curves.
The tool automatically detects faces that can be extended or trimmed and highlights them, as shown below.
Click on a highlighted area to perform the extension or trimming. You can also select a surface that wasn't
automatically detected and attempt to extend or trim it. This tool only works with surface parts and sketch
curves.
To extend or trim adjacent surfaces

1. Click Extend in the Analysis group of the Prepare tab.
The edges of surface parts or sketch curves that can be extended or trimmed are highlighted.
Chains of tangent faces are automatically grouped to offset them together.
2. Change the following options:
• Maximum distance: The maximum distance between surfaces. The tool will search for adjacent faces
again if you change this value.
• Trim surfaces: Controls whether or not surfaces may be trimmed in addition to extended.
• Partial intersections: Controls whether or not faces that partially intersect are detected.
• Same body: Allows a surface to be trimmed or extended by a face or edge on the same body.
• Merge after extend or trim: Merges bodies, if possible, when you trim or extend an edge on one surface
body up to a face or edge on another body.
3. If you want to extend or trim only some of the surfaces or sketch curves, click the highlighted spots.
Hold Ctrl to select multiple edges.
The surfaces or sketch curves are extended or trimmed when you click on them.
4. Click Complete if you want to extend or trim all highlighted surfaces.
Press Esc to cancel the operation.
Tool guides


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area.
The Complete tool guide merges or trims the
highlighted surfaces.
Options
Maximum distance The maximum distance between parts. The tool will
search for adjacent faces again if you change this
value.
Trim surfaces Controls whether or not surfaces may be trimmed in
addition to extended.
Partial intersections Controls whether or not faces that partially intersect
are detected.
Same body Allows a surface to be trimmed or extended by a face
or edge on the same body.
Extend to curves Finds surfaces to extend to curves when the curve is
in the same plane as the surface.
Merge after extend or trim Merges bodies, if possible, when you trim or extend
an edge on one surface body up to a face or edge on
another body.
Examples
Curves are extended from endpoint to endpoint.
The edges of separate surfaces are merged when you select the Merge after extend or trim option.

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You can extend curves to surfaces and surfaces to curves when you select the Extend to curves option.
12.10.1.9. Imprinting
The Imprint tool detects coincident faces, edges, and vertices between bodies and imprints them onto the
coincident face. The contact regions will be the same shape, and the resulting mesh on each face will be
similar. This can be helpful when analyzing stress between two parts.
Curves and Beams that intersect faces create imprinted Points that are converted to Pinned Datum Points.

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Sketch points coincident to faces create Pinned Datum Points when imprinted.
To imprint a part
1. Click Imprint in the Analysis group of the Prepare tab. The tool will automatically detect and highlight
coincident edges, as shown in the image above.
• Use the Select Geometry tool guide to select edges that were not automatically detected. You can use
box, lasso, and paint select modes.

Discovery Live imprints the selected edges of the coincident faces.
Note: There is an internal limit to the number of imprint sites found by the tool. The limit is set to 1000 to
optimize for performance.
Options
Tolerance if the distance between objects
is less than or equal to the Tolerance value, they will
be considered intersecting.
In the image on the right, the distance between the
objects is 0.01, which is equal to the Tolerance.

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Face finds intersections between two faces.
Edge finds intersections between two edges.
Beam/Curve finds intersections between

curves/beams.
Tool guides

The Complete tool guide imprints all the highlighted
edges.
12.10.1.10. Show contact

Use this tool in the Validate group on the Prepare tab to display a preview of topology sharing. Show Contact
lets you see - before sending to ANSYS - exactly what topology would be shared.

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To Show Contact between objects

1. Click on the top level assembly component in the Structure Tree
2. In the Properties panel, locate the Share Topology property
3. Click in the property input panel
4. Open the dropdown menu and choose
• None (default) does nothing to geometry during transfer to ANSYS/Workbench
• Merge is used for Baffles:
• It merges surfaces with solids and trims away any parts of the surfaces outside of the solid
• Faces do not need to intersect
• Surfaces that are completely inside a solid are merged with that body
• Share imprints and merges all bodies in the components the result to ANSYS as a multi-body part
• Group groups all bodies in a component into a multi-body part, but does NOT merge or share faces
and edges of the bodies with each other
5. Click the Show Contact button in the CAE group on the Prepare tab. Any shared topology displays on
the model with blue lines.
To further define your share topology, and to help you identify any failed or missing connections or parts,
you can use the Edges and Vertices toggle check boxes in the Options panel to hide or show edge junctions,
laminar edges, free beams, and beam junctions and ends. This allows you to get an isolated preview of the
model's face, edge, and vertex connections.
Show Contact settings Display color Description

in the Options Panel
Edge Options Edge options control the display of connected and disconnected
paths (i.e. edges, sketch curves, Beam paths.
Show Edge Junctions Blue Shared edges of solids or surfaces and Beams
Show Laminar Edges Red Edges of surface bodies that are not connected to anything
Show Free Beams Orange Beams that are not entirely connected (i.e. coincident to an edge
or embedded within a face.
Vertex Options Vertex options control the display of connected endpoints (Beam
endpoints and intersections).
Show Beam Junctions Blue Shared points on Beams (i.e. shared endpoints or interior
intersections).
Show Beam Ends Red Non-shared endpoints of Beams.
12.10.2. Remove
12.10.2.1. Remove rounds

The image below shows an example of well-formed rounds, on the left, and poorly formed rounds, on the
right:

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Before you begin:

time removing rounds, you may want to review Discovery Live's tutorials or technical support
information,online at Discovery Live.com for advanced techniques you can use when removing rounds.
• Select the round's or round group's shortest edge first.
To ensure accurate and complete round removal, remove the rounds in the reverse order in which they were
created, as shown in the example below of a model with colored rounds:
To remove rounds
To split and partially remove a round:
1. Click Rounds from the Remove group on the Prepare tab.
Avoid splitting into a round. Instead, split on either side of it. You may need to split and partially remove
one or more rounds before adjacent rounds can be removed, especially when two or more rounded faces
meet along an edge or vertex. The rounded face is split and filled in the middle. To select faces or capping
faces, use the Faces tool.
2. Hover over one tangent edge of the rounded face to display the round's split lines. These lines show you
a visual indication of where the round will split, as shown below. You can move the split lines by moving
your mouse.

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If necessary, from the Options panel, change the Cap width option to adjust the percentage of the round
face that is removed.
• Click on the edge to split the rounded face.
• Select the rounds you want to remove:
• Click an object in the Structure tree to select all rounds on the object.
• Select a round face in the design area. You can hold Ctrl and select faces or draw a box to select multiple
faces.
• Ctrl+click to deselect a face.
• From the context menu choose Select > Using Box. Move your mouse over the area you want to remove
to identify the parts you want to select. Draw the selection box around the area. You can only select round
faces while this tool is active.
To select faces or capping faces, use the Faces tool.

Discovery Live removes the rounded faces you selected and replaces them with a sharp edge.
Tool guides
The Select Rounds to Remove tool guide is active by default. You can also select by drawing a
box in the design window. You can only select round faces while this tool is active.
The Complete tool guide finishes the operation. F or Enter are shortcuts for removing the rounds.
Options
• Auto-shrink fill area: Select this option to split round faces where they can't be removed when you select
a chain of rounds and it cannot be filled in its entirety. The rounds will be partially removed.
• Cap width: The percentage of the width of a round that is removed when you click on an edge of an existing
round. The splits are previewed as the cursor is moved along the round tangent edges.
Examples
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Splitting and partially removing a round

• As an option, when removing rounds, you can also use the Replace tool from the Edit group on the Design
tab, to replace one face with another. You can replace multiple faces with a single face, replace a single
face with multiple faces, or replace multiple faces with multiple other faces.
•


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12.10.2.2. Remove interference

The Interference tool detects and removes interference from clashing bodies. The interference is removed
from the body with the largest volume.
The tool searches all visible bodies for interference. Bodies that are hidden (turned off in the Structure tree)
are ignored.
If you want to remove an interfering region from one of the bodies, use the Interference Volumes tool on the
Measure tab to create a solid of the interfering region. You can then use the Combine tool to remove this
solid from one of the parts.
To remove interference
1. Click Interference in the Remove group of the Prepare tab.

The tool will automatically detect and highlight interference, as shown in the image above.

Discovery Live removes the interference by merging the bodies into one part.
Tool guides

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The Complete tool guide merges the clashing objects.
12.10.2.3. Remove faces

The Faces tool allows you to quickly remove faces from your design. Use it to simplify your design by removing
holes, protrusions, etc.
To remove faces from an object
1. Click Faces in the Remove group of the Prepare tab.

2. Select the faces you want to remove. Hold the Ctrl key to select more than one face.
Discovery Live attempts to remove the selected faces by extending neighboring faces.
Tool guides
The Select Faces to Remove tool guide is active by default. You can also select by drawing a box
in the design window. You can only select faces while this tool is active. Edges and vertices will
not be selected.
The Complete tool guide finishes the operation.
12.10.2.4. Finding short edges

The Short Edges tool finds any edges smaller than a specified length. If the design needs to be meshed for
running simulations, short edges have an impact on the mesh quality.

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Tool guides
The following tool guides help you through the process.

The Complete tool fixes all remaining problem areas

or those that are currently selected.
To find short edges

1. Click the Short Edges tool in the Remove group of the Prepare tab.
2. Set the Maximum length option or keep the default value.
3. Edges within the maximum length tolerance are highlighted.
4. Click the problem areas to fix them or click the Complete tool guide.
12.10.3. Detect
12.10.3.1. Bad Faces

The Bad Faces tool detects faces that have corrupt rendering. It detects bad edges that get flagged when
faceting faces for graphics display.

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A bad face is highlighted with a red circle.
To find bad faces

1. Open the model you want to check.
2. Click Bad Faces in the Detect group of the Prepare tab.
3. Any faces with corrupt rendering are highlighted.
Converting Highlighted Items to a Selection
When the Bad Faces tool finds bad faces/edges, click the Convert to Selection tool guide to add them
to a selection.
12.10.3.2. Sharp Edges

The Sharp Edges tool identifies sharp edges on faceted and solid bodies, but it does not fix them.

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Edges on overlapping faces are also identified.
To find sharp edges:
1. Select the Sharp Edges tool .

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2. Set the options for finding sharp edges.

3. Click a faceted or solid body to find edges sharper than the Max edge angle specified.
Based on the options settings, if any sharp edges are found, they are highlighted.
Options
The following options are available for finding Sharp Edges:
Max edge angle This is the angle between normals of faces that share an edge. Any edges
with an edge angle greater than the angle specified will be highlighted.
Converting Highlighted Edges to a Selection

When the Sharp Edges tool finds sharp edges on facets or geometry, click the Convert to Selection tool
guide to add them to a selection.
12.10.3.3. Checking clearance

The Clearance tool helps you easily find small gaps between faces.
To find gaps between faces
1. Click Clearance in the Detect group of the Prepare tab.

2. Type a distance for the Maximum distance in the Options panel.
If the Clearance tool cannot locate gaps between faces for the setting you entered, an Information alert
displays to inform you that no areas were found. Enter a new setting to locate existing gaps. If you enter
a distance that does not exist in your design, an alert displays to inform you that the distance setting you
entered is invalid. When you enter a valid maximum distance, gaps between faces that are equal or less
than this distance are automatically detected and highlighted, as shown below.
3. Use the Pull or Move tools to adjust any gaps as needed.
Options
• Maximum distance: The maximum distance to detect for near faces.

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Converting Highlighted Faces to a Selection
When the Clearance tool finds gaps between faces, click the Convert to Selection tool guide to add
them to a selection.
12.10.4. Beams
A beam is a long, thin object with a constant cross-section. Defining objects as beams, rather than modeling
them as solid geometry, simplifies the model and analysis.
To create a beam
1. Create objects to define the beam path
One or more of the following methods can be used in the same design:
• Sketch curves: Use any of Discovery Live's sketching tools to create straight or curved segments and
then assign beam profiles to them. These sketch curve beams can then be modified just like any curve
in Discovery Live using the Move, Pull, Select, Scale, Bend, Extend, and Trim tools. This method is a
straightforward, lightweight way to create beam structures.
• Edges of a solid or surface: Use this method when you have solid geometry that you want to reference
for the beams. For example, to create a simple rectangular cage of beams, sketch a rectangle, pull it
into a solid, and assign beams to all of the edges. If you change the solid, then the beams will dynamically
update to match the location and length of the edges. Any of Discovery Live's modeling tools can be
used to create sophisticated geometry changes that drive changes to the beam structure.
For example, beams are assigned to the edges of the rectangular part shown below, and then the edges
are bent. The beams are automatically updated when the solid is changed.
• Two points or midpoints in a model: You can use any two points in a model to define a straight beam
segment. Planes can be used to create "stages" or additional locations for defining beams to or from.
A beam can be created to the intersection point of any plane with any edge. When a defining plane is
moved, any associated beams dynamically update their locations. You can create sophisticated tower
and truss structures using this method, and the structures will be easily adaptable to unforeseen design
changes.
In the example below, one end of each diagonal beam was created at the intersection of the plane and
the solid. The beams change when the plane is moved.

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2. Click Profiles in the Beams group on the Prepare tab.

This tool enables you to add a profile to your structure.
3. Select a profile from the library or click More Profiles to load a profile that is saved as an SCDOC file.
See Changing beam profiles.
Note: More than one beam can reference the same profile, so the characteristics of all beams that use
that profile will change if you edit the profile.
4. Click Create in the Beams group on the Prepare tab.

The Create tool is enabled when you select a profile, which adds the profile to your design document.
This tool enables you to create the beam path.
5. Select edges or points to define the path:
• Click the Select Point Chain tool guide and then select an edge or curve, or click on a series of points
to create the path.
• Click the Select Point Pairs tool guide and then select a beginning and end point for the path.
You can use intersection points and midpoints on edges and other beams. Click on the small triangles
on the ends and midpoint when you hover over an edge or beam.
See Creating a beam.
A Beams folder is created for the beams and a Beam Profiles folder is created for the profiles in the Structure
tree:
The profile name is displayed in parentheses after the beam name in the Structure tree.
Extracting beams from solids

If you have already modeled the beam you can convert it to a beam object. See Extracting a beam from a
solid.
Beams and ANSYS

If you send a design with beams to ANSYS, the following is sent for each beam object:
• Profile and path
• Beam properties
• Profile properties
• Material properties
You can import groups from a beam profile into your design document, which makes them available to drive
changes within ANSYS. The groups are named based on the profile name, as <profile name>_<group name>.
Beams and shared topology

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Beams can share topology with surfaces when

• The end point of the beam lies on the surface:
• The path of the beam lies in the surface.

• The beam intersects a surface at a point.
The beams and surfaces must be in the same component, the component must be set to share, and the
mixed import option in Workbench must be set to lines and surfaces. See Shared topology in ANSYS for
more information about shared topology.
Beam highlighting
The following table shows how beams, sketch lines, and edges look when they are highlighted and selected:
Object Highlighted Selected Selected and

highlighted
Beam
Sketch
Edge
Copying beams
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You can use Copy and Paste to make copies of beams.

• In the same document, copies are pasted on top of the originals.
º To move a copied beam, make sure that Maintain sketch connectivity is checked OFF in the Selection
tool's Sketch Options.
º You can then use the Move tool to move the entire beam or use Vertex Dragging to move an endpoint.
• You Copy beams in one document and Paste them in another.
Beams can also be copied in the same way a Curves, by using Ctrl+Alt when dragging the endpoint.
12.10.4.1. Beam properties

Select a beam in the Beams folder and you can change the following properties, which are found in the Beam
section of the Properties panel:
• Type: Select an option from the drop-down list - Beam, Cable, Spring, Link/Truss, Pipe, or Thermal
Fluid. Spring or Link/Truss types may be applied only to straight lines.
• Orientation: The angle of the profile relative to the path.
• Profile Name
• Reversed: Changing this property flips the profile.
• Rigid
• Section Anchor: Select the location where the profile intersects with the path of the beam: Area Centroid,
Shear Center, or Location. If you select Location, then you can enter the X and Y coordinates of the anchor
location. Area Centroid is the default.
To rename a beam in the Structure tree, right-click and select Rename.
You can edit the Beam Section properties by highlighting values and changing them accordingly. This allows
you to create beams that have different geometry characteristics from their profile sketches.
Beams can also have material properties just like other objects.
See Changing beam profiles for information about beam profile properties.
Formulas used for Beam Section properties

The following beam cross-section properties are calculated by Discovery Live and transferred to ANSYS.
The area of section:
The X coordinate of the centroid:

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The Y coordinate of the centroid:
Moment of inertia about the X axis:
Moment of inertia about the Y axis:
Product of inertia:
The warping constant, shear center and torsional constants are calculated from the warping function. The
warping function is the solution to the St. Venant boundary value problem for pure torsion:
Using the Trefftz definition, the shear center and warping constant are calculated purely as a property of the
section:
X coordinate of shear center:
Y coordinate of shear center:
Warping constant:
with
12.10.4.2. Profiles
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12.10.4.2.1. Creating beam profiles

You can create your own beam profiles and save them as files.
To use these profiles, click Profiles, select More Profiles, and then browse to locate the SCDOC file.
To create a profile without creating a beam

1. Sketch the profile.
3. Pull to extrude the profile into a solid.
4. Change the color of the face you want to use as the profile.
You can change this face to any color, as long as it overrides the color of the solid. Only one face can
have a color override, otherwise Discovery Live won't know which face is used for the profile.
5. Save the design as an SCDOC file.
To create a profile based on an extracted beam

1. Sketch the profile.
3. Pull to extrude the profile into a solid.
4. Click Extract in the Beams group on the Prepare tab.

5. Select the solid you created in the previous steps.
6. Right-click the profile in the Beam Profiles folder and select Save beam profile.
7. Browse to the folder where you want to save the profile, type a file name, and click Save.
By default, the Section Anchor lies on the centroid of the profile. The Section Anchor is the point where the
profile attaches to the beam path. You can change this in two ways.
• Use the Orient tool in the Beams group of the Prepare tab
• Select the beam and change the Section Anchor property
12.10.4.2.2. Changing beam profiles

Profiles are found in the Beam Profiles folder in the Structure tree.
To change the profile for a beam

1. Select the beam in the Structure tree or Design window.

3. Select a profile from the list or from one of the libraries.
• More Profiles opens a folder browser to browse to profiles you may have saved on your machine
• Standard Library opens a browser of industry standard beam profiles. Two libraries are available.

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• AISC
• Eurocode
The name of the beam in the Beams folder changes to the name of the profile, and the new profile is
added to your Beam Profiles folder.
To view beam profile properties

Select a beam profile in the Beam Profiles folder in the Structure tree.
The profile properties are displayed in the Properties panel. These properties are read-only and cannot be
changed.
See Beam properties.
To edit a profile
1. Right-click the profile on the Structure tree.
2. Select Edit Beam Profile.
The profile will open as a sketch in a new Design window.
3. Change the profile like you would a sketch.
Each profile has driving dimensions set up in the Groups panel, and each annotation dimension is labeled
to show you which group it corresponds with. You can change these dimensions to alter the profile. See
Working with groups.
To set the default profile

1. Clear your selection by clicking in empty space in the Design window.

3. Select a profile from the list or from the profile library.
New beams you create during this session will use this profile by default.
The default profile is not persistent and will be cleared when you restart Discovery Live.
To remove a profile from the Beam Profiles folder

1. Select the profile in the Structure tree.

3. Click Remove Profile.
Example

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The labels of the annotation dimensions on a beam profile correspond with the group names.
12.10.4.3. Creating a beam

The library of standard profiles includes several basic beam profiles. You can use these profiles and edit
them to your own dimensions.
Create a beam
1. Click Create in the Beams group on the Prepare tab.
The Create tool won't be active until you select a profile, which adds the profile to your design document.
2. Select edges or points to define the beam path:
• Click the Select Point Chain tool guide and then select an edge or curve, or click on a series of points
to create the path.
• Click the Select Point Pairs tool guide and then select a beginning and end point for the path.
• You can use intersection points and midpoints on edges and other beams. Click on the small triangles
on the ends and midpoint when you hover over an edge or beam.
The beam object is defined, and the Beams and Beam Profiles folders are created in the Structure tree. The
profile name is displayed in parentheses after the beam name in the Structure tree.
Tool guides
Use the Select Point Chain tool guide to create a

beam along an edge or a series of points that you
select.
Use the Select Point Pairs tool guide to create a
beam between two points.

