Learn/Drafting/Solid Modeling Tools
Loft
Updated v2.3.9At a glance
- Blend two or more sketch profiles on different planes into one solid
- Smooth or ruled walls; closed loop option
- Point sections taper the loft to a clean apex
- Profiles with holes blend into true hollow transitions
- Join, cut, or new body modes with live preview
Loft (L) blends an ordered set of sketch profiles into a single solid — a square base flowing
into a round top, a duct transition, a hull section, a handle that swells in the middle. Sketch
each cross-section on its own plane (offset planes, face planes, angled planes all work), then
click the faces in the order the loft should pass through them. A live preview appears as soon as
the second section lands, and the profile shapes don't need to match — a square can flow into a
circle, a slot into a round boss. All of a loft's sections live in one component; pick a face
from a different component and the dialog says so plainly (naming both components) instead of
ignoring the click — drag the stray sketch into the right component in the browser and carry on.
Sections are a reorderable list
Every picked profile becomes a row in the dialog, in loft order. Move a row up or down and the preview re-blends instantly — no need to cancel and re-pick when sections land in the wrong order. Rows can also be removed individually or re-picked in place, and hovering a row lights up its sketch region in the 3D view.
Smooth, ruled, apex, and closed
By default the walls flow smoothly through all sections. Tick Ruled for straight walls between each consecutive pair — crisp, faceted transitions instead of a curved blend. + Add Point Section caps either end with a sketch point (any point or circle/arc center), tapering the loft to a clean apex for cones, spouts, and teardrops. With three or more sections, Closed blends the last section back around to the first for rings, curved frames, and wrap-around forms.
Holes make hollow transitions
Profiles with holes loft hole-to-hole alongside the outer boundary: loft two hollow sections and the result is a true hollow transition — a round tube flowing into a square duct — not a filled lump. Sections need the same number of holes; when they don't match, the dialog says so plainly instead of failing silently, and the same goes for sections stacked on the same spot or a point section in the middle of the order.
Cut, Join, or New Body
Same as Extrude: when the lofted preview intersects an existing body, the Operation dropdown offers Cut, Join, or New Body, inferred automatically from how the shapes overlap. A lofted Cut carves tapered, freeform cavities no straight extrusion can reach.
Parametric all the way down
The loft remembers its sections by the sketches themselves. Edit a profile, move its plane, and the loft rebuilds through the change; if a sketch edit removes a region the loft depended on, the feature flags it for a one-click re-pick instead of guessing. Reopen the loft from the history to add, remove, reorder, or re-pick sections and change its options later.