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12.10.4.4. Extracting a beam from a solid

Use this method to convert an existing 3D solid into a beam.
To extract a beam from a solid

1. Click Extract in the Beams group on the Prepare tab.
2. Select a solid in the Design window.
The beam object is defined, and the Beams and Beam Profiles folders are created in the Structure tree.
If you select faces on multiple bodies, then beams will be extracted for each body.
Similar profiles are detected when you extract beams from 3D geometry. The resulting beams are linked
to the same profile, so multiple profiles with the same shape are not created.
Examples
This is a simple I-beam modeled as a solid part.
This is the Beam after using the Extract tool.

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This is a complex solid with a constant cross section.
This is the Beam after using the Extract tool.
A ring-shaped solid body with constant cross section

can be modeled as a beam.

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This is the ring-shaped Beam after using the Extract

tool.
Midsurface geometry can also be used to Extract a

beam.
This beam was extracted from the midsurface above.
12.10.4.5. Changing beam orientation

Use this tool to change the direction of a beam, rotate it around its section anchor, and offset it from its section
anchor.

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To change a beam's orientation

1. Click Orient in the Beams group on the Prepare tab.
2. Select a beam in the Structure tree or Design window.
You can click Display in the Beams group and change the display mode to Solid Beams while the Orient
tool is active. You may want to do this so you can see the beam.
3. (Optional) Click the Orient to Object tool guide or hold the Alt key and select a reference object, and the
beam will be oriented to the projected Z direction of the plane of the selected object.
4. Use the blue arrows to change the beam's orientation:
• Click the straight blue arrow (X axis) to reverse the beam's direction.
• Drag the curved blue arrow to rotate the beam around its anchor point.
• Double-click the curved blue arrow to rotate the beam 90°.
• Drag the red or green arrows (Y and Z axes) to offset the beam.
You can also offset the beam from the Anchor Point by changing the Section Anchor property in the Beam's
properties.
Tool guides

guide allows you to select the beam object that you
want to reorient.
The Orient to Object tool guide allows you to select
a face, edge, or axis and orient the beam in that
direction.
Example
Offsetting a beam along the Y axis.

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12.10.4.6. Connecting Beams

The Connect tool finds endpoints and endpoint connections that can be extended or moved to connect to
a nearby beam. The images below show two beams that can be extended to connect to a third beam. The
Connect tool finds the endpoints and highlights them.
Clicking Complete extends the two beams to connect to the third beam.
To connect beams
1. Click Connect in the Beams group on the Prepare tab
2. Any endpoints that can be connected are highlighted
3. Change the tool options as needed:
• Maximum distance sets the distance to be considered a gap needing to be closed
• Free ends only will ignore beam endpoints that already connect to a beam
4. Use the tool guides to connect or exclude endpoints:
• Complete connects all of the highlighted beams
• Select Problem connects only those endpoints that you select
• After making your selections, simply exit the tool, do not click Complete
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• Exclude Problem ignores endpoints that you select

• After making your selections, click Complete to connect the remaining beams
Endpoints that are already connected to another beam can be connected to each other. If any of the beams
to be moved are parallel to the X, Y, and Z directions, their directions are preserved. An example is shown
below.
The vertical beam and the slanted beam both

connect to the two horizontal beams. At the top,
they are separated by a distance that is less than
the Maximum distance value set in the Options
panel.

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After clicking Complete, the vertical beam remains

stationary because it is parallel to the Y direction.
The top end of the slanted beam moves in the X
direction to connect to the vertical beam.
Merge connected beams during transfer

In Discovery Live Options, in the File Options tab you can select to Merge connected beams during an
Export to Workbench. This option allows you to merge connected beams during a transfer when they share
the same cross section or properties. This option is On by default.When this option is selected, you will
receive a notification that connected beams that share a profile will be merged into a single entity when
Shared Topology is applied.
12.10.4.7. Splitting Beams

The Split tool finds endpoint connections between Solidified beams, where one Beam endpoint lies somewhere
in the middle of another Beam.

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To split solidified beams

1. If beams are currently displayed as Wire Beams, change them to Solid Beams
2. Click Split in the Beams group on the Prepare tab

3. Any connections that can be Split are highlighted
4. Use the tool guides to Split connections:
• Complete splits all of the highlighted connections
• Select Problem splits only those connections that you select
• After making your selections, simply exit the tool, do not click Complete
• Exclude Problem removes connections that you select
• After making your selections, click Complete to split the remaining connections
In any connections found, the Beam with the smaller cross section is split by the Beam with the larger cross
section.
If the beams have the same cross section, they are not highlighted.
After splitting, the split portion of the beam that lies within the larger beam is marked as "Rigid". You can
check this by selecting the split beam within the larger beam and looking at the Rigid property in the Properties
panel.
Some beams may have cross sections that are not the same but are of similar size. You can chose to ignore
these by setting the Ignore similar option. This sets a percentage difference in sizes that is acceptable for
considering two beams to be the same. The default value is 10%.
Example
The images below show a zoomed in portion of the truss above. The image on the left shows two of the
connections found. The image on the right shows the result of clicking Complete.

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12.10.4.8. Changing beam display style

You can display the beams and shells as a wireframe/thin surface or as a lightweight model.
To change the display
1. Click Display in the Beams group on the Prepare tab.

2. Select a display type:
• Wire Beams displays the beam as a wire or a thin line in the Design window.
• Solid Beams displays the beam as a lightweight solid, so it is displayed as a semi-transparent 3D
object.
• Thin Shells displays the shell as a thin surface in the Design window.
• Thick Shells displays the shell as a lightweight solid, so it is displayed as a semi-transparent 3D object.
12.10.4.9. Moving beams

You can use the Move tool to move beams. The Move tool has a special Keep beam fixed option for beams.
This options causes the beam (shown in dark green) to be offset while the profile (shown as a green
semi-transparent 3D object) remains fixed.
When you move more than one beam at a time and select the Keep beam fixed option, the beam profiles
moving along a trajectory that can be reversed (normal to the trajectory) are moved and the beam profiles
that can't be reversed (along the trajectory) remain fixed. The beam is offset with equal and opposite changes
to the Location property and the location of the beam's section is maintained. You can see this in the preview
geometry for the beam.

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Moving the beams without the Keep beam fixed option moves all beams and profiles:
Moving the beams with the option selected moves the two beams that are normal to the trajectory, but the
two beams that aren't normal to the trajectory are offset:
12.11. Detailing Options

12.11.1. Formatting note text

You can adjust the font, size, style (bold, italic, underline), alignment of the text within the box, and create
superscripts and subscripts using the tools in the Font ribbon group, or by right-clicking the annotation and
selecting from the mini-toolbar.
You change the text characteristics for notes, dimensions, and tables at the same time.
Font ribbon group

The Font ribbon group contains the following tools:
Font Select the font family (Ctrl+Shift+F)

Font Size Select or enter a font size.(Ctrl+Shift+P)
Width Factor Drop down menu and select from the width factor
options.
Increase Width Factor Button to increase the width in 0.1 increments.
Decrease Width Factor Button to decrease the width in 0.1 increments.
Vertical Text Offset Superscript or subscript the note text.
Make the text bold (Ctrl+B), italic (Ctrl+I) the text,
underline (Ct+U), or strikethrough the note text.
Left, center, or right-justify the note text.
Set the text direction from left-to-right or right-to-left.

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To format text
All text within a note boundary - singular or multiple lines of text - aligns to the format you set.
1. To change the text formatting for an entire note, dimension, or table, select one or more in the Design
window. Hold Ctrl to select more than one or draw a box in the Design window.
Place your cursor at the location in the text where you want to change the formatting. To change the text
formatting for only some of the text in a note, dimension, or table, select only the text you want to change.
2. Use the tools in the Font ribbon group to format the text.
To create a superscript or subscript, select a preset amount from the Vertical Text Offset drop-down,
or select Custom and enter a custom amount to raise or lower the text.
12.11.2. Annotations
12.11.2.1. Annotation
You can annotate your designs, drawings, and 3D markups with notes, dimensions, geometric tolerances,
surface finish and datum symbols, as well as center marks, center lines, and threads. When you create
annotations that are attached to the objects in your design, they stay attached, even when you modify those
objects using the Design tools. Annotations created on a drawing sheet or 3D markup slide are part of that
sheet or markup only; they do not appear on your design.
Each annotation has properties which you can modify in the Properties panel. When you create the first
annotation, it is scaled so that it will be visible when your design is zoomed to its extents in the Design window.
All other annotations use the same scale.
Annotation ribbon group

The Annotation ribbon group contains the following tools, from left to right:
Use the Select tool to choose Using Box, Using

Lasso, Using Polygon, or Using Paint to select the
highlighted object.
Use the Dimension tool to create a measured
dimension.
Use the Note tool to select an annotation plane and
enter text onto the plane.
Use the Note Leader tool to connect a note to an
object.
Use the Thread tool to create a threaded surface on
any cylinder, cone, or hole.
Use the Center Line tool to add a center mark on any
circle, arc, cylinder end, or sphere, and put center
lines on any cylindrical face.
Use the Geometric Tolerance tool to create a
geometric tolerance.
Use the Datum Symbol tool to insert a datum symbol.

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Use the Datum Target tool to insert datum targets

onto your design, drawing sheet, or 3D markup slide.
Use the Table tool to insert a table.
Use the Hole Table tool to create a hole table.
Use the Bolt Circle tool to view information about

diameter, angular, and radial dimensions for a circular
pattern.
Use the Welding Symbol tool to create a weld symbol.
Use the Barcode tool to create a barcode symbol.
Use the Bill of Materials tool to create and insert a

BOM.
Use the Balloon tool to add BOM balloon notes.
Use the Surface Finish tool to create a surface finish

symbol.
Update Annotations Reading Direction flips
annotations that are backwards in the current viewing
direction.
Click to display Discovery Live's detailing options.
Use the Track Encoding tool to see the model's
encoding status.
Press Esc, then S to end any detailing action and return to the Select tool.
12.11.2.1.1. Creating dimension annotations

Use the Dimension tool to add a measurement to your design, drawing sheet, or 3D markup.
You can use annotation dimensions with the Pull and Move tools to change your design. See Driving
modifications with annotation dimensions.
An annotation plane cannot be moved to a sub-component after you add dimensions because the references
would be lost.
You can enable dual dimensions, which will display each dimension in both Metric and Imperial units. See
Units options.

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To create a dimension annotation
1. Click the arrow under the Dimension tool and select Dimension .
2. If you are creating a dimension in 3D, click a face to create an annotation plane on which to place the
dimension.
Mouse over the faces of your design to preview the eligible annotation planes. (In Sketch and Section
mode, the sketch grid defines the annotation plane.) If multiple objects occur at your cursor location, use
the scroll wheel or arrow keys to highlight each one.
To create an annotation plane for a cylindrical face, select the cylinder's axis.
If you need to change the annotation plane, right-click and click Select New Annotation Plane from the
context menu and select a new annotation plane.
3. Click an edge or face.
Where you click on a circle determines whether you will measure from the circle's center, near, or far
edge. To select the center click the top, bottom, left, or right side of the circle.
4. Mouse over your design to preview the possible dimensions.
5. Click a second object if you want to dimension between two objects.
6. (Optional) Select a dimension orientation in the Options panel. You can also select the orientation for the
first and second reference.
7. Click to create the dimension.
Dimensioning to and from center lines

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1. In a drawing view, add a center line using the Center Line tool.
3. Click either the horizontal or vertical center line
4. Click an edge or face.
To create an arc length dimension
Two methods:
• Hold the Ctrl key down and click on the arc.
• Click the arc first and hold the Ctrl key down while dragging the dimension.
To create a chamfer dimension
2. If you are creating a dimension in 3D, click a face to create an annotation plane on which to place the
dimension.
3. Click an edge or face that belongs to the chamfer.
4. Mouse over your design to preview the possible dimensions.

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Dimensions for planar and cylindrical chamfers.

You can flip the orientation of chamfer dimensions by setting the Flip Chamfer Dimension property to True.
Flipped chamfer dimensions

Annotation options in the General page of Detailing option in Discovery Live Options offers choices for how
chamfer dimensions are displayed.
• Default chamfer dimension style:
º Linear: Displays the dimension with extensions lines as in the images above.
º Normal to chamfer: Displays the dimension with a leader pointed normal to the chamfer as shown in
the image below.
• Default chamfer dimension text format:

º <length> X 45: Text is displayed as in the images above.
º C<length>: Text is shown as in the image below.

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To create ordinate dimensions
1. Click the arrow under Dimension in the Annotation group on the Detailing tab and select
Ordinate Dimensions.
2. If you are creating a dimension in 3D, click a face to create the plane on which to place the dimension.
mode, the sketch grid defines the annotation plane.) If multiple objects occur at your cursor location, use
the scroll wheel or arrow keys to highlight each one.
context menu. Then right-click the new place and click Set As Annotation Plane.
3. Click a line, edge, or Center Line to set the baseline dimension.
You can use an existing extension line as a dimensioning reference. An extension line is the line that
connects the point to the dimension text. If you select an extension line, the baseline dimension for the
extension line's dimension is used.
4. Mouse over the face to see all the possible dimensions.
In cases with many ordinate dimensions, the preview may be slow. Start Discovery Live using the following
command line option to limit the number of dimensions that are shown in the preview. The example
specifies '10' but you can set it to any number you wish.
MaxOrdDims=10
The plate shown below has 400 holes but only 10 are shown in the preview.

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5. Click a point to place the dimension line.

If you select a face, all of the possible ordinate dimensions will be created.
You can click multiple points to use the same baseline for those dimensions.
The baseline dimension (0) is displayed or hidden based on which detailing standard is selected in the
Detailing options.
Automatic jog points are included if ordinate dimensions are too closely spaced. This helps make them
easier to read.
Using an angled baseline
First, establish a simple, oriented dimension. Then use one of the witness lines to set the baseline and
orientation of the ordinate dimensions.
In the example above, the leftmost witness line of the existing circle-to-circle dimension was selected to
define the baseline.
To create foreshortened dimensions

1. Start with a radius dimension
2. Optional - Set the Foreshortened radial dimension center size in Discovery Live Options
3. Right click and select Foreshortened
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4. Move the endpoint and jog points as needed.

5. Dimensioning to the center produces a foreshortened length dimension.
To dimension bodies
2. Click the Select bodies tool guide on the right side of the Design window.
3. Select the solid body or bodies you want to dimension:
• If you select a single body, then the maximum horizontal or vertical dimension is created, as shown
below.

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• If you select more than one body, then the dimension is created for both solids and is anchored on the
side closest to where you click on the solid. You must click on the Select bodies tool guide before you
select each solid, so you click the tool guide and select the first part, then click the tool guide again and
select the second part.
In both of the examples below, the upper part was selected near its top. The lower part was selected
near its top in the example on the left and near its bottom in the example on the right. The mouse arrows
indicate where the lower part was selected. You will see a preview of the dimension when you click the
tool guide and hover over the second part.
• If you create the dimension in a section view of a drawing sheet, then the dimension is created on the
extents of the body that is visible in the section plane, as shown below.
To edit a dimension annotation

1. Select the dimension annotation to move, size, or rotate it.
To move the dimension note, mouse over the edge of the box with the Select tool until the cursor changes
to , then drag the note.
To size the box that contains the dimension note, drag the handles of the note box (the white circles).
2. Select the text of the note to reformat it.
3. (Optional) Right-click the dimension and select text formatting options from the mini-toolbar.
Click to select a tolerance format, then edit the text of the tolerance.
• See the Limits and Fits Tolerances section below for a description of using Limits and Fits.
Click to insert a field. You can select a field type and format from the Insert Field window.
Select from the drop-down to insert a symbol.
4. Click an arrowhead to cycle through alternative leader styles.
You can also right-click an arrowhead and select Arrow Style to select a style for that arrowhead, or
select the arrowhead, then select the style for the head in the Properties panel.
5. Click the note leaders to modify them.
You can right-click a leader and select Add Jog Point to add a new point.

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6. To change the distance between a dimension extension line and its reference point on the object, click
on the extension line, then hover over the end closest to the object. Drag the red dot to change its distance
from the object.
If you cant' see the extension line, hover over the end of the dimension leader, where the line would be.
You will see two red dots that you can drag:
7. Modify the dimension note properties in the Properties panel. Modify the:
• Arrow Length and Width properties to set the length and width of the arrowheads
• Measurement property to change the measurement type. For example, you may want to display the
radius of a hole instead of the diameter.
• Precision property to change the number of decimal places.
• Upper Limit, Lower Limit, and Type of tolerance property to change the format of the dimension and
enter upper and lower tolerance values.
8. To fit a dimension within the text box

• RMB Click on the note and open the Autofit drop-down menu.
• Choose one of the following options:
• Do not autofit: The text box adjusts to the size of the text and grows as you type. There is no blank
space around the note and making the text larger or smaller adjusts the box accordingly.
• Resize text height on overflow: The text always fits the width of the box. If you make the box wider,
text from the second line will move up to the first line.
• Shrink text on overflow: The text adjusts uniformly (width and height) and scales to fit in the text
box.
• Shrink text horizontally on overflow: The width of the text changes but the height remains the
same.
Limits and Fits Tolerances

Limits and Fits tolerances are supported for Metric units using the ISO 286-1 and ISO 286-2 standards. Refer
to these standrads for a complete description of Limits and Fits tolerances.
You can apply Limits and Fits to metric dimensions for Holes, Shafts, and opposing planar faces (i.e. face
normals point toward each other).
Note: If the dimension is created by selecting an edge, the Limits and Fits tolerance type will be available
ONLY IF the system can uniquely determine the parent faces. If there is ambiguity, Limits and Fits may not
be available as a tolerance type.
Note: Limits and Fits will NOT be available if the dimension (i.e. Basic Size) is outside the range of sizes
covered by the standard.
Limits and Fits tolerances are specified with a letter and a number that refer to a table in the standard.
To apply a Limits and Fits tolerance

1. Select one of the dimensions listed above

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2. In the Properties panel, change the Tolerance Type to Limits and Fits, or click in the mini toolbar
3. Based on the dimension size, the following tolerance properties are set to default values:
• Upper Limit - The largest allowable value for the dimension
• Lower Limit - The smallest allowable value for the dimension
• System of Fits - Sets the fixed datum used to calculate the tolerances. This can be either Hole Basis
(shaft is assembled into the hole) or Shaft Basis (hole is assembled onto the shaft).
• Hole Fundamental Deviation - Fundamental Deviation establishes the location of the tolerance zone
with respect to the Basic Size. When System of Fits is set to Hole Basis, this will be "H". When System
of Fits is set to Shaft Basis, this can be any of the allowed letter designations (A thru ZC)
• Hole IT - "IT" refers to International Tolerance Grade. It is a group of tolerances which vary depending
on the Basic Size of the dimension, but which provide the same relative accuracy within a given grade
.Any of the allowed numeric designations (IT01 thru IT18)
• Shaft Fundamental Deviation - Fundamental Deviation establishes the location of the tolerance zone
with respect to the Basic Size. When System of Fits is set to Hole Basis, this will be any of the allowed
letter designations (a thru zc). When System of Fits is set to Shaft Basis, this will be "h".
• Shaft IT - Any of the allowed numeric designations (IT01 thru IT18)
• Method of Designating - The display format for the tolerance
4. Change any of the properties as appropriate
In the Limits and Fits section of Discovery Live Options > Detailing, you can set defaults for the properties.
Limits and Fits symbols combine the IT Grade Number and the Fundamental Deviation letter. "IT" is dropped
from the Grade Number so only the number is shown. The tolerance size is thus defined by the Basic Size
of the part followed by a symbol containing a letter and a number. A Fit is indicated by the Basic Dimension
common to both components, followed by a symbol corresponding to both components with the Internal part
symbol preceding the External part symbol.
The table below shows examples.
Internal (hole) component
External (shaft) component

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Fit between a hole and shaft with a basic size of

40
Set the Method of Designating property to change the symbol's display format. The table below illustrates
the choices.
40H8
40H8 (40.039/40)
40.039/40 (40H8)
40.039/40
40H8/h7
When you change the size of a dimension that has Limits and Fits tolerances, the Upper and Lower Limits
will change according to the limits and Fits tolerance tables.

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If you modify the IT number, the tolerance symbol updates accordingly.

The dimension color is changed to Red if it has Limits and Fits tolerance and some of the input parameters
are invalid. An example is shown below.
The tolerance has a Fit for H01/n01
The Fit was changed to H01/a01, which is invalid
To display the annotation and hide the plane

1. Create two layers, one for notes, and one for the annotation planes.
2. Place the note on one layer and the annotation plane on another layer.
3. Turn off the visibility of the layer that contains the annotation plane.
To align multiple dimensions

1. Select multiple dimensions.
2. In the RMB menu, choose from the following:
• Align Lefts - Align the left side of each dimension.
• Align Centers - Vertically align the center of each dimension.
• Align Rights - Align the right side of each dimension.
• Align Top Lines - Align the bottom of the first line of text in each dimension.

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• Align Middles - Horizontally align the middle of each dimension.

• Align Bottom Lines - Align the bottom of the last line of text in each dimension.
• Make Same width - Make each dimension the same width based on the first note selected. Some text
may be scaled accordingly.
• Make Same Height - Make each dimension the same height based on the first note selected. Some
text may be scaled accordingly.
• Make Same Size - Make each dimension the same size (height and width) based on the first note
selected. Some text may be scaled accordingly.
• Distribute Horizontally - The space between each dimension is distributed evenly horizontally.
• Distribute Vertically -The space between each dimension is distributed evenly vertically.
• Remove Horizontal Spacing - The even horizontal spacing is removed and any significant overlap is
equalized.
• Remove Vertical Spacing - The even vertical spacing is removed and any significant overlap is
equalized.
Any notes rotated differently are not affected by the above commands.
To display dimensions for an annotation plane

Right-click an annotation plane and select:
• Show all dimensions to display dimensions on all annotation planes.
• Show dimensions to display the dimensions for only the annotation plane you right-clicked.
Examples
Annotations with orientation changed in the Options panel

1. Dimension Orientation set to Aligned
2. Dimension Orientation set to Horizontal
3. Dimension Orientation set to Vertical
4. 1st Reference Orientation set to Horizontal, 2nd Reference Orientation set to Vertical
A dimension annotation with dual dimensions enabled in the Units options

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Ordinate dimension annotations
Ordinate dimensions for a planar face
Automatic jog points with closely spaced ordinate dimensions
12.11.2.1.1.1. Dimension between virtual points

You can create dimensions from the line between two points or the mid-plane between two lines, even when
that line doesn't exist as an edge.
To dimension between virtual points

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1. Click Dimension in the Annotation group on the Detailing tab .

2. Select a point (A) as your starting point.
3. Hold Ctrl and select a second point (B).
This creates a virtual line between points A and B, which will be the baseline of your dimension.
4. Select a third point (C).
Now you have a dimension between line AB and point C:
If you hold Ctrl when you select point C, the dimension is created between line AB and line BC:
5. (Optional) If you select point C without holding Ctrl, and hold Ctrl to select a fourth point (D), the dimension
is created between line AB and line CD:
6. Click anywhere in the annotation plane to place the dimension.
To dimension to a virtual sharp

2. Hold Ctrl and select a line.
3. Hold Ctrl and select a converging line.

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The head of the note leader is attached to the virtual sharp. You can also drag the virtual sharp's end
point, draw another leader to the virtual sharp, create virtual sharps in cross-section, for rounds, and
between an angled and straight edge.
4. (Optional) To end the dimension at another virtual sharp,
a. Hold Ctrl and select a line.
b. Hold Ctrl and select a converging line.
5. Click anywhere in the annotation plane to place the dimension.
Dimension to a mid-plane line

2. Define the mid-plane line:
a. Select a face or edge:
b. Hold Ctrl and select a second face or edge:
The mid-plane line is displayed as a gray line, and the beginning of the dimension is attached to this line.
3. Select the face, edge, or point you want to dimension to.
The end of the dimension is attached to the face, edge, or point.
4. Click to place the dimension annotation.
Note: You can reverse these steps to begin the dimension with an existing line or point and end the dimension
with a mid-plane line. You can also dimension between two mid-plane lines.
Examples

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A dimension between virtual points
A dimension from a mid-plane line to an edge
A dimension between two mid-plane lines
A dimension to the virtual sharp of a chamfered edge

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A virtual sharp
12.11.2.1.1.2. Editing with annotation dimensions

You can use 3D annotation dimensions to change your design using the Pull and Move tools. Annotation
dimensions can be used in combination with ruler dimensions.
To use 3D annotation dimensions with the Pull or Move tool
1. Click Pull or Move in the Edit group on the Design tab.

2. Select the objects you want to pull or move. You can select an edge, face, point, or surface.
3. If you are using the Move tool, select a direction on the Move handle.
4. Click the spark icon next to the dimension you want to use to drive the change. The icon turns yellow
when you hover over it with your mouse, as shown in the image above.
The dimension field can be edited when you click the spark icon.
These icons appear when you use a tool that can be used with annotation dimensions to drive changes.
The annotation dimension must be associated with the face, edge, or point you want to change.
If you are using the Move tool and you don't see the spark icons, you need to select a direction on the
Move handle or you must create a ruler dimension. You get more predictable results if you re-anchor the
Move handle to the appropriate face, edge, or point.
5. Type a new dimension and press Enter.
The objects you selected will change based on the dimension.

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If the dimension you change isn't associated with the objects you selected, nothing will change and you
will see an error message in the Status area on the lower right side of the Discovery Live window.
If the tool can't make the change in the direction that the Pull or Move handle points toward, then it will
try to make the change in the opposite direction to achieve the dimension you enter.
Examples
Selecting a dimension with the Pull tool active
Selecting a dimension with the Move tool active. You must select a direction on the Move handle before you
can select a dimension.
Changing the value of the dimension field

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Using an angular dimension to Pull a face with a revolve axis set
Using a linear dimension to offset a face with Pull
Using a linear dimension to change the angle of a face with Move

Note: We re-anchored the Move tool to the lower, horizontal edge of the face
Pulling with a radial dimension on a face that is offset with another cylindrical face; also works when you
select both radial faces without an offset relation

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12.11.2.1.2. Creating notes

Use the Note tool to annotate your designs, drawing sheets, and 3D markups. You can use this tool to create
and edit notes. You can also project the note onto a sketch or onto a solid. Place the annotation plane on
one layer and the note on another layer, then turn off layer visibility for the annotation plane to hide it. You
can also create circular note text.
Notes are shown in the Structure Tree. Like curves, Notes can live in datum planes or drawing sheets. Unlike
curves, they do not live directly in a part. So, in a part, you will not see a Notes folder.
To create a note
1. Select the Note tool from the Annotation ribbon group in the Detail tab.
mode, the sketch grid defines the annotation plane.)
2. Click a face to create the plane on which to place the note.
3. Click to place the note on the plane.
4. Enter the text of the note.
• Click in the mini-toolbar to insert a symbol into your note at the cursor location.
• Click in the mini-toolbar to insert a dynamic field. Dynamic fields include current values from a variety
of properties.
• You can format the note text, and enter the text by cutting, copying, and pasting the text from other
notes or dimension annotations.
• Discovery Live recognizes many fonts stored on your computer. If you paste text from outside of Discovery
Live, and the font is not recognized, the default font will be used.
5. Adjust the orientation of the note by dragging the rotation handles.
For vertical notes, set the Stacked property to True.

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To create a note field

Field codes can be included within a note. The text in field codes is variable text; in other words, the text
within a field is tied to code, so if you change a field code in your note or drawing sheet, for example, a date
format, the field automatically updates.
Some field codes are bi-directional; for example, adding the Scale field code to a drawing sheet enables you
to change the scale by editing the note, or, change the scale by changing the value from the Scale drop-down
in the Sheet Setup group in the Detail tab.
1. Click within the text of the note and place the cursor where you want the field to appear.
2. Right-click to display the mini-toolbar.
3. Click in the mini-toolbar to display the Insert Field window.
The Fields tab displays the properties available for insertion. (Document properties are those that appear
in the Properties panel when you click the top-level design in the Structure tree.)
4. Select a value from the Category drop-down to filter the properties displayed in the Fields list.
If you click Selected Object, you can click any object in the Design window or Structure tree to make its
properties available.
If you select Formula, you can enter an expression, and include any numeric fields within the expression.
5. Click a property in the Fields list.
6. Click the Format tab to format the text within the field.
The formatting options are based on the type of the property value. For example, strings can be formatted
with upper case, lower case, initial capitals, or title case.
7. Click OK to insert the formatted, dynamic field into the note at the cursor location.
If the field is empty, check to make sure that the property you selected has a value by selecting the
appropriate object and viewing the Properties panel.
To copy a note
Ctrl+drag a note to copy it.
You can also do the following:
• Click on a note.
• The note displays inside the text box border.
• Click on the border.

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• Press Ctrl+c
• Press Ctrl+v
• The note copy displays below and to the right of the original note.
• If you paste the note on a different sheet, it will paste in the same location as in the original sheet. It does
not paste at the cursor location.
• If you are zoomed in, the note will paste in the center of the view. If there is another note at that location,
the new note will paste below and to the right of that note.
To edit a note
1. Select the note to move, size, or rotate it.
If you select a single note, you can edit, resize, and rotate the note. If you select multiple notes, you can
only move or change formatting.
To move the note box, mouse over the edge of the box until the cursor changes to , then drag the note.
To size the box containing the note, drag the handles of the note box (the white circles).
To rotate the note, drag the rotation handle (the green circle). Press Shift to snap to angular increments.
2. Select the text of the note to reformat it.
Click a field to edit it. Changing the value of a string also changes it in the Properties panel.
3. Modify the note's properties in the Properties panel.
• Circular Text
• Type - Choose from:
• None
• Clockwise
• Counterclockwise
• Radius - Enter a radius for the note circle.
• Cosmetic
• Space - Choose from:
• Model Space sizes the text based on the actual measurements of the objects in your design.
• View Space sizes the text based on the view of the design in the Design window.
• Mirrored - Set this property to True to display the text as if it is seen in a mirror. Notes seen from
behind can appear 'backwards,' which can be confused as 'mirrored.' Setting this property confirms
the Note is mirrored intentionally.

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• Stacked - Set this property to True to stack the text vertically instead of horizontally.
• Flagnote
• Flagnote is a drop-down menu of border shapes to put around the text.
• Minimum width prevents the border from resizing automatically to fit the content of the note.
• Position
• Anchor influences the position and size of a note within a plane. Where you anchor a note determines
the direction that the text will fill the note. For example, if you select the Left Top position, as you type,
the expanded text box flows from left to right and top to bottom. The choices are:
• Left Top
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• Left Bottom
• Right Bottom
• Right Top
• Left Center
• Right Center
• Top Center
• Bottom Center
• Center
When moving a note or circular note, the note's anchor (or circular note's text center) now snaps
to an edge, a sketch point, or an axis. Select the Move tool, and then select the note's red anchor
and drag it to an edge, sketch point, or axis. The red anchor will snap to the note's anchor location
that is closest to the drag point. The Anchor position updates in the Position group of the Properties
panel as you move the anchor to a new location.
To fit text within a note box

• RMB Click on the note and open the Autofit drop-down menu.
• Choose one of the following options:
º Do not autofit: The text box adjusts to the size of the text and grows as you type. There is no blank
space around the note and making the text larger or smaller adjusts the box accordingly.
º Resize text height on overflow: The text always fits the width of the box. If you make the box wider,
text from the second line will move up to the first line.
º Shrink text on overflow: The text adjusts uniformly (width and height) and scales to fit in the text box.
º Shrink text horizontally on overflow: The width of the text changes but the height remains the same.
To adjust the text width

The Font group in the Detail tab has tools for increasing and decreasing text width.
• Click the Width Factor drop down menu and select from the width factor options.
• Click the Increase Width Factor button to increase the width in 0.1 increments.
• Click the Decrease Width Factor button to decrease the width in 0.1 increments.
To adjust line and character spacing

Character and Line spacing can be changed in Notes.
• Click the character spacing drop down menu and select from the character spacing options.

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• Click the line spacing drop down menu and select from the line spacing options.
To align multiple notes

1. Select multiple notes.
2. In the RMB menu, choose from the following:
• Align Lefts - Align the left side of each note box.
• Align Centers - Vertically align the center of each note box.
• Align Rights - Align the right side of each note box.
• Align Top Lines - Align the bottom of the first line of text in each note box.
• Align Middles - Horizontally align the middle of each note box.
• Align Bottom Lines - Align the bottom of the last line of text in each note box.
• Make Same width - Make each note box the same width based on the first note selected. Some text
• Make Same Height - Make each note box the same height based on the first note selected. Some text
• Make Same Size - Make each note box the same size (height and width) based on the first note selected.
Some text may be scaled accordingly.
• Distribute Horizontally - The space between each note box is distributed evenly horizontally.
• Distribute Vertically -The space between each note box is distributed evenly vertically.
• Remove Horizontal Spacing - The even horizontal spacing is removed and any significant overlap is
equalized.
• Remove Vertical Spacing - The even vertical spacing is removed and any significant overlap is
equalized.

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Any notes rotated differently are not affected by the above commands.
Attaching and Detaching notes to other notes

You can attach notes to other notes using the Attach Notes option in the RMB menu. The first note selected
is the parent note (highlighted in blue) and any other notes you select become child notes (highlighted in
dark blue).
1. Select two or more notes
2. RMB click
3. Select Attach Notes
4. To detach a note RMB select it and choose the Detach option.
When notes are attached, moving the parent note moves all the notes as one. However, moving a child note
will move that note individually.
You can attach a note to the note fields of objects created with tools in the Detail tab. For example, Surface
Finish symbols, Welding symbols, Datum Targets, Datum symbols, notes within a Symbol, and Dimensions
are some tools that have note fields. Any notes can be attached to any other notes. Dimensions, however,
can only be parent notes since they are attached to the model.
Attaching and Detaching free notes to drawing views

Free notes (those Not attached to the model with a leader) can be attached to a drawing view.
1. Select a drawing view
2. Ctrl-select one or more Free Notes
3. RMB click
4. Select Attach Notes
5. To detach a note RMB select it and choose the Detach option.
Moving a drawing view also moves any attached Free Notes.
Deleting a drawing view also deletes any attached Free Notes.
To display the text of an annotation and hide the plane

1. Create two layers, one for notes, and one for the annotation planes.
2. Place the note on one layer and the annotation plane on another layer.
3. Turn off the visibility of the layer that contains the annotation plane.
12.11.2.1.2.1. Adding hyperlinks to annotations

Hyperlinks allow access to more content in your notes and dimensions. Some examples are:
• Images
• Web pages
• Word documents
• .scdocs
Once a Hyperlink is established, you can hover over the annotation text to display the link in the status bar
and Ctrl+Click to go to the link.
To add a Hyperlink to a note:

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1. Highlight the annotation text.

2. RMB click
3. Select the Hyperlink option.
4. The Insert Hyperlink dialog box opens.
5. Enter an existing file path or web page link. You can also click the Browse for File button or Browse the
Web button.
6. Click the OK button.
To edit a Hyperlink:
2. RMB click
3. Select the Edit Hyperlink option.
4. Edit the link in the Edit Hyperlink dialog box.
To open a Hyperlink:
2. RMB click
3. Select the Open Hyperlink option.
4. The link opens in the appropriate media.
• You can also hover over the annotation text and Ctrl+Click to open the link in the appropriate media.
To remove a Hyperlink:
2. RMB click
3. Select the Remove Hyperlink option.
• You can also edit the Hyperlink and click the Remove Hyperlink button in the dialog box.
12.11.2.1.3. Creating note leaders

Use the Note Leader tool to create an arrow from your note.
To create a note leader

1. Click Note Leader in the Annotation group on the Detailing tab.
Mouse over notes on the active annotation plane to see the possible ways to connect the note leader to
the note.
2. Click a note's connection point to draw the first segment of the note leader.
Mouse over your design to highlight the geometry to which you can attach the end of the note leader.
You can also attach leaders to temporary objects.
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3. For a segmented line, click to set each point of the note leader line.
4. End the note leader by clicking a vertex, edge, or face to attach the end of the note leader, or double-click
to end the note leader at any point.
The end of the note leader is an arrow unless you attach it to a face.
Snapping a leader to 45° increments

While creating a Leader, hold the Shift key to snap the Leader to the nearest 45° increment.
1. Click to set the start point of the Leader.
2. Start dragging to get near the desired orientation.
3. Press and hold the Shift key.
4. The Leader snaps to the nearest 45° increment.
5. Continue holding Shift down and dragging to set the length.
6. Click to set the endpoint of the Leader.
Underlining note text with a leader

1. Create a Note
2. Enter the Leader tool
3. Attach a Leader to the underline location
4. Complete the Leader
5. Select the Leader
6. RMB > Underline
7. The text is underlined
When you start the leader, hovering near the note text displays attachment points. The image above shows
the underline location highlighted.
Select the leader and use the context menu to select Underlined. This toggles the leader to an underlined
leader.
To insert an all-around symbol

Right-click the note leader and select All Around.
To change a note leader's segments

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Drag a segment of the note leader line to move it and its surrounding boundary points. Right-click the note
leader and select Add Jog Point to create a new segment.
You can delete note leader line segments by deleting the jog points that border the segment.
To change a note leader's properties

1. Right-click the note leader and select Properties.
2. Modify the Arrow Style, Length, and Width values.
3. Set the All Around value to True to display an all-around symbol. Select False to hide it.
To attach a note leader to a virtual sharp

1. Select the Note Leader tool from the Annotation ribbon group in the Detailing tab.
2. Ctrl+click a line.
3. Ctrl+click a converging line.
The head of the note leader is attached to the virtual sharp. You can also drag the virtual sharp's end
point, draw another leader to the virtual sharp, create virtual sharps in cross-section, for rounds, and
between an angled and straight edge.
Examples
A virtual sharp
Attaching to the bottom connection point of a note to create a leader with a jog or shoulder.

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Attaching to the center connection point of a note to create a straight leader.

Use the center connection point to create circle flag notes or BOM balloon notes according to the JIS standard,
without a jog or shoulder.
12.12. Tools
12.12.1. Reverse engineering

12.12.1.1. Auto Skin

The Auto Skin tool generates the CAD geometry from faceted models that are relatively smooth and error
free. For example, the starting point of your design may be a clay model which is scanned and output to one
of the supported faceted data types. After importing the faceted data as a Facet Mesh, use the Auto Skin
tool to create the CAD geometry.
Note:
• The faceted model should be smooth and free from defects (for example, the model should be manifold
with no sharp edges, self intersections, etc.). If the model boundary is not smooth, the CAD geometry
creation may fail or result in incorrect geometry.
• Only a single faceted body can be converted at a time.
• The conversion is dependent on the number of facets, inflection points, curves, etc. Performance will be
impacted when skinning models with a large number of facets (above 200,000 triangles).
• The Skin Surface tool can be used to manually create any missing patches.
To create the CAD geometry:

1. Import or create a facet mesh.
2. Use the tools in the Cleanup group in the Facets tab to ensure the model is smooth and watertight before
skinning.
3. Select the Auto Skin tool in the Reverse Engineering group of the Tools tab.
4. Select the faceted body.
5. Click Complete to convert the model to CAD geometry.

The examples show the conversion of a faceted model to CAD geometry.

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The example shows the conversion of a faceted model with an open body to CAD geometry.
6. Verify the CAD geometry. In the example, the CAD geometry created has missing patches.

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If the geometry has missing patches, use the Skin Surface tool to create the missing patches.
If the boundary is not smooth, the CAD geometry creation may fail or result in incorrect geometry.
12.12.1.2. Skin Surface

The Skin Surface tool helps you reverse-engineer a surface model from faceted data. For example, the
starting point of your design may be a clay model which is scanned and output to one of the supported faceted
data types. After you import the faceted data as a Facet Mesh, use the Skin Surface tool to sketch and create
surface patches on the facets, and stitch them together into a surface body.
To sketch a surface patch:

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1. Import or create a facet mesh
2. Select the Skin Surface tool in the Reverse Engineering group of the Tools tab
3. Single-click on the mesh where you want to start the sketch
4. Sketch the desired shape as follows:

• Single-click to create internal edge points, which can later be moved to adjust the shape of the edge
• Double-click to end the edge and create a corner
5. Continue creating edges and corners

6. Close the shape by single-clicking on the start point

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7. The surface is shown in preview and you can drag any of the sketched points to adjust the shape of the
sketch
8. If you need to start over, simply hit the Escape key and the current sketch will be removed
9. Click Complete to create the surface
Options
The following options are available in the Skin Surface tool.
Samples The value entered determines the number of Control

Points on the Control Curves for the surface. By
default, the number of sample points is fixed and
cannot be changed. If you check the Full Preview
option, you can enter a new number of sample points.
In Full Preview mode you can enter a new number
of points directly, or use the dropdown slider.
Full Preview When you check Full Preview ON, you can control
the number of sample points used in the surface. In
Full Preview mode, when you change the number of
sample points, the preview dynamically updates. The
speed of the dynamic updates is affected by the
number of sample points. Fewer points leads to faster
updates.
Tool guides

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The Select Boundary tool guide is active by default.

When this tool guide is active, you sketch surface
patch boundaries on the facets.
The Select Geometry tool guide lets you choose

planes or existing patch edges to create boundary
loops for surface patches.
Using box-select
If you want to work with rectangular patches, use box-select instead of sketching them freehand. With the
Select Boundary tool guide active, simply box-select the area where you want the sketch.
Box-select facets Sketch is made from the box-selection
Notice that control points are automatically added in areas with curvature. This can be seen more dramatically
in the images below.

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Box-select across a curved area Control points are auto-created Change view to see the curvature
Editing a sketch
While in Preview, you can modify the shape of a sketch by dragging the corners and control points. Control
Points are the internal points on edges that allow you to adjust the edge's curvature. You can also add control
points to give you more curvature control on edges.
The images below show a sketch being adjusted to better fit to the contours of the model and show a control
point being added for further adjustments.
Dragging a corner Dragging a control point Adding a control point
Periodic surfaces
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Surfaces that wrap around cylindrical, and roughly cylindrical, volumes are called Periodic surfaces. They
look like a rectangular patch wrapped around the volume.
Sketching these by hand can be tedious because you need to rotate the model to expose more facets on
which to sketch.
The Select Geometry tool guide streamlines the process by letting you select planes that create sections
through the volume. The sections are then used to automatically generate sketch curves. Selecting two
planes some distance apart automatically, creates the periodic surface.
In the following example, there are multiple periodic surfaces possible. Skin Surface previews one by default.
If it is not the one you want, you simply select the edges of the one you do want.
Two planes intersect the four legs.

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Selecting the first plane displays sections on all

four legs.

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Selecting the second plane displays the other

four sections and the default surface.

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To create a different surface, select the first

section of the surface you want.

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Select the second section to display the surface

preview.
Click Complete to create the surface.
Conical Patches:
Periodic surfaces can also be conical. The following example shows how to create a conical surface patch.

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You can either sketch a periodic edge manually,

or use the Select Geometry tool guide and a plane
to create a periodic edge on the section.
Click on the apex of the cone to preview the

surface.

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'Stitching' surfaces
Existing skin surfaces can be 'stitched' into a single surface patch. Examples are shown below.
Use the Select Geometry tool guide to select rectangular edges:
You can bridge the gap between rectangular

patches using the Select Geometry tool guide.
pre-highlight and select one edge.

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Pre-highlight and select the second edge to

preview the surface.
Use the Select Geometry tool guide to select triangular edges:

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The same procedure works for triangular patches.

Pre-highlight and select the first edge.
Pre-highlight and select the second edge to

preview the surface.

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Snap to existing patch edges and points:
Withe the Select Boundary tool guide active, you

can snap to existing surfaces. Here, the sketch
started by snapping to the bottom corner. The
color and size of the start point indicate that it is
snapped to the lower right corner of the existing
surface.
The sketch then proceeds in a counterclockwise
direction.
The end of the third edge snaps to the existing
edge, which is highlighted to indicate it will be
used.
The fourth edge is auto-completed by the tool and
is shown on top of the snapped edge.

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A single click completes the third and fourth edges

and the surface previews.
The next sketch begins at the upper right corner

of the first surface. Like the previous sketch, the
color and size of the start point indicate that it is
snapped.
The sketch proceeds in a clockwise direction.
When the second edge reaches the upper right
corner of the previous surface, the corner and
edge of that surface highlight to indicate they will
be used.
Two edges can auto-complete to complete the
loop. They are highlighted on top of the existing
edges that will be used.

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A single click completes the second, third, and

fourth edges and the surface previews.
12.12.1.3. Extracting curves

The Extract Curves tool creates curves through design mesh cross sections.
Curves are created on multiple design mesh sections.
To create edges
1. Open the Tools tab.
2. Click Extract Curves in the Reverse Engineering group of the Tools tab.
3. The Select Section Planes tool guide is active by default.
4. Select one or more planes that intersect the mesh.

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5. Click Complete to create the curves.

You can also extract curves by placing a section plane in the mesh.
2. Click Extract Curves in the Manufacturing group of the Tools tab.
3. Click the Select Curve tool guide.
4. Select one or more planes that intersect the mesh.
5. Click in the model to place a section plane.
6. The model is displayed in Sketch Mode.
7. Click Complete to extract All curves from the entire section.
8. Or you can select parts of the section and then click Complete.
Curves are created on a section plane placed in the model.
12.12.1.4. Orient mesh

The Orient Mesh tool in the Reverse Engineering group of the Tools tab allows you to select roughly
planar areas of triangles or cylindrical areas of triangles to align to the World Origin axes.
To Orient a mesh
1. Open the Tools tab
2. Click Orient Mesh in the Reverse Engineering group of the Tools tab.
3. Hover over triangles to see a preview of the axis it would align to
4. Select the highlighted triangle
5. The mesh aligns as previewed. The selected triangle is shown in blue. Its normal is aligned to the Z-axis.

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6. With each selection, the align-to axis alternates between Z and Y. In the next example, the normal of the
selected triangle (shown in green) aligns to the Y-axis

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As you hover over triangles, cylindrical areas are detected. The following examples show cylindrical areas
being aligned to the Z-axis.

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12.12.1.5. Fit spline

The Fit Spline tool allows you to create a "best fit" spline surface through selected mesh facets.

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To fit a spline surface on a mesh

1. Select mesh facets individually, or use box-selection.
2. Choose Fit Spline from the Reverse Engineering group of the Tools tab.
3. The surface is created (see example above).
12.12.1.6. Creating curves from images

The Vectorize Image tool in the Tools tab creates curves around colored areas in images.
To vectorize an image
1. Insert an image into your design.
3. Click the Vectorize Image in the Reverse Engineering group of the Tools tab.
4. Curves will preview along the boundaries of colored areas.
5. (Optional) Change the tool options.
• Trace Method:
• Border: Curves are created along borders between colors.
• Midline: Curves are created along the mid lines of colored areas. Use this option for line drawings
• Threshold: This is the sum of RGB color values normalized to a value between 0 and 1. It is useful for
non-black-and-white images where area boundaries may not be as well defined as black-and-white
images.
• Check which RGB colors to include.
• Smoothness: Controls how curves are fit through the image pixels. Enter a number between 0 and 1.
Higher numbers produce smoother curves.
6. When you are satisfied with the curves, based on preview, click the Complete button to create the curves.
7. If necessary, open the Repair tab and use the Fit Curves tool to further refine the curves.
The images below show the effects of the tool options. The black-and-white image is used to show Smoothness
and a more colorful image is used to show Threshold.
Trace Method = Border

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Trace Method = Midline
Threshold = 0.3
Threshold = 0.5

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Threshold = 0.7
Smoothness = 0.0

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Smoothness = 0.2
Smoothness = 0.2
12.12.2. Manufacturing

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12.12.2.1. Inserting a standard hole

The Standard Hole tool creates industry standard drilled and tapped holes. Select one of the available
standards (ISO, UNC, etc.) and then choose from available sizes and specify other hole characteristics (Blind,
Tapped, Countersink, Counterbore, Drill point details).
The current hole profile is displayed in the Preview group. It dynamically updates as you define the hole.
There is also a gallery of common hole profiles to choose from.
Hovering over the Preview shows the hole's definition, as it would appear in a Hole Table.
While choosing a placement location, a preview of the hole opening, including countersink and/or counterbore,
is attached to the cursor. This allows you to view the footprint of the hole as you locate it.
Standard hole creation overview

1. The Hole Toolbar opens. Groups in the toolbar contain the options and inputs for hole definition.
2. Set options and enter values to define the hole.
• Choose a Series, Size, and Fit
• The Series you choose determines the available sizes and Fit options
Choose treatments:
• Blind depth
• Tapped thread depth
• When Tapped is checked, diameter displays tap drill size
• When Tapped is checked, Fit is disabled
• May be determined by Series and Size. If so, you can still enter a different value. The value you enter
will be displayed in bold font to indicate it is non-standard
• Default thread depth is twice the basic hole diameter
• Note that only the most common Standard Hole sizes have cosmetic display
• Cosmetic threads appear in the Structure tree and can be toggled on/off
• Cosmetic thread depth
• Cosmetic threads are only available for the UNC series
• Cosmetic threads show a thread helix without actual thread geometry

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Cosmetic Threads are created blind, regardless of whether the option is checked or not.
Thread depth is controlled with the Depth option in the Treatment group. To make threads go through
all of the material, enter a Depth that is greater than the material depth.
• Choose a Style: Countersink, Counterbore, or both

• Countersink Counterbore Both
• Diameter and Angle

• Determine countersink depth
• Some Series specify both dimensions, some specify one, and others specify none
• If they are specified, you can still enter a different value but it will be displayed in bold font to indicate
it is non-standard
• Diameter and Depth

• Some Series specify both dimensions, some specify one, and others specify none

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• If they are specified, you can still enter a different value but it will be displayed in bold font to indicate
it is non-standard
• For Blind holes, you can specify a Drill point

• Enter a Drill point angle
• Choose Drill point depth measurement type
• Depth to Shoulder
• Depth to Tip
Preview shows the hole profile based on current selections and values. Shown below is a Blind, Tapped,
Countersunk, and Counterbored hole with Drill point details.
As you work with different inputs, Preview gives visual feedback. Below are examples of what you would
see when entering values for Diameter, Hole Depth, Countersink Angle, and Drill point Angle.
Preview also has a gallery of profiles to choose from. Click on the Preview image to open the gallery.
The gallery is a graphical way to define the hole. Selecting a hole from the gallery automatically fills in
the details in the ribbon.
3. Choose a tool guide for hole placement.
• Snap to Grid
Select a face on which to display the sketch grid. As you move the cursor, the hole center will snap to
the grid points.
• Free Placement

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Pick anywhere on any face to locate the hole center.
4. Place the hole by clicking in the desired location.

• You can continue to place this type of hole at more locations, or you can change values and options to
place different types of holes.
• All holes show in preview until you decide to complete them.
• You can place holes using a plane that is some distance away from the face. This is useful if the hole
needs to be on a curved face.
5. While the holes are previewed, you can:

• Ctrl+click a hole preview to remove it from the set of holes to be created.
• Press the Escape key to clear all previews without exiting the tool.
6. Complete the hole(s) by clicking Complete. All previewed holes will be completed. You can also
double-click when you place a hole to complete it.
7. Continue to make more holes or leave the Hole toolbar.
8. Click in the Close group to close the toolbar.
Hole Series
Hole Size and Fit options are determined by which Series you choose.
The examples below show the difference between ISO and UNC. Notice the change in Size nomenclature
and Fit options. ISO has Fit options of Nominal, Close, Medium, and Free.
Fit is disabled in UNC.

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• Within each Series, the Size you choose determines the hole diameter
• You can enter a different diameter and it will be shown in Bold to indicate that it is non-standard
Note: In legacy models, Standard Holes created using the NPS series are not recognized, since NPS has
been replaced with the NPSM series.
Customizing Hole Series

• Series and Size determine the values in the rest of the Hole ribbon inputs.
• All of the information to update the inputs is contained in XML files located in the installation
directory>\Library\Holes directory, where <installation directory> is where you installed the software.
• Each series has a corresponding XML file.
The image below shows the ISO M18 x 2.5 ribbon.
The XML for this ISO hole size is in the ISO.xml file. The relevant XML is shown below.
Notice the correspondence between the XML tags and the ribbon inputs.
All dimensions are in millimeters and angles are in degrees.
The image below shows the result of switching to the UNC Series and the 3/4 - 10 Size.

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The XML for this UNC hole size is in the UNC.xml file. The relevant XML is shown below.
• Notice the correspondance between the XML tags and the ribbon inputs.
• All dimensions are in inches and angles are in degrees.
The image below shows the values in the XML file show up in a Hole Table created in a drawing.
You can edit any of the series XML files to customize the series.
• Note that edited files will be overwritten the next time you upgrade to a newer version of Discovery Live
• Any changes made to the XML files, do not go into effect until you restart Discovery Live
It is recommended that you customize the series by adding files to the directory.

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• New files add items to the Series drop-down menu

• Deleting files or moving them out of the directory removes items from the Series drop-down menu
The image below shows a "DCZ" series added.
The DCZ series is based on UNC by copying UNC.xml to DCZ.xml and editing the sizes.
• Note the new TapDrill value reflected in the Diameter input and the new Countersink and Counterbore
values.
Drill Chart
Drill chart is a Series based only on Diameter values. It refers to a set of XML files that contain hole definition
tables. Edit the files to customize the Standard Hole tool.
In the <installation directory>\Library\Holes\Drills directory where installation directory> is where you installed
the software, you will find the following files:
• Fraction.xml
• Letter.xml
• Metric.xml
• Number.xml
File names refer to how the hole name is specified. Below is an example from Letter.xml.
<Name>A</Name>
<Diameter>0.234</Diameter>
<ImperialDisplay>0.234</ImperialDisplay>
<MetricDisplay>5.94</MetricDisplay>
Modify the files according to this format to define custom holes.
To create a hole using Drill chart

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1. Select Drill chart as the Series.

2. Enter a Diameter.
• Enter a letter, decimal value, fraction (1/64, 3/32, etc.), or number (#1, #2, etc.)
• Units are assumed but can be overridden. For example, if Units are metric, 5.94 is assumed to be
5.94mm. Override the default by entering 0.234".
3. Diameter as entered is matched to the corresponding hole in the appropriate chart. Hover over the Preview
to see the callout information.
4. Place the hole on a face.
5. Click Complete, or double-click.
Hole Selection
Discovery Live recognizes Standard Holes. Hovering over a hole face will pre-highlight the hole object.
Select individual hole faces using query select.
Deleting any Standard Hole face, or the face it was created on, breaks the Standard Hole association.
Individual faces are still selectable, but are not recognized as a Standard Hole.
To edit a Hole
1. Select the hole to modify.
You can also CTRL select, or box-select, several holes that share any of the same parameters.
2. Open the Standard Hole Edit tab. You can also double-click a Standard Hole to open the Edit tab.
The Edit tab is not available for multiple holes that share no parameters.
3. Edit the Hole definition.
4. You can continue to select and Edit more holes.
5. To close the Edit tab:
• Select a non-hole object
• Click white space in the Design window
• Enter selection for another tool
With a Standard Hole selected, you can use the Reverse Hole option in the context menu to flip the hole to
the opposite side of the part.

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12.12.2.2. Identifying holes

Use the Identify Holes tool to identify hole geometry in models imported from other modelers. You can also
use it on models made in Discovery Live that do not have Standard Hole associations.
To identify holes
1. Click Identify Holes in the Manufacturing group of the Tools tab.
2. In the Find Options panel, choose the types of holes to find
3. Select a body to look for holes.
Holes matching the Find Options are highlighted in red.
4. Click on highlighted holes to create associations. Selected holes change to cyan color.
• Box selection is allowed.
• You can change the Find Options if no holes are found or to find different holes.
• To create associations for all highlighted holes, click the Complete button.
Finding Standard Holes

1. Check the Match standard size option on
2. Choose a Series from the drop-down menu
Any customization to existing series apply

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The list of available series reflects any added and removed series
3. Enter a Tolerance
Any Standard Holes in the selected Series that are within the tolerance will be identified.
4. Select a body to find holes
5. Click on highlighted holes to create associations. Selected holes change to cyan color.
• Box selection is allowed.
• You can change the Find Options if no holes are found or to find different holes.
• To create associations for all highlighted holes, click the Complete button.
Example:
The block shown below has three holes that match DCZ Standard holes, but they do not have associations.
In a drawing section with a Hole Table they appear as shown below.
Using Identify Holes, associations are added and the Hole Table updates.

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Tool guides
Use the Select Bodies tool guide to select the body

in which to find holes.
Use the Find tool guide to select holes to create an
association.
The Complete tool guide creates hole associations
for all holes found.
Options
• Match standard size: Choose the hole series and set a tolerance for comparing the hole geometry to
standard hole dimensions. Simple holes within the tolerance of a standard hole in the series will update to
match that hole. See Inserting a standard hole for more detail on standard sizes.
º Series: Choose one of the available Hole Standards from the Series drop-down menu
º Tolerance: Enter a tolerance value. Any Standard Holes in the selected Series that are within the tolerance
will be identified.
• All holes: With Match standard size checked Off, this option will find all holes.
• Through-holes: Only finds through holes.
• Blind holes: Only finds blind holes.
• Countersunk: Finds holes with countersink geometry.
• Counterbore: Finds holes with counterbore geometry.

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12.12.2.3. Move body

The Move Body tool allows you to select vertices, edges, or planar faces to snap to the World Origin.
Snapping means the body is translated to the World Origin such that a point on the selected object coincides
with the origin. The body is not oriented or aligned to the World Origin axes.
To use the Move Body tool

2. Click the Move Body button in the Manufacturing group
3. If the World Origin display is OFF, it will be toggled ON automatically
4. Select the geometry on the body that you want to be coincident with the World Origin
5. The body is translated to the World Origin depending on what is selected
• Vertex - The vertex is made coincident with the World Origin

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• Edge - The endpoint nearest to the World Origin is made coincident with the Origin
• Planar Face - Of all the face's edge vertices, the one nearest to the World Origin is made coincident
with the origin

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6. When you exit the tool, the World Origin display is toggled OFF, if it was OFF when you entered the tool
12.12.2.4. Create workpiece

The Create Workpiece tool creates a component containing a solid Box or Cylinder that encloses a
selected body or selected faces.

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Like other components, with a Workpiece you can:

• Create sub-components underneath itusing RMB > New Component
• Activate it for editing
º Rounding edges
º Adding Draft
º Adding protrusions and cuts
º Etc.
• Open it in a separate window
• Replace it with another component using RMB > Source > Replace
• Make it an external component using RMB > Source > Convert to External
• Make an External workpiece Internal using RMB > Source > Use Internal Copy

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Body Selected Two Faces Selected One cylindrical face Selected
To create a Workpiece
2. Click Create Workpiece in the Manufacturing group
3. Use the Select tool guide to select a body or use the Select Face tool guide to select faces
• You can select more than one body
• The Workpiece will enclose all selected bodies
4. Make your selection
5. The Workpiece previews
6. (Optional) Choose a Workpiece type
• Box (the default)
• Cylinder
7. (Optional) Change the Workpiece dimensions
• Set the Default cushion - Enter a percentage based on the size of the selection. This will be the amount
of clearance around the selection.
• Choose Symmetric dimensions - Applies symmetry to center the selection in the workpiece. When
checked OFF, you can have uneven clearance around the selection.
8. (Optional) Orient the Workpiece
a. Click the Set Orientation tool guide
b. Select an edge to align the nearest face of the box or the axis of the cylinder
9. Click Complete to create the Workpiece
A finished Workpiece

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Notes on Workpiece Orientation

• The default orientation is based on the World Origin
• A Box type has walls parallel to the planes of the world origin
• A Cylinder type has its axis aligned to the Z-axis of the World Origin.
• Selecting a line, edge, or axis to orient a box will rotate the box to align one of the workpiece edges to the
selected object
• Selecting an origin to orient the box will transform the box to align its walls with the new origin
• You can only select a linear object (line, axis, edge, or origin axis) to orient a cylinder
• Orienting a cylinder means aligning its axis with the selected linear object
Orientation example is shown below. Selecting the slanted edge will orient the side of the workpiec with that
edge.

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The images below show the effects of the Symmetric dimensions option.
On the left the option is ON and on the right it is OFF. When it is on, dimension changes apply to both side
of a plane of symmetry.
When it is off, dimensions can be changed independently on either side of a plane of symmetry.

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For a cylinder, symmetric dimensions apply to the ends of the cylinder.

Once a workpiece is completed, you can incorporate subsequent design changes using RMB > Update
Workpiece.
Select workpiece in Structure Tree then RMB > Update Workpiece

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Tool Guides
The Select tool guide is active by default. When

active, selecting any face will select the entire body.
Use the Select Face tool guide to select faces to

surround with the Workpiece.
The Set Orientation tool guide asks you to select an

edge. A box workpiece will align the nearest side to
yhe edge. A cylinder workpiece will align its axis to
the edge.
Create the workpiece
12.12.2.5. Toolpaths
12.12.2.5.1. Turn profile

The Turn Profile tool creates curves that trace the path of a tool bit during a turning operation. Turning is a
machining operation in which the workpiece rotates while the tool bit moves linearly.
The Turn Profile tool is available for parts that are:
• Cylindrical
• Conical

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• Spherical
• Toroidal
The bodies can have non-cylindrical surfaces, protrusions, depressions, and cutouts.
Curves are generated that represent the path of the machining tool will traverse during a turning operation
to produce the part. For non-cylindrical surfaces, protrusions and depressions, the turning operation needs
to leave material that can be removed with additional machining operations.
Curves are created representing the path of a turning tool.
To create a Turn Profile

2. Click Turn Profile in the Manufacturing group.
3. (Optional) Check the Include protrusions option. This creates curves like in the image on the left above.
Imagine the protrusion sweeping around 360° and passing through the protruding curves in the profile.
4. (Optional) Alt-select an origin, if one exists along the part axis.
• This will orient the plane on which the curves will lie, depending on which origin axis aligns to the part
axis as follows.
• Origin X aligned to part - Curves created in origin XY-plane
• Origin Y aligned to part - Curves created in origin YZ-plane
• Origin Z aligned to part - Curves created in origin XZ-plane
5. Select a cylindrical surface to preview the curves.

• Curves are created on a plane passing through the pick point on the surface and the axis of the part.
6. Click Complete to create the curves.
The curves are displayed in the Structure Tree under the Curves folder.
The cylinder with a hex end in the image on the right above, you need to check the Include protrusions option
to offset the curve so that the turning operation leaves enough material for the hex to be machined later. This
can be seen in the image below. The curve that offsets from the face was created with the option checked.

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12.12.2.5.2. Deburring toolpath

The Deburring Toolpath tool creates an offset curve profile representing the center of a tool traversing a set
of edges.
A burr is a raised edge, or small pieces of material, that remain along the edges of a part after some type of
creation or modification process. Burrs are often undesirable and are removed by a deburring process.
An offset curve profile created with the Deburring Toolpath tool.

The following options let you control the tool path.
• Tool Radius: Enter the radius of the deburring tool in current model units.
• Width: The width of the flat which is left along the edge after the deburring process.
To create a deburring toolpath


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2. Click Deburring Toolpath in the Manufacturing group.

3. Enter a Tool Radius and Width in the options panel.
4. Select edges for deburring.
5. Click Complete to create the tool path.
12.12.2.5.3. Edges
The Edges tool creates curves on All edges of a selected body.
Curves are created on all edges of a selected body using the Edges tool.
To create edges
2. Click Edges in the Manufacturing group.
3. Curves are created on all edges of the body.
12.12.2.6. Relief
The Relief tool identifies thickness edges at concave corners. Edges found can then have a cylindrical cutout
made to provide relief at the corner.
Multiple pairs of thickness faces in the same body are included.
An example is shown below.

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Internal thickness edges at concave corners.

By default, the tool identifies edges that are Interior to the part. The tool Options allow you to look for External
edges as well. An example is shown below.
External thickness edge at a concave corner.

Edges that Do Not go all the way through the thickness of the part are filtered out of the tool. The example
above shows this with the small pocket on the left side of the part.
The size and position of the reliefs placed on the edges can be controlled with the following options.
• Cut Radius: Controls the size of the relief.
• Clearance: Controls the position of the reliefs by specifying how far the edge of the relief is from the original
edge.
An example is shown below with a solid block inserted into the cutout. The corners of the block represent
the locations of the original edges.
Beginning at the upper left corner and moving clockwise through the four corners the settings are:
1. Radius = 1 mm; Clearance = Default
2. Radius = 1 mm; Clearance = 0 mm
3. Radius = 1 mm; Clearance = 1.5 mm
4. Radius = 1 mm; Clearance = 1 mm

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To create reliefs
2. Click Relief in the Manufacturing group.
3. If you want to find external edges, make sure that the Include external corners option is checked.
4. All thickness edges in concave corners are found and highlighted.
5. Click the Exclude Problem tool guide and click any edges that you do not want to have relief.
6. In Fix Options, set a Cut Radius and Clearance for the reliefs.
7. Click Complete to create the reliefs.
12.12.2.7. Unroll
The Unroll tool works on surface bodies with planar or curved faces.

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• Like Unfold in Sheet Metal, Unroll flattens all the surfaces based on a single selected surface.
• The result of Unroll is another surface shown in the Structure Tree as "Unrolled".
• You can have multiple unrolled surfaces in the model
To unroll a surface body

1. Open the Tools tab and select the Unroll tool.
2. Select a planar or curved face.
• The selected face serves as the anchor for the unrolled surface. The orientation of the unroll is determined
by where you click to select the anchor.
3. (Optional) Enable Keep Bend Lines in the Options panel.If enabled, bend lines are imprinted on the
Unrolled surface
body.
5. The surface is unrolled. A body named Unrolled is added to the Structure tree.
Curved surfaces can have curvature in one or two directions.
Flat and single curvature surfaces

Flat surfaces can be unrolled.

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Singly curved surfaces (e.g. cylinders, cones, etc.) can be unrolled exactly into flat sheets.
Below is an example with two unrolled surfaces built from one singly curved surface.
Surface do not need to be tangent to unroll.
Double curvature surfaces

Doubly curved surfaces (e.g. spherical, toroidal, etc.) are unrolled approximately into flat sheets.
• Unrolling a doubly curved surface introduces some distortion in angles and/or lengths
• Doubly curved surfaces that have small curvature in one of the directions will unroll

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º A sphere would distort too much to flatten (picture a flattened map of the world)
º A big enough torus, and many free-form designs can be flattened without too much distortion
• Angles, perimeter, and area are preserved as closely as possible (within 15%)
º The accuracy increases as the curvature decreases
º The simpler the shape, the more accurate the perimeter and area
This example is a parabola swept along a slightly curved trajectory. Notice that the Area and Perimeter are
both within 0.3% of the original.
Original Surface Properties
Unrolled Surface Properties

Area within 0.3%
Perimeter within 0.2%
This example is a parabola swept along a highly curved trajectory. Notice that the Area and Perimeter are
also both within 0.3% of the original. This is because the shape is a simple parabola.

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Area within 0.3%
This example Is a more organic shape. Notice that the Area is within 0.4% and the Perimeter is within 6.5%.

Area within 0.3%
This example is a more complex perimeter. Notice that the Area is within 0.8% and the Perimeter is within
6.0%.

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Area within 0.3%
When surfaces fail to unroll

If the Unroll tool fails, faces that cannot be unrolled are highlighted in red.
In this example the red surface was made by blending between two edges rotated from each other.
Recall that Unroll works on planar, conical, and cylindrical faces.
12.13. Customizing Discovery Live

You can customize Discovery Live to best suit your working style. Most customization is done on the Discovery
Live options window, accessible from the File menu.

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To customize Discovery Live

1. Select Discovery Live Options from the File menu to display the Discovery Live Options window.
2. Click the type of option you want to set from the navigation panel on the left.
You can use the up and down arrow keys to navigate the left panel.
3. Modify the options on the page.
4. Click OK to save all your changes and close the window.
Note: If you try to enter a value that is out of the allowed range in the Options panel or the Discovery Live
Options dialog, you will see a red exclamation mark icon next to the field. You can hover over the icon to see
a tooltip that will explain the valid values for the option.
Option types
You can set the following option types:
Popular Change your startup options, application interface, application performance (speed vs.
graphics quality), and customize the tools that are displayed while you are working in the
Design window.
Detailing Change options for annotations and drawing sheets.
Appearance Change the appearance of the Discovery Live application window.
Selection Change the selection options.
Snap Change the objects snapped to while you are sketching and editing solids.
Units Set the units for dimensions, the sketch grid, and text height.
Sheet Metal Set the thickness, bend, and relief defaults for sheet metal components.
Mesh Change the default settings for meshing and enable or disable certain meshing tools.
Navigation Change the keyboard/mouse actions used for common navigation tasks.
Advanced Modify how your design changes are displayed in the Design window, whether tools and
hints are displayed, enable background loading, change the language, customize the Spin,
Select, and Undo tools, reset the layout of the panels, and adjust the license warning.
File Options Set options for various file types.
Support Files Set the search path for support files, such as standard thread size tables.
Customize Add or remove tools and commands from the Quick Access toolbar.
Add-Ins Include or remove Discovery Live add-ins.
License View and activate Discovery Live licenses.
Resources Download sample designs, check for updates, contact Discovery Live, or view information
about this version of Discovery Live.
12.13.1. Popular options

Set the startup options, interface, application performance (speed vs. graphics quality), and customize the
tools that are displayed while you are working with your design.

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To customize popular options

2. Click Popular in the navigation panel on the left.
Graphics performance options

Rendering quality: Select a value from 1 to 10, where 1 is the lowest quality and 10 is the highest quality.
Select a low number to increase the speed of the application; select a high number to increase the quality
of the graphics. Increasing graphics quality may lower the Discovery Live's responsiveness to actions in the
Design window. If you notice a delay when working with your design, modify this option to increase application
speed. Within Rendering Quality, you can also choose Custom, which allows you to set your own values
for Surface tolerance, Normal tolerance, and Max edge length.
• Surface tolerance is the distance between Facet Edges and the actual surface. It's a measure of the
distance between the facets and the real geometry.
• Normal tolerance is the angle between adjacent Facet Normals. It's a measure of the smoothness of the
faceting.
• Max edge length sets a limit for Facet size. Smaller Facets match the real geometry better than larger
ones.
Note: You can also customize faceting on individual bodies in the Properties panel with the new Tessellation
Quality Level setting.
Note: Values above 7 appear in red since selecting these values will greatly impact performance. It is strongly
suggested that you do not select a value greater than 7.Images below show the differences between a 7
value (left) and 10 value (right).
Note: Images show a sub-millimeter view of a meters-long part.
Note: Recalculate Rendering is disabled when you change the Rendering quality. To re-enable Recalculate
Rendering, click Ok or Cancel in Discovery Live Options.
Anti-aliasing: The amount of smoothing applied to text, edges, and face boundaries in the Design window.
This option appears only if your graphics card supports anti-aliasing.
Recalculate Rendering: Select this option to update the 3D display in the Design window. Sometimes when
you're modifying a model, the graphics can become misaligned. In the example below, increasing the height
of the cylinder has caused it to become misaligned at the base. The actual geometry is still correct, but the
selected rendering quality was too low to maintain the visual appearance in the Design window.

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In Discovery Live Options in the Popular section, you can click Recalculate Rendering to bring the model
back into alignment visually in the Design window.
Multi-threaded faceting: Select this option to calculate faceting in parallel to improve performance.
Startup options
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Show splash screen: Select this option to display the splash screen when you start Discovery Live.
Report performance information to Discovery Live: Select this option to share data, based on performance,
to help improve product reliability, performance and functionality. Shared data does not contain any model
or design information.
Interface options
Show tooltips: Select this option to display hints when you hover over tools, tool guides, and other icons.
They briefly explain what will happen when you select the tool and provide some hints on how to use the
tool.
Show status messages in window: ON by default. Select this option to display status messages in the
Discovery Live window.
Show popup messages in status bar: ON by default. Select this option to display popup messages in the
status bar area (the lower left corner of the Discovery Live window). These messages provide hints and
feedback while you work in Discovery Live.
Show popup progress messages: ON by default. Select this option to display progress messages when
importing files or using the Volume Extract tool.
Show tool KeyTips: Select this option to enable keyboard shortcuts. Pressing and releasing the Alt will
display shortcuts that can be used to access the Quick Access toolbar, the Ribbon groups, and the tools in
the Ribbon groups. You can also use Key Tips to open files from the Recent Documents list as follows:
1. Press and release the Alt key
2. Press 'f' to open the File menu
3. Recent documents will have a number Key Tip displayed next to them
4. Enter the number of the file you want to open
Show scroll bars: Check this option ON to add scroll bars to the Design window for panning left-right and
up-down.
Control options
Tool Guide position: Select Left, Right, Top, Bottom, or Not Shown.
Show view orientation in design window: Default is OFF. When selected, this option displays a view
orientation gizmo, as shown below, in the design window. You can click a linear gizmo arrow to rotate the
design to a new orientation in 3D, or a rotational arrow to rotate the design in 90-degree increments in the
plane of the screen.
Show mini-toolbar on selection: Select this option to display a small toolbar near your cursor when you
right-click. The contents of the mini-toolbar depend on the tool you are using. You can click or scroll the
middle mouse button to hide the mini-toolbar, and it fades as you move the mouse away from it. The
mini-toolbar is shown in the image below.

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Show radial menu: Allows you to use the radial menu to change select modes while other tools are active,
and gives you quick access to the Pull, Move, Fill, and Combine tools. If you select this option, you can select
one or both of the following methods to open the radial menu:
• Show after holding left mouse button for N ms
• Show after clicking right mouse button, while holding left mouse button down
Show cursor arrows: Select this option to display arrows next to your cursor that indicate the directions in
which you can move your mouse to edit the selected object. The arrows also convey the change in size that
will occur if you pull in that direction.
Arrow transparency: Adjust the slider to control the transparency of the cursor arrows. Move the slider to
the right to make the arrows more opaque; move it to the right to make them more transparent. The arrows
are set to opaque in the image below.
Move handle size: Move the slider to increase or decrease the size of the Move handle relative to the size
of the Design window, as shown in the image below.
Grid guide: Change the position and size of the toolbar displayed for the sketch grid. You can set the Position
(Bottom, or Corner), and the Size (Large, or Small). The defaults are Bottom and Large.

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12.13.2. Appearance options

You can adjust Discovery Live's appearance, such as its menu bar style and color schemes. This options
page also contains placeholder elements for future color customization options.
To set appearance options

2. Click Appearance in the navigation panel on the left.
General
Ribbon style: Choose between Fluent (Office 2007) or Scenic (Office 2010), or Windows 8 (Office 2013)
style ribbon bar styles. With the Scenic style, the File menu provides a Recent menu item, which displays
Recent Documents (lists the name and location of all recently opened files) and Recent Places (lists a
history of all recently visited folders).
Color scheme: Select Silver, Blue, Black, or Custom Color from the menu.
Reset Docking Layout: Click this button to return the layout of the docking panels and Discovery Live
windows to their original locations.
Show cross sections in sketch: Display selectable section curves at the intersection of the section plane
and bodies while in Sketch mode.
Show coaxial face groups: Display faces that share an axis with blue shading.
Show arc centers: Display small crosses on the sketch grid at the centers of circles, ellipses, polygons, and
arcs.
Show section points: Toggle the display of points that represent tangent edges in Sketch and Section
modes.
Show occluded facet selection: Show facet selection highlighting through objects. When the option is On,
hidden facet selections are shown. When it is Off, hidden facet selections remain hidden.
Fill cross section: Display cross section area with a filled appearance in Section mode and Sketch mode.
Add tool graphics to scene image: When copying the scene from a window, include the tool elements in
the image.
Add datums to scene image: When copying the scene from a window, include axes, origins, and datums
in the image.
Colors
Analysis Mesh: Set a color scheme for Defeatured face, Failed face, Meshed face, Out-of-date face,
and Sectioned face.Design color scheme: Select a color scheme from the menu. This option controls the
color scheme used in the Design window. You can choose between two pre-set color schemes: White
Background or Black Background. Elements displayed in the design area will change to colors that work well
for the background color.
You can change the colors for other elements. Click the color next to an individual element and choose a
new color from the drop-down. Select colors from the Custom, Web, or System palettes.

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You can apply a Radial Gradient background by setting Background to Gradient, setting Gradient to
Radial, and then choosing two colors for the Gradient (Color 1 and Color 2.)
Click Reset to change all the colors back to the Discovery Live defaults.
Faceted Mesh: Set the color scheme for the Back face color and the Highlight and Select scheme. For
the Highlight and Select scheme, you can set the color scheme for the Primary highlighted mesh, Primary
highlighted selected mesh, Primary selected mesh, Secondary highlighted mesh, Secondary
highlighted selected mesh, and Secondary selected mesh.
Highlight and Select scheme: Select a scheme from the drop-down menu. Classic and Default cannot be
modified. Custom allows you to modify color options to create your own scheme. Use Ctrl+Shift+H to toggle
through schemes in the following order: Classic; Default; Custom.
Object colors: Set a color scheme for Standard holes.Share Topology:Set a color scheme for Free beam
curve, Unshared laminar (single) edge, Unshared multiple edge, Shared double edge, Shared triple
edge, Shared multiple edge, and Shared face.
12.13.3. Selection options

You can adjust Discovery Live's selection settings, such as the cursor Hit radius and the tolerance used in
Power Selection.
To set selection options

2. Click Selection in the navigation panel on the left.
General
Hit radius: Type the number of pixels your cursor can be from the object you want to select.
Select edge loops using mouse scroll wheel: This option is ON by default. It allows you to hover over an
edge and use the mouse scroll wheel to cycle through the possible loops that include that edge. You can
click a pre-highlighted edge loop to select it. If you are using a multitouch machine, you can select edge
loops by double-clicking OR double-tapping the first edge of the edge loop you want to select.
Show previous selections with prehighlight hint: This option is OFF by default. If it is enabled, Discovery
Live will remember previous selections that were used for some operation. For example, select several faces
and moved them. The next time you select one of the faces, the others will prehighlight.
Power Selection
Automatically calculate Power Selection results: Select this option to automatically display objects in the
Selection panel. You do not need to click to search when power selecting. Objects similar to the selected
object are automatically displayed in the Related list. This option is on by default.
Power Selection relative tolerance: Type a percentage to change the relative tolerance used when searching
in the Selection panel. Enter a non-zero percentage to find objects with similar, but not exactly the same
dimensions when power selecting. For example, if you enter 10% in this option field, select a 10 mm radius
round in your design, then click in the Selection panel, rounds with a radius between 9 mm and 11 mm
will be returned in the All rounds equal to 10 mm results list. The default is 1%. Adjust this value to 0% to
detect perfect rounds exactly or increase it to find imported rounds.

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Facets
Facets selection granularity: Allows you to control the scope of selection of mesh facets.
• Fine: Shows the selection hot spot and allows selection of mesh facets, edges, and vertices.
• Coarse: Allows selection of mesh facets only.
Facets paint selection radius: Allows you to control the paint selection radius for selection of mesh facets.
The default radius is 10 pixels. The maximum value you can set is 250 pixels.
12.13.4. Snap options

You can set snapping options for sketching and editing solids. Units for snap options are set by your Units
options for all new documents.
To customize snap options

2. Click Snap from the navigation panel on the left.
To set incremental options for sketching on the sketch grid

1. Check Angular snap to snap to objects while sketching.
2. Enter the angle increment you want to snap to when you select the Snap to angle option in Select, Move,
and Sketch tools.
To enable snapping to objects when sketching on the sketch grid

1. Check Enable snapping in sketches to snap to objects while sketching.
While you sketch, objects you can snap to are highlighted. The points to which the sketch tools are
snapping appear as messages in the status bar.
2. Check the box next to each item in the list to determine which objects you can snap to while sketching:
• Line - Snap points along lines (at intersections with sketch grid) indicated by rectangles
• End point - Snap points at all end points indicated by squares
• Midpoint - Snap point at center of lines indicated by triangles
• Arc/circle center - Snap points at center of arcs and circles indicated by circles
• Tangent from end point - Snap points at tangent angle to end points indicated by tangent guides
• Perpendicular from end point - Snap points perpendicular angle to end points indicated by perpendicular
guides
• Tangent/perpendicular from line - Snap points at tangent and perpendicular angles along lines indicated
by tangent and perpendicular guides

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• Parallel to line - Lines parallel to the sketched line indicated by highlighting

• Parallel to grid - Snap enabled parallel to the grid when snap to grid is disabled
• Grid - Snap enabled to the grid
To set incremental options for editing solids

1. Check Linear snap to snap to constrain to a linear increment and set the linear interval for tool movements
in the Incremental area.
For example, if you set the Linear increment to 1 mm, you will pull to whole millimeters instead of fractions
of millimeters.
2. Check Angular snap to snap to constrain to an angle increment and set the degree interval for tool
movements in the Incremental area.
For example, if you set the Angular increment to 5 degrees, you will move in larger increments than if
set to 1 degree.
To set snapping options for editing solids

1. Check Enable snapping to solids with the Shift key to snap when you press and hold Shift using any
tool.
2. Check the box next to each situation or object in the list to determine when a tool will snap while editing
solids:
• Face parallel - Snap to a parallel face
• Rotate parallel to face - Snap to a parallel face when rotating
• Rotate perpendicular to face - Snap to a perpendicular face when rotating
• Edge - Snap to any edge
• Cylinder radius - Snap to the radius of a cylinder
• Round radius - When creating a round, snap its radius the value of an existing round on the component
To set the nudge options

Nudging lets you incrementally change dimension values using the arrow keys.
Depending on what tool you are in, there may be only one dimension or there may be two.
The active dimension is considered the Primary dimension and the inactive is secondary. Which dimension
is active can be changed using the Tab key.
For the primary dimension, you nudge the value up using the Up Arrow key and nudge it down using the
Down Arrow key.
Nudge the secondary dimension vakue up with the Right Arrow key and down with the Left Arrow key.
You can set three nudge increment values:
• Normal - The nudge increment when you press Shift and an arrow key.
• Small - The nudge increment when you press Alt+ Shift and an arrow key.

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• Big - The nudge increment when you press Ctrl + Shift and an arrow key.
Examples
Snapping to the midpoint of a line
Editing a solid with angular snap set to 15 degrees
Snapping to an existing diameter

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12.13.5. Units options

You can set the units for dimensions, the sketch grid, and text height.
To customize units
2. Click Units from the navigation panel on the left.
3. Select one of the following from the Units settings for drop-down list:
• All New Documents to create a default detailing style for all your designs. These settings will not affect
any currently open documents.
• This Document to set options for the current design only.

Units
Type: Select Metric or Imperial from the menu.
Length: Select the default units used for length.
• Metric
º Millimeters (default)
º Centimeters
º Meters
º Micrometers
º Nanometers
• Imperial
º Inches
º Feet
º Feet & Inches
º Mils
See the Figure 319: Small Units on page 1260 section below for notes about working with Micrometers,
Nanometers, and Mils units.
Decimal/fraction: If you use Imperial units, you can select Decimal or Fraction to display distance
measurements that are less than 1 unit.
Angle: Select from the following options. For SCDM only, a check box to Use project units when available
will be active only when you are modifying settings for all new documents. The option will be disabled by
default.
Note: When radians are chosen, their angle dimensions will show the appropriate values and unit suffix
(rad).
• Degrees

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• Degrees/Minutes/Seconds
• Degrees/Minutes
• Radians
Mass: Select the default units used for mass.
Density: Select Independent to specify the density units from the density fields or Derived to calculate the
units from your selections for length and mass.
Symbol: Select the abbreviation you want displayed for unit type you selected for Length.
Primary precision: The number of decimal places you want displayed for distance measurements for the
primary units.
Angular precision: The number of decimal places you want displayed for angle measurements for the
primary units.
Show trailing zero: Select this option to display trailing zeros in decimal measurements.
Use tight tolerances: When this option is selected, tolerances are rounded to a value that gives a tighter
tolerance when you have dual dimensions or when a dimension from the design window is shown in the
drawing window with a different unit setting than the design window. The purpose is to not lose any precision
when converting from one unit system to another. When this option is not selected, the values are rounded
according to method A in ISO 370-1975 (E). When selected, values are rounded according to method B.
Show symbol in user interface: Select this option to display the units abbreviation in Discovery Live. The
abbreviation will appear in measurement fields, such as a distance field when you pull a face.
Show symbol in annotations: Select this option to display the units abbreviation after the measurement in
annotation dimensions.
Show "-" separator: Select this option to display a hyphen between whole values and fractions.
Use Dual dimensions: Select this option to display annotation dimensions in both Metric and Imperial. The
unit type you have selected is displayed first and the other is displayed in square brackets. You can see a
preview of the display below this option category.
Secondary precision: The number of decimal places you want displayed for distance measurements for
the secondary units.
Show nearest fraction: Check this option to show the nearest fractional value Less Than the nominal
dimension and the nearest fractional value Greater Than the nominal dimension. It allows for Ruler-style
dimensions. For example, if you were to lay a ruler down and the distance falls between the marks on the
ruler, these values tell you the nearest marks on either side of the dimension value.
• Fraction: Enter a fraction between 1/128 and 1/2. The default is 1/16, which is a common ruler increment.
• From both sides: Show fractions on both sides of the nominal dimension.
• From closest: Only show the fraction that is closest to the nominal dimension regardless of which side it
is on.
Grid
Reset to Defaults: Click this button to reset the grid settings to the Discovery Live defaults.
Minor grid spacing: Type the distance you want between the smallest grid lines.
Number of grid lines per major: Type the number of smaller grid lines between larger, darker grid lines.
Text
Text height units: Select a unit type for note text.

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Small Units
You cannot mix Standard units and Small units in the same Discovery Live session.
• New Designs - If you attempt to create a new design using small units when standard unit designs are
open, a warning is issued. The same is true for creating a design using standard units when small unit
designs are open.
• Opening Designs - If you attempt to open a design with small units when standard unit designs are open,
a warning is issued. The same is true for opening a design with standard units when small unit designs
are open.
• IInserting designs - If you attempt to insert a small unit design into a standard design, a warning is issued.
The same is true when you attempt to insert a standard unit design into a small unit design.
Drawings are an exception for mixing units. Drawing sheets are always in standard units (for example,
millimeters or inches) for annotations (sketched geometry, dimension and note text, etc.). This will result in
larger scaling factors for drawing views, since the geometry in the views is using small units.
Detailing options are in standard units even if the design is in small units.
Because Drawing Sheets are in standard units, measurements reported by certain tools will show standard
units. This applies to the following tools.
• Pull Round
• Pull Chamfer
• Insert Sphere
• Insert Cylinder
The following Discovery Live options are disabled when working in small units.
• Use dual Dimensions
• Show nearest fraction
• Sheet Metal options are disabled for nanometers
The following tools are disabled when working in small units.
• Standard Holes
• Sheet Metal tools (disabled for nanometers only)
12.13.6. Navigation options

Discovery Live allows you to customize how you spin, pan, and zoom. You can customize which mouse
button/keypress combinations are used as shortcuts for these tools, or you can select a theme to match
another CAD application you are familiar with.
To set navigation options

2. Click Navigation in the navigation panel on the left.

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3. Select the default Discovery Live theme, select an alternative theme, or create a custom theme. See
below for more information.
4. Select an option in the Zoom group to set how turning the mouse wheel zooms the design:
• In Zoom mode: Turning the mouse wheel only zooms while the Zoom tool on the Orient group on the
Design tab is active.
• In Spin/Pan/Zoom mode: Turning the mouse wheel zooms when any of the Spin, Pan, and Zoom tools
are active.
• Always (hold Ctrl to Query Select): The mouse wheel always zooms in any tool.
5. Select a spin method in the Spin group:

• Arcball: Rotates the view using the spot where you start dragging as the rotation axis. Imagine the axis
running straight up and down from your mouse position and perpendicular to your current view. Navigation
in most 3D CAD systems works like this.
• Turntable: Rotates the view using the top of your design as the up direction and the location of your
mouse as the rotation axis. This is the spin method commonly used in architectural CAD packages.
6. Select Show spin center to display the axis about which you are spinning the design.
7. Select Rotate about pre-selected object to spin the design around the highlighted edge.
You may want to uncheck this box if you are working with large or complicated designs.
8. Select your Clip with Volume, or, ClipView options:
• Preview color: Select a ClipView preview color to set the preview color of the sphere representing
your selected ClipView.
• Clip selection: Trims the visible and selected surfaces inside a Clip Volume by the Clip Volume boundary.
If you select this option, you are working in Clip Selection mode, and you can toggle Clip selection and
Zoom to fit from the Misc section of the Properties panel. If you do not select this option, you are working
in Clip Interactive mode. In this mode, you cannot modify options from the Misc section of the Properties
panel. When you select a face within the boundary, the entire face (unclipped) displays.
• Zoom to fit: Changes the behavior of the ClipView>Locate function. If this option is selected, then the
Clip Volume is moved to the center of the graphics window and is magnified for the user; when Zoom
to Fit is chosen. If it is not set, then the Clip Volume is only centered, and not magnified.
Alternative navigation themes

The following table shows CAD applications matched to alternative themes.
CAD Application Navigation theme (closest match)

Discovery Live Default
Creo Parametric® Default
Solid Edge® Default
CATIA® Alternative 1
Rhino® Alternative 2
ANYSYS® Alternative 3

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CAD Application Navigation theme (closest match)

SOLIDWORKS® Alternative 3
ALGOR® Alternative 3
KeyCreator® Alternative 3
Inventor® Alternative 4
To create a custom theme

Modify the key and mouse shortcuts shown in the Theme list for any theme. Custom is displayed as the
selected Theme. Your changes are saved immediately.
Modify the Spin, Pan, and Zoom settings to set the mouse and key shortcuts used for those actions. You
can also change the Zoom-in drag direction and the Zoom-in wheel direction to Upward (turning the
mouse wheel away from you zooms in) or Downward (turning the mouse wheel towards you zooms in).
To delete a custom theme

Click Reset All to delete the custom theme and select the Default theme.
12.13.7. Advanced options

Modify how your design changes are displayed in the Design window, whether tools and hints are displayed,
enable background loading, change the language, customize the Spin, Select, and Undo tools, reset the
layout of the panels, and adjust the license warning.
To set advanced options

2. Click Advanced in the navigation panel on the left.
You can click Reset all user settings to adjust all settings back to their default states. You may need to
restart Discovery Live.
General
Enable constraint based sketching: Select this option to enable constraint based sketching. You need to
restart Discovery Live to use constraint-based sketching.
Animate changes to view projection: Select this option to animate the steps when you select a view.
Animate configuration change: Select this option to dynamically show you the parts moving on screen
when switching between configurations.
Auto-extrude/revolve sketches in Section mode: Select this option to automatically extrude or revolve in
section mode. As you sketch in Section mode, lines that begin on an existing edge are extruded to form

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surfaces, and closed surfaces form solids. If the line begins on a solid, the line is finished automatically when
you click another point on the solid. To automatically revolve, the sketch must be attached to a revolved face.
Maximum undo steps: Type the number of actions you want available for undo. We recommend that this
value be set to at least 50. To enable your changes, you must restart Discovery Live.
Language: Select a language from the menu. The Discovery Live user interface and online help display in
the selected language.
Reset All User Settings: Reset all modifiable user settings to a default state. To apply the updated settings,
you must restart Discovery Live.
Export User Settings: Export a Discovery Live user.config file (XML format) for editing and/or future
import.
Import User Settings: Apply non-default, customized selections that are unique to an individual user. A valid
Discovery Live user.config file (XML format) must be available for import. User.config file location can
vary depending on Discovery Live installation, but generally, this file type is stored in your local AppData
directory. Once you locate theuser.config file you want to import, or, enter the name of the user.config
file in the File Name text box, click Open to import the file.
How to create a universal user settings file

1. Create an environment variable called SpaceClaim_ADMIN_CONFIG. It should point to a fully qualified
file name which may be on the network, for example:
[SpaceClaim_ADMIN_CONFIG=\\dell_server\shared\rob\admin.config
2. Begin by creating your own user.config file as described below.
• Open Discovery Live and go to the Options menu.
• Change the settings any way you want.
• Click the Export User Settings button in the Advanced options page.
• Save as "user.config" or any other name you want with the ".config" extension.
• Place in the location which your Environment variable points to.
3. Test that your settings have exported correctly as follows.

• Close out Discovery Live.
• Locate your user.config file.
a. Go to Computer>Local Disk
b. Click in the Path panel at the top of the window.
c. Type: %APPDATA%
d. Double click Local.
e. Double click SpaceClaim
f. Select all the settings folders and delete them.
4. Open a new Discovery Live session and see the results of your user.config file.
Notes about the universal settings file

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• The name can be anything - 'admin.config' is just an example.

• This file will be used by Discovery Live instead of the local user configuration file.
• To use the settings you created, make sure you clear out your local settings before you start Discovery
Live. You should only need to do this once.
• Users may need to delete local settings to get Discovery Live to use the central config file the first time.
This is because Discovery Live checks the file dates and uses the newest of the two files.
• After the first time, you should not need to delete local settings again.
• When you do a new install on a machine with the Environment variable set, the admin user settings will
be used without needing to delete the local settings.
• Once a user has a specified central config file, any changes they make will persist. However, settings within
tabs restricted by 'panel.config' cannot be overridden.
Restricting access to specific user settings

You can prevent some tabs in the Discovery Live Options panel from being overridden by a user. This is
done with the 'panel.config' file that specifies which tabs to disable.
There is an example panel.config file in the following directory:
C:\<installation directory>\panel.config, where <installation directory> is the
location where you installed the application.
This file is simply an example to work from and currently does nothing.
Unlike the 'admin.config' file, which can be named anything, 'panel.config' should not be renamed.
How to create a 'panel.config' file

This example will disable the 'Popular', 'Snap', and 'File->CATIA' options.
<PanelsToDisable>
<PanelName>Popular</PanelName>
<PanelName>Snap</PanelName>
<PanelName>FileOptions_CATIA</PanelName>
</PanelsToDisable>
All of the option panel names are listed below. Use them to customize panel.config as you like. Place the file
in the same location as the admin.config where your Environment variable points.
Popular
Detailing_General
Detailing_SizeAndFormat
Detailing_ModularGrid
Appearance
Snap
Units
SheetMetal

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Navigation
Advanced
FileOptions_General
FileOptions_ACIS
FileOptions_AutoCAD
FileOptions_CATIA
FileOptions_IGES
FileOptions_JTOpen
FileOptions_OBJ
FileOptions_Parasolid
FileOptions_PDF
FileOptions_ProEngineer
FileOptions_Rhino
FileOptions_SketchUp
FileOptions_STEP
FileOptions_STL
FileOptions_VRML
SupportFiles
Customize
AddIns
License
Resources
SpaceClaim Labs
Pull Tool
Select Automatic, Add, Cut, or No Merge to set the initial state of Pull. The Automatic option selects by
default.
Animate Full Pull: Select this option to animate all the steps when you select the Full Pull option to revolve,
sweep, or blend your design.
Behavior
Preview before modifying: Select when you want interim calculations performed when modifying solids
from the menu. If this option is turned on, the preview of a change is displayed as a rough wireframe model
rather than a rendered, 3D model. If you work with very large designs, a wireframe preview can be faster
than doing the calculations necessary to render the change as a shaded 3D model. Select:
• Auto to allow Discovery Live to determine when to render the preview based on the size of the component
and the capabilities of your graphics card.
• On to always display changes as rough wireframe previews rather than rendered previews.

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• Off to always render the preview instead of displaying it as a wireframe model.
Enable geometry convergence: Select this option if you want Discovery Live to help you when you are
moving solids together so that the edges (such as rounds) converge perfectly. If this option is enabled, when
you are moving solids together, Discovery Live will display a progress bar as it performs the convergence
steps. When the option is enabled, if the geometry fails while dragging (using the Pull or Move tool) beyond
a certain point, SpaceClaim will figure out the last value at which the geometry can be created and will set
it at that point. With the option disabled (default), you can drag beyond the geometry failure when the geometry
disappears.
Offset edges by geodesic calculation: With this option selected, all the points on the offset edge are the
same distance from the initial edge. In the examples below, the original edge is highlighted in green, the
regular offset is shown in orange, and the geodesic offset is shown in blue.
Ignore problem area search limit in Repair tools: The problem search area is capped at 250. Select this
option to ignore the restriction, which allows the Repair tools to find and repair all problem areas.
Enable left hand mirror transforms: Mirrored components will be left hand transforms of the original model,
and not contain the true, mirrored geometry. Drawing sheets and downstream applications will see the original
model, not the transformed component.
Top view direction: Allows you to change the top view to Z, Y, or X. This setting is saved with the document
and only applies to new documents. You may want to change this setting when you import drawings from
other CAD applications that use a different upward direction. This option is automatically set to Y when you
run Discovery Live with an ANSYS license, giving your design the same orientation in Discovery Live and
ANSYS. Choose X when you need to comply with manufacturing conventions.
Examples
Extruding while sketching in Section mode
Graphics
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Allows you to select the graphics renderer for Discovery Live.

• Disabled: Select this option to disable the graphics renderer.
• Direct3D11 (Default)
• WARP
• OpenGL
12.13.8. File import and export options

You can open and insert files from many other modeling applications into Discovery Live for editing, and
save your Discovery Live designs as many different file types. If you work frequently with non-Discovery Live
files, we recommend that you set your file options to optimize the importing and exporting process for your
needs.
To customize import and export options

2. Click File Options in the navigation panel on the left.
3. Select a file type in the panel on the left to change options for just that type of file.
Descriptions of all options are listed below.
4. Click OK to save all your changes and close the Discovery Live Options dialog.
Note: If you try to enter a value that is out of the allowed range in the Options panel or the Discovery
Live Options dialog, you will see a red exclamation mark icon next to the field. You can hover over the
icon to see a tooltip that will explain the valid values for the option.
To set general file options

1. Click General in the panel on the left.
2. Check:
• Load model in background to orient large designs while they are loading.
• Load lightweight only to open external components as lightweight graphics representations when
opening SCDOC files. This option is disabled when Load model in background is unchecked.
Note: You cannot toggle a lightweight component's display Off using the check box in the Structure
Tree. Lightweight components cannot be modified which includes their display status.
• Ignore read-only files during save to ignore external components whose SCDOC file has the Read-only
property checked ON. This property can be set at the OS level or, more likely, by a PDM system.
• The option is disabled by default, which means that modified read-only references are versioned when
saved.
• When enabled, modified read-only references are skipped when saving and a warning is displayed.
• Search Support File Folders when loading assemblies to search the support file folders when loading
assemblies.
• Use Discovery Live color tones when importing to use the Discovery Live color scheme for layers.
This option is enabled by default to avoid fully saturated colors, on which highlighting is less visible.
Faces of imported data will retain their original color tones if this option is turned off.
• Create multiple documents when importing assemblies to open or insert a non-Discovery Live
assembly as multiple documents. When you save your design, click References to adjust where the
documents are saved.

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• Use matching Discovery Live documents for faster import if a design contains an external component
that was previously imported and converted to the Discovery Live .scdoc format, and you want to re-use
that previously imported file.
• When Discovery Live is integrated with a manufacturing application, this option is ignored. In the
manufacturing use case, it is common to alter geometry to accommodate manufacturing processes
and save the model with the same name. If this option is on, it could cause the manufacturing version
to be overwritten.
• Automatically save imported documents to immediately save an opened or inserted non-Discovery

Live file to an SCDOC file. (If you do not select this option, then opened or inserted files are not saved
until you save the design.) Make sure that Save imported document and load as lightweight is NOT
checked if you do not want to save any imported documents.
• Improve imported data to improve a file when it is opened or inserted. You can choose to have
Discovery Live Clean and simplify geometry, Stitch nearby surfaces together, and Find coincident
surfaces within a tolerance that you specify. De-selecting this option imports the file without improvements
so the file appears more quickly, but you may have to perform the improvements manually.
• Use multi-threading: Improve performance when importing large CATIA V5, Creo Parametric,
SOLIDWORKS, or Solid Edge assemblies by running translation in multiple threads
• Use lightweight assemblies for Discovery Live documents: If you open a Discovery Live document
with external components, the external components will be opened as lightweight.
• Use lightweight assemblies for imported documents: If you select this option, then you can select
one of the following load methods:
• Save imported document and load as lightweight: When this option is selected, the imported file
will be opened in memory. An SCDOC file will be created for each part in the file, saved, and then
loaded as lightweight, which frees the heavyweight data from memory. You will see an entirely
lightweight assembly. If you then right-click one of the lightweight components and select Load
Component, then the part will be fully loaded very quickly. Also, this method displays the color of
imported parts. The methods below do not. PMI information cannot be imported with a lightweight
model.
• Assembly structure and lightweight geometry: This method imports the document just like in the
above option, creating lightweight parts in Discovery Live, but no SCDOC files are created or saved.
As a result, this option uses less memory than the above method when importing the document;
however, if you use Load Component on one of the lightweight components, the entire document
must be re-imported in order to get all of the data for the component. Loading the component can be
very slow. This method is recommended if you intend only to use the lightweight facets and not the
heavyweight geometry or if you are working with smaller imported documents. Since an SCDOC is
not created and saved, you are able to toggle Off the display of these lightweight components using
the check box in the Structure Tree.
• Assembly structure only: Only the component name and hierarchy is created. No lightweight facets
are created.
• Import hidden components and geometry to open or insert hidden components within CATIA v5,
Parasolid, Creo Parametric, SOLIDWORKS, and SketchUp files, and turn off their visibility in the Structure
tree.
• Objects to be imported has check boxes for:
• Free curves
• Points
• Planes

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• Axes
• Coordinate systems
• Object names
• Improve data on export to improve a file when it is exported. This allows you to turn off the behavior
if you don't want to merge faces and edges before a model is exported, such as exporting to Rhino.
• Export hidden components and geometry to save components that have their visibility turned off in
your design as hidden components when you save them as any other file type. This option is supported
for ACIS, Rhino, SketchUp, and SAT/SAB formats.
• Select Export object names to export CATIA files with object names.
To set ACIS file options

1. Select ACIS in the panel on the left.
• Convert ACIS bodies to Discovery Live components to create components and use the name of
the ACIS bodies for the components. If you deselect this option, then the ACIS structure is used in the
Structure tree.
• Split body name by the following characters to insert the character between the part name and the
body name, when the names are different. For example, with the character set to a period, the name
would be part.body. If you deselect this option, then the component name of imported components and
solids are the same in the Structure tree.
• Import part manufacturing information
• Export part manufacturing information
• Export material information to include material assignments in the exported file.
• Version to set the format of exported designs.
To set AMF options

1. Select AMF in the panel on the left.
2. Set the Import options:
• Connected facets creates a lightweight faceted body with full connectivity information between facets.
• Simple facets creates a lightweight faceted body with no connectivity information between facets.
• Solid/surface body converts AMF triangles into full geometry. File size and memory usage is large.
• Merge faces
3. Set the Export options:

• Compress file: Export a compressed file.
• Resolution (Deviation is in current model units):
• Coarse: Deviation = 2mm; Angle = 30 degrees
• Medium: Deviation = 0.75mm; Angle = 30 degrees

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• Fine: Deviation = 0.5mm; Angle = 30 degrees

• Custom: Enter custom values for Deviation and Angle
• Facet maximum edge length: Enter a value in current model units

• Facet maximum aspect ratio: Enter a value in the range 1- 10
To set AutoCAD file options

1. Select AutoCAD in the panel on the left.
• Insert polyface mesh, 3DFace and Solid entities into 3D as: Select how you want to import these
entities as 3D into Discovery Live.
• Insert polyface mesh, 3DFace and Solid entities onto drawing sheets as: Select how you want to
import these entities onto drawings sheets.
• Insert hatch entities as: Select the behavior for hatch identities.
• Center imported data: This is useful for AutoCAD files that have models positioned outside of the
Discovery Live modeling range (+/- 1km). The center of the bounding box for the imported data is moved
to world origin coordinates (0, 0, 0). This option is ON by default.
• Allow default code page conversion: This setting must be on in order to support text entities and
table names that require a code page conversion. The latest version of Teigha has removed the need
for this but the current version of RealDWG still needs it.
• Associate dimensions to geometry: Import associated dimensions
• Substitute font: Select a font to use when the original font in the DXF file is missing.

• Version: Select the AutoCAD version to set the format of exported designs.
• Save as black and white: Remove color information from exported designs.
• Associate dimensions to geometry: Select dimensions to associate with adjacent geometry.
• Include drawing format: On by default.
• Scale output 1:1: Off by default. Set the output of your AutoCAD files to a 1:1 ratio.
• Export solids as: Choose either Solids or Hidden line curves
Note: When saving a drawing as a DWG or DXF file, you can also access the last two Export options by
choosing Save As from the File menu; from the Save As dialog box, click the Options button.
• Set the Translation technology for Import and Export:
º Teigha (Associated Dimensions) to use Teigha 3.4.0 libraries.
º Autodesk Real DWG to use Autodesk's translator. Import supports associated dimensions in your design.
Use this option to import DWG files with 3D bodies. For export it will disconnect dimensions from the
geometry in your design.

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To set CATIA file options

1. Select CATIA in the panel on the left.
• Check Import part manufacturing information to include product manufacturing information when
you open or insert CATIA designs.
If you select this option, and you previously selected Import assembly structure only in the General file
options, that option will be deselected.
• Deselect Trim control points outside face boundaries if you do not want to perform surface
optimization on CATIA files when they are imported. This option is on by default.
• Check the Map CATIA Geometric sets to Discovery Live Groups option to create Discovery Live
Groups from CATIA Geometric Sets
• For CATIA CGR files, you can specify how you want to import the faceted data (similar to other faceted
formats such as AMF and STL)
• Lightweight
• Connected facets
• Simple facets
• Solid/surface body

• Version: Select the CATIA version to set the format of exported designs
• Simplify spline surface data: Reduce the number of control points on surfaces
• Export as hybrid design: Check this option ON to export the model as a Hybrid design.
Whether you import or export CATIA files, XYZ locations of point objects will scale as expected.
To set Creo Parametric options

1. Select Creo Parametric in the panel on the left.
2. Select Import Quilts if you want to import quilts. A Quilt in Creo Parametric is a collection of individual
surface bodies.
3. Enable Import part manufacturing information if you want to import that information.
To set ECAD file options

1. Select ECAD in the panel on the left.
2. Set Import mode:
• Layout Geometry
• Layer Topology requires you to also set the method for creating solderballs (Bounding Box or
Cylinders/Spheroids).
To set ICEM CFD file options (For SCDM only)

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1. Select ICEM CFD in the panel on the left.

• Per design: (default) Exports one .uns file for the entire design.
• Per component: Exports one .uns file per component (blocking object) in the Structure tree.
To set IGES file options

1. Select IGES in the panel on the left.
2. Select an Import Method:
• Use facewise connections to attempt to stitch everything together and make a solid if possible. With
this option selected, the import may fail if the model is corrupt.
• Import faces independently to import models as a collection of individual surfaces, skipping only the
surfaces that are corrupt.
3. Set Export options

a. Export using JAMA IGES subset: Check option On or Off
b. Select an Export Discovery Live body option:
• Manifold Solid B-Rep Object (MSBO - Type 186): MSBO defines a manifold body with all the
necessary topology information like shells, faces, loops, edges and vertices.
• Trimmed surfaces (Type 144): The boundaries of these surfaces will be represented by Curve on
a Parametric Surface Entity (Type 142).
• Bounded surfaces (Type 143): The boundaries of these surfaces will be represented by Boundary
Entity (Type 141). The boundary entity will refer to model space curves and surface parametric
curves, with preference set to model space curves.
To set Fluent file options (For SCDM only)

1. Select Fluent in the panel on the left.
• Blocking mesh: (default) Directly exports the blocking mesh.
• Body mesh: Exports an assembly of the body meshes.
• Per design: (default) Exports one .msh file for the entire design. This option is only available when
using the Blocking mesh option. When using the Body mesh option this option is always used.
• Per component: Exports one .msh file per component (blocking object) in the Structure tree. This option
is only available when using the Blocking mesh option.
• Face based: (default) Exports the mesh including interior face data structure. This option is only available
if using the Body mesh option. If using the Blocking mesh option, this option is always used.
• Cell based: Exports the mesh excluding interior face data structure. This option may be useful to help
reduce the file size of the .msh file.
Note: The cell based mesh file will return only boundary face zones if read into Fluent Meshing. This
option is only available if using the Body mesh option.
To set JT Open file options

1. Select JT Open in the panel on the left.
2. Set Import options:

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• Import part manufacturing information: Imports JT PMI (Product and Manufacturing Information)
files with datum labels, text notes, dimension measurements, and GTOLs (geometric distance and
tolerance information, also called GD&T).
• Import polylines: Import polylines from JT facet data. To enable this option, Free curves under General
file options must be turned on
• Import data:
• B-Rep
• Facets
• Import facets data as:
• Simple facets
• Merge faces
3. Set Export options:

• Resolution
• Coarse, Medium, Fine to use the deviation and angle preset values.
• Custom to use the Deviation and Angle sliders to set a custom resolution.
Resolution indicates the number of sides of a polygon used to represent a circle. The deviation is the
difference in distance between the circle's radius and the polygon's radius. The angle is the angle
between the edge of the polygon and a tangent drawn through the circle at the same point.
• Default to use the system setting.
• Use JT Open Toolkit configuration file to import/export JT files, which allows you to control common
translation parameters using a standard configuration file, the format of which is defined by JT Open
Toolkit. Using the toolkit also ensures 100% data compatibility and allows you to have more control
over the number of LODs (Levels of Detail) and tessellation parameters for each LOD in an exported
JT file.
• Export part manufacturing information: Check On or Off

• Version: Select a JT version
To set NX file options

1. Select NX in the panel on the left.
2. Enable Import part manufacturing information if you want to import that information.
To set OBJ file options

1. Select OBJ in the panel on the left.
• Units: Choose a system of units

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• Override quality to change the faceting setting for exported files so it is different from the graphics
faceting setting.
• Custom to use the Deviation and Angle sliders to set a custom resolution.
Resolution indicates the number of sides of a polygon used to represent a circle. The deviation is the
difference in distance between the circle's radius and the polygon's radius. The angle is the angle
between the edge of the polygon and a tangent drawn through the circle at the same point.
• Facet maximum edge length: Enter a value in current model units
• Facet maximum aspect ratio: Enter a value in the range 1- 10
To set Parasolid file options

1. Select Parasolid in the panel on the left.
• Version: Select the Parasolid version to set the format of exported designs.
• Shallow assembly export: When checked, an extra instance node is NOT created for every component
in the assembly during export.
To set PDF file options

1. Select PDF in the panel on the left.
2. PDF 3D
• Import part manufacturing information: Check On or Off
• Import PDF facets as
• Simple facets
• Merge faces
• Export part manufacturing information: Check On or Off
3. PDF 2D
• Shaded quality (dpi): Set the quality by entering a value (default is 110 dpi)
• Overlay vector edges: When checked on, it improves the quality of model edges in PDF
To set Rhino file options

1. Select Rhino in the panel on the left.
2. Set Import Options:
• Select Convert Rhino layers to Discovery Live components to import layers.
• Import facets data as
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• Simple facets
• Merge faces

• Select Convert Discovery Live components to Rhino layers to export layers.
• Version: Choose a Rhino version.
To set SketchUp options

1. Select SketchUp in the panel on the left.
2. Set Import options.
• Import as: Choose Solid or Facets. If Solid, enable Simplify to surfaces to cleanup geometry by
fitting planes, cylinders, and cones.
3. Set Export options

• Version: Choose a SketchUp version.
To set STEP file options

1. Select STEP in the panel on the left.
• Import Method:
• Use facewise connections to attempt to stitch everything together and make a solid if possible. With
this option selected, the import may fail if the model is corrupt.
• Import faces independently to import models as a collection of individual surfaces, skipping only
the surfaces that are corrupt.

• Protocol: Choose a protocol to use to format exported designs.
To set STL file options

1. Select STL in the panel on the left.
• Units: Choose a system of units.
• Import as:
• Connected faceted body: Create a lightweight mesh with full connectivity information between facets.
• Simple faceted body: Create a lightweight mesh with no connectivity information between facets.
• Solid/surface body: Convert STL triangles into full geometry.

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• Check the Merge faces check box to seamlessly merge one or more faces.

a. Format
• Binary (Default)
• ASCII
b. File
• Per design
• Per component
• Per body
c. Set the Resolution options to control the size and shape of mesh facets in areas with curvature:
• Coarse, Medium, Fine use preset values for Deviation and Angle.
• Custom enables the Deviation and Angle sliders so you can use your own specific values.
See below for a description of the effect of these options. Deviation is the distance between a chord
drawn through a curved cross-section of the model and the curve's most distal point. The angle is
the angle that the chord line makes with a line tangent to the cross-section curve.
• Facet maximum edge length to enter a desired edge length. The value you specify is the maximum
value for the edges, however smaller edge lengths may be created. The ACIS modeler attempts to
meet your desired edge length setting, but in some design scenarios, may create an edge length
that is less than what you specify as your facet maximum edge length setting, to best accommodate
the design.
• Facet maximum aspect ratio to change the triangle faceting ratio when you export an STL file.
Deviation controls how far facet edges are away from model edges. The images below show the effect of
Max distance on the mesh of a cylinder. These examples keep the Aspect ratio fixed at 3 and the Facet
maximum edge length set to 4mm.

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Max Distance = 0.75mm Max Distance = 0.01mm

Max angle = 20-degrees Max angle = 20-degrees
Notice how the settings change the facets along the edge of the circle. The intrerior is a flat plane, so 45-degree
triangles are the most efficient facets.
The example on the left shows the default Max distance of 0.75mm. This refers to the gap seen in the
zoomed-in (top) image. Decreasing the Max distance to 0.01mm results in more facets along the edge, which
brings the facet edgess closer to the cylinder edge, as seen in the example on the right.
Similarly, decreasing the Max angle will result in more facets along curved edges. This example shows the
result of decreasing the Max angle from 20 degrees to 1 degree.

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Max Distance = 0.75mm

Max angle = 1-degree
Without a fixed Aspect ratio and without a Max edge length, you can get more distorted triangles as shown
in the following images.
No set Aspect Ratio or Maximum No set Aspect Ratio or Maximum No set Aspect Ratio or Maximum
Edge Length Edge Length Edge Length
Max Distance = 0.75mm Max Distance = 0.75mm Max Distance = 0.01mm
Max angle = 20-degrees Max angle = 1-degree Max angle = 20-degrees
To set TGF file options

1. Select TGF in the panel on the left.

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2. Select the Export method

• Per design: Export per design
• Per assembly: Export per assembly
• Per part: Export per part
• Per body: Export per body
3. Set the Facet Resolution
• Custom to use the Deviation and Angle sliders to set the resolution of the TGF mesh.
Deviation is the distance between a chord drawn through a curved cross-section of the model and the
curve's most distal point. The angle is the angle that the chord line makes with a line tangent to the
cross-section curve.
• Facet maximum edge length to change the triangle maximum edge length when you export a TGF
file.
• Facet maximum aspect ratio to change the triangle faceting ratio when you export a TGF file.
• Extract feature edges to extract feature edges when you export a TGF file. Enter an angle to use for
determining feature edges.
To set VRML file options

1. Select VRML in the panel on the left.
2. Select Override quality to change the print resolution options and tolerances.
• Custom to use the Deviation and Angle sliders to set the resolution of the VRML mesh.
Deviation is the distance between a chord drawn through a curved cross-section of the model and the
curve's most distal point. The angle is the angle that the chord line makes with a line tangent to the
cross-section curve.
• Facet maximum aspect ratio to change the triangle faceting ratio when you export a VRML file.
To set Workbench options (For SCDM only)

1. Select Workbench in the panel on the left.
2. Set basic and advanced geometry options.
3. Set the Always use Discovery Live's reader when possible option depending on whether you want
SCDM to ignore the ANSYS CAD Configuration Manager's (CCM) settings when opening a document.
File formats that can be imported into SCDM fall into the following three categories:
a. Formats that are never routed through ANSYS Part Manager (VRML, STL, PLY, IGES, STEP, and so
on). These formats always use Discovery Live's reader.
b. Formats that must be read through ANSYS Part Manager (CATIA V6, DesignModeler, Creo Elements,
GAMBIT, and so on). Workbench preferences always apply to these formats.
c. Formats that are readable by both Part Manager and Discovery Live's reader.
The option includes a table that indicates which reader will be used for each file type. Formats listed in
the table are from categories 2 and 3 above. Enabling the option forces any format from category 3 to be

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routed through Discovery Live's interoperability functions. When the option is disabled, each format's
behavior is determined by its setting in the CCM.
12.13.9. Support file options

You can specify the directories in which you store support files, such as drawing sheet formats or thread size
tables. Drawing sheets contained in these directories are displayed within the Format tool.
Support Files Search Paths, defined in SpaceClaim Options, are also used when searching for models
required by assemblies. This situation occurs, for example, when external components are moved to a
different directory.
To set the location of support files

2. Click Support Files from the navigation panel on the left.
3. Click Browse to replace the selected path or click Add to add another path, and navigate to the file or
directory you want to include. (You can also select the path and click Remove to remove it.)
4. Select a path and click Move Up or Move Down to order the file paths.
5. Click OK.
To change the file location display

• Drag nodes to reorder the search paths, which determines the order in which files are searched.
• Right-click the top level (or root) node and select Add to add a new search path.
• Right-click a node and select Browse, Remove, Move Up, and Move Down.
File backup settings

Check theBackup every check box to enable the Autosave feature. With Backup, you can save your files
automatically, helping to reduce the risk or impact of data loss in case of a crash or freeze. The default
Backup time interval is 10 minutes, but you can select a time interval from 1 to 100 minutes. Once you select
a time interval, you can enter or click theBrowse button to select a location for the Backup files on your
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computer. By default, Discovery Live stores Backup files on your C: drive in your Users folder. If you save
your file before your session ends, your Backup files are purged. You can click the Clear Backup Files
button to manually purge your Backup files at any time.
When you relaunch Discovery Live after a crash or freeze, an information box displays to notify you that
Backup files are available. To recover them, click Recover from the File menu and select the file you want
to open.
Keep Backup files for ^ days: Use the scroll box to select the number of days (0-100) that you want to
store your Backup files. By default, Discovery Live sets the number of days at 7.
Number of recent files to show: Set the number of files to show in the Recent Documents list. The default
is 8. Can be set to 0.
To use a template for new designs

To create a design template, do the following:
1. Create some geometry (or set some parameters) you wish to use as a template for new designs
2. Save the document as a Discovery Live Template File (*.scdot)
3. In Support Files options, check the Use template for new designs check box and specify a path to the
template files.
File Locations
Check the Initialize Open dialog to the following directory check box and specify a path. When you choose
to open an existing design, the Open dialog opens and displays files in this directory.
Check the Initialize Save dialog to the following directory check box and specify a path. When you choose
to save your design, the Save dialog opens and displays files in this directory.
12.13.10. Ribbon Tabs options

You can turn any of the following Ribbon Tabs on and off in the Ribbon Tabs page of Discovery Live Options.
• Design
• Insert
• Detail
• Display
• Measure
• Repair
• Prepare
• Sheet Metal
• Facets
• Keyshot
• Journal
Use the Reset button to return to the original tab configuration.
12.13.11. Quick access toolbar options

The Quick Access toolbar (QAT) is located on the title bar. The Ribbon is the menu bar that contains all the
tools in groups. You can add or remove tools from this toolbar and control the placement and display of the
Ribbon.
To customize the Quick Access toolbar

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1. Click next to the Quick Access toolbar.

2. Select any items you want to appear in the toolbar.
3. (Optional) Select Place Quick Access Toolbar below the Ribbon to create a separate toolbar on the
Discovery Live interface.
4. Select Customize Quick Access Toolbar to display the Discovery Live options window. (Any changes
you made in the previous steps are saved automatically.)
You can also select Discovery Live Options from the File menu and click Customize.
5. Select the ribbon group that contains the tool you want to include in the QAT from the Choose commands
from drop-down menu.
6. Click the tool you want to include and click Add.
Select a tool and click Remove to remove it from the QAT.
7. Click OK.
To temporarily minimize the ribbon bar

Double-click the name of the active tab or press Ctrl+F1. Double-click a tab or press Ctrl+F1 again to restore
the ribbon bar.
To keep the ribbon bar minimized

1. Click next to the Customize Quick Access toolbar.
2. Select Minimize the Ribbon to hide the ribbon when you are working in the Design window.
To use the ribbon while it is minimized, click a tab to display the ribbon bar temporarily.
To restore the ribbon bar

1. Click next to the Customize Quick Access toolbar.
2. Select Maximize the Ribbon.
12.13.12. Displaying workspace tools

You can adjust the display of workspace tools and the display of your design in the Design window using
the Show drop-down list of tools in the Display ribbon group on the Display tab, and by modifying Discovery
Live options.
To customize the tools displayed while you are working with your design
Discovery Live offers the following tools on the Display ribbon group on the Display tab to assist you while
creating, editing, and detailing your designs:
• Check the World Origin box to display the axes that set the default orientation of the design in the Design
window.
• Check the Spin Center box to mark the center of the spin when using the Spin tool. (This is the same as
the Show Spin Center Discovery Live option.)
• Check the Zoom Legend box to display the zoom legend in the Design window.

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• Check the Lineweight box to change the line style to the thickness set by the Lineweight tool in the Style
ribbon group.
• Check the Face Highlight box to enable pre-highlighting of faces.
• Check the Face Spotlight box to show a spotlight attached to the cursor when passing over faces.
• Check the Body Glow box to enable highlighting for pre-selection and selection of bodies. This setting
applies to all windows.
• Check the Vertices box to show all vertices in the model. Vertices are not shown on closed periodic edges
(for example, on a cylinder). This setting works on a per-window basis; enabling it in one window has no
effect on other windows.
• Check the Body Interference box to show any bodies that are intersecting. This setting works on a
per-window basis; enabling it in one window has no effect on other windows.
• Check the Ambient Occlusion Only box to render the display with a diffuse, non-directional shading effect
that approximates how light should be shining on any specific surface based on the light source and, if
included, the environment. The shading represents the exposure of the scene to ambient lighting, for
example, interior surfaces of a model are typically more occluded and will appear darker than the exposed
outer surfaces. This option can be used when the Enhanced Shading option is enabled.
In the example, the image on the left is rendered with Ambient Occlusion and shows the shadows and
highlights that are missing in the image on the right.
• Check the Adjacent Entities box to display faint highlighting on adjacent faces when you hover over an
edge and on adjacent edges when you hover over a vertex. Scrolling the mouse wheel switches between
adjacent entities. This feature is useful in selecting the correct edge or face to extrude.
• Check the Layout Lines box to display sketch curves on layout planes.
• Check the Offset Baseline Faces box to display offset relationships with blue shading.
• Check the Standard Holes box display Standard Holes in blue. When unchecked, Standard Hole faces
display in the normal face color.
• Check the Lightweight Components box to display Lightweight components. This also has a flyout for
setting Lightweight component transparency.

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• Check the Environment box to display according to the settings in the Appearance panel.
To display other workspace tools, modify the settings in the Popular Discovery Live options.
You can also display journal-related tools by checking the Show Journal Tab option in the Popular Discovery
Live options.
Examples
Hovering over an edge with Adjacent Entities highlights the faces shared by the edge
12.13.13. Creating custom shortcuts

You can create custom shortcuts for Discovery Live commands.
To create custom shortcuts

2. Click Customize and then Shortcuts in the navigation panel on the left.
3. A list of current shortcuts is displayed.
4. Click Add to create a new shortcut.
5. The New Command Shortcut dialog opens.
6. Select a command from the dropdown list. The list is separated into two collapse-able lists.
• Popular Commands
• Ribbon Commands
7. Enter a key sequence.
8. If the key sequence entered is already in use, you will be notified.
9. When an acceptable sequence is entered, click Assign to save the shortcut.
You can continue to add more shortcuts or select an existing shortcut and click Edit to change it.
When you are done creating and editing shortcuts, click OK to exit.
12.13.14. Scripting
Note: Refer to the Class Library for a detailed description of the API. A copy of the Class Library compiled
help file (.chm) is included in the installation. The path will be similar to the paths shown below and will change
according to the version you are using and where SpaceClaim is installed.
For SpaceClaim: C:\Program Files\SpaceClaim <version number>\SpaceClaim.Api.<version
number>
For SCDM: C:\Program Files\ANSYS Inc\<version number>\scdm\SpaceClaim.Api.<version
number>
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You can work with Discovery Live programmatically using Python. A built-in script editor allows you to create
and run scripts to perform repetitive tasks and work with models and geometry.
Use File>New>Script to begin a new script.
When running SpaceClaim within AIM, use Model>Show Script Editor to begin a new script.
Use File>Open to open an existing script file (*.scscript, *.py).
When you exit Discovery Live with an open script, you are asked if you want to save the existing script.
Script Editor
The Script Editor has the following functions.
• Open Script - Loads a script from a file
• Save Script - Saves the current script to a file
• Save Script As - Saves the current script by specifying a destination
• Insert Selection - Pastes the current selection as script in the script window. The selection can be identified
by:
º Index - The internal index of each selected entity
º Ray - The internal ray fire point and direction
º Smart Variable - Combines the other methods to make selections persist better when replaying scripts
Smart Variable selection is needed to make selections more stable for replaying changes. A Smart
Variable selection stores more information than any of the other types and is much more robust in
matching the selected entity during geometry changes.
The image below shows how each selection is scripted for the same selected face. Notice that the
Smart Variable selection uses a variable called “Face1”
Smart Variables have a dropdown GUI, on mouse-over, for investigating references beyond the
in-graphics highlighting.

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• Record - Code for scriptable actions performed in Discovery Live is written in the script window. Choose
the Normal or Verbose mode.
• Insert Code Snippet - Presents the Snippet dropdown at the cursor in the script window
• Find/Replace - Opens a Find and Replace dialog
• Run Next Line - Executes the next line of the script
º Step In - Enables you to step into function calls.
º Step Out - Enables you to step out of function calls.
º Step Over - Enables you to step over function calls.
• Debug - Enables you to use the debug features to Step Over, Step In, or Step Out of your code as you
work to debug it.
• Run Script - Executes the entire script from the top.
Note that Debug runs on a background thread so there is a performance cost. Using Run is faster, since it
runs on a single thread, but breakpoints will not work when you run your code.
The editor supports the following shortcuts:
• Ctrl+K = Comment
• Ctrl+Shift+K = Uncomment
• Ctrl+ Insert = Insert Code Snippet
• Ctrl + F / Ctrl + H = Find/Replace
• F10 = Run Next Line
• F5 = Run Script
• For Debug:
º F10 = Step Over
º F11 = Step In
º Shift + F11 = Step Out
Script is written in the main Script Window but can also be entered as single commands in the command
line.
Results of running a script, including error and warnings, are written to the Output Window.
Intellisense
Intellisense, or intelligent code completion, is included in the editor to assist with entering commands. It is a
context-aware code completion feature that improves the process of coding applications by reducing typos
and other common mistakes. The code completion and related tools serve as documentation and
disambiguation for variable names, functions, and methods using reflection.
• When you type in the Script Editor, you can see suggestions for commands, helper functions, variables
(created or with Smart Variable Selection).
• Auto complete features add parentheses when writing functions in the Script Editor. For-loops can be
created automatically.
• You can also search for existing APIs from the Script Editor and select it to automatically add the code to
import it into the script.
º The example shows the import of the CustomProperty API. Start by typing in the Script Editor and click
the All tab to see all suggestions.

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º Select CustomProperty from the list. The API is then imported into the script as shown.
• Use Cast and CastCheck with expressions or variables.

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º Cast enables you add a type to an expression. For example, you can declare a variable and set its type
in the Scripting Tool.
Note that when you cast a variable inside of a method, it is only cast to that type inside the method.
º CastCheck enables you to check the type of expression by surrounding it with an if-statement. Once a
variable is cast, you can choose to add a CastCheck, which adds an if-statement to the code. This
if-statement allows you to confirm the variable's type before performing additional calculations or
modifications.

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Geometry
Power Selection and Smart Variables

Power Selection is recorded and, when using Smart Variables, can be used to perform similar operations
on multiple bodies.
For example, you can record the power-selection of holes with a certain diameter, and then the filling of those
holes with the Fill tool. That script can then be used to fill holes of the same size in other models, even if the
number of holes is different.
The example below shows six holes power-selected, filled and recorded.
The script is then run on a different model and 12 holes with the same diameter are filled.
Re-importing models
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Geometry
Scripting supports recording and playback for imported models with persistent ID maps. This allows the
following:
1. Start recording
2. Import a model from another CAD system
3. Make changes to the imported model
4. Save the script
5. Import a new version of the model (that is. it was changed and saved in the source system)
6. Playback the script on the new version
Notes:
• The import of the model must be recorded so that the ID Map is inserted in the script
• The ID Map makes the script binary so that it can only be edited in Discovery Live
• To import a new version, you need to make sure that the correct version number is called for in the script
Limitations:
• Assembly hierarchy in the source system cannot change between imports
• Part names in sub-assemblies cannot change between imports
• The following file types are currently supported
º Spatial IOP Translators
NX
Creo Parametric
CATIA V5
Inventor
º Part Manager Plugin Translators
NX
Creo Parametric
CATIA V5
Inventor
DesignModeler
Snippets
Snippets are chunks of code that can be inserted into your script. They are presented in a dropdown folder
browser with tooltip help describing the function of each Snippet.
You can write your own Snippets and add them to a custom snippet directory. Use the Support Files Paths
set in SpaceClaim Options > Support Files to create a directory for storing your Snippets.
• The directory will appear in the Snippets fly-out menu in the Script Editor
• Snippets need to be saved as XML files containing the snippet code and other information (Title, Description,
etc.)
To create a snippet, use the following template XML and change the Title, Description, and Code.

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Geometry
Snippet example
This example shows how to use a Code Snippet to create a simple gear.
The model already contains a cylindrical shaft, which could also be constructed using a script.
Open the Examples folder and select the gear Snippet.

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Geometry
The Snippet code loads into the Script Editor window.
Click the Run Script button to build the gear.

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Geometry
Script Groups
Scripts can be saved to Groups to store them in the model. In the Script Editor, open the dropdown menu
on the Save button and check Save Script to Group. Click the Save button to create the group and add it to
the Scripts folder in the Groups Panel.
Script Parameters
Variables used in scripts can be saved to Parameter Groups. This allows you to easily modify the values
without editing the script.
Note: Discovery Live rebuilds the model from scratch when replaying scripts and assigns new IDs to all the
entities. If you are generating the geometry via script, you should not declare design parameters to individual
parts in downstream applications like Mechanical, for example. To properly scope loads and boundary
conditions for geometries generated via script, you should generate Named Selections for them in the script
itself, and then scope the loads or boundary conditions to the Named Selections downstream.

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Geometry
To create a Parameter group

1. Create a Script group
2. Right-click in the Groups Panel and choose Create Parameter from the menu
3. The parameter is created with a default name and a default value of zero
4. Rename the Parameter
Script Group and Parameter example

This example shows how Parameter Groups can be used to modify the parameters of the Gear script.
1. Insert the Gear snippet into an empty script.
2. Save the script to a Script Group.
3. Create a Parameter group as described above and name it "Teeth".
4. Look for the variable "nTeeth" in the script and edit it as shown below.
5. Click the 'Teeth' Parameter in the Groups Panel and change it to the original value of 20.
6. Right-click the Script Group and choose Run Script from the menu to create a 20-tooth gear.
7. Expand the Script Group node in the Groups Panel and see that it displays the current value of the Teeth
parameter.

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Geometry
8. By default, scripts run after you change a parameter value. Right-click the Script Group and choose Pause
from the menu keep the script from running until you explicitly run it. The script icon in the Groups Panel
now has a 'paused' icon.
9. Change the Teeth parameter to 40 and see that the script group now has a yellow triangle in the Groups
Panel to indicate that the Teeth parameter has changed.
10. The snippet does not delete the current gear before it creates a new one. So, delete the current gear and
rerun the script to create a 40-tooth gear.
11. Right-click in the Groups Panel and create a new Parameter named "oRadius".
12. Find the 'oRadius' variable in the script and edit as you did for the Teeth parameter.
13. Change the parameter value to 0.02 to match the initial value in the script.
14. Right-click the parameter and change the units to Length.

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Geometry
15. Notice that the Parameter value changes to "20mm", indicating that the script assumes length units of
Meters.
16. Change the value to 30mm and change the number of teeth back to 20
17. Delete the current gear
18. Run the script to create a gear with 20 teeth and an outside radius of 30mm.
Publishing scripts to the ribbon (Beta)

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Geometry
You can Publish a script to create a "Beta" labeled Tool Button in the ribbon.
To publish a script
1. Write a script
2. In the Publish Script dropdown, check Publish as Tool (Beta)
3. Click Publish Script
4. The Publish Script Tool dialog opens
5. Enter a Name
6. Enter a Description
7. Enter an Icon Path or browse to select an icon
8. Click OK
The tool is added to a Scripts group in the Tools ribbon.

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ANSYS, Inc Release 2020 R1

U.S. Government Rights

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Release 2020 R1 - © SAS IP, Inc. All rights reserved. - xi

Release 2020 R1 - © SAS IP, Inc. All rights reserved. - xii

Persistence of Vision Ray Tracer (POV-Ray)

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Release 2020 R1 - © SAS IP, Inc. All rights reserved. - xix

Release 2020 R1 - © SAS IP, Inc. All rights reserved. - xx

4.4.2. Heat Source Cooling In Air Template.........................................................................290

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12.1.5. Printing drawing sheets and designs........................................................................556

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12.4.6.8. Circular patterns.........................................................................................830

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12.6.2.2. Standard Parts............................................................................................896

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12.8.4.4. Splitting faceted bodies.............................................................................1031

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12.10.1.8. Extend adjacent faces............................................................................1126

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12.13.2. Appearance options..............................................................................................1253

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Chapter 1: Discovery Live 2019 R3 Release Notes

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Release 2020 R1 - © SAS IP, Inc. All rights reserved. - 30

Release 2020 R1 - © SAS IP, Inc. All rights reserved. - 31

Chapter 3: Discovery Live Forum

Click Forum to visit the Discovery Live forum for tips,

Click Tutorials to get started with some Discovery Live

Click Ask a Question to post questions to the Discovery

Click Copy Scene to copy your current scene to the

Click Save Image to save images of your simulation to

Click Post Example to share your results with others.

Click Ideas to send your ideas for Discovery Live to

Release 2020 R1 - © SAS IP, Inc. All rights reserved. - 32

Release 2020 R1 - © SAS IP, Inc. All rights reserved. - 33

Chapter 4: Get Started

From here, you can do any of the following:

4.1. ANSYS Subscription Licensing

Use Manage subscription to:

4.2. The Discovery Live interface

Release 2020 R1 - © SAS IP, Inc. All rights reserved. - 35

4.2.1. Active Tool

When you select another tool, it becomes the active tool.

Select a face or faces to apply the Force.

Complete to apply the boundary condition.

4.2.2. Create Solution

Release 2020 R1 - © SAS IP, Inc. All rights reserved. - 36

Behavior Modal Behavior or Electrical Conduction Behavior .